OT: Finding a Handyman ?

Angie's List is the site that seems to rise above the rest. But getting a personal reference is usually a better route.

Pricing depends on the work.

Doesn't one have to pay to use Angie's list?

Yes. But so do the people selling services. If you want free, then look at Craigslist, but what you find on there is unrated and unpredictable.

If this is someone coming into your home or onto your property to do work, then I think it's worthwhile to pay a bit up front for some degree of quality control or references / reviews.

I'm lucky, a younger brother does that for a living. Both our decks, and quite a few other projects are his work.
I 2nd the suggestion about references or personal referral.

Home Depot has a referal/request system.
They will have three people (independent contractors) call and will go to see you for a free estimate, you will have to interview them and decide who you want to hire.

It is like anything; you have to invest time and effort to find a good service provider of any kind and be willing to walk away from any deal you don't like.

Make sure you get a written agreement/contract spelling out the details and cost.

Just like when you are selecting a doctor, lawyer, mechanic or dream stripper listen to your gut feeling/Spidey sense.

I use a combination of:
1. Angie's list. But expect to pay big $ for the highly rated ones
2. Nextdoor. This is a website that has forums for each neightborhood. Find and join your neighborhood, it's free. The absolute best tips come from neighbors. They'll often have good reliable guys to recommend who have not yet gotten so many high ratings on Angie's list that they can triple their prices. My handyman charges so little I regularly give him 50%-100% more than what he asks for

Angie's List TV ads say that it's free to use. That's a change from when they first started out.

Buy a toolbox and watch some youtube videos.

I was going to suggest youtube, also, for DIY. For example,recently changed out a garbage disposal which was easy but looked overwhelming at first.

I use a combination of BBB, Google reviews, Nextdoor, and actual neighbor recommendations for other things.

Try homeadvisor. I used them for a concrete project and the contractor did a great job.

There's a free mobile app called SERVIZ. Like Angie's List but free to use.

Pick the type of service you want (Handyman), input your address and a brief description of what you want. The app will show you available appoint times. No cost if you decline the service (I think.)

I used to do some work around the house, but I wasn't very good at it--especially at plumbing. After spending a whole Saturday trying to repair a leaking pipe, I decided I would rather pay to have a professional do a good job.

You can find handymen online or by asking around. Once you find a good one, you're all set.

Angies list is useless. I have used porch, takl, and homeadvisor. The difference in prices you receive could be in the tens of thousands. Also, look in Craigslist and post your own ad there.

The problem I have in south Florida is laziness and incompetence run rampant. My wife and I call it TFI - Typical Florida Incompetence, because it is just typical here. Every motherfucker wants to be on island time, maybe if I actually lived on Sanibel or Marco...

I expect to call 10-12 prospects to get 6-7 responses. Maybe 3-5 set appointments, and you are lucky if even 1 or 2 show up. That is no exaggeration. I thought New Orleans, the City that Care Forgot, was the epicenter of southern stupidity; but it seems that Florida is drawing in all the fools and slackers from the North and adding them in to its already ample supply of idiots and half-wits. Okay, I'm done venting. Good luck with your project, papi.

Papi; why not a handywoman?
Might be you can kill two birds with one stone...

^ hey don't judge me - one of the mottos around here is "to each his own"