Maybe he didn't really want to do the job, so quoted you high.
Maybe what you wanted him to do, would cost $100 per hr, for a professional. (that may or may not show up)
Maybe the job was too small to bother traveling, for $20.
Get some more bids, if you are not happy with the estimate.

Not too bad really. Think about it for a minute.
Fuel , vehicle up keep , taxes , tools , "free estimates " , insurance , and income .
The list is longer that that for sure.
What would you expect for an hours charge if you were in business .

Unless you are looking for an "under the table" handyman.
Get what you pay for sometimes. ;)

We have lived in a number of cities in Florida prior to moving here. A"handy" guy to help with small things was always around and useful but never, ever did we find one that charges what some of the guys try to charge here in The Villages. Post names of the good ones with reasonable prices. Many of my neighbors now look outside the bubble for good help.

:undecided:I'm guessing a lot of good golf instructors get that and more. Then there are the people that try to manage the Villages' Golf for free.:icon_wink:

If he is a 'Jack of all trades, master of none' then $55 is a bit strong. For a craftsman that would be a fair price.
Never pay by the hour anyway, or put money upfront. Get a quote for the whole job, including materials.
A lot of 'By the Hour' jobbers are rip off merchants. JMO

Sounds high to me. My handyman is 25./hr and he can do just about anything and he does it quickly and very well. My neighbor loves his handyman and pays 25.00 for the first hr and and 15.00 for subsequent hrs. I will say, both those guys are pretty busy and there is usually a wait to get them over but it's well worth it.

$55/hr must be the union rate.

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I found a wonderful handyman when I first moved here 9 years ago. He never charged more than $10 for any job and most times I had to persuade him to take that much. So what happened? Right. He went broke and had to sell his house and move away from TV. And I was the loser

Considering what other service people charge, $55 doesn't seem out of line for an experienced, capable handyman. I pay $60 for annual dryer vent cleaning, and that takes less than an hour. Sprinkler system inspection and repair is usually upwards of $100-150 because there are always one or two broken heads.

If someone can't climb a ladder and needs help with replacing light bulbs or smoke alarm batteries, ideally there would be a friend or neighbor who's happy to assist. I'd agree that $55 an hour is high for such minor services, although OTOH, those tasks shouldn't take more than 15 minutes to do. On the other-other hand, many handymen have a minimum charge. I can understand them not wanting to drive 20 minutes for a $20 job.

I think shrubbery and tree trimming is the most overpriced service. My lawn maintenance company at first charged $50 to cut back the hedges alongside the garage, then it was $100, then $150.

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Many of us on burnt out pensions cannot afford these prices and there are many just outside the gates happy to charge the usual rates to fix minor things.

I think it all depends on what the job entails. A friend of ours is a handyman that he doesn’t really charge by the hour he assesses by the job. He has to rent a storage locker to store all his tools and supplies. He will drive out to someone’s house to give an estimate. And then if they give the OK to have the work done he has to set up an appointment to come back and do the work. So there is a certain amount of running around to do and of course he would have to go out and buy supplies for that particular job. Point is, there can be more hours involved in the job then actual time spent on the job site. And his services go well beyond hanging pictures and changing lightbulbs. He will do small electrical jobs like installing a new fan or overhead lighting, fixing leaky faucets, etc. You are paying for his skill set and his expertise.

Depends on the nature of the work. Think back to when you were younger and no job around the house was too difficult to tackle. How many of those jobs you thought would take an hour or two at the most turned into projects involving several trips to stores, the purchase of tools and the waste of an entire weekend ? $ 55.00 will buy you a small supermarket rib roast these days, or a couple of bottles of decent wine, but not both. It does not sound like a lot of money for any job involving both skill and tools.

You are here in The Villages or somewhere North?

Our handyman here is less than that.

Do you have a phone number of a handyman I could use?

I would never pay $55.00/ hr for a handyman....but thats me, $35-40 max unless the guy was an artist and that is what I needed. Sound like " up north" price for northerners used to paying it.