The range of handyman services broadened as quality professionals acquire more skills in varying disciplines. Now they offer a long list of trades and specialties for facilities to utilize.
Using a handyman is a cost-effective way to handle small projects and the occasional quick fix. One of the greatest benefits of regularly contracting a local handyman is having a trained “second set of eyes” on the inner workings of your facility. They identify and rectify small problems before they become larger issues.
What They Do
Primarily you want to use them to repair, improve, and maintain the facility you’ve invested significant dollars in. With proper maintenance, you extend the useful life of your investment but also nip any minor issues in the bud. With the uptick of outside landscaping and hardscaping features, you exponentially increased the number of small concerns you need to manage.
A quality handyman is the perfect cost-effective fit for items not necessitating a specialized contractor.
Here are a few handyman services you may utilize:
- Tile installation and repairs
- Deck finishing, repair, and maintenance
- Drywall services
- Window repair
- Door installation and repair
- Restroom repair and maintenance
- Painting and touch-ups
- Dining booth and furniture assembly
- Crown molding
- Fencing
- Stucco
- Small plumbing repairs
- Basic electrical
- Light bulb changes
- Exterior power washing and graffiti removal
- Carpet repair
Do Your Due Diligence
Don’t allow this extensive list and joy of one-stop shopping cloud your due diligence. During the evaluation process you need to understand what trades they are strong at and which they are not. Do they excel at electrical and painting but fall short at plumbing? Your handyman team may very well include more than one person. You may, also, choose to select someone and lean on their jack-of-all-trades skills for the rest.
The goal is to extend the life of property assets and reduce maintenance expenses. Enhancing your customers’ experience; the subset. A positive experience can be irreparably damaged by seemingly small things such as a leaky faucet, chipping paint, or wonky chairs or tables. These small things often escape the attention of facility managers as they have much bigger items on which to focus. Over time the cumulative effect of little things does matter. Customers choose where to go based on their conscious and subconscious opinion of their experience at your facility.
Not a Waste of Time
A handyman contains extensive knowledge of various kinds of repairing work. You tell them your problem. They know how to fix it. Plus, what tools to use. They recognize the impact a small job has on the greater whole. Maria Johnson, VP of Development for Cotton Patch Café, explained they utilize them to knock out a large number of small jobs in one visit. When they visit, there is a set checklist from the facility providing a scope of work. They receive a “Not to Exceed” (NTE) figure and encouraged to observe, inspect, and repair other items even if not on the initial list. A “do as much as possible” in a daylong visit approach. By saving up several small things for a handyman you save money and time while keeping the issues from becoming larger.
Cost Effective
There is a lower cost to hire handyman than specialized contractors. Hiring the appropriate person is the biggest concern. You need to right-size the person for the job. While handyman services have broadened, it does not replace the need for specialized contractors for certain jobs. For instance, the American Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements have strict standards and require a general contractor with ADA licensing to complete certain requirements.
Smaller handyman companies such as a one-person company offer the benefits of low overhead. By utilizing them you get more bang for your buck. Building a long-term working relationship with a high integrity person is the best way to ensure quality. Be prepared to invest the time and energy in building the relationship, communicating, and proactively resolving any issues. If hiring new, see tips in the recommendations section below.
Embrace the benefits but do not overreach.
Do They Have Knowledge of Other Issues?
Handymen have a broad-base of knowledge and expertise. They don’t fall prey to a silo mentality. They can be your eyes and ears to alert you to problems before they become an issue. Their holistic view of the facility will help ensure your customer’s experience is not compromised. They close the gaps on issues that don’t clearly fall into a particular trade contractor’s scope of expertise.
Johnson explained some of her best handymen have a trading niche but are also jack-of-all-trades. They know how to do a number of other tasks. However, most of her handymen do the work themselves. They subcontract only for bigger projects or overnight work which must take place when the facility is closed. This helps ensure quality and knowing who and what you are getting.
Because her handyman vendor are used in rotation in a given market they are knowledgeable of the brand and readily carry the parts needed for jobs. For example, faucets, tiles, paint colors, etc are standard and specific across facilities so the handyman knows to have these stocked in the truck as they make their rounds.
Important Considerations When Hiring: You Want to Sweat the Small Stuff
Licensing
For whatever disciples they work in, ensure they are licensed and qualified to perform the level of work for which you are hiring. Just because they do a lot of things does not mean they should do everything.
Insurance
Typical insurance requirements are $1 million with a $2 million umbrella. Depending on lease/landlord requirements, a $5 million umbrella is not uncommon. Many small companies do not carry these levels of insurance. Ensuring you only contract with people who carry appropriate levels and types of insurance helps you protect the company, brand, and your customers. You don’t want the recently hung lighting fixture to lose a battle with gravity during a rush and injure patrons.
Cost
Depending on your size and number of locations, competitive pricing can ebb and flow. You need to understand the cost decisions made upstream in the planning process. A well-built facility sparing no expense in the initial build might have a 1% R&M budget. However, if you skimp on quality in the initial build because of time or financial constraints, your R&M budget increases exponentially, possibly a 5% R&M budget or more.
Recommendations
Experience with commercial properties of comparable size as yours is a must. By partnering with SLM Facility Solutions, you gain access to a vast database of handymen around your facility. We select the most qualified for the best price to suit your needs. All handymen are licensed, insured, and vetted giving your peace of mind.
You spend all day ensuring the big picture comes to fruition. Allow SLM Facility Solutions to handle all your handyman services. Fill out our facilities assessment to see how much time and money you could be saving.
Featured in RFMA’s Facilitator Magazine.
