A handyman and a tradie aren't rivals. They do different jobs, and knowing which is which stops you calling the wrong one.
A handyman is good for
- Small repairs: doors, hinges, latches, loose handles
- Patching and painting small areas
- Hanging and mounting: pictures, shelves, TVs
- Assembling flat-pack furniture
- Caulking and sealing
- Garden and exterior jobs: mowing, hedges, gutters, pressure cleaning
- Working through a list of small jobs in one visit
A licensed tradie is needed for
- Electrical: wiring, power points, switches, light fittings, ceiling fans
- Plumbing and drainage: taps, toilets, pipes, hot water, blocked drains
- Gasfitting
- Air conditioning and refrigeration
- Waterproofing in wet areas
- Building work over $5,000 and anything structural
- Tall tree work, which needs an arborist
- Roof repairs, which need a roofer
Grey areas
Swapping a tap washer sounds simple, but it's plumbing. Putting a new light fitting on an existing wire sounds like a ten-minute job, but it's electrical. Re-caulking a shower is a handyman job, but if the water is getting behind the wall, the problem is waterproofing, and that's a licensed trade. If you're unsure, ask. A good handyman will tell you straight.
Why it matters
Unlicensed specialist work can be unsafe, may void your insurance, and can cause problems when you sell. NSW Fair Trading fines unlicensed operators, and the work may have to be redone by a licensed trade.
Read about Lincoln Chen, handyman. See how to choose a handyman and our handyman repairs page for what we do.
Who to ring first
If the job is on the licensed list, call the licensed trade. If it's a mix, such as a wall repair after a plumber has finished, a handyman can follow up with patching and painting. For anything unclear, describe it to a handyman, who can tell you which way to go.