No shortage of handyman services

Property owners know there is no shortage of things to do once the snow melts and the ground is dry enough to commence spring cleanup. Some of us embrace the opportunity to tackle outdoor chores with energy and vigour, while others resist the urge for as long as possible. For one thing, getting our properties shipshape inevitably involves numerous small jobs, in addition to cleaning out flower beds, pruning trees and shrubs and reviving winter-weary lawns.

When a crooked fence post needs straightening or sidewalk slabs or patio stones are no longer level, who are you going to call? Habitat for Humanity has tapped into a unique market for its newest social enterprise designed to help homeowners with everything from small repairs to major renovations such as building a deck or installing new front steps. Delivering these types of service-oriented jobs has the potential to be a huge growth industry.

Sandy Hopkins, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Manitoba, says that the idea to create a handyman service began in fall of 2014.

The goal, Hopkins says, was to create a new social enterprise that would be doable and provide a unique service that wasn’t being fully met by the private sector. The initiative needed to create income for their non-profit organization, but Hopkins also wanted it to be scalable — that is, to have the potential to expand.

"After conducting market research," Hopkins says, "we found that there was massive demand by homeowners that wasn’t being met."

Launched in spring of 2016, the Habitat Handyman service has proven so successful, they are keeping five crews a day busy.

The types of jobs performed include everything from replacing a door or window or fixing fences and front steps to basement and bathroom renovations. Kitchen renovations are next. Crews consist of skilled volunteers and licensed tradespeople.

"It’s a fee-for-service enterprise and the profit that it generates helps Habitat to help our families," Hopkins says.

We have figured out how to do it well, he adds, and now Habitat Handyman is preparing to expand its staff and increase its capabilities.

Today’s handyman is just as likely to be a woman. Fleur Mann is the owner of Handy Girlz, which started out in 2003 as a home-painting and window-cleaning business. Soon, Mann’s clients wanted to hire her for other projects. Today, her small but detail-oriented crew offers an eclectic range of services, including carpentry, drywall installation, flooring and tiling and installing light fixtures. Handy Girlz will fix your leaky faucet, power wash your driveway, repair or replace window screens and design and build your fence and gate.

In 2016, Handy Girlz was a Metro Community Choice award winner for best handyman service. Homeowners are looking for someone they can trust, Mann says, whose customer base includes many women.

"Female homeowners are often more comfortable hiring a handywoman," says Mann, who graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce and discovered working in an office wasn’t what she wanted to do. Demand by homeowners is so strong, Mann says, that Handy Girlz is presently not able to accept any new clients.

If you are planning a landscape project this year, will you hire someone to do all the work from start to finish or does it suit your budget better to offset the expense by doing some of the work yourself?

Ryan Kindret, owner of Kindret Landscaping, is an award-winning landscape construction service that tailors the services they deliver to match their customers’ needs. Kindret says that homeowners, especially first-time homebuyers, often need assistance with the more challenging aspects of their landscape project, but are willing to do some or all of the labour themselves.

"Most homeowners have a budget and like to maximize it by doing the things they can," Kindret says, "so we outline the big costs and what they can do to help, such as running wheelbarrows of crushed stone or bricks from the front yard to the backyard."

Need a site plan for a DIY low-maintenance landscape that includes the layout of trees and shrubs as well as all the necessary measurements? Would it be helpful to have all the materials for your DIY project selected and delivered right to your door?

"We can give our clients hourly rates for equipment and labour, too," says Kindret, whose à la carte services also include a tailor-made landscape maintenance plan, so that clients know how and when to water their lawn, trees and plants.

In order to meet the demands of the marketplace, Kindret Landscaping is phasing into more of a supply, design-build and maintenance group of companies. Kindret has hired a landscape architect for more specialized projects and, this spring, he is starting a tree company. A one-stop solution saves clients time and money.

What if you could outsource some of the less enjoyable garden chores, such as weeding, dividing and transplanting perennials, applying a layer of compost to your garden beds or hauling away debris? Or, perhaps you are looking for someone who will take care of your landscape while you are away on holidays or harvest an overabundance of apples, peppers, and tomatoes? Shaluk’s Garden Solutions offers a range of à la carte services including a personalized seasonal maintenance plan.

Cathy Shaluk, its owner, says that often the services a company such as hers might offer to a long-term client inevitably evolve because as the client gets to know her and trusts in the work she provides, the relationship grows. Shaluk says that almost all of her customers learned about her small business through word of mouth.

"Whenever I am designing a new landscape or renovating an existing one, waking up the garden in spring or putting it to bed in fall," she says, "homeowners are excited to have me there and then introduce me to their friends or next door neighbour."

Shaluk says that she has held client meetings for a good part of the winter with more booked for spring. Even if you are just planning to engage the services of a young entrepreneur in your neighbourhood to mow your lawn this summer, now is the time to decide what best suits your needs and schedule a consult.

What are some of the questions you should ask before hiring someone? Safety matters even when it’s a small job like chipping out and repairing a patch of broken concrete. If a small piece of concrete were to land in a worker’s eye, for example, who is responsible? It’s important for a homeowner to maintain a safe environment. You should feel confident that the person you hired has the right equipment and safety gear to do a job. Find out if your homeowners’ policy protects you against a personal-injury lawsuit when hiring someone to do odd jobs.

Kindret says that a professional company will display its licences and certifications on its website. Proof of arborist certification or a pesticide applicator licence assures the homeowner that the job is being done properly and safely.

Don’t sit on the fence too long — spring is in the air.

colleenizacharias@gmail.com