Keen to give your property a light face-lift? Here are tips on how you can be prepared for that exciting phase so you can shop around for your full wishlist of handyman services in Toronto!
First Things First
The ability to shop around for handyman services starts at the vital phase of budgeting. Knowing how much to budget for services is not a standard cut-and-paste formula.
The factors that influence the answer are your:
- Property value
- Property size
- Property age
- Property condition
- Property location
With these factors in mind, you are now set to collate all the right information on how to research and finalize your costs! Let’s get to the bottom of this.
The Handyman Services List
A handyman will attend to almost all your home maintenance service needs in Toronto. Your service list can include most repairs and tweaks to keep things ship-shaped. You could plan ahead for them by splitting them into yearly needs, expected equipment or material end-of-life needs, and long-term maintenance needs.
Yearly Needs
Things that would require attention once a year could be, for example, changing the extractor filter, cleaning the chimney, installing new batteries into alarms or smoke detectors, and pre-rain season gutter cleaning. These are usually low-cost services.
Equipment End-Of-Life and Long-Term Services
Items in this category tend to be big-ticket items and need a serious commitment to saving. The list can include roof or landscaping overhauls, a renovation, updated waterproofing, window replacements, a new fence, or other big projects.
Establishing A Maintenance Estimate
The 1% Formula
This is a quick, and often inaccurate, way to get a base level for your maintenance budget. If your home costs $700,000, then your maintenance budget would be $7,000 annually. Then again, don’t be surprised if your maintenance costs 5% of your purchase value annually.
The Footage Formula
Another quick option is to take your property’s square footage rule and calculate $1 per square foot (of the building) as your annual savings. The downside is that this formula doesn’t properly address the financial implication of appliances in a new home and doesn’t account for higher labour costs in more affluent areas.
The Customized Formula
Undoubtedly, the best approach is to assess your unique property needs and compile a detailed list. If you are concerned that you might overlook items, then ask a professional like Handyman Painting to draw up the list with you or for you. We could also create a maintenance calendar for you that would show you when the budget is needed.
The purchase date of assets like your roof, cladding, electrical, and plumbing will influence your maintenance and budget calendar. Take note of the same for your water heater, furnace, air conditioner, dishwasher, garage door and motor, automatic gates, and other big-ticket appliances.
Lastly, talk to a professional about a sensible monthly running cost estimation. You now have a maintenance schedule for booking contractors and the related saving goals!
Contact Handyman Painting today for all handyman services in Toronto! We’re eager to keep your property in prime condition at affordable rates.