Husband for an hour, minor repairs
Order Description
- Do you have any requests for an order? – We are looking for a specialist to help with minor repairs in the office and at home. from possible tasks: tighten the faucet, deal with the toilet flush, change the lamps from old to LED, repair the automatic gate, etc. To get acquainted, let's start with lamps. Thanks a lot
metro Park Kultury
Total cost
1000 ₽
Customer review
“Everything is great! Punctuality, accuracy, politeness, high-quality work, very reasonable price - I recommend!!!"
Maria
Minor repairs
“It is necessary: 1.Hang a cornice in the kitchen (from Leroy Merlin) 2.Hang a single-door speaker 3.Hang a clock 4.Hang a shelf 5.Drill 4 holes in the panel and screw a metal handle 6.Hang 2 pictures. Please let me know the cost of the work. Execution date on one of the days from 04.11.16 to 06.11.16"
Voykovskaya metro station
Total cost
3500 ₽
Customer review
“The handyman did some minor repairs around the house. A contact person who approached the work conscientiously. He arrived on time and did everything quickly. There are no complaints. The agreement was concluded."
Inna
Minor repairs
“You need to: drill the cornice and chandelier. Glue up some of the wallpaper, and then paint it (it is important that the master knows how to do this), adjust a couple of pieces of plinth to size (need to be sawed off), Attach several pieces of plinth; Drill handles to cabinets; Seal the cracks in the door frames with sealant. Purchase of materials is negotiable. All you need is white sealant and a paint brush. Perhaps work in two stages, because the wallpaper must dry before painting. Or we’ll remove the painting item altogether. We'll decide. Work in the city of Krasnogorsk, residential complex Emerald Hills. Approximate dates: starting from the 10th. Please suggest masters to choose from.”
Total cost
4000 ₽
Customer review
“Arman did small jobs around the house: gluing wallpaper, baseboards, hanging cornices and chandeliers, etc. The work was done professionally, I liked the workman. I think I’ll turn to him later, when needed.”
Victoria
Customer review
“Oleg Yuryevich performed minor repairs around the house. Very pleased. I did everything that needed to be done. I had to deal with repairs before. Yesterday I cried all day. It was her own fault, she gave the money and they ran away. He came and finished all the joints. Slowly, carefully. I even fixed things that seemed
can't be fixed. I will definitely recommend the master. From now on I will only contact you. Today he did for me in half a day what they couldn’t do in a month. They sat and smoked. In the morning and evening you run in, they are here, and during the day I’m at work, and they were probably out for a walk. He does something and immediately cleans up after himself. He did a lot of things for me. My mosaic was not completed, he cut pieces out of the tiles and stuck them on. Assembled the toilet, hook and holder for toilet paper hung it, adjusted the windows, set up the TV, hung the chandelier, moved the refrigerator, roller blinds I did, I installed limiters on the windows. They told me: “Well, you bought the wrong thing, they need to be filed” - and with a drill to the windows, I stopped them. And he says: “It’s done like this” - and hop-hop, he did everything in two minutes. I'm shocked. Thank you very much!"
Lovers quality work and tight deadlines, they prefer a specialist - “a husband for an hour” to a mechanic Kolya from the housing office with an eternal fume and a cigarette in his teeth. He quickly responds to calls, while many construction and repair companies are ready to provide assistance late in the evening, at night and on holidays.
Comprehensive custom-made household services have been in demand for more than 10 years. Help is needed not only for single women, but also for pensioners, young married couples and even the men themselves. They call a specialist as an assistant, with whom it is faster and easier to lay laminate flooring or install a sink.
Both large construction and repair companies and individual entrepreneurs provide household services. The latter, naturally, value their work at almost half the price. At the same time, the craftsmen provide a guarantee for their work - from 6 months to two years.
“Husbands for an hour” are universal - they are capable of several types of activities at once, as well as highly specialized ones - electricians, plumbers, masons. First aid costs more.
What does a “call husband” do?
Plumbing work (replacement of pipes, taps, installation of plumbing, repair of the water supply system);
Electro installation work(replacement old wiring, installation or repair of sockets and switches, installation of light bulbs, chandeliers);
Electrical and communication works (connection of cable television, Internet, installation and configuration household appliances, repair of faulty household appliances);
Carpentry (furniture assembly or repair);
Repair work (wallpapering, laying flooring, tiles, whitewashing or painting the ceiling, replacing worn furniture upholstery);
Also, a “husband for an hour” can clean the room, take out construction waste, mow the lawn personal plot, cut down or plant a tree.
How much does a “husband earn per hour”
On average, monthly “husbands” receive from 20,000 rubles in the regions and from 40,000 rubles in the capital. A master can earn from 3,000 to 8,000 rubles per day. Moreover, all proceeds, if we are talking about a hired employee, go to the “piggy bank” of the construction and repair company. In many organizations, “husbands for an hour” have a clearly defined salary and a percentage of completed orders that supplements it.
If a master works independently, without intermediaries, then he takes everything honestly earned for himself with a clear conscience.
What does a master’s earnings come from? Standard services - wiring, installation and repair of sockets, replacement of burnt out light bulbs - are paid according to a fixed tariff established by the company or by the master himself, if we are talking about an individual entrepreneur.
For example, for installation work, the “husband” receives from 100 to 1500 rubles, depending on the type of activity (100 rubles for a drilled hole in brick wall, 1500 rubles – for the assembly and installation of the ceiling cornice).
Most construction and repair companies set an hourly wage for the work of a craftsman. After all, he may be delayed on the task due to force majeure circumstances that arose when eliminating the customer’s domestic problem. In Moscow, calling a handyman costs from 300-500 rubles and more.
“Husband for an hour” can come to the call, independently purchasing the materials necessary for the customer (screwdrivers, dowels, mixers). Such care will cost the owner of a house or apartment approximately 500 rubles.
Previous repair work a consultation with a specialist costs on average from 500 to 700 rubles. This includes call charges.
If a master is forced to waste time due to the fault of an unscrupulous customer who interferes with work, then he has the right to demand payment from the client for downtime. On average, for 60 minutes of downtime, a “husband for an hour” receives 300 rubles.
How to become a “husband for an hour”
In order to try on the role of a “husband for an hour”, higher education not necessary, but the ability to use a hammer, screwdriver and roller is worth its weight in gold. This profession involves specialists who have graduated from a vocational school, college, and various advanced training courses.
The master most often does not need specific documents permitting a certain type of activity. Exception - electrical installation work. Electricians are required to have the appropriate level of clearance and certificates of passing the certification commission.
The list of requirements for those who go to work for hire includes the absence bad habits, good appearance, sociability, and in most cases also having your own car (working on the customer’s premises requires constant travel, and only large companies cover the costs of the technician’s travel).
The hired “husband” does not need to worry about promoting his services on the market, finding new orders, purchasing and repairing building materials and tools.
The working life of craftsmen and private entrepreneurs is less calm. They work for themselves, and therefore are constantly looking for orders and independently working on the technical component and image of their “company”, which, by the way, can be located at the home of an individual entrepreneur.
The advantages of individual entrepreneurs are obvious: all proceeds go into the master’s pocket; flexible work schedule; the ability to eliminate long-distance travel and serve customers in their home area.
Business “husband for an hour” compared to other types entrepreneurial activity quite simple to organize. It does not require licensing, additional costs for renting an office or purchasing equipment. The only thing that is required from the entrepreneur is the purchase of tools: a drill, an angle grinder, screwdrivers, screws, nails, a chisel.
Some even rent the most bulky and expensive tools.
For those who doubt their business inclinations and do not want to start a business from a completely clean slate, different regions countries offer franchises. For example, the “Husband for an Hour” franchise with training from scratch in Voronezh - 49,900 rubles; franchise " Home handyman» with training from scratch in Sochi - 165,000 rubles.
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I am 33 years old, I was born in Tajikistan, grew up and studied in Altai. My mother is Russian, and my father is Uzbek-Tajik. I also recently graduated from a technical school in absentia - I studied refrigeration and compressor units, and now I was immediately accepted into the university for the third year of MGSU, so I will be an engineer. Someday I’ll open my own business, but for now I’m working for someone else’s uncle. In general, since the third grade I worked part-time, repairing watches: I already had a student at the age of ten, a 40-year-old man, he still earns his bread in Tajikistan with this craft. I untwisted it, repaired it, put it back together - and now I can do the same with any thing: figure it out, think about it, fix it.
Hiring
The first time I saw the expression “husband for an hour” on stickers in the subway was as soon as I arrived in Moscow, six years ago. I thought then: “What a nightmare, probably pornography under the guise of a hammer.” About a year and a half ago, I came across an advertisement on the Internet: the company was looking for craftsmen to perform household repairs of varying degrees of complexity, we provide clients. So I turned out to be this “husband for an hour” - however, I still don’t introduce myself to acquaintances so that stupid questions don’t arise. The office didn’t ask for any documents, didn’t sign any contracts—it was all unofficial. You also have to take care of taxes yourself, although, to be honest, I don’t know anyone who pays. Need to register individual entrepreneur- this is a bunch of hemorrhoids.
Competition in the market
Now, if you Google, you will find fifty such services in Moscow. Someone makes an expensive website with the expectation of a rich client with claims, but most do not bother with the site at all, the main thing is that the phone number is indicated. Moreover, all of them have a stupid filling - continuous repetitions in order to appear higher in searches. In some offices, foremen work for a salary, regardless of whether they worked well or poorly. Then they have clear prices. And there are companies organized according to the type social network, among ourselves we call it a guild: there is a system of titles, a rating based on reviews, and the opportunity to earn decent money depending on your efficiency. This is exactly what I work in. And which master you will come across is a pure lottery.
Hierarchy
I know the owner of the company only by his voice. I suspect that he is from St. Petersburg. Probably a cool person: he once warned that he could listen to all our conversations. Otherwise, in our guild there is real capitalism that encourages competition. At first you are just a master. Based on the rating, the number of completed orders and the money brought in, you can be assigned an expert. The rating is based on customer reviews. The higher the position, the greater the chance that you will be sent an application. We sort of buy orders via SMS. First, the call center and the client agree on the approximate amount and scope of work, then the craftsmen who work in the area receive an application, and they participate in the tender: who will throw 100 rubles for the order, who will throw 150. Whoever paid the most takes the order. That is, in fact, the guild is an intermediary to whom you give 10–15%, and the rest you work for yourself.
Clients
In Moscow, people constantly don’t have enough time to do some small things, it’s easier for them to pay, so the demand is consistently good. You won’t call a construction company to hang a cornice for you. And the master came, hung it in an hour, and earned a thousand or two. Most often, single girls over 25 call us. I’ll say right away: I’ve never heard of office romances amid renovations. There are no handsome men among us, and the process itself is not very attractive, to be honest. Male clients are rare - usually when something difficult needs to be done that you can’t do alone, for example, assembling a huge cabinet. Pensioners call the housing office in the old fashioned way, although I do not advise anyone to contact them. The people who work there are usually illiterate air traffic technicians who are not hired anywhere else. After the housing department's, I redid the electrical a bunch of times, only with their plumbing less problems. They come, swear, they are so dirty. Very rude, boorish people. They behave as if the whole world depends on them.
Community
Of course, we have neither a trade union nor corporate events. We don’t really know each other, there are only a few stories when I came to clients, told them about our company, and then they also got a job with us. The rating of masters is also good because we are still men - just let us defeat someone. Therefore in the top 10 the best masters constant movement: people gain experience, get good reviews from clients and go on the warpath. I quickly entered the top five. It’s not like we lock ourselves away on the weekends with books on “How to hammer a nail in a sexy way”, everything only comes with experience. By the way, our women also work: as painters and cleaners. They are called “wives for an hour” - not at all humane.
Prices
Sometimes you can come, ask for a minimum price and do everything super so that the client is satisfied and leaves it to you good review and recommended it to friends. It is important not to be rude, not to say too much, and to do everything quickly. Another plus is if you clean up after yourself. The client is generally watching you, counting how many ridiculous movements you make there. One day, my brother and I were working for a guy, I was hanging shelves in the kitchen, and I sent him to the bathroom. So the client was surprised: they say, why does it cost you 150 rubles to drill a hole, and for your brother it costs 120. I then say: well, look at how he works - like a pig, there is dirt all around. And I use a vacuum cleaner - and it turns out faster and cleaner. There is not a single speck of dust on my carpet or furniture. That's the difference in price.
Earnings
I make at least three thousand rubles a day, and if you start working before lunch, you’ll have time to make 6–8 thousand. But here you have to get up early and ride the subway with a backpack with tools, and not stand in a car in traffic jams. The only problem is that you have to carry kilograms of tools on yourself: you don’t know what order will arrive. My brother had the earnings record - more than 300 thousand a month, but he was the one who seriously ran.
Communication
According to statistics, 80% of people are pleasant, but there is always a margin of unpleasantness. I wasn't really deceived, but there were cases. If you feel that the client is in trouble, you write everything down on paper, all types minor works and the cost, because people are used to freebies and strive not to pay. I usually do this if the order is over 10 thousand, so that there are no misunderstandings. There was another story when a rich client asked him to glue the leather on the sofa at the same time, he gave me superglue, but it left black marks. So I ruined his furniture. But he realized that it was his own fault, he did not swear. Here, of course, everything depends on the level of human culture. Another master worked with me at the same time, older, bigger - so the client shouted at him, but he treated me very respectfully. Well, apparently, how you position yourself.
Philosophy
It is important not to disdain work and not to bend your fingers - they say, I studied, I have a higher education. If you're an idiot, you'll be an idiot with a diploma. I was also offered a job in an office, but I realized that this was mortal boredom. And so I constantly move around the city, meeting new people. And the brain is constantly working, it’s always such a puzzle: not only how to do it technically correctly, but also quickly, aesthetically beautiful, without noise and dust.
The sink is clogged, the door creaks, and the TV shows only stripes. For a woman who did not graduate from polytechnic, this is a real mini-apocalypse. And it’s good if a man lives in the house whose hands grow out of right place. What if not?
We go online and look for a person with a suitable specialty. No, not the unshaven plumber with a fume from the next door. We choose a “husband for an hour” who will not only deal with the plumbing, but at the same time screw in a couple of light bulbs and hang them ceiling cornice... The main thing is not to make a mistake. But how do you know if a master is good? It turns out that today companies offering household services have a whole list requirements for such specialists.
1. Before leaving, asks clarifying questions and asks to send a photo of the breakdown
It can be difficult for girls to explain what exactly is broken in the washing machine or to determine the type of pipes that need to be replaced. To avoid having to act according to circumstances and purchase the necessary parts, it is convenient to take a photo or video of the breakdown and send it to the technician via Whatsapp or Facebook. Good plumber He will ask you about it himself. Or at least ask about the problem in detail.
2. Arrives on time. Warns if you are late and always calls back
Nobody likes to wait. If the master warned you how long the work would take, what difficulties were possible, and arrived on time, pay attention to him. It will help save you time in the future.
What paintings should never be hung in the house?
- More details
3. Looks neat
Stories about craftsmen who arrive to order with a fresh haircut, branded overalls and a fresh T-shirt are now passed on by word of mouth. Is it hard to believe? Don't even doubt it. Neat looking craftsmen with a set professional tools in a strong bag - this is already a reality.
4. Does his job efficiently
It’s better to do it once conscientiously than to redo it later, any professional will tell you. This is not only pleasant (you understand what you are paying money for), but also helps you save money. Once you install the wiring properly, you can forget about problems with electricity for at least five years.
5. Cleans up after himself
Working in shoe covers - new trend from the masters. Doctors do this when they make house calls, why not follow their example? If your order involves working with a drill, prepare a vacuum cleaner in advance - any respectable craftsman will ask you to bring it, so as not to dust the furniture and room.
By the way…
When you call a repairman at a company or at a housing office, who will come is always a surprise. And we can only hope that the surprise will be pleasant. Today, some services offer clients the choice of who to let into their home. “Husbands for an hour” profiles contain not only a list of his skills, but also photos, as well as reviews from previous customers.
This is interesting!
According to the YouDo.com service, women make up only 60% of customers. Moreover, these are not necessarily single women. Many resort to the services of a “husband for an hour” family people. For example, if a man in a family disappears all day at work, he simply does not have time to go buy a new faucet or fix the faucet in the bathroom.
40% are orders from men. And here again, the problem is not that the strong half of humanity has forgotten how to work with their hands. It’s just that modern men have learned to value their time. If you earn more than 10,000 rubles per hour, why waste energy on household repairs, when can you call a master and pay him a small amount for the work?
Do husbands always do only housework for an hour? Are they trying to seduce single customers? And is the payment for their services always adequate? A correspondent for the AiF-Chelyabinsk website asked direct representatives of the so-called profession about this.
“The idea of becoming a “husband for an hour” came to me quite unexpectedly about five years ago,” recalls Nikolai G. “At that time there was another crisis at work, half of them were laid off, including me. At first I tried to taxi, but this activity did not justify itself. Then I looked for vacancies in a newspaper for free advertisements, came across the services of a “husband for an hour”... and then it dawned on me. I think: what exactly? I can fix sockets, change a faucet, washing machine connecting or nailing the cornice is also a “one-two punch” for me. In general, I submitted an ad in the same newspaper, not even a couple of days passed - they called! And off we go - orders started pouring in. Someone to fix the toilet, someone to assemble the furniture, someone to hang the chandelier... I just bought more tools from time to time. Then I stopped posting the ad, I just stuck it on rear window in the car “Husband for an hour. Inexpensive repair services" with a phone number. It’s convenient to work in the sense that there is no specific price list: you navigate depending on the situation and set the price yourself. The better the owners look and the cooler the renovation in the apartment, the more you can break. But in general, if you don’t be greedy, you can make good money and even build up your own permanent base of customers.”
“The Zhekovskys are slacking!”
Almost every representative of the profession notes: the work is thankless. Some owners do not interfere with work at all, others tirelessly monitor every move and constantly give advice. Scandals also happen. And this is where consumer extremism can come into play.
“Once I laid laminate flooring for a granny, but she didn’t like something,” says Ivan Artemyev, who worked as a “husband for an hour” in his free time from his main job. - I called two neighbors, they crawled together and found “mistakes.” There was such a hubbub that I decided: it’s easier for me to give the money than to contact them. It was a shame, of course, and a pity for the time wasted. I don’t think that the customer then called anyone to re-lay the laminate. Most likely, they “divorced” me from my girlfriends.”
In general, Ivan noted that he regularly encountered mistakes made by plumbers and electricians from housing offices.
“Pensioners call the housing office in the old fashioned way, but I don’t advise anyone to contact management companies,” he says. - The people who work there are usually illiterate air traffic technicians who are not hired anywhere else. After the housing departments, I redid both the electrical and plumbing a bunch of times! Some companies deceive clients. For example, a client calls and says that he needs to change the faucet in the kitchen. They give him a price - three hundred rubles. And then the master comes and gasps: “Oh, you have old mixer it’s worth it, why didn’t you tell me?” To remove the old one is another three hundred rubles. They deliberately keep silent about the details, and the client, of course, cannot know anything about such subtleties. So keep in mind: good company he will ask everything at once. If they don’t ask you questions, it means they’re scamming you.”
Helping the lonely and the “armless”
It has been noticed that the demand for the services of hourly husbands is quite high. It is quite understandable: people who spend a lot of time at work, officials, and entrepreneurs constantly do not have enough time for household chores. Sometimes it’s easier for people to pay someone to quickly solve a minor household problem. Don't call a construction company to hang a cornice or move a cabinet. In addition, it will cost much more than what a private master would charge.
“The toilet is broken, and I’m a redhead”
Hints to go beyond the boundaries of a purely working relationship come regularly. And not from the masters, but from the customers. According to the observations of another “husband for an hour,” Dmitry, approximately every fifth visit to a woman ends with an offer to “stay for dinner.”
“Women make hints as best they can,” he says, laughing. - You can immediately see when there is a twinkle in your eyes. I had a three-day repair. On the first day, the hostess met me in a tracksuit, and on the third she saw me off in a loose robe. In the end, already exhausted, she offered to stay for dinner. I stayed. I was single then, I had nowhere to rush. We met for another month, and then everything came to naught: we turned out to have different characters. But my friend, who also worked part-time in this business at one time, met his future wife. They still live, they have two children, everything is great! In general, calls are different. Once at two o’clock in the morning I picked up the phone, and at the other end of the line there was a woman, judging by her voice, drunk: “Hello? Is this the husband for an hour? Can you come urgently? My toilet is broken!” I ask, is it really so bad that it won’t wait until the morning? She replies: “Oh, everything is bad! It’s flooded and flooded, come, you won’t regret it: I’m a redhead!”
The top of the most ridiculous and funny requests, according to the stories of market representatives, looks like this: - you need to annoy your husband so that he becomes jealous; - give an injection to the turtle; - pacify a drunkard neighbor; - take out the Christmas tree; - catch the mouse; - keep company at the table.
“When a woman calls and frankly asks to have a drink with her, I don’t hang up immediately,” says Dmitry. - I start talking to her. You see, the number of orders depends on the first words. Today we talked to her in a good way, and tomorrow she will call to fix the pipe!”
