Q&A

Q: Is A Master’s Hands, LLC Insured?
A: Yes, we are insured by Colorado Casualty Insurance, with up to $2,000,000 in liability insurance. If required, you can obtain a Certificate of Insurance by calling Jo Cothran of the Orcutt Insurance Group, at 303-233-2828.

Q: Is A Master’s Hands, LLC Licensed?
A: Yes, we are a licensed business located in Littleton, CO. We are registered with the Federal government, and also with the State of Colorado. Many of the skills/services we provide do not require a specific license in CO, but we do have a residential contractors license (Class-C General Contractor), and we’re an EPA Certified Renovator. We also have a number of other field related certifications and strive to maintain and build our skills through continuing education. For example, our founder is also a NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installer. We also have team members who hold state licenses in specific trade areas, including a licensed Master electrician.

Q: Is A Master’s Hands, LLC a member of the Better Business Bureau?
A: Yes, we are an Accredited Member of the Better Business Bureau (BBB), with an unblemished record, and “A” rating. We’re also members in good standing of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, the West Chamber, the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI), and the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA).

Q: Why should I do business with A Master’s Hands, LLC?
A: We seek to serve each of our clients “As Unto the Lord” (Colossians 3:23-24)…by striving to do all things with a servant heart. We are men of integrity, perform our work efficiently, and strive to leave your home or place of business as clean as we found it (or cleaner). With AMH you’ll have men working for you who are honest, reliable, and kind. We don’t smoke, use foul language, play loud music, or wear inappropriate clothing on the job site. We’re respectful, and earn our clients’ respect and trust. This is why many of our clients call when they’re planning to be on vacation…they give us their “punch list” of work items to be done, and give us their keys and garage codes so we have access to the property and can complete the list before they return. We realize it takes a long time to build/earn a solid reputation and are proud of ours.

Q: What if I can find cheaper laborers on-line? Will you price match?
A: We believe our differentiator is not price – rather, it’s value, quality and reliability. We know we’re not the least expensive workers in this market, nor are we the most expensive, or anywhere close. The largest providers of handyman services in the metro area are probably Handyman Connection, Handyman Matters and Mr. Handyman, who all charge significantly more than we do (typically $75/hour, plus trip charges). We don’t believe we’ve ever lost business to any of these companies, because we have more to offer our clients – specifically a trust-based relationship. In our experience, we’re also more affordable than these franchise operators, since we don’t pay franchise and operating fees, and also don’t pay the high-priced advertising costs they incur. Furthermore, we retain our team members longer than these companies because we pay them a better wage, in accordance with their in-depth skills. Compared with many small independent handyman contractors, we have a larger team with more experience, allowing us to handle multiple jobs concurrently, so we can respond to our clients calls more promptly. All of our workers are fully insured, have their own tools, etc. A Master’s Hands, LLC is a company that specializes in delivering the best service to our clients. When you do business with us, we procure the products and materials required for your job, then we perform the work to build/install everything, per your requirements. If there are products (e.g. garage door openers, sprinkler system controllers, wireless LAN routers, etc.) that we install, we will perform all required setup, and then ensure you’re educated on the product’s proper usage. If there are ever any workmanship issues, we will come back and address them at no cost to you, as warranty work. We do not price match – we feel that our rates are fair and we do everything we can to ensure we deliver a fair value to our clients.

Q: What are your rates?
A: For electrical, plumbing and HVAC work, our rate is $55/hour. For most other work, our rate is $45/hour.

Q: What about trip charges?
A: Normally, for work that’s 3 hours or less in billable time, we include a $50 trip charge. On longer jobs, the trip charge is waived. For clients who are located in our immediate area (SW Littleton), at our discretion we may elect to waive the trip charge on smaller jobs, depending on the response time required and our work schedule. However, trip charges normally apply on all jobs.

Q: Will you provide fixed bids for your work?
A: Yes, we’re glad to provide figures on a fixed-bid basis, for larger jobs. For smaller jobs fixed bids typically don’t make sense given that the time required to generate them would increase our overhead, and thus our pricing to clients. Larger jobs such as kitchen remodels, basement finishes, etc., are frequently set up on a fixed bid basis.

Q: I hear both terms used…what’s the difference between a bid and an estimate?
A: We seek to educate our clients on many topics, including the distinctions between estimates, quotes, bids, etc. A bid (a fixed price agreement) includes a detailed statement of work, with a fixed price attached…a price for which the contractor agrees to perform the statement of work. The benefit to a client is that they can know up-front what the job will cost, and a high degree of confidence that the job will not exceed that amount. Unless unforeseen issues arise (e.g. mold or rot discovered inside a wall when it’s opened up for other work), the total cost is known up-front. If the contractor completes the work more quickly than expected, the fixed price still applies. If the contractor works more slowly and it takes longer than expected, the fixed price still applies. Sometimes work that’s based on a bid tends to put the contractor and client in an adversarial relationship when the client wants to add to or modify the statement of work. Technically such modifications to the SOW would be recognized as changes in scope, with associated changes in the bid price. This sometimes makes for a complicated process.

In contrast, estimates are simply that – they are an educated guess of the total cost for a statement of work, based on how long we believe the job will take to complete and the cost of materials required. After a job is estimated, if the work takes less time than anticipated, our invoice will reflect that – we’ll bill our client less than the estimated cost. If it takes longer, the invoice will reflect that as well. On an estimated job, if the client asks for changes in scope while we’re working, we simply say “yes sir/ma’am,” and explain the expected impact on the cost of the total job, then keep working to get the job done as efficiently as possible. No haggling over the change in scope and impact on a previously agreed fixed price.

Q: What sets you apart from other companies in the same industry?
A: Several things.  First, we’re a one-call solution, which is very important to many of our clients because they can make a single call and have us respond with technician(s) who can address most or all of the work that client needs.  Second, we have been recognized repeatedly for excellence in our work and in customer service.  Examples which are posted on our home page include Business of the Year, and the 2013 Golden Ethics in Business award.