Handyman work
The jobs that take an hour, half a day or a day: the ones nobody will travel out for.
Six chapters of small works
None of these jobs is worth a building firm's call-out on its own. Brought together in a single visit, they suddenly make sense.
Assembly and fitting
Flat-pack furniture, shelves, rails, pictures, mirrors, wall TV brackets, blinds, manual roller shutters, wardrobes.
Painting and walls
Walls and ceilings, filling, skim, sanding, wallpaper, glass-fibre lining, skirting boards and silicone joints.
Everyday electrics
Sockets, switches, light fittings and spotlights, smoke alarms, bulbs out of reach.
Everyday plumbing
Taps, hoses, shower heads, seals, traps, cistern mechanisms, unblocking sinks and showers.
Joinery and locks
Doors that rub, handles, locks, bolts, spyholes, door limiters, hinges, drawers, laminate flooring.
Floors and odd jobs
Vinyl and PVC tiles, small masonry, anchoring, heavy fixings, drilling concrete, carrying furniture.
What I do, and what I do not
The rule is simple and it holds: anything that means repairing, replacing or fitting on an existing installation is within scope. Anything touching the structure, the consumer unit, gas, buried drainage or the roof frame is not — those are regulated trades with the insurance that goes with them, and a clear refusal serves you better than a vague quotation.
In practice: I replace a tap, I do not move a water supply. I change a switch or a light fitting, I do not touch the consumer unit or the earthing. I lay laminate flooring, I do not pour a screed. I fill and repaint, I do not knock down a load-bearing wall.
That boundary protects everyone. It also explains why handyman quotations are usually priced in hours: what counts is the time spent and the materials, not a flat rate in disguise.
Make the list, however long
Five small things waiting beat a single call-out for one shelf: the travel is spread and you clear the list in one go.