Hourly rate
Billed in half-hour steps. Your invoice lists the hours, one line per job.
Pricing
How I bill, my minimum and how long jobs take
I bill by the hour. Each job below shows the time it usually takes, and the rate times that time is the bill, so you can check my arithmetic.
My time
Minimum visit
Two hours. It covers the drive inside Buncombe County, the tools I bring and the clean-up.
Materials
At costBilled at what I paid, with the receipt attached. No markup.
Doors and walls
Rehang a door that rubs
About two hours.
Hang a new interior door in an existing opening
About three hours, plus the door.
Patch and repaint one drywall hole
About three hours, over two visits.
Fix nail pops across one wall
About two hours.
Trim, mounting and porch
Replace ten feet of rotted trim
About three hours, plus the lumber.
Mount a TV on a bracket
About two hours.
Hang a heavy mirror on studs
About two hours.
Replace two or three soft deck boards
About three hours, plus the lumber.
Assembly and a list
Assemble a wardrobe or bed frame
About two hours.
Work through a list of small jobs
About four hours.
Times are typical, not promised. I confirm the hours from your photo before I book.
How I price
What moves the hours up or down
The rate doesn't change. The time does, and these are the reasons.
Getting to the problem
Behind a wall, under a porch, past a stuck screw. I look first and tell you what I find before I go on.
The age of the house
Old houses are out of square and out of date. They take longer, and sometimes they rule a job out.
Paint and dust
Paint in a house built before 1978 limits what I can sand or scrape. I keep within the EPA's small-job limit or I stop.
A trip for materials
If I have to fetch something I didn't expect, I tell you first. Short trips are inside the half hour; long ones are billed.
Drying time
Compound, caulk and paint dry on their own schedule. That means a second visit for some jobs, and it's counted in the hours.
The list
Several small jobs in one visit cost less per job than the same jobs on separate days.
What's in the rate
What the hourly rate covers, and what it doesn't
In the rate
My tools, the truck, the drive inside the area on the map, floor covers, vacuuming and hauling the scraps away.
Billed at cost
Lumber, hardware, patching compound and paint, at what I paid. I send the receipt with the invoice.
Not in the rate
Permits, specialty tools I'd have to rent, and work for another trade. I tell you before I buy or book any of it.
Why I post it
Why I tell you the rate first
Most handymen won't tell you what they charge until they're standing in your kitchen. I think that's backwards. If I tell you the rate and the minimum in my first reply, you can decide whether it suits you.
I pay when the work is done and you've seen it. On a job with special-order materials I'd ask you to cover those up front, with a receipt. Otherwise there's no deposit on jobs this size.
Want the hours for your job?
Text a photo and what's wrong. I'll answer with a range, and you decide before I book a day.