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Mr. Handyman How To Guide

Need a handyman? Ask a trusted source

Saturday, February 25, 2006
By GORDY HOLT
P-I REPORTER

Looking for someone to install a laundry-room sink? Redo the kitchen? Fix the porch? Paint?
As 21st-century habits sometimes dictate, you could fire up the computer and Google "handyman," turning up a screen full of franchise invitations that range from "Mr. Handyman" to "House Doctors Handyman Service." And more.

For $5.95 a month you could join Angie's List (www.angieslist.com). The 10-year-old, Indianapolis-based Web site is a city-by-city clearinghouse of contacts and personal fix-it reviews for those who, when it comes to doing the odd fix-it job themselves, are either too busy, too timid or all thumbs.

You could consult the DEX Yellow Pages, which has a list under the heading "Handy Person Service."

Or you could take the old-fashioned route and consult a friend, or ask your local family hardware store.
In any case, memorize the following: "references, references, references" and "licensed and bonded."

Although the family-run hardware store is an endangered species -- what the hammer has become to the nail gun when compared with big-box stores -- it can shelter someone who speaks the truth.

At Crown Hill Hardware in Ballard you'll find Dennis Palmer, the owner, who will tell you he comes from a long line of Mr. Fix-its, "so I'm pretty picky about who I recommend. It reflects on my own business."

That is what you like to hear.

"Sometimes it depends on what you need done," he said. "I've been taken a few times myself. Guys come in, say they can do something, but then are hired to do something else and it doesn't work out.

"I had a guy who traded here regularly help me put a fence in my yard. He did such a good job that when I decided to do wood floors next, I asked him, and he said he did that kind of thing, too, but would like some money up front."So I gave him $250 or $300, I think -- then never saw him again. It wouldn't have irritated me so much if I hadn't moved all the furniture out."

Palmer bought the business in 2000 from his father, Don, who acquired it in 1977 from a short-time owner named Bloss, who got it from Chuck Riley, who bought it from the original owner, a Mr. Jolly.

That's a string that goes back 90 years, Palmer said, and through it all, one constant remains.

"It's as simple as this," he said. "If you go into a store and are happy with the type of service you get, I think you'll value their judgment, too, and will trust them not to give out bum advice."

That's taking the words right out of Lola McKee's mouth. She has been a fixture at Madison Park Hardware since 1956, when she and her late husband, Bud, bought the place.
And, yes, there is a Lola's List.

"We have a plumber, a handyman and a young man who does little repairs in the evenings after work," she said. "These guys have yet to say they can't do something. But it will be up to you to negotiate the price. We only ask them to be honest, and so far they have."
At Junction True Value in West Seattle, Sandy Huff couldn't agree more.

"Checking with local people is better than going with some stranger," she said. "Most people go by word of mouth, by what others have experienced. They trust their friends. That doesn't always work, so going into your local hardware store is actually pretty good advice."
The Phinney Neighborhood Association also can be of help. Its Tool Lending Library director, Mike Broili, keeps a "contractor referral list," which includes this disclaimer:
"Contractors are added to the list in a variety of ways (member recommendations, etc), but they are not affiliated with the PNA and we do not screen them in any way, we do not check references, and we cannot guarantee their work (although if we receive negative comments, we do take names off of the list)."

Then there are the neighbors.

One thing led to another for Megan Sheppard, a West Seattle resident. Her landscape guy built a bathroom for her and wound up as the neighborhood handyman for a group of single women.

"It does have a 'Desperate Housewives' sound to it, sure, I guess," she said. "You find somebody good and you hang on to him."

Rita Perkins knows that story. She purchased a place in a nice Eastside neighborhood, but found that it needed a little touch-up. Some tile here, some paint over there.
Who could she call? Her new neighbors.

"One of the ladies had had some work done, so I asked, 'Can I come see?' " Perkins said.
"I liked it a lot. She gave me Peter Kwong's name and must have called him, because the very next day Peter called and asked if he could give me a bid."I thought it was so nice the way he did it that I said yes, of course."

As it turned out, Kwong, licensed as a general contractor, not only did the kind of work Perkins hoped to see, but his work became the reason for a friendship.

"He was not one to make me spend hundreds of dollars," she said. "He said to me, 'Why do you want to change the bathtub, Rita? Just redo the tile.' So that's what we did. He took me to a tile place. It was so very overwhelming. There was so much to choose from. So I described something I'd seen and liked, and he chose two or three samples for me to look at.

"It was just what I needed -- I'd never done anything like this before in my life -- someone to guide me along without having to hire an interior decorator and spend more money. He was a dream come true."

Kwong isn't so sure about dreams coming true, but of this he is certain: "If you take care of your customers, they'll remember you and want you back."

CONTRACTOR CAVEATS
Before taking the contractor plunge, you should familiarize yourself with the state Department of Labor and Industries' Web site, www.lni.wa.gov/. It may cause you to re-evaluate your aversion to fixing things yourself.

An example: "licensed and bonded" is a special phrase you are asked to remember when hiring a contractor, particularly if the job will require a building permit. Is the contractor licensed by the state to do what you want done?

The L&I Web site is not as clear as it could be on what "licensed and bonded" means, however.

L&I spokeswoman Elaine Fischer said "licensed" means that a contractor not only has met the state's bonding requirement -- has insured himself against shoddy workmanship -- but also carries a minimum $250,000 in liability insurance, in case, say, his Ditch Witch trenching machine runs amok and chews up someone's back porch.

That said, in an age when building costs are reaching beyond the ionosphere, you should know that the required bonding amount is limited to just $12,000 for general contractors, and no more than $6,000 for "specialty" contractors (those who perform no more than two unrelated building trades).

Be advised also that even your neighborhood Mr. or Ms. Fix-it can run afoul of the law if he or she has not obtained a state contractor's license. They may be the best at what they do - from fixing a leaky faucet to adding a bathroom - but the penalty for doing business without a license starts at $1,000 for a first citation and tops out at $5,000.

And keep in mind that a "contract" can be worthless if you can't afford the time or the expense of a lawsuit, should things not go as expected.

Moreover, the Web site also points out that "you have final responsibility for seeing that all bills are paid, even if you have paid your contractor in full." This heads-up is intended as a warning that your contractor may not have paid all the bills related to your job.

In that case, you may end up paying them twice unless, "before making final payment on the project, (you) request a completed 'lien release' from each contractor (sub or otherwise) and material supplier.

"That lien release will prevent the unscrupulous from attaching a lien against your property."
You can download and print a lien release form (PDF) on the L&I Web site.

Picking a handyman or contractor
Tips from Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna:

• Seek referrals - Start with friends or neighbors. Home-improvement stores and trade associations, including the Master Builders Association, also can be good resources.
• Check credentials - All contractors who do construction work in Washington must be registered with the state Department of Labor and Industries, post a bond and carry general liability insurance coverage.
• Interview - Talk to at least three qualified contractors and ask for references.
• Check with Labor and Industries - www.contractors.lni.wa.gov or 800-647-0982.
• Attorney General information - Online at goto.seattlepi.com/r90.

P-I reporter Gordy Holt can be reached at 206-448-8356 or gordyholt@seattlepi.com.