When I was younger, I hated working with my hands. I dreaded getting up at the crack of dawn everyday to haul construction materials across the job site for 8 to 12 hours. As I got older though, I realized it wasn’t the work that I hated. It was the concept of being another drone in a company, having to be somewhere at 6 or 7am everyday or my family didn’t eat. When I struck out on my own, offering my crafting services to my community, I discovered a profound joy in swinging that hammer. I could work when I wanted to, I made far more money (among other goods), and I got to see the looks of gratefulness on my customer’s faces after a job well done. These days, I gladly offer my handy man services alongside my bookkeeping!
A basement I was hired to finish. We glued foam to the concrete walls, built inner walls all around, then insulated and sheeted the ceiling. A stage was built in a corner for the client’s drumkit!
Why should you consider this route? Well, have you ever tried to get your local trade companies to come and do simple jobs? Where I live, there are only a handful of companies that serve a vast area. They tend to focus on larger construction projects, so it can sometimes take them months to free up time to fix your leaky faucet; and when they finally do, you had better believe you’ll be paying top dollar for their services. Enter The Community Handyman! There’s always someone in your community who needs their gutters cleaned, or planter boxes built, or a cabinet installed, and you can almost always get there faster than the other companies can. Plus, the practice and knowledge you obtain from helping others is invaluable for your own life. Why call a carpenter when you can finish the basement yourself? Those planter boxes would cost a fortune if you paid someone to build them; buy the lumber from a second-hand source and get ‘er done! There’s no shortage of ways to learn how to do these things either; I learned many valuable things from my time in the trades, everything else came from YouTube! But the best reason to choose this line of work, is the satisfaction of a job well done. There is nothing like the swell of pride and joy you feel when you’ve successfully helped a member of your community. I find there’s something magical about looking at the completed nightstand on your table, whose measurements are exactly what you wanted them to be.
Cabinets I built and mounted for a client. She painted them, then I installed the doors
“This is all well and good,” you may say “But how can I make this a PRIVATE business?”. The most important part of keeping this private is the contracts you make with your clients. A good contract should make clear that you are a private wo/man doing work for another, that you take no titles – like “electrician” or “carpenter” – while you are doing the work. Make sure that you state that barring any mistakes you may have made, the client is responsible for the finished product. This part helps to ensure that an “official” can’t come after you should they decide they don’t like what your client has done with their property. Ask the author of this article if you need help with contracts! Another thing I found while doing this work, was that most lumber/ hardware stores don’t require a business number to give you a credit account with them. Assuming you have a decent credit score, and aren’t asking for a large amount of credit, they’re more than happy to facilitate. This has been very helpful; I’ve been able to procure materials for a project and bill the client for everything at the end, rather than paying out of pocket. Finally, most people will gladly pay cash! With the right agreements in place, there’s no reason to fear e-transfers or cheques from clients. However, cash is still king when it comes to privacy.
A pair of benches built to the customer’s specifications. She painted them after I delivered the goods
The work can be as simple or as complex as you’re willing to take on, and the rewards are aplenty. So, if you’ve got some basic tools and a vehicle to transport them, a bit of knowledge, and the ambition to keep learning and growing, why not help people as The Community Handyman? Keep an eye on the bulletin boards and social media, you never know who may need your help!
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