Charged the moment the van moves. Typical call-out fees run $75-150; most operators fold the first hour in ("the visit costs $125, including the first hour"). One working service bills a $90-per-hour minimum on short calls, so even a twenty-minute stop pays like an hour.
| Line | Yours |
|---|---|
| Call-out minimum (first hour included?) | $ |
Self-employed handymen bill $50-80/hr; company services $75-125/hr. Anchor the rate to your effective-rate math, not to your fear.
| Line | Yours |
|---|---|
| Hourly rate | $ |
| Effective rate you must beat (from the money worksheet) | $ |
Set each flat rate from your honest worst-case time at your hourly rate, plus a wobble factor for the house you have not seen yet. Typical flat-rate work runs $150-600. Benchmarks: ceiling fan install $110-440 (working handymen report $200-250); TV mounting $330-440 in a high-cost metro; door adjustment $85-240. A fan swap that takes 50 minutes flat-rated at $200 pays $240 an hour.
| Job | Worst-case time (hrs) | x hourly $ | + wobble $ | = flat rate $ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Line | Yours |
|---|---|
| Estimated hours | |
| Estimate = hours x hourly rate + materials | $ |
| Not-to-exceed cap (estimate + buffer for the surprise inside the wall) | $ |
Say it whole: "I estimate two hours, so $180 with materials, and I will not go over $260 without calling you first." The client hears a ceiling; you keep protection from the unknown.
Delivery: one sentence, then silence. "To patch and paint that wall so it disappears, $275 flat, and I can do it Thursday." The same price said as a fact books the job; said with a question mark it invites negotiation.