On two occasions my firm has retained Jamie’s company, Lakeville Homes, as a general contractor. In the first instance Jamie oversaw the construction of a luxury 5,000 s.f. home in the Vuecrest neighborhood of Bellevue, Washington. Jamie and her colleagues set the standard for exemplary service, superlative finish and strict adherence to budget. Jamie’s endless creativity resolved planning and design challenges in a manner that ultimately made for a better home than we had originally hoped for! My firm also hired Jamie to finish a high-end, foreclosed view home in West Seattle. The home had been gutted and expanded, but the work done by the prior owner resulted in an impractical floor plan and horribly mismatched architectural styles. Jamie overcame every obstacle and created an exceptional finished product that suits both the neighborhood and the tastes of our target buyers. Every one on Jamie’s team has routinely demonstrated the utmost professionalism and near obsessive attention to detail, as if the homes were their own.

Our firm won’t even consider another contractor in the Seattle area for our future projects. I appreciate the extra time Brad has devoted to the house (being sold).  Thank you so much for having Felicia write the letter that says that Lakeville Homes guarantees their work for one year.  I think it put the buyers at ease.  Brad’s willingness to try and solve the problem and writing the guarantee letter are why I like working with you all so much.  I am very grateful for all you have done for both houses.  business for sale jekyll islandI definitely have been referring your work and will continue to do so.business for sale branson mo “My husband and I recently moved into our new house but wanted to do some remodeling work. business for sale spirit lake iowa

We cannot say enough good things about Lakeville! They got the work done in a timely manner, were very easy to work with, and the outcome was beautiful! We are very pleased!” “The Lakeville team’s deep understanding of the importance of long term quality relationships with customers, subcontractors, and everyone with whom they come into contact, is reflected by gracious and appreciative demeanor. Impeccable attention to the best in design and craftsmanship make them one of the best builders in the Seattle/Eastside area.”business for sale hat head nsw “Thank you for your outstanding customer service. business for sale claphamOver the past 6 years we truly appreciated your willingness to help us with any and all of our issues related to our home. business for sale koln

The entire Lakeville staff was always polite, pleasant and willing to help. -Peter and Tricia Nora “We are in month 4 of a 6 month remodel of our home and Lakeville has been fantastic.  When we tell people we are remodeling our house they always ask “so are you over time and over budget?”  …we get to say actually things are right on track! We did do our homework when selecting a company for this big project and it’s true what they say that beyond checking the BBB and references you need to like who you are going to work with.  Lakeville has never pressured us in any way and has come up with some great ideas during the project.  They are also very responsive to our questions via phone or email (which is great if you’re busy with work). We have also done our part by picking out most of our spec list before construction began and haven’t changed too many things during the process. Overall we are very happy and can’t wait to move into our beautiful new home!”

-K & S TsaiWe were very happy with the results.  They were on time, hard working, efficient and cleaned up every speck of dust.  We would highly recommend them! “House that delights me on a daily basis.” “Representing Lakeville Homes has been a sincere honor and pleasure.  Their experience, versatility and principles give us a foundation to develop strong marketing campaigns as well as allow us the confidence to speak with assurance and certainty to potential Buyers. Lakeville Homes continues to impress us with each transaction we are involved in together.  It is obvious they have a passion and dedication to their craft; from their progressive thinking towards the changing needs of design and finishes, to their commitment to client satisfaction, resulting in trusted relationships for years to come.” -Lisa Whittaker, Coldwell Banker Bain “We had the pleasure of working with Lakeville Homes on two projects. Our most recent involved a total rebuild of our primary residence.

We were pleased with the professionalism and care their office staff and construction crew took with our project. They take a hands-on approach to help deliver a successful project both in terms of finished quality and budget.”FREE SHIPPING ON BEDDING + CURTAINS* WITH CODE  GETCOZYTraining to become a handyman is going to vary drastically depending on where you live, experience level, and the services that you would like to offer.  Since there is no one training program, online course, or book that will contain the information that you specifically need to maximize your results, it’s going to be somewhat up to you to acquire the skills you need.In this post, I’ll recommend several options for handyman training and explain the benefits and shortcomings of each.  I’ll then discuss a little about my expereience becoming a handyman.  (It’s not as hard as you might think)If you are reading this, hopefully you have some experience with home improvements or home maintenance.  

If not, your best bet is to get a job working for somebody else for a while until you gain the confidence and experience required to even consider being a handyman.In order to determine the best way for you to begin your handyman training, I’d recommend you take inventory of your current skills and determine what services you would like to offer.  One common assumption that people looking to start a handyman business have is that you need to know how to do everything.  This just isn’t the case.  You can run a business offering just a handful of services.Here are several different methods for gaining experience as a handyman.  You don’t need to train using all of these methods.  Just choose the ones that are necessary for you to reach your specific goals.There are several online programs and schools that you can get traning on certain trades such as plumbing, electrical, and HVAC (heating, ventilating, and cooling).  These courses may be a good option if you are looking to do one of these specific trades.

This can be an effective way to start out since you will learn how to do one specific trade well, get licensed, and then slowly broaden your services to other things.In my state, a license is required to do any plumbing, electrical, or HVAC.  I don’t have any of these licenses (there is a different license for each trade) so I’m unable to perform this type of work.  I lose some business because I don’t have a license, but not enough for me to go out and get one.  There’s just too much other work out there doing simple home maintenance and repairs.  I can always get a license down the road if I need one.Getting licensed in one of these trades will help you gain customer trust and help you demand a higher rate.  This is probably the best reason to get licensed.  There is a downside, however.  It can take several years to become a licensed plumber, electrician, or HVAC specialist.In most states you are required to first complete formal training with a certified education facility.  

Then, you may be required up to 5 years as a journeyman before you can get out on your own.There are also several websites online that will provide you with the formal training you need.  Before you start any course, make sure it is something that your state recognizes for credit toward a license.  You don’t want to waste your time on unnecessary training.Volunteering for a program like Habitat for Humanity can be a valuable hands on method to gain experience.  Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit company that builds homes for homeless and less fortunate families.  If this program exists in your city, you may consider volunteering some of your time.  You’re likely to get exposed to a wide range of trades and the best part is you don’t have to pay a dime.  It’s basically free education while helping those in need.Another option would be to find a local contractor or small business owner and volunteer to help them out.  They will be getting free labor and you will be gaining experience.  

You can be more picky about what jobs you do since they aren’t paying you.  There may be some liability issues for the business owner, but I’m sure they’d work something out for free labor.As a handyman business owner, I’d be ecstatic if somebody eager to learn to be a handyman offered me free services in exchange for training.I believe this is the single best way to gain handyman experience.  This is how I gained confidence and experience with home improvements and maintenance.  When I bought my first house, I was doing home improvements whenever I had a chance.  I successfully taught myself how to paint, install windows, install interior doors, install molding and trim, lay tile, build a pathway with pavers, build shelves, and much more.The key here is to research before you start on the best way to go about the project.  You’ll find that most projects aren’t that complicated and with a little time and elbow grease, you’ll have a professional finished product.  

I definitely made some mistakes along the way, but at least it was on my house and I could just go back and fix it.If you found this article, you obviously know how to use the internet.  Make sure and use the incredible wealth of knowledge for honing your handyman skills as well.I can honestly say that if the internet didn’t exist, I wouldn’t be a handyman because I wouldn’t know where to start.  I still use the internet to learn how to do projects for people.  I’ve even quoted jobs that I have no experience with because I know I can learn how to do it on the internet with a google search and a couple minutes of time.This method of training is an absolute must.  Even the most experienced handyman can brush up his skills by researching via the internet.Here are some of the websites that usually provide good handyman how-to information.If you know somebody that already works in construction or is handyman themselves, get a little closer to that person.  Offer them some help and ask questions in return.  

Most people are more than willing to share their knowledge.  You just have to ask.Hopefully you can establish a good enough relationship so that whenever you have a question or problem, you can give them a call.Even if you don’t know somebody, I’d still recommend trying to find a mentor in the industry.  You may be surprised how much information some people are willing to give.  It may take some time to find that person that you can build a mentor relationship with, but the time will be well worth it.  Some things you just can’t find on the internet.The majority of the skills I use to make money as a handyman I learned while working on my own house.  If there was a leak in the sprinkler system, I would dig it up and fix it.  When the toilet wouldn’t flush, I’d do a quick google search, read at least 3 different how to’s, and get after it.My projects weren’t always easy, but I’d eventually figure it out and I’d learn a LOT in the process.I’ve always enjoyed doing things myself and just naturally built up my problem solving skills to the point where I can fix just about anything.