House Doctors
Rick Hill is the owner of the Santa Clarita Valley franchise of House Doctors, which is a nationally franchised, professional handyman service and one of the leading property repair, remodeling and maintenance companies in North America. As the literature says, "No job is too small, from hanging a picture to grouting tile in a bathroom. Remodeling projects can also be tackled, including updating kitchens, finishing basements, remodeling living rooms or bedrooms and much more."

Hill's is currently the only House Doctors franchise in California. "We're a national company but locally owned and operated. I enjoy doing personalized care. When we gain a new customer, we continue to work with them over a period of years," he said.

Lucille Ragde backed him up on that. On the day of this interview, Hill and his son Jason were doing some minor repairs on Ragde's Sand Canyon home, which they have helped her with for years. "He's worked for me forever," she said. "He's fabulous, and can do anything." That includes doing plumbing and painting over the years - and even removing a bee hive.

On this day, House Doctors was taking care of odds and ends to improve the saleability of the home, which is on the market. "It's time to get a smaller place," Ragde explained.

Hill and his family have lived in the SCV since 1981 and he's been a licensed general contractor since 1986.

"My background is 22 years in the new home building business. I'm a handyman who's actually built a home," Hill said.

Hill's company currently includes his son, Jason, and two other employees. They do generalized home maintenance and repairs and, among other things, have done full kitchen and bathroom remodels.

As the two worked, Rick Hill offered some advice on home projects and handymen.

Summer projects
Gutters: "Gutter cleaning is something that is overlooked around here, by the people who need it," Hill said. In Sand Canyon the oak trees drop a lot of debris and leaves, which collect in gutters.

Doors and windows: "Door and window maintenance is important, too. The weather-stripping erodes and door locks misalign."

HVAC (heating, ventilating and air conditioning): "We get a number of calls to go out and change filters," Hill said. And they also do a lot of work on swamp coolers in older SCV neighborhoods.

Clothes dryer: Clean the lint out of the dryer hose. "Clothes dryers work much more efficiently when they're cleaned," Hill said.

There are numerous other home maintenance tasks that should be performed regularly, summer season or otherwise. Many of them might go unnoticed and undone without the eye of a professional. House Doctors can check things out for you. "We offer a $175 efficiency inspection and report," Hill said. This covers weather stripping, door adjustments, filters, gutters, toilets, leaking faucets, smoke detectors and rat-proofing. Hill noted that rats can be a problem in any neighborhood, especially if the home is unoccupied for any length of time. Missing or faulty attic ventilation screens are a primary entry point.

Choosing a handyman
Hill explained that a homeowner needs to check out a potential handyman. You need to look for a handyman who is a professional, carrying the proper license and insurance and who will be there in case of additional problems. "By all means, choose one who comes with recommendations. A referral to an experienced handyman/general contractor is a must," he said.

Hill said that handymen in California do not need licenses to work. But jobs in excess of $500 require a general contractor's license.
"Be sure he has a valid contractor's license, which can be verified at the contractors state license board," he said. "Also be sure he has workman's comp and, for larger jobs, verify his insurance."

Hill said that any homeowner knows that, during home repairs, things can and will go wrong. "Liability and work-comp insurance are very important to a homeowner," he said. "We're licensed, bonded and insured." He went on to note that House Doctors gets about 60 percent of its work from referrals. The rest comes from connections made through the Internet and phone book.

The handyman process
With House Doctors, the handyman "process" follows a few simple steps.

(1) "The homeowner contacts the office and requests an appointment for an onsite inspection of the task to be performed," Hill said.

(2) After the inspection, "We prepare a written estimate."

(3) "When the customer accepts the estimate, we schedule the work to be performed." He said that work is usually completed in one day, but that larger jobs may be "booked out" for seven to 10 days.

(4) The work is performed and, upon completion, House Doctors is paid. "There are no deposits. You pay on completion of the job," Hill said.

With hot weather coming any day now, it's time to catch up on your home maintenance, especially as it relates to keeping your home cool. And, if you are feeling a change in the real estate market and want to sell your home, you'll most likely need some fix ups or upgrades. You can do these yourself, maybe. But, on the other hand, you might just keep putting these tasks off. A good handyman can get it done quickly and correctly.

You can contact Rick Hill and House Doctors at (661) 424-0016, hd392@housedoctors.com or visit www.housedoctors.com/hill.