I am in a pissy mood today. The landlord of this rental we live in sent over a plumber to do some stuff. I'll spare you the rant.

Ladies with good hand skills might REALLY consider going into the small home repairs business. Having someone at your door who doesn't look like a meth head, who actually shows up when they said they would, does what they say they will, returns calls, doesn't leave a mess, and acts like a competent business person would be SUCH an upgrade. It's not hard to jump higher than that bar.

There's a SERIOUS niche here that needs filling!! I know I'm not the only one who has no one they want to call. I do my own work, because of this, just don't have time/give a damn to do this project, figured I'd get the landlord to do it, I do most of the work at this rental myself and never bother her about it. Now I remember why.

I'm in a very small town, my guess is the guys don't do better because who else are you going to call? It costs a lot to get someone from the bigger town 40 miles away. This area has a lot of older women, who can't do small things by themselves, even things like move the furniture so it can be cleaned under, fix this drawer that won't open, change the door locks, etc. There is a niche for even a part time person who will do what needs doing, who is someone you don't mind in the house. Consider your area, I bet this niche is there too!!

No thank you! Plumbers also have to crawl underneath houses with the spiders, and clear blocked/leaking sewer pipes, and poop flooded bathrooms, and deal with possible chemical explosions from all the crap people used trying to clear a clog, and a whole lot of other highly unpleasant things.

Sounds like men's work to me!

Pearl, so sorry you have this happening!  We had a underground pipe from the well into the house break underneath the concrete slab this summer.  It was a circus since we had to deal with the insurance company and the people they chose to use.  

It stinks when you have no choice. Maybe you can start biling the landlord for being your own repair person. Hope they at least got things fixed for you.

Great idea, Pearl.  There are so many handyman type jobs that woman can do. And too few men that want those kind of jobs.

I always thought that painting and wallpapering would be good trades for women.

There are a lot of little old ladies that would feel more comfortable calling a women to do things they can't do.  You know those silly little chores around the house.  A jammed drawer that won't shut.  A door that won't open.  I could name several more!

When we bought this house the old plumbing had blown out from freezing and neither of us were up to doing the work.  We hired someone local who's past reputation was great, more recently not so great.  He came and did half ass work while his ex wife 'covered' for him.  She was the one who did all the work in the crawl space that was barely twelve inches in places.  She came back and fixed his leaky joins and cleaned up his muddy messes.  I would hire her to do more work but she's not the one with the license.  We've since found someone else who is reliable and who does good work and is licensed.

I have no words. Let's just say that the title of this thread is eye-catching, in a dirty-minded hilarious way. My much better half just about died laughing when she realised it was about Handywomen and female contractors.

-CK

Lucrecia Anderson wrote:No thank you! Plumbers also have to ....

It's not even plumbers I'm annoyed with today. It's people with bad business skills, who don't even seem to try to do things well.

Tina Hillel wrote: Maybe you can start biling the landlord for being your own repair person.

I do. She pays me without complaint. I just don't have time or energy for this right now. I hate spending energy I'm short on doing maintenance on a rental that has more issues than is worth coping with.

Anne Miller wrote:  There are so many handyman type jobs that woman can do. And too few men that want those kind of jobs.

I always thought that painting and wallpapering would be good trades for women.

There are a lot of little old ladies that would feel more comfortable calling a women to do things they can't do.  You know those silly little chores around the house.  A jammed drawer that won't shut.  A door that won't open.  I could name several more!

Exactly! Leave the stuff like hauling sheetrock around to the guys, unless you are into it! But there's a big niche here for women, that few seem to be exploring....

Judith Browning wrote: She came back and fixed his leaky joins and cleaned up his muddy messes.  I would hire her to do more work but she's not the one with the license.

And that's exactly my point, she was paying attention and doing it well. She doesn't have to be a full plumber, with the complete training etc, to have been competent at what she did. There's a niche for competent. And it's being neglected by too many of the guys that I see. There's a lot of things that don't require full training, and lots of things that require no license. As well as good jobs in the stuff that does have those requirements.

I have thought for years that if I cared to do it I could run a business "Girls with Gloves" that would do whatever. I just am not at that point in my life right now, I have too much going on. I have got to get a house built so I can get out of this rental that I dislike, and be on my property that I love.

Chris Kott wrote:I have no words. Let's just say that the title of this thread is eye-catching, in a dirty-minded hilarious way. My much better half just about died laughing when she realised it was about Handywomen and female contractors.

-CK

Heh, I put "hand skills" because I was thinking of the women who say "oh, well, I only know how to knit, cook, raise kids, run the PTA and soccer leagues, make this and that and... " who might not be aware there are marketable skills in that, and a niche that I am seeing today.

Get your mind out of the gutter, sir! Or clean the leaves out of that gutter if you must be in there! :D

I forgot to mention that the 'plumbers helper' I mentioned above is also a carpenter/builder with a great reputation...her work with her ex was to try to keep him from losing his plumbers license.

No reason at all that women can't do the job's that are typically 'men's work' if that's what they want to do.  

My cousin was a diesel mechanic for many years...she loved big trucks

Judith Browning wrote:

No reason at all that women can't do the job's that are typically 'men's work' if that's what they want to do.  

I have done "men's work" for years That's always interesting.... I take a lot of crap from men for it.

The more I think on it, I think we need to redefine "women's skills" and "men's skills" to include a LOT of things women have always done if they are used to dealing with things in their own life, and make that a niche that women know exists as a paying skill set.  

You don't have to want to deal with diesels to do at home oil changes, and you don't have to be able to build a whole addition to put the trim back on that came off... There's a different level here that needs a word. Someone clever make up a word for this!!

Mostly I am tired of people who may be competent at their skills, but suck as businessmen.

You don't have to want to deal with diesels to do at home oil changes, and you don't have to be able to build a whole addition to put the trim back on that came off... There's a different level here that needs a word. Someone clever make up a word for this!!

Someone clever will find you a word I'm sure  
What comes to my mind is the very gender oriented 'handyman'...I'm not sure 'handywoman' would catch on?

A 'jack of all trades'  or a 'jill of all trades'

No inspiration here....

Was thinking on this as I cleaned the chicken coop...
I think I'll spin off a secondary thread: What do women do all the time that people would pay for? Trying to skip obvious ones, looking more for skills that something like an older woman would pay for...
And here it is!
Things most women do easily that can be paying work

I liked “Girls With Gloves”. Very clever. 😄

You do have to be careful with the wording though, if you don’t want to constantly deflect all the jocularity that comes of automatically assuming the “oldest profession.” Too bad we think that way, but we do. Women haven’t historically done handyman work because men wanted to do it and to be competent at it, fill a need, support their families... that sort of thing is rather out of fashion at the moment—frowned upon actually, in many cases. Too bad, because everyone suffers when half the human race feels (and acts) as though their contributions are unneeded... as though they have no obligation and no hope of even wanting to be needed. But I’m getting too philosophical. Look up Jordan Peterson (men) on YouTube if you’re interested in a well-thought-out analysis as to why things may have come to this pass.

Yes, ladies can certainly do the repairs. Sadly regulations, lawyers, a litigious society, the tax man... it all requires that you don’t just hang up a sign and go to work. Licensing, bonding, insurance, tax number... LLC Protect yourself and your home and family before you take that first job. It’s not enough to be able to do a good job. Should be, but it isn’t.

Lucrecia Anderson wrote:No thank you! Plumbers also have to crawl underneath houses with the spiders, and clear blocked/leaking sewer pipes, and poop flooded bathrooms, and deal with possible chemical explosions from all the crap people used trying to clear a clog, and a whole lot of other highly unpleasant things.

Sounds like men's work to me!

Really?  I love plumbing!  It's like a big adventure looking for treasure in the hidden parts of the home where no one goes.
It always bothered me that men hog the trade to themselves.  

I do all the plumbing in the house and am teaching my friend how to change her facet for a Christmas Present.  The only problem is she thinks it's going to be difficult and will probably be disappointed when she discovers how easy it is.

I like the definition here for Girl Friday

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Girl%20Friday

Extra bonus, I can't think of ways to twist the meaning offhand.😀


Edit to add link

Tina Hillel wrote:I like the definition here for Girl Friday

Urban Dictionary Link wrote: a girl who does most of the leg work on a project, but never takes (or gets) credit.

Oh, I dislike THAT part.... We need to take credit for what we do!!
The world wouldn't run well without us.

I'm the plumber in our household.  I'm a lady.  :)

I'm the plumber in mine too.
What a plumber got called for was I told the landlady the water heater needs flushing out, it makes horrible noises at night, but that new Pergo floor you put in just before we got here, that you are so pleased with (that we hate, but that's a different issue) is installed in such a way that it will take damage if the water heater drips even a little bit when it's flushed. I don't want to be the one who ruins the floor, I'm putting a lot of work into NOT ruining that floor, what should I do? She sent this guy, who said all water heaters make horrible noises in the night (really? like it sounds like people with prybars are removing the garage door quality noises?) and that as far as protecting the Pergo, "there's nothing I can do about that" um. put a drip tray or something under it?
I just don't want to mess with it this week, and it's getting really rowdy in the night.

Last time we got him in for a leak, he did this and that, and after he left I gave up and fixed it. Sigh. I don't want to spend half my day dealing with this place, when I need the time to deal with OUR house. Which is being designed right, so there AREN'T problems like this. Water heaters get a drain by them, and not placed where they will damage stuff easily. Pipes are designed to be easily accessible and easy to repair. I hate bad design, and I hate putting time and energy into dealing with it. This house is nothing but bad design, and it burns a lot of energy to deal with it as is. Personally, I don't like that someone cut oversized holes for the pipes up from the crawlspace, then didn't flash them, then put cabinets over it, which have space under them. Can you say mouse freeway? And there's nothing I can do to stop it. I've spent many hours doing all kinds of creative things, and the mice still run across the stove...

end rant
I need to find something positive to think about.

Pearl Sutton wrote:IShe sent this guy, who said all water heaters make horrible noises in the night (really? like it sounds like people with prybars are removing the garage door quality noises?)  

Um, my electric hot water heater is right next to my bedroom, and I have NEVER heard a sound from that thing. It's nearly 20 years old, too...

Personally, I don't like that someone cut oversized holes for the pipes up from the crawlspace, then didn't flash them, then put cabinets over it, which have space under them. Can you say mouse freeway? And there's nothing I can do to stop it.  

foamy mouse blocker

Mike Barkley wrote:
foamy mouse blocker

Did that. Did many other things. I think the walls behind/under the cabinet are not closed in either. The countertop is bolted on well, and I'm NOT going to gut this place. I'm working on getting us out!!

Chris Kott wrote:I have no words. Let's just say that the title of this thread is eye-catching, in a dirty-minded hilarious way. My much better half just about died laughing when she realised it was about Handywomen and female contractors.

-CK

Yeah, I was thinking the same!

Back on topic though, a few of the things I loathe:

1. Cleaning windows and venetian blinds
2. Ironing (hate it so much all my clothes are purchased based on not needing it - wrinkles are hip and trendy even in an office environment!)
3. Cleaning cooktop, oven, extraction fan filters

A few things appreciated when sick:

1. When exploding from the top and bottom, a shiny clean, sweet smelling toilet and shower. A grubby toilet just makes it feel worse
2. Chemical cleaning product smells also exacerbate the feeling, someone to go outside and pick sprigs of mint, thyme, rosemary, etc to put in vases around the house improves things too. Funny how a smell can trigger good or bad thoughts
3. Fresh crisp bedsheets always improves comfort
4. General garden pruning, hedge trimming, tidying up

General:

1. Outside cobwebbing of the house
2. Hosing paths, verandahs, lawn to keep things fresh
3. Washing the car

There's a lot of opportunities there for people to be actively employed in carer, maintenance and general odd-job type domestic work.

It's not necessarily easy though, State regulations and some certifications are necessary to protect consumers from dodgy people: criminal record checks, children, insurance, etc.

Pearl Sutton wrote:

Tina Hillel wrote:I like the definition here for Girl Friday

Urban Dictionary Link wrote: a girl who does most of the leg work on a project, but never takes (or gets) credit.

Oh, I dislike THAT part.... We need to take credit for what we do!!
The world wouldn't run well without us.

Yeah, that part, just no. 🙄 I was too focused on capable of almost anything and could be counted on parts.

The update on the plumber nonsense:
He came, flushed the tank, it didn't need it, so he replaced an element and it's quiet now. So much for "all water heaters make noise all night..."
Good outcome, but total irritation from the plumber.
Get certified if you are looking for a career!! :) The competition is easy to beat!

Judith Browning wrote:I forgot to mention that the 'plumbers helper' I mentioned above is also a carpenter/builder with a great reputation...her work with her ex was to try to keep him from losing his plumbers license.

No reason at all that women can't do the job's that are typically 'men's work' if that's what they want to do.  

My cousin was a diesel mechanic for many years...she loved big trucks

One of my sisters was an electrician -- she was one of the first two licensed journeywomen electricians in Oregon.  She stopped when she got married, so she could raise and homeschool their daughters, but still has the skills.

I think the handyman thing is a great idea.  We had a good, reliable handyman in Oregon, a friend from church who survives by working odd jobs mostly under the table.  Here in Kentucky we are still finding the people we need -- did find a good plumber, thankfully, as the house needed a bunch of work when we moved in.  I need an electrician soon, and there are all kinds of other jobs that need to be done.  I can do the small things, but won't touch electrical stuff.

Kathleen