Appreciation post: The guy who fixed my gutters for $80 instead of $300

I called three companies about a downspout that kept pulling away from the house, and two quoted me over $300. This one guy came out, showed me how the bracket just needed a new screw and some sealant, and did it for $80 cash. Has anyone else found a smaller handyman who just tells you the straight story instead of upsell stuff?

2 comments

2 Comments

sean_perry26d ago

Yeah but $80 still seems a little high for one screw and some sealant if we're being honest. I mean the guy did drive out and spend time so it's fair but the real win here is he didn't try to sell you a whole new downspout system. Most of those big companies have sales guys not actual fixers. I had a similar thing with a squeaky garage door once, guy charged me $40 to tighten two bolts and spray some lube. Told me straight up the springs were fine dont need replacing. That kind of honesty is rare now.

cooper.taylor26d ago

I was actually one of those people who used to roll my eyes at stuff like that. A buddy of mine runs a handyman service and he charged someone $60 to flip a breaker once, and I was like that's insane for 30 seconds of work. But then my water heater pilot light went out and I called the gas company, they wanted $150 just to come look at it. Called a local guy like @sean_perry mentioned, he came out, showed me how to relight it myself and just said "next time try this first." Charged me $40 for the visit and the lesson. That changed my whole view. Youre paying for their knowledge and their time getting there, not just the physical fix. Plus when theyre honest like that you know where to go when something actually breaks.