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By HMM, August 6, 2010 10:18 am

Most of us start life depending on our parents to take care of us. But as they age, chances are the roles will reverse. And, whether you provide additional help in their own homes – or move aging parents into your home – how do you prepare to meet the new needs of aging adults? Luckily many simple, quick, affordable – and even stylish and savvy – updates can  make homes safer and more enjoyable for you, your family and your parents. Here are some tips from Handyman Matters:

De-clutter: Both kids and older adults have reduced reflexes and balance. Spruce up the look of your home – and avoid tripping hazards – by removing clutter and items you no longer use (especially obstacles in walkways).

Safe shower: Showers can be an enjoyable and luxurious part of anyone’s day – if they are safe. While you probably don’t want to renovate the shower, simple additions of bath safety products can make it safer and more enjoyable. Start by adding rubber grips to the bottom of the shower to avoid slick surfaces. Next, take a seat with a comfortable shower chair and enjoy a shower massage with a multi-function hand held showerhead. You might also want to consider adding some grab bars around the shower to ensure entry and exit from the shower are safe.

Save resources, save money: Eco-friendly adjustments not only can make you feel good about preserving natural resources for your family, they can also help lower energy costs (ideal for tight budgets). Simple steps can include replacing standard light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs, insulating doors and windows and swapping faucets and showerheads with new water-saving models.

Handy handles: In the course of a day, you grip many objects – from cups and pens, to door knobs and faucet handles. Swapping out door knobs or faucets with knobs for lever-handle models can make these everyday tasks a bit easier – especially for smaller or arthritic hands.

Get a grip: For any age, stairs are a falling hazard in homes – whether it’s one step or 20. To increase safety, add hand rails or decorative hand grips in high-traffic doorways where there may be a step, such as the garage or front entry.

Let there be light: Did you also know that by age 60 the average person requires 15 times more lighting than when they were 10 years old? Brighten up the home with additional reading lamps in bedrooms and family rooms, under-cabinet task lighting in the kitchen, motion-sensor lights near entrances and nightlights in hallways.

Safe and secure: Your home is your safe haven … so make sure it is protected. In the bathroom where slick surfaces can be falling hazards, add functional – yet fashionable – grab bars. And, in case of unforeseen falls or other home accidents, home security systems can give you peace of mind to know that fire-, medical- or emergency-response is available for you and your loved ones at the touch of a button.

Flat flooring: According to the Home Safety Council, falls are the leading cause (66 percent) of all nonfatal home injuries. To help you – or your loved ones – avoid becoming a statistic, remove throw rugs or ensure that they have a non-slip backing to provide more firm footing.

Low-maintenance lawns: With busy lifestyles, it’s tough to keep up landscaping. Making a few modifications to the yard can help ease the burden. Replace large grassy areas that require frequent mowing with rock gardens or mulch beds. Additionally, choose drought-resistant perennial plants and shrubs to save time and money on watering – and ensure you don’t have to plant new each spring.

Be prepared: Are the washer and dryer in the basement? Are the bedroom and bathroom upstairs? Since stairs can be difficult to navigate for children or aging parents, having all the necessities on one floor is ideal. While it may not be in the budget to move everything to the main floor now, gradually start getting ready by wiring a closet or small room for the laundry – or planning to expand a half bath to a full bath.

With a few minor updates, you can breathe easier knowing your home is safer for your loved ones – both young and old. For more information on safety products and other helpful tips or assistance in  “safe-proofing” your home, contact your local Handyman Matters location today. Click here to find a location near you or call 866-FIX-MY-HOME (866-349-6946).

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By HMM, August 3, 2010 10:03 am

Check out these August Home Maintenance Tips from the professionals at Handyman Matters. It is never too late to start completing regular maintenance on your home, if you have questions about home maintenance contact your local Handyman Matters by calling 866-FIX-MY-HOME (866-349-6946), or visit us online at www.HandymanMatters.com.

• Wash Windows – Don’t use ammonia because it can discolor glass, burn your skin and stain your carpet if you spill it.  Do not use Windex, paper towels or newspaper.  The best choice is “Glisten” solution.  Buy a squeegee, lint-free towels and a washing bar (T-bar covered in cloth) and a razor blade holder.  Wet window with the washing bar, then using a dry squeegee to remove the water.  Dry with the lint-free towel.  Use the razor blade on uncoated windows to remove paint or anything else on the window.

• Check Trim and Woodwork for Scratches, Cracking or Pulling Away – Reconnect with finish nails and use a “nail set” to push the nail head below the surface of the wood.   Fill with caulking and touch up paint.  If pulling away is dramatic, check for water leaks, which could grow dangerous molds.

• Check Crawl Space for Moisture & Leaks – Repair any water leaks or intrusions.  Cover the soil with lime (changes the pH so mold won’t grow) and 3 mil plastic (overlap by 6”, but it doesn’t need to be continuous).

• Check All Sprinkler Zones for Coverage – Due to heat, check again to make sure your grass doesn’t develop brown spots.

• Flush Hot Water Heater & Re-Fill – Silt builds up on the bottom and since it heats from the bottom this hurts efficiency.  Flushing it keeps silt out of your drinking, cooking and cleaning water. Here’s how:  Turn off the water supply, hook a garden hose to the bottom spigot, run it outside and downhill.  Once drained, run some fresh water into the water heater from the main water supply and let the hose drain until it stops.  While empty, remove the electrode using a pipe wrench, clean and then wire brush and shop vac the burners.  Check the gas line joints for proper seal by using “Leak-Detect” or by putting dish soap on the joint.  Any bubbles mean you have a gas leak.

• Test All Smoke or Carbon Monoxide Detectors – Push the button on the unit to check it – a few minutes doing this each month could save your family’s life in a fire.

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By Andy, August 2, 2010 10:39 am

One of the core values of my American Dream has been that The Handyman Matters Business isn’t just about making a better life for my family, my employees and myself; it’s about looking at the community in which we make our living and raise our kids, and finding ways to share this dream with others.

One day we received a call from an elderly woman who was living alone in an older house falling into a state of disrepair.  Our brief conversation made it pretty clear that she didn’t have the finances to pay for our services.  Barely getting by, she had neither family nor close friends checking on her.

At best, she’d received indifferent attention from service people in the past; at worst, she’d been taken advantage of.  This was an actionable opportunity for us:  Understanding the situation and the degree of urgency involved, we made the decision to immediately send a craftsman to her place.  Among his discoveries was that a stack of pennies piled into her electrical service panel was standing in place of a fuse.  This and other jury-rigged devices had placed this woman’s life in real jeopardy.

Did she understand the extent of the efforts we went to on her behalf, and for no financial compensation?  It didn’t matter.  We did it as much for ourselves as for anyone else.  This was an opportunity to demonstrate the core values upon which we were building our company.

It was this experience that gave birth to another idea:  I decided to hold a “Super Event” we would eventually call The Battle of the Bathrooms.

This was a project designed to raise money for a brand-new endeavor, a direct outgrowth of our experience with this elderly woman, and countless others like her:  A not-for-profit organization, later called The Alliance For Holistic Aging, that would focus on assisting elderly citizens in order to remain in their own homes for 5 to 7 years longer than they would be able to otherwise before transitioning into some type of assisted living facility.

The Battle of the Bathrooms was an Olympian-style event held in a Denver municipal location, Civic Center Park.  The event was sponsored by Ace Hardware, which also provided the materials needed for the construction of fully-equipped bathrooms.  Ten teams of six members, consisting of local contractors, were assembled; each was tasked with building a complete bathroom from the ground up.  Cash prizes would be awarded to the winning teams, and subsequently, all the bathrooms would be donated to Habitat for Humanity.

The event gathered additional momentum when homeless individuals living in the park also became involved, enthusiastically volunteering to help out.  Even more unexpected, when the winners were announced, the participants agreed unanimously to donate all the money to the newly-formed Alliance For Holistic Aging.

It was a great example of the generosity of human spirit in action.  These were craftsmen with first-hand experience of the lack of dignity and respect that often accompanies the job-hunting process.  They understood that the value of what they were doing far transcended a mere cash prize.  These bathrooms were a small part of a process that would restore a sense of dignity and security to the very people that Habitat For Humanity—and our own newly formed Alliance for Holistic Aging organization—was helping to serve.

It takes years to pull together a successful team with members aligned and heading towards a common goal, and getting there is achieved through a series of small steps.

For me, for my American Dream, The Battle of the Bathrooms was one of the first of these steps, and its outcome served to reassure me we were on the right track.

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By HMM, July 30, 2010 10:52 am

We’re back for another great episode from Handyman Matters in Virginia. In this video, Handyman Matters installs a pocket door, which will help save space in the home and make it more user friendly. As discussed in previous episodes, Steve Simons of Handyman Matters Virginia helps an elderly couple in poor health who are unable to return home until unsafe living conditions and serious repairs to the house are addressed.

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By HMM, July 29, 2010 3:37 pm

Franchise Fee’s Discounted; For MilitaryVeterans

According to the energetic team over at Sanderson PR in Chicago, franchise executives are still very interested in offering incentives for franchisors.

This blogger thinks that it’s a good thing. (At least)

One example of a franchisor doing it is Handyman Matters.

According to Courtney, Sanderson’s VP, “Handyman Matters already has 35 vets among its 104 business owners nationwide, and about half of the 1,000 they employ also have been in the armed services.”

Read more at the Daily Franchise News blog.

Obviously, there are other franchisors that offer discounts and incentives to military veterans.

A couple of the franchisors on this franchise website do as well.

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By HMM, July 29, 2010 1:42 pm

FRANCHISORS CONTINUE TO OFFER DISCOUNTS FOR VETS

“About half of the quarter-million who are coming out of the military every year have no secure jobs,” says Andy Bell, CEO and founder of Handyman Matters.

Bell spoke with the Denver Business Journal this week about his new MVP program, which offers special discounts to honorably discharged vets.

Handyman Matters already has 35 vets among its 104 business owners nationwide, and about half of the 1,000 they employ also have been in the armed services.

“It’s a tough time to come back, with 10 percent unemployment,” Bell told the paper.

The Denver Business Journal is online, yet only available to subscribers. Good news is we wrote about the program a couple weeks ago, so click HERE for more information!

Handyman Matters isn’t the only franchise looking to attract veterans this year. In addition to strong leadership skills and a sense of urgency, veterans understand how to follow an established system—making them ideal franchisees, many say. As a result, the IFA implemented the Veterans Transition Franchise Initiative (VetFran), which offers financial incentives to honorably discharged veterans. Currently, there are nearly 400 franchise companies participating in the program.

Many of these franchisors will be present at this year’s West Coast Franchise Expo, which will take place Nov. 5-7 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Not to mention, vets get in for free! For more information, visit http://www.wcfexpo.com/.

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By HMM, July 29, 2010 1:39 pm

Friday, July 23, 2010

Denver Business Journal – by Bruce Goldberg

TOOLS FOR SUCCESS: Andy Bell offers this sobering statistic: “About half of the quarter-million who are coming out of the military every year have no secure jobs,” says the CEO and founder of Handyman Matters.

So he has a job suggestion for them: become a franchisee of Handyman Matters, the Lakewood company that offers repair, restoration and maintenance services to residential and commercial customers.

Thus Bell has launched his Military Veterans Program (MVP), designed for honorably discharged vets. Among the program¹s features:

100 percent financing for the initial franchise and territory fee of $42,500. Bell says his territory plan gives each owner/operator access to 62,500 households. He adds that owners can operate from their homes and don¹t necessarily have to lease office space.
Zero percent interest for three years. If the vet doesn¹t want to continue past one year, the company will relieve all remaining debt.

Handyman Matters already has 35 vets among its 104 business owners nationwide, and about half of the 1,000 they employ also have been in the armed services.

“It’s a tough time to come back, with 10 percent unemployment,” Bell says.

“That’s why I’m doing this. It’s still tough to get military veterans to consider franchising as a line of work.” Handyman Matters requires applicants to have $50,000 in working capital and a net worth of $175,000 but also will help them find financing as well.

Bell hopes to start as many as 100 franchises through the MVP program and that each one hires 50 people, creating 5,000 new jobs nationwide. Handyman Matters currently has 135 franchisees in 34 states, Canada and Ireland, and Bell anticipates reaching 200 franchises by the end of 2011.

Info: handymanmattersfranchising.com.

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By HMM, July 29, 2010 1:33 pm

Handyman Matters offers veterans special franchise deal

By Margaret Jackson

A Lakewood-based franchise company is offering 100 percent financing to military veterans who want to open their own Handyman Matters repair service.

Handyman Matters offers repair, restoration and maintenance services to residential and commercial customers.

The Military Veterans Program (MVP) offers 100 percent financing for the initial franchise and territory fee of $42,500, which grants the owner/operator access to 62,500 households. The company guarantees zero percent interest for three years. If the veteran doesn’t want to continue the program after one year, the company will relieve all remaining debt associatted with the franchise and territory fee.

Applicants must have $50,000 in working capital and have a net worth of $175,000.

More information about the program can be found at www.handymanmattersfranchising.com

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By HMM, July 29, 2010 1:22 pm

VETERANS MATTER TO HANDYMAN MATTERS

In its effort to provide a quicker fix to the U.S. economy, Handyman Matters, the nationally recognized business offering repair, restoration and maintenance services to residential and commercial customers, is giving military veterans the tools to go into business for themselves. To kick start their dreams, the company recently announced its new Military Veterans Program (MVP) tailored specifically to honorably discharged, armed services personnel.

Formally approved by the Federal Trade Commission in April 2010, MVP offers financial incentives to qualifying owners who want to open their own Handyman Matters repair service in a local market of choice. Service territories are currently available in all 50 states, with incentives offered through the end of 2010. The MVP goal is to help stimulate job creation while honoring Veterans for their service to country. And with thousands of troops now returning home to a national unemployment rate of nearly 10 percent, there has never been a more opportune time for war Veterans to channel their self-starting prowess and work ethic into a business model that works.
Want more info? Click HERE.

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By HMM, July 29, 2010 1:16 pm

General News US

Handyman Matters: Handyman Matters Arrives on the North Shore

Jul 16, 2010 11:15 CEST
The company is known for small to medium sized home repairs and remodeling services and having outstanding customer service.
Handyman Matters opened a new location serving the North Shore and surrounding areas. The company is known for small to medium sized home repairs and remodeling services and having outstanding customer service. “We look forward to meeting and taking care of customers in our area and making a positive impact in our community,” says Jim Fowler, owner of Handyman Matters – Chicagoland North Shore.
Fowler worked as a Materials and Operations Manager for manufacturing firms for over 18 years. He learned early that flexibility, along with open and honest communication with customers, employees and suppliers is the key to success in today’s business environment. His business expertise, along with a passion for home improvement and repair made opening a Handyman Matters franchise the perfect fit for Jim. Handyman Matters is striving to change the face of the handyman industry by providing dependable, trustworthy, professional services that will consistently meet or exceed customers’ expectations and is proud to be represented on the North Shore.
“Handyman Matters has a reputation for superior service and is fully dedicated to taking care of our customers,” Fowler said. “We want this community to know they can rely on us to treat them in a fair and ethical manner – our craftsmen are employees of the company, background checked, licensed and insured. You can trust your home repairs to the professionals at Handyman Matters.”
Jim Fowler is available for interviews about the new opening. “Please give us a call – we would love to introduce ourselves and discuss our business with you,” Fowler said. For more information about Handyman Matters – Chicagoland North Shore, please call 847-644-7904 or visit NorthShore.HandymanMatters.com.