Your list of small jobs. One local handyman calls back.

Write the list the way a quote reads it

A quote is built line by line, so build your list the same way. Each line gets a verb, the object, the room, the size and what you already have.

• “Rehang closet door in the main bedroom, rubs the frame at the top.”
• “Mount 2 floating shelves in the office, 90 cm each, shelves bought, drywall wall.”
• “Replace torn window screen, kitchen, 70 × 120 cm.”
• “Re-caulk the tub, upstairs bathroom.”
• “Tighten loose stair railing, basement stairs.”

Three details change a price more than the job name does. Height: a ceiling, a stairwell or anything above a ladder’s reach. Material: drywall, plaster, brick and concrete each take different anchors and time. Supply: who buys the parts, and whether a store run counts as time on the clock. Put all three in the line.

Add two photos per line, one wide and one close, with a tape measure in the frame. The company can then price most lines on the first call and ask about the rest.

Three ways the list gets billed

By the hour. The HomeStars Ottawa guide puts handyman time at about $85–120 an hour for repairs like drywall patching, caulking and minor carpentry. Its page for Gloucester lists $50–100 an hour for general tasks. TaskRabbit gives a starting figure of $45 an hour for handyman work in Ottawa.

By the minimum visit. HomeStars notes that some handymen set a minimum charge, which can cover a set number of hours. Several Ottawa Taskers on TaskRabbit state a 2-hour minimum on their profiles. A minimum is where a list pays off: three 20-minute jobs cost the same block as one.

By the job. Some companies price each line. The HomeStars Gloucester page lists wall patches and small fixes at $75–150 a job, curtain rails and blinds at $50–120, and TV, shelf or artwork mounting at $80–250.

On top of any of the three: materials, a travel or call-out fee if the company charges one, and 13% HST in Ontario. When two quotes come in, check that both cover the same numbered lines. A quote that leaves out line 4 looks cheaper for that reason alone.

Lines a handyman hands to a certified trade

Part of a good list is knowing which lines belong to someone else. Mark them, and the company can tell you on the call who does them.

• Electrical. In Ontario, anyone you hire for electrical work in your home must be an electrical contractor holding an ESA licence. The Ontario Electrical Safety Code requires almost all electrical work to be reported to the Electrical Safety Authority through a notification of work.
• Gas. Installing, repairing or removing a gas appliance requires a certificate under O. Reg. 212/01. That covers a gas range, dryer or fireplace.
• Plumbing and wiring as trades. Plumber and electrician are two of Ontario’s 23 compulsory trades. Working in one takes a Certificate of Qualification, a provisional certificate or a registered training agreement, and you can look a person up on the Skilled Trades Ontario Public Register.
• Digging. Fence posts and deck footings break ground. Ontario Dig Authority, formerly Ontario One Call, arranges free utility locates, and the law requires them for any project that breaks ground.
• Permits. The City of Ottawa lists projects that need no building permit, among them painting and decorating, new flooring, same-size door and window replacements, fences that do not enclose a pool, decks under 24 inches above grade except at the main entrance, and new kitchen or bathroom cabinets when the plumbing fixtures stay where they are. Moving a sink or a toilet takes the job off that list.

The paperwork for a small job

Ontario requires a written contract for any home renovation or repair worth more than $50. The province asks for a description of the work and materials, the total and payment terms, start and finish dates, and who cleans up. When the estimate is part of the contract, the final bill can be at most 10% over it unless you sign off on new work or a new price.

Two more provincial points fit a job list well. Ontario advises against accepting an estimate given over the phone without the contractor seeing the work, so treat a price from photos as a starting figure and have it confirmed on site. And if you sign a repair contract worth $50 or more in your home, you have a 10-day cooling-off period to cancel. The province recommends a deposit of 10% or less.

The rest of this desk

• Drywall repair: patches by size, older walls, new-build cracks and warranty
• TV mounting and assembly: billing per TV, per piece or per hour, and what to write for each item
• Orléans, Barrhaven and Kanata: what the homes in each area mean for your list

Who picks up your list

Ottawa Handyman Desk is a request service. We pass your list to one independent local company that does handyman work. That company calls you, prices the jobs and does the work, and the agreement is between you and that company.