FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
The three hour minimum is a rate designed to account for overhead cost as well as opportunity cost of accepting each job. A deposit is expected to guard against last minute cancellations. My rate reflects both the expertise and the actual experts that I have access to. I have access to seasoned craftsman from all trades who have been practicing their whole lives. I will often bring a specialist with me so we get twice the amount of work done. So the hourly rate is often paying for two people.
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
I am patient with the customer first and listen, because projects involve stress and people often have strong feelings about things that need doing in their house, if only so they can get it off their plate and be done with it. Different clients want different amounts of control and involvement. While I am happy to take care of everything and let the home owner relax, some home owners like to be more involved, which I welcome, because the homeowner is the boss in their house. The bottom line is, it’s an honor to be invited into someone’s house, and therefore I treat the owner and their home with complete respect. My aim is to come and go and for the place to be nicer than it was when I got there.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I was a music teacher for 18 years. Managing a class full of kids aged 5-14 has prepared me well for the challenges involved handyman work. It teaches you to have compassion and patience, no matter what kind of stress you’re under. To have a plan but be ready to ditch it at a moment’s notice, and to project manage while simultaneously managing 15-25 small developing humans. And in my case, while playing and reading music 😂. The discipline of playing and studying music requires dedication and a willingness to make mistakes in order to learn, and teaches a person that you get out of something only what you put into it. But also, it has taught me that I can learn anything if I put the work in and pay my dues. There is a fine line between being foolish and brave that I am often dancing around. Attention to detail, patience and perseverance are traits that apply well to the trades.