How much does a handyman cost in Virginia?

There is no official or standard handyman rate in Virginia. No state agency sets one, and businesses price small repairs in different ways, so two quotes for the same afternoon of work can look nothing alike. The useful answer is to know what moves the number, describe your jobs the same way to everyone, and compare written quotes line by line.

How handymen usually charge

By the hour, with a minimum. This is common for a mixed list of small jobs. The minimum covers the trip, setup and cleanup, so a single loose cabinet hinge can cost as much as an hour of work.

By the task. Some businesses quote a flat price per job, such as hanging a door or patching a set of drywall holes. This is easier to compare, as long as each quote describes the same work.

By the day or half day. Useful for a long punch list. Ask what happens if the list runs over or finishes early.

Materials and trips to the store. Ask whether parts are billed at cost or with a markup, and whether time spent buying them is on the clock.

What drives the price

How many jobs share one visit. Grouping five small jobs into one trip almost always costs less than five separate calls.

Access and height. Work from a stepladder in a hallway is quicker than work at the top of a stairwell, in a crawlspace or above a finished floor that has to be protected.

The age of the house. In an older home, paint is part of the price. Anyone paid to do work that disturbs painted surfaces in a home built before 1978 must be certified, and its workers trained, in lead-safe work practices.^[7] The EPA adds: "This includes all firms, even sole proprietorships."^[7] Lead-safe setup and cleanup take time, and a business that is certified will price it in.

Whether part of the job is trade work. Virginia defines a tradesman as anyone who does electrical, plumbing or HVAC work for the public for pay, and no individual may do that work without a tradesman licence unless working under the supervision of a licensed tradesman in that specialty.^[2][3] The Board for Contractors' home improvement (HIC) specialty, the licence many handyman businesses hold, does not provide for electrical, plumbing, HVAC or gas fitting work.^[4] A list that includes a new light fixture or a leaking shutoff valve may need a second, licensed business for those items, and that is a separate price.

What the job turns into. Rot behind a loose trim board or a soft subfloor under a wobbly toilet turns a small repair into a larger one. A good quote says what happens, and what it costs, if the hidden part is worse than expected.

When the licence line matters

A Class C licence covers a single contract over $1,000 but less than $30,000.^[1] For this purpose the law says the contract price shall be prima facie evidence of value,^[1] so a list of small jobs written as one quote over $1,000 is a licensed job. Splitting it into smaller invoices to stay under the line does not make it a safer hire. See whether it is illegal to hire an unlicensed contractor in Virginia for what is at stake, and how to check a contractor's licence.

Under the Board's rules, licensed contractors doing residential work must use a written contract signed by both sides before work starts or payment is taken, though routine maintenance and service contracts are excluded.^[5] The contract has to state, among other things, the contractor's name, address, licence number, class and specialties, when work will start and finish, and the total cost.^[5] By hiring a licensed contractor, you become eligible for the Contractor Transaction Recovery Fund^[6] if the contractor's conduct turns out to be improper or dishonest; read how the recovery fund works.

Comparing quotes

Virginia's Board for Contractors advises homeowners to get at least three written bids or estimates^[6] for the same work, and warns: "Beware of any bid substantially lower than the others."^[6] A low quote often leaves something out: materials, cleanup, a second coat of paint or the trade items.

Its payment advice applies to any home repair: limit a deposit to 10% of the price or $1,000, whichever is less, do not pay 100% of the bill until the job is 100% complete, and never pay cash.^[6] For a one-day handyman visit, paying when the work is done is a fair thing to ask for.

Doing some of it yourself

Plenty of small repairs are reasonable to do yourself: a door patch, a loose cabinet hinge, a running toilet flapper, new caulk around a tub. Where you do, the money you save is the minimum charge and the hourly rate. See how to fix a hole in a hollow-core door and the yearly home maintenance checklist.

Stop and call a pro if

• The list includes wiring, a gas line, a water heater, a furnace or anything on the roof. Those are jobs for a licensed trade, not a handyman visit.
• A repair uncovers rot in framing, a soft floor or water damage you cannot trace.
• The house was built before 1978 and the work will sand, scrape or cut through old paint.

Getting quotes on Loclis

On Loclis you describe the jobs once and local businesses quote them. A business that needs to see the work first can offer an estimate visit, and a paid visit's fee comes off the price of the work. Plumbing, HVAC, electrical and gas work need a licence on Loclis at any job size. Loclis's own fees are on the pricing page. You can also browse small repairs, find handyman businesses around Blacksburg, or read the other handyman answers.