Handyman Vs General Contractor: What’s the Difference?

If you are looking to have work carried out in your home, you’ll obviously want to have the best kind of help possible.

To make sure of that, you need to think about what kind of professional you actually need to look for. This might be trickier than you think. In general, there are two main kinds of professionals you might consider hiring for such work: a handyman, or a general contractor.

But how do you know which to hire, and when? In this post, we’ll take you through the difference between a handyman vs general contractor. By the end, you will be much more confident in knowing when to hire each for any future projects in the home you might have.

What Is A Handyman?

So first up, let’s look at the handyman. What exactly is a handyman? Generally, you think of this as someone who is proficient in helping around the home with various DIY tasks, and that’s a pretty good top-down definition. But there’s more to it than that. A handyman is a skilled tradesperson, and generally, they are used for smaller jobs and tasks, either at home or in a professional business setting.

Because they are something of a jack-of-all-trades, they have a huge diversity of talents, and their skill sets are quite wide. That’s why they are called on for a wide variety of tasks and projects. It’s certainly always useful to have a handyman that you can call for these kinds of situations.

What Jobs Does A Handyman Do?

You will normally call on a handyman for a home maintenance project. That might include fixing a leak, repairing a wall, or sorting out the gutters. They might be called on to help build or fix a wardrobe or other furniture, lay flooring, or even do some gardening and basic landscaping.

With all that in mind, bear in mind too that the exact definition of a handyman can differ from area to area as well. So consider that when you are on the lookout for one.

What Is A General Contractor?

So now we know what a handyman normally does. But what is a general contractor, and how do they differ from a handyman? In general, a contractor is a professional who you hire for the duration of a specific project. While a handyman would help with some of the elements of that, the contractor is the individual or team in charge of coordinating the entire project from start to finish.

That is obviously a big job for most projects, and it’s something that you would want the right person or team for. You might go to a contractor if you are having a renovation carried out or any other project of that kind of size.

There are different kinds of contractors, too. Some work independently, others as part of a company or small team. They might also hire specialized subcontractors to help with part of the project in question. In any case, your general contractor will normally be considered responsible for the overall success of the project in question.

When Would You Hire A General Contractor?

Normally, you would hire a general contractor for the completion of a big project. If you were renovating a room in your home, for instance, you’d want a contractor for that. Or if you were building or rebuilding a home entirely, that of course requires a general contractor as well, potentially with lots of subcontractors.

In any situation where it’s more than just one isolated job, you would probably prefer to have a contractor on board.

What Are The Main Differences Between A Handyman And A Contractor?

So on the whole, you would hire a handyman for an isolated task or job, something relatively small, but of any kind around the home or garden. But if you have a bigger project in mind, that requires time management and so on, then you will need to have a general contractor on board.

In either case, of course, you want to make sure that you have the best possible help. So it’s always wise to shop around, as it were, and ensure that you end up with the best person or team for the job.

It’s wise to look at past testimonials and to ask your contractor for a quote for the job too. That will help you to know what’s coming, and you are much more likely to get the person you need at the right price too.