How much should I pay a local handyman?

When you cannot afford specialists for basic jobs around your home, a handyman becomes your best bet because they are equipped to handle such simple plumbing and electrical jobs. You can easily search on line for a handyman in your area, for example FixMan.

The more technical jobs in your home are best handled by professional electricians and plumbers. Delicate issues with your boilers or gas appliances should go to a registered Gas Safe Engineer.

To find a handyman, type handyman near me into Google, you will have lots of options to choose from. Don’t forget that although the price you are quoted may seem expensive, handymen have a lot of overheads such as the costs of materials, their own time and labour, and even things like their own uniform such as branded outerwear and stretch work pants.

Here are the prices to expect from most handymen.

Conservatory

Adding a conservatory will cost you an average of £5,000 to £30,000. The price hinges on the conservatory’s size, type, and specification. The advantage of a well-planned conservatory is an extra 7% sell-on value while an extension that costs an average of £10,000 to £30,000 will give you a sell-on value of 11%.

Loft Conversion

If you have over 2.2m of usable room on a roof suitable for loft conversion without the encumbrances of a water tank or chimney, you can add your loft conversion with ease. It’ll cost around £20,000 which will improve the sell-on value of your property by 12.5%.

Block Paving Driveway

A typical CBP driveway will cost between £45 and £70 per square meter, although prices may differ depending on stockist and product type. The price above covers block paving and does not include installation and accessories. Therefore, a 50m2 driveway will cost between £2,250 and £3,500.

Laminate Flooring

The cost of installing laminate flooring is often the same or more than the cost of the materials. Do peg the cost of material at £5 per square meter while installation costs around £8 to £12 per m2. Most fitters will charge per square meter (m2) while others charge daily rates. Getting fitters or installation companies to examine your property and give you a free, no-obligation quote will help you compare prices.

Electric Shower

Replacing an existing electric shower will cost you £100-£200. The cost of installing a new electric shower goes up when your house is old and demands improvement in the plumbing and electrical work. When the latter is the case, you may look at £125-£300 to fix a new electric shower.

Artificial Grass

The cost of installing 4m x 10m of artificial lawn is around £2500. Much of that price is spent on purchasing the artificial grass which goes for £1200. Other costs include; machinery hire £200, weed membranes £80, sub-base material £400, edging £40-£100 depending on the material used. The cost of labour is around £400-£500 for a two-man team who will take 1-2 days to finish the job.

Compared to the cost of raising a real lawn from grass seeds, the price above sounds exorbitant but while an artificial lawn gives you a neat lawn in a day or two, a real lawn can take a year or more and may never look as great. 

New Kitchen

Several factors determine the cost of your kitchen; the size, style, features, whether it is a bespoke or pre-assembled kitchen, and whether you will need the services of a plumber or an electrician. Labour charges for a kitchen are around £400-£1500.

Getting in touch with many local contractors who can give you exact quotes for fitting a new kitchen will be helpful.

Acquiring the services of a Plumber

Here are the basic costs of hiring a plumber; fixing a leaky tap £50, mending an easily reachable burst water pipe, including call-out charges, materials, and labour cost £90 while unblocking a clogged toilet costs around £90.

Installing uPVC Fascia and Soffit Fitting

Replacing timber fascias and soffits with uPVC in a terraced house will cost around £1200 for labour and materials. Certain factors may increase or reduce the price stated above like access issues, removing asbestos soffits, and using different sizes of boards.

For more of these, search for tradesmen on My Job Quote and receive a quick quote and direct answers to your questions before you select a local tradesman.