r/HandymanBusiness

I recently took on a job to remove rotted fascia and gutters, replace the fascia, paint fascia, prep and power wash concrete block, and paint.

I won't even tell you what I bid, just take the lowest number you can think of and cut it in half. Anyways I'm on day 5 and have hung the fascia, painted it, and washed and prepped the concrete block.

However, and especially with my helper, I am fully in the red on this project. And painting brick is much more labor intensive than I'd anticipated, and requires a second coat. Additionally he offered to let me use his airless sprayer for the job as part of the original quote, come to find out it is a project sprayer that will not work.

I basically feel I need to ask for the full amount for work rendered just to cover my expenses, and provide a separate quote for the painting.

Is this scumbag behavior? I did not intentionally bid as egregiously low as I did, I just did not expect hanging the fascia and prepping the concrete block to take so long.

Should I eat the cost (at least 4 more days of prep, priming, and painting) not to mention the paint is elastomeric and will need rolled.

What would you do in this situation? On one hand I don't want the client to feel I gave a number to get the job or am doing a bait & switch, but on the other hand I'm not a charity, I'm just an idiot. I basically took the job to keep my helper busy, I figure I'd add it to my portfolio and break even, but was dead wrong, am now in the red. It was only a handshake agreement, not sure how to approach this conversation but he is patently aware of how low the quote was, I am sure.

Edit: thank you for the feedback everyone, it was exactly what I needed to make sure that eating the loss as a result of my poor bid is the correct decision and my integrity/word is worth more than the money for this job. I will still probably have a talk with the homeowner regarding elastomeric paint specifically and the labor involved and perhaps find some common ground there, but regardless, it's my responsibility ultimately. As they say, easy come, easy go. There will be more work for me to bid appropriately in the future.

Yesterday, worked a full day job and then some. Customer had an existing mount, of course that didn't fit nor support their new TV. Curtains and rods that don't fit their windows and walls, things kept getting added to the list, etc. A 6 hour, 2-man day turned into 12 for me and 9 for my helper.

This is not the first time something like this has happened, but what do you do in a situation where a client just wants a laundry list of random shit done? They basically begged to get their 90" TV hung as their top priority, however, they didn't mention that it was their top priority until after everything else was done. I went to get the mount, and after 9 hours in, the mounting went about as bad as it could have without actually damaging the TV.

I'm just starting, so I'm desperate for reviews and word of mouth interactions at this point, but what is with people just asking for "one more thing" *endlessly*. It's starting to pay off because within a month I'm already getting booked at a price I didn't think would be possible for a while, but man this sucks ass. Looking for tips just to scope my work better when communicating with clients.

Also, I have a day job and plenty of other stuff going on in life, so my scheduling window is starting to get tight and I can't just always pop in the next day.

This is happening sooner than expected but I had a chance meeting with someone looking for a light remodel on an investment property and we hit it off. He's looking for a general contractor and I was able to secure a pre-bid site visit.

I have many years of experience in that I've personally "flipped" my 3 previous homes and beat inflation and the market by about 15% with great ROI in the two homes I've already sold. I do good work.

I also have a degree in construction management and am pretty confident in my ability to submit an attractive and competent bid.

That said I don't have any business references or a portfolio other than my own homes.

Other than bidding low, how do I add value for this potential first customer to secure the contract?

He would be taking a risk, but and I want him to know that that I'm aware and willing to work to overcome those doubts.

Thank you!

One of the hardest parts of running a home service business isn't the work itself, it's justifying your rate to someone who just got a cheaper quote from a guy with no insurance and no license. How do you handle it? Do you explain your costs, walk away, or meet somewhere in the middle?

Share your trade and region. Pricing conversations look very different depending on where you operate.

We started a new company and we keep getting these requests for work, painting or assembly, and they offer 50% deposit on the work. Generally when I push them for contact information and things like that, they go silent. But what's the scam?

I have one now who wants to send me a certified check to do the work. If they send a check, and it is certified, and I take it to the bank and verify it, what's the scam? It seems very odd and doesn't make sense. What am I missing?

Anyone have experience with this? Any advice would be appreciated.

Hey all,

I'm a handyman and am busy enough that I need some help from time to time, but not so busy that I can afford a full time guy. Ideally, I'm trying to find semi-skilled guys who I can pay by the day. I don't need guys with 20 years experience or anything. Just guys who can handle things like painting, drywall patches, baseboards, etc. Other than referrals, how do you find your guys?

After years of faithful service, my M12 Muli-tool started smoking and died. It was ALWAYS a little too angry sounding and bothered even my ears. Not sure if it was defective, but it served it's purpose well. I run mostly M12, but do have a couple of M18 tools for when I do stuff that demands it. I will be replacing my M12, but should I consider the M18???

Licensing requirements across trades and regions are all over the place. Some states require separate licenses per trade, some bundle them, some barely regulate at all. If you've gone through the licensing process, what tripped you up the most? Exams, insurance requirements, bond amounts, renewal timelines?