Is paying a handyman for simple household jobs now common practice?

[HumbleHun]

Has a anyone ever paid a handy man to change spotlight bulbs? All my friends pay this young chap to change bulbs, jet wash their drives, clean the oven etc but my DH does all this but apparently it is common practice in my village to pay for these services. I'm tempted in a keeping up with Jones sense but DH says it's ridiculous. Is this a common thing now?

I’m a lone parent with 2 jobs and dc with very time consuming hobbies so lack time but I’d still not dream of paying for these things, even if I could afford it (which tbf I can’t) it’s something so easily done. I’d get someone to do a job like hanging a tv on a wall though as don’t feel comfortable with that. I build al my flat pack furniture though with help from dc and when my tumble dryer broke the other week I YouTubed, unscrewed the many many tiny screws to get the back off to re set it. Can’t imagine paying someone to chance a bulb!

Not light bulbs but oven cleaning and jet washing definately. I want to enjoy living in my house, not spend time maintaining it, where is the fun in that?

I’m not sure why you have your DH do those things TBH. I just do them myself.

We are very traditional, I cook all meals, clean the house, clean the gutters etc. He does the more physical tasks that involve knowledge of the process.

We pay a handyman £10 to do ours, we are honestly to old to be standing on step ladders, obviously we could do it, but giving him a few quid makes our lives easier.
He also does odd jobs that we absolutely cant be bothered to do, so they get done.
Eta we normally wait until a few need doing, I mean spotlights dont go that often

We change our own bulbs and jet wash our own drive.

We pay someone to clean the oven though- both hate doing it.

I guess if your DH does it you can spend the money on something else?

That's the train if thought in my village. The young chap is taking it in but apparently he's very capable and is very charasmatic. I have a pang if jealousy but DH won't entertain the idea.

Good for you
It's not for everyone though

I mean the man that does ours is lovley, he's a decorator by trade but does odd jobs, he will pop round and do a quick job for a cup of tea and refuses money.
Although we do use him for decorating and recommended him all the time.
Its definitely a growing trade l think, im 60 , obviously l can chsnge light bulbs and do basic diy l just can't be bothered😂

Are spot lights different to normal bulbs? Because I change normal bulbs! Have never power washed or had anything power washed! I clean the oven and unclog drains etc but wouldn’t do anything electrical myself (we’ve tried to fix washing machines and dryers and I feel we should have just gotten someone in). I’m physically weak so I think my flat pack anything would probably fall apart- dh can be good diy but also awful! I once paid someone to wash the windows, a guy going door to door and oh my god I was happy for weeks!!!

Well Im an 82 year old with mobility issues so I do pay a handyman from time time to time to do jobs I cant manage. One job he does do is clean the gutters but I dont need him to change light bulbs. If I can stand on the bottom step of my ladder I will do it. Anything higher I feel too unsteady and am terrified of falling. I also pay a cleaner and a gardener to tidy up twice a month and keep the bushes in order.

I would do some diy tasks, but yes, if there's a diy task I'm dreading I hire a handyperson. Otherwise the job gets put off and sits there not done for months, annoying me. You end up buying tools and equipment. Hire someone and it's done in an hour, and they usually do it better than I could. Well worth the cost.

You clean the gutters. Is that a joke?

They are not really different, but just high up in ceiling.l absolutely can change them, but all l do is look at them thinking l should change tbe bulb, there are 8 in our kitchen so l dont bother until there are only 4 left, then ask handyman.

It's a bungalow. Just realised the image I may have put in your head. Apologies.

If you don't have anyone to do these things, eg a husband who is able, and can't do them yourself, then it's quite normal to pay a handyman.

So you have someone else do these jobs for you but you don’t understand why other people do the same thing as you?

Checkmate. You have left me with no reasonable answer. Plenty to ponder though. You are a very astute person.

We outsource everything we can. We have a handyman who changes lights among other jobs, a cleaner who cleans, irons, changes beds, puts washing on etc, window cleaner who also cleans the gutters a few times a year, gardener. We have the ovens professionally cleaned twice a year and driveway once a year. All jobs we don’t like doing so we would rather pay someone else to do.

The traditional female task of…….cleaning the gutters.

We don’t think you need a penis to change lightbulbs so we split tasks depending on who has more time that week. If neither of us has time - we put things on airtasker. It’s great.

Sometimes we don’t even cook our own food and order a takeaway or go out for dinner, we’re wild like that.

Taskrabbit or local via Facebook

I wish. We used to have a wonderful handyman, but he retired. We haven’t been able to find another.

I'm looking for someone to change a set of taps.
Our house is about 18 years old. DH has done 3 or 4 sets, but he is in Spain and I am hopeless.
Unfortunately, all the plumbers are busy.
I also have someone to mow the grass, clean our windows and occasionally a cleaner

How do you find these capable handymen? I have little jobs that I would gladly get someone to do, and tradesmen are like hen's teeth and are not interested in little jobs.

Would love a local contact like this. I’m pretty capable but sometimes as PP said it’s simpler for someone with the tools or the height or strength. I don’t have a capable DH. He was useless at DIY stuff when we were married. Jealous of those who do!
I had a friend whose husband needed some work while unable to do back breaking plasterwork for a few weeks. I paid him £1000 for a week of small jobs and he was amazing. Watching him work I could see he could do things in an hour that I would have lost a weekend to and didn’t have the tools for.