Pre-sale & turnkey

Handyman & small repairs

The most useful trade in the run-up to a listing, and the one where scope discipline matters most. A good handyman closes forty small items that collectively make a house read as cared-for. A handyman doing electrical or gas work is doing something they are not licensed to do.

Scope

What the work is—and what it isn’t.

Most disputes begin with an exclusion nobody read. Confirm both columns against any quote you receive before comparing prices.

Normally included

Door and window adjustment
Hardware, hinges, latches and locks
Minor drywall patching and touch-up paint
Caulking and sealing
Fixture swaps that do not require a licence
Trim, shelving and mounting
Grout repair and silicone renewal
Small carpentry and deck board replacement

Normally excluded

Anything requiring an ESA notification — new circuits, panel work, wiring alterations
Gas work of any kind
Structural alteration
Roof work at height without proper insurance

What moves the price

Why two quotes for the same room differ.

These are the decisions and conditions that actually drive cost on this trade. Understand them and a wide spread between quotes usually explains itself.

01
Hourly versus per-item pricing, and whether there is a minimum call-out.
02
Whether materials are supplied by you or marked up by them.
03
Travel and the number of separate visits — batching a list into one visit is much cheaper than calling repeatedly.
04
Access, occupancy and whether furniture must be moved.

Cost ranges

What it costs in Halton.

Cost ranges for this trade have not been published yet.

Rather than repeat a national average that means nothing in Halton, this table stays empty until the figures are ones I have priced myself. The cost drivers above are the part that matters most anyway—they explain why the numbers vary.

If you want a real number for your property, that is what the walkthrough is for.

Book a free walkthrough →

Before you sign

What the quote must contain.

If any of these is missing, ask for it in writing before you compare prices. A quote that cannot answer these questions is not a quote—it is an estimate wearing a suit.

Hourly rate and minimum charge, or a per-item list
Whether they carry liability insurance — many do not
What is explicitly outside their scope
Materials supplied by whom

Walk away

Red flags on this trade.

None of these are matters of taste. Each one has a specific consequence, and each is visible before you commit any money.

Willing to do electrical or gas work
No insurance
Cash only with no invoice
Vague 'day rate' with no list of what will be finished

Before the final payment

Walk the list item by item before payment
Check every door and window they touched actually closes and latches

Agree a written deficiency list before releasing the last payment. It is the only leverage that survives the end of a job.

If you are selling

What this does to a sale.

This is the highest-leverage pre-listing spend after paint. Forty small deficiencies tell a buyer the house was neglected, whatever the inspection says.

Ready to hire

I’ll give you one or two names, not a directory.

Contractors on the bench supply current WSIB, liability insurance and licence documentation, and I have walked their finished work. No referral fee is accepted from any of them.

Request an introduction See the vetting standard →

Also worth reading

Reading a quote & protecting yourself→All trades and specialties→Free renovation walkthrough→

A straightforward first conversation

Thinking about handyman & small repairs?

Tell me where you are in the process. We’ll discuss the property, the market, and the questions that matter most to you.

Book a consultation