Owning any kind of property comes with a steep maintenance curve, and that curve gets steeper the longer you wait to tackle it. No one ever hits pause during the home-buying process to explain that your house is going to be in a constant state of entropy-driven disrepair…and once you’re living inside that state of disrepair, you soon learn the limits of your DIY maintenance skills.
You probably need to hire some help to do some repairs or maintenance. So should you hire a handyman (or handyperson) or a contractor? What’s the difference anyway? Here’s how to decide which category of labor fits your needs.
Licensing
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Licensing is probably the most important difference between a handyman and a contractor. Handy folk are typically not specialized. They may have experience in specific areas, but they’re most likely not licensed in specialized trades like electrical work or plumbing. And if they’re not licensed in something that requires a license, you should definitely not hire them to do that work, even if they’re willing to do it. This is for two fundamental reasons: One, their work won’t pass inspection because they’re not licensed, and two, you will have no way of knowing whether they actually know what they’re doing until your house burns down.
Contractors, on the other hand, are licensed by the state. For subcontractors like plumbers, this licensing pertains to their area of expertise. For general contractors, this licensing generally means they are knowledgeable about building and zoning codes and other regulations designed to ensure that all construction, renovation, and repair work is done correctly and safely.
Licensure requirements for handypeople vary by state (and usually depend on the cost of the project, with most smaller repairs falling well under the cap that would require a license). If a trade license like an electrician’s license is required, skip the handyman and seek out a licensed contractor.
Insurance
Another consideration when choosing between a handyman and a contractor is insurance. The big selling point for a handyman is cost: They’re generally cheaper to hire. In part, that’s because they’re just one person and have low overhead, but another reason is insurance. A licensed contractor is required to be insured, which typically means liability insurance at a minimum, and often much broader coverage. This means that if your contractor damages your home in some way, they will be able to compensate you or handle repairs at their cost.
Handypeople can buy Handyman Insurance, but since they’re not licensed contractors, they may not have. That means if they damage your home, you may be stuck with the bill or forced into filing a lawsuit to get compensation. The importance of insurance rises with the complexity and potential dangers of the work in question, of course, but even small jobs can cause big problems if they’re done incorrectly, so it’s something to consider.
Scope
Finally, there’s the question of scope. A handyman is generally appropriate for any job that one person can handle. A contractor is usually hired for a larger job that requires a range of skills. If you’re renovating a kitchen, for example, you need carpenters, electricians, painters, tile-setters, plumbers, and any number of extra hands. If you hire a handyman for the job, not only are you skipping the bits about licensing and insurance, you’re probably looking at a five-year timeline on the project and varying levels of finish.
On the other hand, doing some light carpentry like creating built-in shelves in one room probably doesn’t require a team of people. The scope of your project is the key element—a good rule of thumb is whether you could do the job yourself but simply don’t have the time or the skill to do it well. Another good rule is permits: If the work you need done requires any sort of permit from your local construction office, it’s a contractor job.
A good handyman can be invaluable, but knowing when you need a more robust and professional solution is just as important. Especially if you’re the sort of person still unsure about the difference between a Philips and a flathead screwdriver.