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?

This has to be a wind-up, filament light bulbs fail frequently LED bulbs last for years, 15+ in my kitchen, likewise the CFL's in the hall and on the landing. I do get somebody to deep clean the oven every couple of years when giving it a quick wipe is no longer cutting it.

So you offload a list of jobs to your DH and some people offload them to a handyman. You're doing the same thing, finding someone else to do the jobs you don't want to.

None of the jobs you listed require any specialist knowledge. Surely you know how to clean an oven, change a light bulb and wash down a driveway? This is more bananas than people paying someone else to do it.

Neither my husband nor I are any use at DIY so we have a young Hungarian lad who does all this stuff. He's 100% reliable, pleasant and hardworking

If he can do it himself and save the money you are being bonkers to suggest paying out cash to keep up with the Jones’. Set the standard on something else if you must.

Surely they paid for changing the actual light fittings? Not just the bulbs? Even the AI/Google Generation surely can manage to change a bulb?

Why would that be a joke?

I admit I don't clean the gutters but my mum always used to when I was growing up - she's got a good head for heights, which I haven't!

I do the spotlights but I did have a list of small jobs for a handyman recently eg putting up a small shelf, hanging a few pictures, putting a garden storage box together.

We were staying at our friends’, babysitting while they were away. There was a knock at the door one day and it was a handyman who had come to change some bulbs in spotlights. My husband was in shock!

We don’t have a handyman as my husband can turn his hand to pretty much anything. This is the reason most of our friends don’t use one either, because they call my husband to fix things, wire things, plumb things, assemble things…you name it.

We do pay to have our ovens cleaned. I mean, obviously, we can and have cleaned them ourselves but it’s a horrible job. It only costs £90 to have all 4 (range cooker) cleaned and they’re like new.

For those asking how to get a handyman, do you use the Next Door app? It will have a lot of tradespeople on there with recommendations in your local area.

Why would that be a joke?

I do because my OH is totally useless and those things I can't do I pay others to do . Not changing light bulbs but fixing things that require a drill etc. I hate cleaning the oven .

If I lived on my own again (possible in the near future) and needed things doing that were outside my capabilities like putting up a curtain pole or shelves then I would either pay a handyman or ask a friend and cook a meal for him like I did in the past.

For sure there is a definite trend of people being less and less practical and doing less around the house themselves. Like cooking for example it’s a passed down skill (or work ethic) in many cases so if they aren’t taught it by their parents then fewer and fewer people will do it. Also modern life/stress means fewer people have the time or energy. The counter to that is that everything is on YouTube these days so if you want to learn who to do anything it’s all out there if you are willing to give it a try.
Despite all that my DH is fantastic at DIY - he is renovating our bedroom as we speak, part of doing up the whole house, and has been plastering our bedroom this weekend (self taught). Have to say I find it makes him very attractive - I couldn’t imagine being with someone who isn’t capable of changing a light bulb or putting up a shelf. Major ick.

Next door, Trusted Trader, Check A Trade, local Facebook groups.

I'm single and retired. I do most things myself but sometimes there are jobs that just need an extra pair of hands (changing the bulb in my bathroom light, which has a glass cover and needs to be held and unscrewed at the same time otherwise there is glass everywhere!). I can do most small jobs myself but if I need more hands I ask one of my kids or their partners to help, but there are some jobs (when my tap worked loose but limescale meant I couldn't tighten it up again and none of the kids had the right tools) where I Get A Man In.

We have a handyman who does outside jobs - I've used him to put up trellis and paint fences. He's great, pretty cheap, and it means jobs I'd probably put off for months get done.

I saw him recommended on a local Facebook group and had a good look through his business page and social media to make sure all seemed legit.

We do all the jobs around the house ourselves apart from electrical work, carpentry, plumbing and roofing.

I do any flat pack furniture (love it!), painting and smaller repair tasks. I've also fitted a loft ladder. DH has taught himself to do landscaping, stone walling and conservation hedging. If there's a non-electrical task repairing white goods we will probably do that together.

I can't imagine employing someone to change a light bulb unless I was physically unable to do it.

Does cooking not involve knowledge of any processes?

This makes no sense to me. Why are you ‘jealous’ of other people paying to have something done that you have the ability, time and requisite tools etc to do yourselves? You mention ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ — are you saying you worry it makes you look poor to do your own chores?

I wish my father had taught me to use a drill and paint and fix things. My brother can do all his own DIY . OH had a father who couldn't do those things at all and never taught him either.

My exh used to do the DIY then as a single mum I paid to have things done.

been with my DP for 7 years and bought a 5 bed doer upper (we needed the space due to blended kids needs)

too much to do and no DIY knowledge. We had various handyman since since moving here (from recommendations) and all have been useless! Put up wonky curtain poles etc.

we pulled up our pants, got onto YouTube and learned ourselves.

chat gpt is amazing, take a photo of the issue and ask it how to do it, what materials to get and where from for the best price! It even makes measurements etc.

If your DH is willing to do the things then great?

Mine wouldn't be so I might pay someone if I'm not able or don't want to do the thing myself. To take one example - we don't have a pressure washer so it would make sense to hire someone who did.

It would be a bit silly to pay if you've got someone to do the thing for free!

We dont outsource very much, but feel we are in the minority where we live. Lots of posts on local fb asking for a handy man to eg put up a shelf or hang a picture. DH is quite practical so does stuff like that himself.

I dont know whether its area-dependent, (I live in a mc area now) or new services have emerged but I had no idea, until my late 20s that you could pay people to eg sew name labels/cub badges, clear dog poo from your garden, clean a pushchair, wrap christmas presents etc. (Maybe I was just unaware because nobody i knew used them) I was of course aware of the concept of a handyman.

Surely that means you and your friends do use a handyman? He just happens to be your husband and doesn't charge. You and they aren't doing those jobs, he is. Which is absolutely fine, and I'm sure you have a fair division of labour, but your husband does the jobs you can't or don't want to, so is your de facto handyman.