Hiring a handyman under the best of circumstances is often a pain. Usually, I go down a list of numbers in the phone book or newspaper leaving messages on answering machines. Only half return my call, two thirds of those agree to come out and give me an estimate. Half of them don't keep the appointment. And should I hire one, there is a fifty-fifty chance they will not show up. And worse they never bother to call, letting me wait and wonder, wasting my time. Other single women claim the same problem.
One even stated on his answering machine that if he didn't find the job interesting, he wouldn't bother returning my call. I left no message, I just hung up!
I've been told that Florida handymen can cherry-pick their jobs due to the many senior citizens here and all the new people moving down. They can always find work, few are interested in repeat customers. Many are indifferent, some are downright rude!
After the 2 hurricanes struck, it was the same set of problems, plus everyone had jacked their prices way up as well. It was a trying time that dragged on for months. I had learned the hard way to get plenty of estimates before hiring anyone. Also to get everything in writing, even the things they claim to do for free!
During my bat infestation, I had a devil of a time finding someone with a ladder high enough to reach the top of my 30 ft cathedral ceiling. The right side where it formed a V needed to be sealed. I told the man to seal both sides as long as he was up there. "No!" he snapped back, "it doesn't need it!"
Would he have spoken to me that way if I had been a man? -- I doubt it! At one point, he also criticised my housekeeping.
Now I had been living upstairs in my bedroom for a month! I couldn't stay downstairs long enough to clean, because the smell of bat urine was intolerable. Not to mention inhaling the fumes put me at risk for histoplasmosis. -- This fellow was only one of many, I never hired again!
Each new handyman nearly always criticizes the work of his predecessor. They in turn are criticized by the next, which makes me wonder if any of them actually know what they are doing. Some of these so-called professionals had questionable skills. They did obviously shoddy work, but demanded a lot of money.
On occasion, I do find that rare gem of a handyman. Someone who is highly skilled, ethical, reasonably priced, reliable, and polite. Trouble is, they tend to move away.
Frequently, I have been told I need to find a husband, that would solve my problem. NO, that would only create worse problems! Not to mention, it's a drastic solution! Besides a lot of men just aren't handy around the house, some are helpless!
My father could fix anything. He was as skillful with his hands as he was smart with figures. My brother and I did not inherit that gene. Back when my middle-aged cousin was visiting; he, our mothers and I went out to dinner while Dad was away. Upon our return, we discovered a fuse had blown. My cousin instructed me to turn on all the lights in the house while he unscrewed each fuse so we could locate the bad one.
When I related this incident to my father, he laughed uproariously! My cousin had grown up on farm, he should know how to spot a bad fuse, Dad declared. I reminded him that this was the same man who accidentally poisoned all his cows, forcing the family farm to be sold.
My father escorted me to the fuse box and explained how to spot a blown fuse. It was so simple, it was embarrassing. This was at our old Stuart house. My current home has levers instead of fuses, easier yet!
Recently, my smoke detector expired after 10 years. I hired my computer guy Jake to get and install a new one. He did a perfect job and he's plenty smart. But Jake's just not the type I'd hire to climb up on my roof and nail down a shingle or pour concrete on my driveway.
I was fortunate enough to find an outstanding handyman for these kinds of outdoor jobs. I've even recommended him to friends. (Usually I always warning them NEVER to hire so-&-so because he's incompetent or he'll rip you off! ) Anyway, I'm losing this exceptional man because he's retiring to another state. He will be missed!
Soon I'll be back to weeding through all the chaff searching for another gem like D.R. Swartwood.
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