So I’m in the process of buying a house. The one I currently have an offer in for is going to need some work (namely, converting the upstairs half-bath into a full bath). Having rented my whole life, I don’t know a handyman. What’s the best resource out there for me to find someone who is going to give me an honest estimate of costs? Any other resources for an aspiring DIYer?
Ask your neighbors. They are the best resource since their homes are similar and since they will all have stories about who to avoid. Really, as a DIY guy and someone who has contracted work out, this is the best method.
I wouldn’t recommend doing this yourself as a first time homebuyer. I would take pictures of the current bathroom and get estimates from contractors to have it done the way you want (and add 20% for overages which there always are).
When I bought my house I signed up for Angie’s List. It’s a Web site where people go to rate services, good or bad. What’s unique about it is that unlike some other sites (such as ServiceMagic), Angie’s List is not affiliated with the listed companies at all. All of the reports are from registered paying users. ServiceMagic is more like a Yellow Pages type thing where the companies pay to be listed and the web site gets a cut if the company is hired through them.
Angie’s List is regional, too (you choose a region) so all of your search results are for companies in your area. People post in their reports how much they paid for a service and details on what exactly happened. And, if you have any problems with a service, they have consumer advocacy and will help you get your problem resolved.
I’ve had tremendous success finding help so far. Every time I need something done I get 3 or 4 names from Angie’s List, give them a call and let them bid on my project. My biggest success was tree removal - 7 trees for $750!
I always double it. Hidden traumas, gotta-have-it add-ons, and mistakes. They add up fast. If you end up paying less, woohoo! But you really dont’ want to get halfway into a project and discover you’re short on cash. Then you have a half-assed room that you’ll hate forever.
For the record, we don’t DYI much, but its a good rule of thumb. I even saw a DYI show offer the same advice to some people.
Yeah, I’m with you on that. I originally had fancy plans of doing a bunch on my own, but it would be ridiculous to think I could do something non-trivial without seeing it done first.