Overview
Handyman quotes are sold by the hour, but the customer's list grows as you walk through the house
Handyman work is the trade where the customer hires for one job and lines up four more once the contractor is in the house. The original call was 'fix the loose tap'. By the time the handyman arrives, the toilet seat needs replacing, the hallway smoke alarm is beeping, the dining room chair has a wobbly leg, and the doorbell hasn't worked since the kids were small. A flat 'handyman call-out, $80' quote that doesn't lay out hourly rates, materials, and the ability to add jobs on the day leaves the customer guessing about what the morning will cost. The right quote sets up the conversation that turns a one-job booking into a half-day relationship.
QuoteGenio gives handymen a quoting shape that fits the multi-task day. Call-out and minimum charge as the first line, hourly rate after the first hour, materials at supplier price with the customer's option to provide their own, an explicit clause that additional jobs found on the day will be quoted on the spot, and a small-job menu for the common requests (smoke alarm, doorbell, curtain pole, leaking tap). Send via WhatsApp from the customer's doorstep, take card payment on completion, and the same record holds the original job and any add-ons. The customer who hired for one job ends up booking again because the rate was clear.
Who it is for
Who uses QuoteGenio
Built for every kind of handyman, from solo operators to small multi-trade crews.
The problem
The quoting problems every handyman runs into
When your day is six small jobs in five suburbs, you don't have time to sit at a laptop writing quotes. You need a system that keeps up.
Too many small jobs to quote
Handymen run a lot of low-ticket jobs. Quoting each one properly takes longer than the work itself if you don't have a system.
Verbal quotes get disputed
You said R2,975 the client heard R1,322. Without a written quote on the phone, you eat the difference every time.
Hourly rate gets undercharged
A two-hour job becomes three with travel and materials. Without a clear minimum and rate on every quote, your day rate slides.
The fix
QuoteGenio gives you back the day
Templates for the jobs you do every week, an hourly rate and minimum call-out that ride on every quote, and one-tap conversion to an invoice when you're done.
The payoff
What you get with QuoteGenio
The everyday wins that add up across a year of quoting and invoicing.
Built for multi-trade work
Line items for labour, materials, travel, and a minimum call-out. Everything a handyman quote needs, nothing it doesn't.
Quote from your van
No laptop, no office. Build, send, and accept quotes from your phone between jobs.
Quote in 90 seconds
Saved templates for door rehangs, TV mounts, and shelf installs. Pick, tweak the address, send.
Get paid the same day
Invoice on the spot when the job's done. Most handymen who quote and invoice on-site get paid the same day.
Built for your trade
Quoting calibrated to how handymen actually work
Pick your trade in Settings and the entire quote flow switches to fit. Line item presets, compliance fields, on-the-quote calculators, and per-m² / after-hours pricing all change to match your industry.
Trade-specific line items
Quick add picker pre-fills the common items your trade quotes. Skip the blank rows.
Brand-specific catalogues
Pylontech, Hikvision, Canadian Solar, Sunsynk and others pre-named. Pick the brand, the description writes itself.
Compliance fields built in
IOPSA, ECASA, PIRB, PSIRA, NHBRC, SAQCC. Set once. Every quote prints them under FROM.
Registration expiry alerts
Dashboard notification 60 days before your PSIRA, CoC or any dated registration lapses.
Per-m² / hour / day billing
Unit selector on every line item: m², hr, linear m, days. Stop doing the maths externally.
After-hours and emergency
1.5× and 2× multipliers as a one-tap toggle. Customer sees the breakdown on the quote.
Quote-flow calculators
Solar size, battery backup, cable run cost. Compute on the spot, drop straight onto the quote.
Staged payments
Deposit on acceptance + balance on completion as two separate amounts on the quote PDF.
Scope-of-work checklist
Structured Included / Not included lists. Client acceptance = signing the scope.
Site-survey mode
Log a location per line item: camera positions, fixtures by room, sensors by zone.
Regional rate hints
Pricing ranges per item per currency shown as you quote.
Free on every plan
All of the above included on the free plan. Premium is for capacity, not the trade tooling.
Why QuoteGenio
Why Handymen choose QuoteGenio
The tools that matter most when you are quoting on-site, under pressure, and between jobs.
Quote from your phone
Most Handymen build and send quotes directly from the job site. No laptop, no office, no delays.
Win more jobs, faster
The first professional quote a client receives usually wins. Respond in minutes, not hours.
Quote to invoice in one click
When the job is accepted, convert to an invoice instantly. No retyping, no double entry.
Pricing guide
Typical Handymen job pricing
A rough guide to what handymen charge for everyday jobs. Pricing varies by suburb, access, and how many small tasks you bundle into one visit. Use these as a sanity check, not a fixed rate card.
| Job | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Standard call-out (minimum charge) | R1,240 - R2,479 |
| Hourly rate (after the minimum) | R909 - R1,570 / hr |
| TV wall mount (drywall, mount supplied) | R1,570 - R3,636 |
| Door rehang or lock change | R1,818 - R4,628 |
| Flat-pack furniture assembly (per unit) | R1,240 - R3,966 |
| Gutter clean (single storey) | R2,975 - R6,941 |
| Half-day general handyman (4 hours) | R4,628 - R7,933 |
Pricing converted from USD to ZAR at indicative rates. Rates vary significantly by country, region, currency, and market.
Call-out fees
A minimum call-out (typically R1,240 to R2,479) covers your travel and the first hour on-site. It protects you from short jobs that turn into a half-day with traffic. Show it as its own line so the client understands they're paying for your time on the road, not just the screw on the wall.
Hourly vs fixed pricing
Use an hourly rate (typically R909 to R1,570 per hour) for vague scopes like 'a few small jobs around the house'. Use fixed pricing for clear single tasks like a TV mount or a door rehang. Always quote a minimum even on hourly work so a 20 minute job still pays for the trip.
See it in action
Example quote breakdown
Here's what a clean half-day handyman quote looks like. The call-out, the hourly labour, the small consumables, and the disposal are all visible. Transparent quotes win these jobs because clients want to see they're not being charged a flat R8,264 for what feels like simple work.
Try it yourself
Job size
Region
Sample quote
Half-day handyman visit, multiple small jobs
Minimum call-out (first hour, includes travel)
Additional labour (3 hours)
TV wall mount install (mount supplied by client)
Materials (anchors, screws, picture hooks, silicone)
Disposal of old shelving and packaging
| Description | Qty | Rate | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum call-out (first hour, includes travel) | 1 | R1,570 | R1,570 |
| Additional labour (3 hours) | 3 | R1,240 / hr | R3,719 |
| TV wall mount install (mount supplied by client) | 1 | R0 | R0 |
| Materials (anchors, screws, picture hooks, silicone) | 1 | R628 | R628 |
| Disposal of old shelving and packaging | 1 | R578 | R578 |
| Subtotal | R6,495 | ||
| Tax (10%) | R650 | ||
| Total incl. tax | R7,145 | ||
Totals recalculate as you change the controls above. Tax rate inferred from the sample quote.
Items often forgotten
Anchors, picture hooks, silicone, masking tape, sandpaper, the drill bit you broke on the brick wall, and the trip to the hardware store mid-job. Build a 'consumables and sundries' line into every quote so these stop coming out of your hourly rate.
Peer snapshot
How Handymen actually use QuoteGenio
Indicative activity for Handymen on the platform. Use it as a benchmark for how often to quote and how fast to respond.
26
Quotes sent per month
54%
Average quote acceptance
2 min
Median time to send quote
R7,145
Typical quote value
Figures are indicative platform averages for this trade segment.
Start quoting Handymen jobs like this, free
Build your first quote in under 2 minutes. No credit card, no setup fee, no contract.
Avoid these
Common quoting mistakes
We talk to a lot of handymen. The same pricing slips come up again and again. Fixing these protects your hourly rate and gets clients to a yes faster.
Mistake: Quoting verbally over the phone
Better: Even a one-line WhatsApp quote with a number and a minimum call-out protects you. Send it before you drive out.
Mistake: Skipping the minimum call-out
Better: Always include a minimum charge on every quote. A 20 minute job is still a half-day with traffic and parking.
Mistake: Bundling materials into labour
Better: Show materials as a separate line. Clients accept a R628 sundries line; they argue with a vague R4,958 labour figure.
Mistake: Not charging for travel
Better: Either build travel into the call-out or list it separately on out-of-area jobs. Driving an hour each way for a 30 minute job is a loss.
Mistake: Forgetting to quote disposal
Better: Old shelving, packaging, broken furniture. List disposal as its own line item or build it into the call-out for jobs that obviously generate waste.
Mistake: Day-rate quotes without a scope
Better: If you quote a half-day, list which jobs are included. Otherwise the list grows on the day and you lose the next booking.
Mistake: No expiry on the quote
Better: Set a 14 day validity. Hardware prices and your own diary move fast enough that an open-ended quote eventually costs you.
Mistake: No follow-up after sending the quote
Better: Most quotes that don't close, don't close because nobody followed up. Send a polite check-in 48 hours after the quote lands, and a second nudge at day 7. Two of every three accepted quotes get there because someone followed up.
Step by step
How to quote handyman jobs
Walk the property before you price anything beyond a one-task job. For TV mounts, check the wall type (drywall with a stud finder, brick, or double-skin) because anchors, fixings, and drill time all change. For door rehangs, test the swing, inspect the jamb for rot, and check whether the lockset is a standard backset. For gutter cleans, count storeys, check for access obstructions, and note whether a ladder or a tower is needed. For flat-pack furniture, count units and note size (a wardrobe is a different job from a coffee table). Use the walk to spot the two or three other jobs the client will ask about once you start, so you can quote them upfront rather than discover them mid-day.
Itemise the minimum call-out, hourly labour, materials, and disposal as separate lines. The minimum call-out of $ 75 to $ 150 covers travel and the first hour on-site, which protects you against a 20 minute job that turns into a half-day with traffic and parking. List the hourly rate of $ 55 to $ 95 separately for work beyond the minimum, charged in 30 minute increments. Build a standard 'consumables and sundries' line at $ 30 to $ 60 covering anchors, screws, picture hooks, silicone, masking tape, and the drill bit you might break. Add a disposal line for old shelving, packaging, or broken furniture. For out-of-area jobs, list travel as its own line at a per-kilometre rate.
Set a 14 day validity on every handyman quote. Hardware prices move and your diary fills up, so an open-ended quote you wrote a month ago can lock you into billing below your current rate. Show VAT as its own line if you are registered, or state 'prices include VAT' clearly if you are not yet over the threshold. For jobs where you are supplying materials that the client has specified (a particular tap, a specific TV mount, bathroom fittings), take a 50 percent deposit on materials when the quote is accepted so you are not buying their kit on your credit. Set your warranty on workmanship (usually 90 days to 12 months on handyman work) on the PDF.
Send the quote by WhatsApp link before you drive off the property. Handymen compete on speed and professionalism, and a branded quote on the client's phone in the five minutes after you leave beats a typed-up email three days later every time. For multi-job half-day bookings, list each job separately so the client can decline the ones they do not want rather than walking on the whole quote. For the inevitable 'while you're here' request on the day, duplicate the quote on your phone, add the variation line, send the link, wait for the accept, and then do the work. Two minutes of admin saves the awkward conversation at invoice time. Follow up two days after the quote with a short friendly message if you have not heard back.
FAQ
Common questions from handymen
Everything you need to know before getting started.
Yes. Save any quote as a template. Most handymen build templates for TV mounts, door rehangs, gutter cleans, and flat-pack assembly so a new quote takes 90 seconds.
Yes. Build the quote on your phone, share it as a link via WhatsApp, and your client gets a branded PDF instantly. No app needed on their end.
Add a 'Minimum call-out' line item to your saved templates. It rides on every quote you build from that template, so you never forget it.
Yes. Every quote has a unique public link. Clients open it on their phone and accept it online with one tap. No signup required.
Yes. Convert any accepted quote to an invoice with one tap. Adjust hours if the job ran over, then send. Most handymen invoice before they leave the property.
Yes. The free plan gives you 5 quotes and 2 invoices per month with no credit card required. Upgrade to Premium for unlimited quotes, invoices, statements, and reports.
Most handymen sit between R909 and R1,570 per hour depending on city, experience, and whether they bring tools and materials. Work backwards from your target weekly take-home, divide by billable hours (usually 25 to 30 a week, not 40), and add 20 percent for vehicle, insurance, and admin time. Quote a minimum call-out on top so short jobs still cover your trip.
Build a standard travel allowance into your minimum call-out for jobs inside your usual radius (say 20km). For jobs outside that, list a separate travel line on the quote, either by the kilometre or as a flat surcharge. Be explicit on the quote so there's no surprise on the invoice.
If your turnover is below the VAT threshold in your country, you don't have to register, and you don't add VAT. Once you're over the threshold, register and show VAT on every quote and invoice. State 'prices include VAT' or 'plus VAT' clearly so clients know which they're seeing.
Quote the original job in writing. For anything added on the day, write a quick variation quote on your phone (QuoteGenio lets you duplicate and edit a quote in seconds), get it accepted on the link, then do the work. It takes two minutes and saves the awkward conversation at invoice time.
Still have questions? We would rather answer them now than after you have signed up.
Pricing benchmark
What do handymen charge in 2026?
Hourly rates by region, common job prices, a worked sample quote, and the FAQs customers actually ask. The complete pricing reference for handymen.
Typical hourly
$40-$90/hr
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Reviews
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Real feedback from people who quote for a living.
"Linear metre pricing with different gate options was messy before. Now my template has everything pre-loaded and I send fence quotes in under three minutes."
Tyler Jensen
Fence Installer · Houston
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Daniel Ross
Marketing Consultant · Perth
"I use it daily. Swift, multi-currency, and works perfectly on my phone. Worth every krona."
Oscar Bergström
Handyman · Stockholm
Guides
Guides for Handymen
Practical advice to help you quote better, get paid faster, and grow your business.
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