Handyman for Small Jobs in Philadelphia

A handyman for small jobs is what I am. I take the loose shelf, the dripping faucet and the door that won’t latch, the jobs other crews pass on. The quickest way to get them done is to write them all down and let me handle the whole list in one visit.

Small jobs are welcome — they go faster and cheaper as one list in one visit.

If you call about a single curtain rod, I won’t tell you the job is too small or that you’ll have to wait until I’m done with a big renovation somewhere else. Nobody else wants these jobs, but they are the ones that make a house easier to live in. A lot of local handyman services skip them. I build my week around them.

One thing makes a single small job less of a deal than it looks: the minimum service call, which I explain below. That minimum is the reason the list matters.

It also matters who rings your doorbell. I’m TonyFix Handyman. I come myself and I finish the job.

What Counts as a Small Job

A small job is something a handyman can hang, assemble, adjust, patch or swap in one visit, without opening walls or adding new systems. Here is the handyman work people most often put on my list:

• Hanging a shelf, a picture or a mirror, or putting up a curtain rod
• Assembling a bookcase, desk, bed frame or dresser
• Installing a lock or deadbolt, or a smart lock
• Fixing a door that sticks or won’t close
• Fixing a dripping faucet or a valve that won’t switch
• Repairing a toilet tank or fill valve
• Patching a small hole in drywall
• Painting touch-ups
• Working on a baseboard electric heater
• Repairing a small fence, a gate or a step

Room	Typical small jobs	Service
Living room	TV, shelf, picture, mirror, curtain rod	TV & Picture Mounting
Bedroom / office	Bed frame, dresser, bookcase, desk	Furniture Assembly
Entry and interior doors	Lock, deadbolt, smart lock, sticking door	Doors & Locks
Kitchen and bath	Dripping faucet, stuck valve, toilet tank or fill valve	Plumbing Fixtures
Any room	Small hole, crack, old bracket holes	Drywall & Plaster
Any room	Scuffed walls, a worn door	Painting & Touch-ups
Living areas	Baseboard electric heater	Baseboard Heat

Furniture assembly and hanging are a fast way to start. Once one box is built, the mirror, the rod and the shelf usually follow, and one job turns into a list for the day. With doors and locks, I set the frame on shims, plumb and square. That is how a door closes flush and stops catching.

Why One List Beats Five Separate Calls

One list beats five separate calls because the minimum service call is the same no matter how short a single job is. The minimum service call is $75. A shelf that takes ten minutes still counts as a full visit. Five small jobs on one list share that single visit.

If you’re about to hire a handyman, here is how it plays out:

• Five separate calls = five minimums. That means five calls to arrange, five arrivals, five times you clear the hallway, and five clean-ups.
• One list = one visit. You make one call, I arrive once, I work through the jobs one after another, and I clean up once at the end.

The second option is simpler for both of us. You stay home for one block of time, not five, and the tools only come out once. Cleaning up before I leave is part of the job, not a favor. On a list, it happens once, after the last item is done.

A handyman for small jobs makes the most sense when the small jobs come in a group. A loose towel bar is annoying, but it’s rarely urgent. Leave it on the fridge list for a week, add the sticking closet door and the new curtain rod, and book them together.

I don’t count up savings here, and I don’t list each job’s price in this section. All the rates are on the pricing page. Once you have your list, you can check each item there before you send it.

How to Build Your List Before I Arrive

To build your list, walk through the house, write down everything that bugs you, and take a photo of each item. If you’re trying to find a handyman who shows up ready, this is the step that makes it happen.

1. Go room by room. The sticking door, the drip under the sink, the bookcase still in its box and the curtain rod leaning in the corner all go on the list.
2. Take one photo per job, wide enough that I can see the surroundings.
3. Say where the job is: which wall, and how high the shelf or mirror should go.
4. Buy the hardware you want: the bracket, the faucet, the lock, the paint. That way you get exactly what you picked.

Then I price it from the photos. On the phone I can only give a range. Send a photo of the job and the price comes back the same day. Once I’ve named that price, it doesn’t change while I work. A fixed price in writing before I start.

Prices are for labor — materials and hardware are separate. If you’d rather not go shopping, I can buy the parts myself against a receipt. You can start the price from a photo right now.

Light Fixtures, Faucets and Leaks: Swaps on What’s Already There

Light fixtures, faucets and small leaks count as small jobs when the new part goes onto connections that are already there. Light fixtures, fans and chandeliers go back on the existing outlet. That one rule decides whether the job goes on my list or goes to someone else.

A new ceiling light, installed and glowing against a white ceiling, is what a finished swap looks like, and it sits on a list next to shelves and locks without any trouble. On a swap like this, the old fixture comes down, the new one connects to the existing outlet in the ceiling, and the light gets tested before the ladder goes away.

Plumbing works the same way. Faucets and toilets are swapped on the existing supply lines. A leak under the sink is a small job as long as it’s in the visible plumbing: the connections, the trap and the lines you can see when you open the cabinet.

People search for “handyman plumbers,” so I’ll be direct: I’m not a plumber. My work covers the fixture itself and the plumbing you can see. Pipes inside the wall, risers and sewer lines are work for a plumber, not for me. Wiring is the same. If the job means opening the walls or running new wiring, I tell you on the spot and send you to the right trade instead of trying to work around it. More on plumbing fixtures.

TV Mounting: The Small Job That Rarely Stays Small

A TV often goes on the list next to a shelf and a mirror, but it rarely stays a small job: the wall decides the price more than the size of the screen. What that means for your wall is on the TV mounting page. One Google reviewer, Sam Dev, put it simply: “Reasonable price, good communication and job well done. Would hire again.”

When the List Includes Drywall and Painting

Drywall and painting fit on a small-jobs list when it’s one spot. Once it’s several spots or a whole room, it’s a job of its own, and it’s better priced separately from photos. Typical small items are the hole left by an old bracket, a hairline crack, or a scuffed door that needs a fresh coat.

A patch is never “five minutes.” The right order is compound, then drying, then sanding, then primer, and only then paint. Each coat has to dry before the next step, so a patch done properly takes more than one short stop at the wall. This is also why I want to see it in a photo before I put it on a list with other jobs. You can read about the drywall and plaster service and about the differences between drywall and plaster.

If the list says “touch up the hallway” and the photos show the whole hallway, I’ll price it as painting with its own estimate. Exterior painting is a separate service and gets its own estimate too. Both are handyman work I’m glad to take on.

Where I Work and When I Can Come

I work mainly in Northeast Philadelphia, seven days a week. Most of my work is in Northeast Philadelphia and the neighborhoods around it. My base is in Bustleton, which is the shortest drive to anywhere in the Northeast. I’m regularly in Somerton, Rhawnhurst, Fox Chase and Mayfair.

I also travel to Bucks County, Montgomery County and Delaware County, and to the city neighborhoods listed on the service pages. If you live in one of those areas, send the list and I’ll tell you when I can come.

Hours:

• Monday to Saturday, 7 AM to 7 PM
• Last booking starts at 6 PM
• Evening visits are fine. Most people are at work during the day and home in the evening.
• Sunday, 8 AM to 5 PM

Send Me Your List

The fastest way to get your small jobs done is to send me the list with photos by text and get the exact price back the same day. Write down everything, from the drip to the box in the hallway, take one photo per job, and note the wall and the height where it matters.

When you hire a handyman for small jobs, put all of them in one visit. One arrival and one clean-up beat several short trips for a single item each. If you don’t know where to begin, start with a TV on the wall, a few shelves or a piece of furniture still in its box. Those jobs go quickly, and the rest of the list tends to grow around them.

Use the price from a photo page, or text me directly. Call or text (267) 679-8533.

FAQ

1. Can I hire a handyman for just one small job?

   Yes. Small jobs are welcome, even a single shelf. Keep in mind that the minimum service call applies no matter how short the job is. That’s why it pays to add the other small things around the house to the same visit: a curtain rod, a sticking door, a dripping faucet. One visit covers the whole list.

2. How do I find a handyman for small jobs in Northeast Philadelphia?

   Most of my work is in Northeast Philadelphia: Bustleton, Somerton, Rhawnhurst, Fox Chase and Mayfair. I also travel to Bucks, Montgomery and Delaware County. Text me photos of your list, one photo per job with the room and wall noted, and the exact price comes back the same day.

3. Do handymen do plumbing?

   Within limits. I swap faucets and toilets on the existing supply lines, and I fix leaks in the visible plumbing under the sink. Pipes inside the wall, risers, sewer lines and anything involving gas are a separate trade, not mine. If your job falls on that side of the line, I’ll tell you right away.

4. Can you swap a light fixture or a ceiling fan as a small job?

   Yes, as long as it goes on the existing outlet. That kind of swap fits easily on a list with shelves and locks. If the job needs a new circuit, new wiring or panel work, that is a licensed trade, not mine. I’ll tell you honestly instead of trying to work around it.

5. Should I buy the bracket, faucet or lock myself?

   Usually it’s better if you do, so you get exactly the model and finish you want. My price covers labor only. If you’d rather skip the shopping, I can buy the parts myself against a receipt, and they show up in the estimate as their own line, so you can see what’s labor and what’s hardware.

6. Do you come in the evening or on Sunday?

   Yes to both. I work Monday to Saturday, 7 AM to 7 PM, with the last booking at 6 PM, and Sunday, 8 AM to 5 PM. Most people are at work during the day and home in the evening, so evening visits are often the easiest time to get through a list of small jobs.

7. What small jobs do you not take?

   I don’t do appliance repair, dishwashers, AC, HVAC or mini-splits. I also don’t do roofing, gas, boilers or hydronic heating, new wiring or panels, pipes in the wall, new tile installs or full kitchens. Replacing a few broken tiles and regrouting is fine, and that can go on your list.