It’s wonderful to have a spouse who’s handy. Every homeowner knows that there’s always something that needs to be fixed or replaced. Having a handy spouse makes it a lot easier to get things done while saving the family a whole lot of money.
Laura Young took things a step further and is using her handy husband, James, to make the family more money.
South West News Service reports that she had a brilliant idea after listening to a podcast about a man who makes a living putting together ready-to-assemble furniture. Why not lend her husband out to other people to do odd jobs?
“He’s good at everything around the house and garden, so I thought why not put those skills to use and hire him out?” Laura told SWSN.
Laura made a Facebook post joking about her husband’s incredible skills as a handyman and, surprisingly, people started booking him for jobs. James booked so many gigs that he was able to drop his job working in a warehouse and gain greater flexibility to help Laura raise their three kids, two of which are autistic.
This was the beginning of a new business: Rent My Handy Husband.
u201cWoman who ‘rents husband to other women for u00a340’ says ‘business is booming’nnA mum-of-three who rents out her husband to other women for odd jobs is seeing her u00a340-a-time business boom, with the makeshift handyman working up to six days a week.u201d— WestAfriTvud83dudc8e (@WestAfriTvud83dudc8e)
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James has been diagnosed with autism as well. “James doesn’t come from a trade background but his grandad was a nuclear engineer, and they think he was also on the spectrum,” Laura said. “He’s got a very methodical mind and can think outside the box. He sees things differently.”
James charges £40 ($45) an hour and is available to work in Milton Keynes, Leighton Buzzard and surrounding areas northwest of London, England. The couple gives price breaks to people who work for the National Health Service or who are 65 and older.
When James first started, he had so many bookings that he worked six days a week from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. But since, the couple has cut down his schedule to a more manageable 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The couple works together as a team: Laura handles the booking and social media, and James does the manual labor. “You create and I’ll build,” James told her, according to the Rent My Handy Husband website.
James works to help anyone who needs help, whether its installing a trampoline, building a wall or putting up a television. The couple has also added a new specialty service for him this holiday season, putting up Christmas lights.
The couple’s decision to market James’ considerable DIY skills is a wonderful story about a family being resourceful. It also speaks to how families with special needs children require greater flexibility in their schedules to accommodate the extra work. Special needs children often have more doctor’s appointments and therapy sessions than typical children and may have to spend more time away from school. The hard part for parents is making it all work.
It’s wonderful that the couple could create a workaround for their lives and that they are supported by people in their community.