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Introduction
No doubt, maintenance is necessary for every household, ensuring homes remain in tip-top condition. While things are bound to wear and tear over time, preventive measures can be taken to avoid costly expenses. This includes seeking professional handyman services to handle all your household repair and maintenance works. Often known as fixers, handymen are maintenance professionals who provide plumbing repairs, floor installation, carpentry and other services. They are skillful in managing house crises in an effective, prompt way. Both commercial and residential spaces can benefit from handymen services. Wondering what to expect of a handyman? This article will provide a comprehensive guide when engaging a handyman in Singapore.
Part 2: What you need to know about a handyman
2.1. A quick comparison between contractors and handymen
Despite having the same focus on repair, maintenance, installation and construction to complete commercial and residential works, handymen and general contractors hold slightly different roles respectively. To give you a better understanding, we take a deep dive into the differences between the duo in the next section of this article.
1. General job scope
Handymen are either self-employed or hired by companies. They perform maintenance and repair work for both the interior and exterior of a building. Meanwhile, contractors are in charge of construction projects from scratch, until they are completed. They usually liaise with subcontractors, while ensuring the project development is in line with regulations and building codes.
2. Types of projects
A handyman does not take on high-cost, major home restructuring work. Instead, they focus on smaller projects that are related to home maintenance. These may include basic carpentry, replacement of components, patching drywall and more. If unfortunately, your house unit has a leaking roof problem, feel free to reach out to handyman services in Singapore for professional assistance. On the other hand, a contractor monitors and supervises larger projects such as flat remodelling. They concentrate on the provision of excellent installation and technical results for large-scale plumbing service and electrical work, among other major projects upon clients’ requirements.
3. Labour
Unlike a handyman, a general contractor generally does not perform any manual labour but hires plumbers, electricians and other experts for a project’s fulfilment. Due to the smaller scale of projects, a handyman usually works on their own. These projects take a shorter time to complete, compared to those of general contractors’.
2.2. Job scope of a handyman
The main job scope of a handyman is to complete small-scale residential repair and maintenance projects. Years of experience and specific know-how are necessary traits to become a handyman. The roles and responsibilities of a handyman vary in terms of repair and maintenance tasks that require a short period of time to finish. Here are some services provided by a handyman, upon their assessment of the home situation:
1. Carpentry services
Types of carpentry services that a handyman offers include furniture repair, wooden door repair and installation, shelves installation, handle installations and more. Looking for reliable carpentry services in Singapore? FixinGuru makes for the ideal choice.
2. Electrical services
Fixing electrical issues, big or small, can be a hassle without the relevant experience, potentially causing injuries. This is when you should seek help from handymen. They provide socket and light installation and replacement, doorbell installation, power trip repair solution and other electrical services.
3. Door repair
Home security is of utmost priority for many homeowners. As such, it is essential to get your door knobs, handles, hinges, or locks fixed when they start showing signs of trouble. At FixinGuru, you can easily engage a professional for door repair services. Ensuring nothing less than durability, FixinGuru’s handymen perform related work such as door lock, knob, handle and hinge repair, installation and replacement. If you often find your door key stuck to the lock even after oiling, maybe it’s time to seek professional assistance from door repair service providers in Singapore.
4. Furniture assembly
Most furniture nowadays are designed for simple assembly. Nonetheless, you may not have sufficient time or the right tools to do so. Fortunately, you can always engage a handyman to save you the hassle. A handyman assembles common furniture like beds, chairs, tables, shelves and cabinets, as well as other furniture from online retailers.
5. Painting services
A simple paint job can greatly enhance the overall look of your space. While wall paint brightens up your home interior, it does not last a lifetime. To ensure the longevity of your wall paint and prevent potential issues from DIY painting, it is highly recommended to hire a handyman to perform painting. Standard and touch up painting are two common painting services provided by handymen in Singapore.
6. Drilling services
Drilling a hole into walls sounds like a simple task, but in actual fact, it requires the right technique and drill bit to avoid damage to your wall. This is why hiring the services of a handyman is vital as they can perform the work properly and successfully. You may use a drilling service for the following purposes:
- TV bracket installation
- Mounting painting
- Curtain rods installation
- Shelves installation
2.3. Benefits of engaging a handyman
Hiring a handyman empowers greater time and cost savings when it comes to home maintenance tasks. Let’s take a look at the myriad of advantages that come with engaging a handyman.
1. Offers convenience
Making home improvements can be time-consuming, requiring proper planning and execution of tasks successfully. It may take even longer without prior experience. Fret not, handymen are always contactable should you require any form of assistance for home services in Singapore, or in case of an emergency like a power trip or leaking pipes. It is always advisable to leave such work to professionals who possess the relevant skills and capabilities to do a good job.
2. Saves maintenance fees
In general, a handyman has the ability to identify signs of wear and tear before addressing any issues immediately. This prevents the need for replacements or major repair works. That is why a handyman serves as a more feasible and affordable option. Be it minor repairs or maintenance, servicing costs should be charged under a single fee.
Learn more: Landlords’ guide for maintaining rental properties
3. Ensures safety in homes
Some home maintenance works may be dangerous and will require specialised equipment to complete the tasks safely. This is especially true for electrical works, which may lead to significant harm if mishandled. A handyman, he will be able to determine potential hazards and leverage his expertise to tackle any issues efficiently and effectively. Remember to engage a suitable electrical service in Singapore should you encounter any electrical problems.
4. Delivers satisfactory results
In our highly digitalised landscape today, there exists various guides online that teach you about fixing or maintenance in your home. Nonetheless, doing it yourself (DIY) may worsen the situation. This usually happens when underlying complicated issues are present. Ideally, a handyman prevents the escalation of poor home maintenance as they are detail-oriented, with the ability to spot any defects in the early stages. On top of that, their knowledge allows them to carefully select the correct tools to handle any situation.
5. Effective routine maintenance
Routine maintenance ensures everything in your home goes a long way. It also allows you to expect and prevent problems, say, a costly replacement. Nonetheless, maintenance work can be daunting when you have no idea of what you’re looking for or what things should look like. This is when handymen can be of great help. Due to years of training, a handyman knows how to perform maintenance on various elements around the house such as the system, appliances, among others. With a trained eye, handymen take a look at the home regularly, they can easily identify problem areas and solve them in the best way possible.
Learn more: Everything you need to know about move out cleaning
2.4. Expectations of a handyman
Repairs and maintenance work should be carried out on a regular basis to keep your house in good shape. Most of the time, hiring a contractor is not necessary as there are only minor jobs involved. Still, it is recommended to hire a handyman, in case you lack the time or skills to tackle the repairs. In only one visit, handymen deal with multiple home repair and maintenance tasks. Here are what you should expect from a handyman:
1. Experienced professional
Be mindful to engage a handyman who possesses years of experience in the industry, in addition to the adequate knowledge and skills. This not only yields fast and satisfactory results but also ensures home safety. A veteran handyman can handle different home and maintenance services, from simple plumbing repairs like replacing a faulty tap, to fixing a leaking roof.
2. Adaptable to any home issues
Experiencing unexpected house issues? Hiring an experienced emergency handyman will provide you peace of mind. A qualified handyman should be able to showcase his craft naturally thanks to his knowledge and skills in home maintenance.. With a keen eye for detail, he will carefully assess the situation before proceeding with the necessary repairs or maintenance works.
To ensure a handyman’s standards are up to par, he can undergo training under the SkillsFuture program to constantly upgrade his skills.
3. Positive working ethics
A reliable handyman upholds a positive work ethic and takes pride in his responsibilities, ensuring that all repair or maintenance works are up to standard and completed within the time frame. Here are some traits to look out for in a trustworthy handyman
• Effective communication
Instead of proceeding straight to performing home and maintenance work, a reliable handyman would take the initiative to interact with clients first to understand their needs and what they wish to accomplish. They value trust on both ends.
• Time management
This means a handyman ensures timely delivery of work for their clientele. They should be serious about deadlines and prioritise accordingly despite the different clientele they are serving.
• Problem-solving skills
Another way to define a successful handyman is his ability to find what’s causing a problem and come up with appropriate solutions. Most of the time, clients reach out to handymen to rectify an ongoing issue in their building. With confidence and work capability, handymen should be able to leverage the right tools and materials to solve their client’s home maintenance problems.
Learn more: 4 characteristics of a good handyman
Part 3: Steps to take when hiring a handyman
3.1. Factors to consider before engaging a handyman
Having home maintenance concerns but unsure of how to address them? Leveraging handyman services in Singapore can be the best option. There are multiple good reasons to employ handymen. Prior to the engagement, be sure to consider the following factors:
1. Costing
Before a project begins, a quotation will usually be provided when potential customers enquire about the cost of the repair or maintenance works. A handyman ought to be able to provide you with an estimated cost for the tasks, which will be charged under a single bill. Do take note that you might have to pay additional costs later in the project, should any unforeseen issues arise. This will be informed of beforehand. Meanwhile, charges for any form of advance payment should not be requested by any handyman before the work is complete.
2. Types of works
A handyman may work on a wide range of repair and maintenance jobs such as door repair, furniture assembly services and carpentry. Before that, it is pivotal to check in with the handyman that you are going to engage and see if it is possible for them to accept the types of installation, repair and/or maintenance works you are requesting. FixinGuru has a team of well-trained, experienced handymen who work at different apartments and houses all across Singapore. We believe that we can help you out with almost anything in the house. Ask and we will make it happen. Our handyman services include the following:
- Airconditioning services
- Carpentry services
- Cleaning services
- Door repair services
- Door hinge repair services
- Drilling services
- Electrical services
- Furniture assembly service
- Home styling & staging
- Locksmith services
- Movers services
- Painting services
- Plumbing services
- Rubbish chute services
- TV bracket installation services
- Wall mounting services
- Water heater installation and repair services
3. Proactiveness
Perhaps one of the best ways of ensuring quality hires is to prepare some questions to ask the handyman. From the way they respond, you can identify whether they are proactive. Without making it like an interrogation, feel free to question the handyman about methods, past projects, pricing and others. A trustworthy handyman should be comfortable with answering any queries you may have. Ultimately, it is not just about having a “fixer” who will get the job done, but also someone you feel comfortable with in your home.
3.2. Checklist when engaging a handyman
Handymen in Singapore generally specialise in more than one type of task. They provide drilling services, install door knobs and set up TV brackets, to name a few. We understand how the lack of technical expertise can make certain tasks around your household difficult. Employing a handyman can help ease your worries in this aspect This checklist will provide the tips you should look out for as you select a handyman.
1. Background checks
What makes a good handyman? The key determinant is the quality of service. Be sure to read up on reviews to find out whether customers are satisfied with the services provided from start to finish. Customer feedback gives you an overview of a handyman’s quality of work. You may also understand their overall work ethic and how they interact with their clientele. If there are any word-of-mouth recommendations for home services in Singapore, do check in with them if the services were up-to-par. Afterall, the last thing you want is hiring a handyman that performs below your expectations.
2. References from previous projects
You can use this to gauge the extent of services a handyman provides. Remember to assess what specifications they have achieved to fulfil their customers’ needs. Also, request the handyman to share a list of jobs that have been completed recently. To obtain more useful information about the handyman’s capability, here some questions you might want to ask regarding their previous projects:
- Did the handyman offer recommendations and advice when appropriate?
- Was the handyman able to complete the task as scheduled?
- Was the handyman pleased with the work done?
- Did the handyman communicate well with the client when he/she had a problem?
- Did the handyman help resolve the client’s problems?
- Did the handyman make any necessary rectifications/ corrections?
- Did the handyman work alone or in a team?
- Did the handyman provide alternatives should the maintenance project not go as planned?
- Did the handyman have local references?
3. Insured and guarantee for the job
Handymen are a great option should you require assistance in home work and maintenance. With their skills, experience and professionalism, a handyman helps you to fix what’s broken and even make the modifications you want. However, what if something fails during the working process? Knowing if and how your handyman guarantees work is important. For instance, will the handyman come back if a clogged sink backs up? Will a faulty light fixture be replaced if necessary? Ideally, it would be beneficial for the handyman to be insured and guaranteed in case of any work injuries and mishaps on the job. Checking with the insurance and guarantee coverage before confirming a handyman service in Singapore is highly recommended. Apart from this, you should also make sure that the handyman’s company (if they are employed under one) is certified and each technician is insured. This protects you from liabilities in case of mishaps in the line of duty.
3.3. Questions you may have about engaging a handyman
1. Will there be other people involved in your work crew?
While handymen are capable of handling both home repairs and maintenance tasks, they may also require additional help from professional plumbers, should the plumbing problem be severe.
2. Will there be a timeline provided regarding the completion of tasks around the home?
An experienced handyman can give a breakdown of the estimated time taken for the tasks and will report to you in any case of delays.
3. Does the handyman specialise in a particular area?
Every handyman has their own strength in a particular field. For instance, some excel in plumbing, while some do well in door repairs. It is important to look for one that can fulfil your housing project’s needs.
4. Does a handyman work alone or as a team?
Some jobs are simple one-person projects. It doesn’t take more than one person to repair a draughty window or loose railing. But for a larger job, more handymen may be required. This is often the case for small to medium-sized residential or commercial renovations. If you are building a fence, painting a room, or replacing parts of a kitchen, don’t be surprised if your handyman calls in an assistant. You’ll benefit from the extra worker, empowering greater efficiency and effectiveness.
5. How do I find a good handyman?
If this is your first time engaging a handyman, it is advisable to ask neighbours, friends or people at work for references. You may also search for credible ones online and get a quotation to find out more about their services. Alternatively, keep an eye on handyman services through out of home advertisements.
Conclusion
While being a homeowner and owning your own space is a big milestone and achievement, immense responsibility is required. House repairs and maintenance are essential to keep the house in its best shape. Proper maintenance adds value to the house, allowing it to be resold at a higher price in the future.
We hope you find this guide useful in helping you to engage a handyman. If you are looking for handyman service providers with a strong list of references and a track record of happy clients, FixinGuru is the perfect choice. Providing one-stop solution for cleaning and handyman services in Singapore, we pride ourselves as the local handyman that you can trust and hire. Get a quotation with us to get your housing needs fixed today!