Do I need a handyman or contractor for the work I am looking to have done?
The answer is, not sure yet. We need to break down a few things to better understand the scope of work that your project entails to ensure you’re looking for the right company. Let’s start off with the difference between a handyman vs a contractor.
Handyman – jack of all trades, can do a lot of various tasks from electrical, plumbing, woodworking, drywall, landscaping, etc. When you have one person in a company (typically a handyman is a one person company) it’s very difficult to be great at so many different things, good or average at doing everything is typically what to expect.
Contractor – typically a company comprised of more than one employee which allows them to hire people who all have different skills and no matter the size of a project can be great at that one thing. Typically a contractor is all W2 employees that work for that company, not always though (we will talk about this in another post).
General Contractor – this is more of a “manager” than workers, typically a general contractor uses “subs” or other companies to accomplish their work rather than having a company of employees to do the work themselves. The issue with using sub contractors is that they do not work for the person you hired. They also have their own prices of what they expect to be paid for the work in your home, but then the general contractor typically adds an additional 20% to what the subs get paid to pay themselves.
Now that you understand the difference between the different types of companies that will come to give you estimates for your work, the scope of work for your job is now what’s going to allow you to make a better decision. Fixing some drywall or replacing a vanity can easily be a handyman but finishing a basement or redoing a bathroom or kitchen might be better to use a contractor or general contractor. You can also look at overall price of job to get an idea,
$100-$2500 – more handyman work
$2500-$10,000 – contractor
$10,000 + – general contractor
I truly hope this helps to make a better decision.
