The house I live in now is pretty much the first house I’ve ever lived in. I have to qualify that however. I have lived in a house in the first two years of my life, but I don’t remember that. I also lived in the house for one year when I was 10 years old while my dad was in Vietnam. I also lived in a house with my parents for a year and a half after I graduated from college before I moved into my own apartment. That was that for the first 41 years of my life until I moved in my present home.
As first-time homeowners, my wife and I pretty much knew nothing about what to do when he came to home repairs. The one thing we learned early on was that it wasn’t going to be me doing any of the repairs. I read a lot, and am pretty knowledgeable about a lot of things, but when it comes to putting tools in my hand if it’s more than a screwdriver; something is probably going to go wrong. Don’t even ask me about the first time I tried to paint (let’s just say that afterward I had to throw away some clothes and replaced three rugs).
My wife on the other hand turned out to be very handy with almost all the tools. She took some courses and learned how to use the saw and the drill and can build and replace a lot of things. She’s a natural at it, which helps out a lot. But even with her skills, there are a lot of things that we just can’t do. This means we have to try to rely on others to take care of some these things.
What these encounters have proven is that there are a lot of people out there who are either very unscrupulous or have no real clue on what they’re doing. One of my pet peeves is our roof. We have had four different roofing contractors to the house over nine years, the prices have ranged from $2,500 up to $10,000, and our roof still needs repair even today which is just astounding. There are some other things that need to be prepared in our house also, but with our experience with roofers we just don’t know who to trust and what criteria we should be looking for.
Now we have a gauge. On a site called Fixr, they have just released what they’re calling the Home Owner’s Cheat Sheet to Contractor Pricing. This is a listing of all the different types of contractors and repair men you might need for your home, as well as the general cost of what you might have to pay for each one of these people. They do offer a caveat that basically says that the prices may vary in your own particular area, but it’s a great guide to get started with. For instance, my gripe with roofers and what I should be paying might be solved by saying that they recommend roofers be paid $65 an hour. Of course this doesn’t account for the cost of the materials, but it’s a nice place to start.
See also:
DIY
Angies List
Craigslist.org
Mitch Mitchell is a consultant who writes and participates in many different fields, including real estate finance issues. 
cheat sheets allow you to do either one with relative ease. So it can help those designer to design for their houses.
Wow, kudos to fixr and you for sharing this information with us. As a Realtor I think every single home buyer should read this or have it like a handbook with them, to avoid unwanted misunderstandings. I personally feel the cheat sheet is a win win situation for both the parties. Whats your opinion?
@ Alan – I couldn’t agree more, thanks for stopping by!
The Fixr list is a good way to start, but..
The prices are waying according to the area.
Always try to take in minimum 3-4 offertas and ask them for referens of jobs they have done in your area so you have a chans to control them.
Also ask friends if the can recommend some one. Recommendations are often the best way. As a real estate agent do I get over 70% of my clients by recommendations.
One of the things that a home owner should have, this can really help save time researching for prices of the services that they are looking for, although the prices vary from one area to another still this one is a good reference to start with.
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Thanks for the list. These types of references are great for starting points. Since every contractor will charge a different price, it’s nice to know where the hourly price should be. I’ll pass along the list. Thanks
Great find! But, I agree with some others here that pricing can vary depending on what part of the county you live in. It is a good starting point though.
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Good post! Having the skills to repair your home when something goes wrong is vitally important for everyone – some things are so simple yet people are generally quite reluctant to get into DIY.
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A lot of people here in Vegas will just hire the guys that hang out in front of Home Depot. The results are usually good, although there have been some horror stories. Doing things yourself can save you a lot of money, but when it comes to certain things like plumbing I usually hire a professional.
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I’ve used guys from home depot a few times for labor. I never seem to have the greatest luck with them though. I would have to say that you should always get references from anyone who you might hire to do work for you. I’ve been in the landscaping industy for almost 10 years and I hear about so many different people that get ripped off. It’s sad what people will do for money.
I would never hire a guy off the street. I have my business, reputation, and liability on the line.
Thanks, that is a very useful list. Instead of just listing service providers more and more sites are utilizing market research and real reviews to help consumers find not just a company but a company they can contact with a higher degree of confidence.
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This is a great starting point for homeowners. Keep in mind that prices do fluctuate depending on location and the amount of work that is being done. Great post!