What You Can Expect to Pay a Handyman or Woman

Whether you live in a house or an apartment, it seems as if there's always something that needs to be repaired or replaced. If you are renting, it normally gets repaired by the property owner, but if you own your home, the repair is all on you!

You may have the skills but not the time, inclination, correct tools or you just don't want to do it! In those cases, you may hire a handyman (or handywoman) to clean out your gutters, repair a leaky bathroom faucet, patch a hole or install a new kitchen faucet. To help you figure out a budget and determine whether you're getting a good and fair deal, read on to learn the going rate for some common handyman services.

A handyman is skilled to perform a variety of minor home repairs. Costs will depend on the market and the complexity of the job, and can be charged as a flat fee or an hourly rate.

For this discussion, we'll look at a local handyman or woman performing small to medium complexity projects.

Note: Many seemingly small tasks require setup time before the actual task can be performed, like covering the entire area with a drop cloth to protect your possessions; sanding, repairing imperfections and taping of area to be painted; or clearing away furniture and other items that may be a hazard while working. Be sure to be aware of this prep time when evaluating the worker's quote.

Typical hourly handyman rates are between $60 and $75 locally. (Rates may be higher if handyperson is particularly skilled in electrical, plumbing, contract work, etc.)

• A small job usually takes less than two hours and uses only simple hand tools to complete. This might run you $60 to $120.

• A medium job will be a little more complex and will likely require power tools. It may take between two and four hours, running $150 to $300.

• A large job, as you might guess, will be the most involved and will take anywhere from four hours to a few days to finish, plus it may demand special equipment. Expect a large job to fall somewhere between $350 and $1,000.

Note: If the handyman has to purchase parts or materials for your project, he/she may also charge a markup. Also make sure you both clearly understand when the job is scheduled to be fully completed before beginning. If the job is going to be time consuming, you might want to break the work up into manageable time slots.

Average Costs for Common Handyman Jobs

The type of project will be the biggest factor of the total cost, whether by an hourly or a flat rate. To help you budget, here's a few common tasks to compare:

1. Hang a Heavy Piece of Art: $60 to $125

Hanging a heavy piece of art requires miscellaneous hardware and anchors depending on the substrate of the wall. If some type of hanger was not already attached to the artwork or frame, either wire or "sawtooth", you may have to purchase that as well. Your handyman will probably use a stud finder, tape measure, and level - basic tools that he most likely already has on hand. Expect the project to take between one and one-and-a-half hours, depending on the overall size and placement of the art.

2. Clean Gutters: $100 to $150

Not comfortable climbing a ladder to reach your house's gutters and downspouts? While this is a relatively unskilled job, a typical gutter cleaning will take between an hour to two ­and one half hours to clear leaves and debris from approximately 120 linear feet of gutter. If you have a lot of trees on your property. Consider installing a gutter guard to keep the gutters clear and cut down on the number of times you need to call in a pro to clean them out.

3. Repair or replace boards, rails or a gate on your deck &75 to $250

Obviously, this depends on the amount of damage to be repaired. If the worker has to pick up materials, there may be an additional charge and a slight markup of the materials. Have a conversation with her and agree on a project price before the work is done with a buffer, in case unexpected issues are discovered (rotted wood or termite damage that couldn't be seen) You might want to break the work up into manageable time blocks. For instance, which items are safety issues? Perhaps the floor boards should be done first, then the ballisters and the gate last.

Hook Up a Washer and Dryer: $100 to $150

This is usually done by the store who sold you the appliance, but in the case where you've purchased a used appliance, there sometimes is a need to connect it. Gas hookups should only be done by a licensed plumber, but an electrical hookup is simple if the correct outlet is present.

The weight of these appliances is often challenging for homeowners. Assuming that the gas or electric hookups are already in place, the job will take between one and two-and-a-half hours. Expect the higher end of the price range if the washer and dryer set needs to be moved to the basement, water supply hoses or dryer vent pipe needs to be purchased, or an exterior vent hole needs to be drilled.

4. Replace a Bathroom Faucet: $60 to $150

A straightforward removal of an old faucet and installation of a new one (already purchased) might take 60 to 90 minutes to complete. The higher estimates would apply to jobs that require additional labor to install shut-off valves or replace the P­-trap.

6. Patch Minor Drywall Hole: $75 to $150

Prices vary significantly depending on the extent of the damage.

A minor repair or patch may be done with a flat rate, but most repairs would be

done at an hourly rate of $60 to $90 per hour.