When you need something repaired at your home, the first reaction – besides annoyance, of course – is the looming unknown cost of the repairs, both time and money. You take a decent hit from big issues like a broken garage door, and it can be tempting to frantically search for the cheapest way to get a new garage door installed quickly. 

There’s no shortage of local handymen, and some of them might be great at what they do. They definitely cost less than a professional contractor; that’s for sure. But what are you risking with those cut-dash prices? There’s definitely some truth to the adage if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Let’s take a look at the difference between professional repairmen and local handymen, and why these differences should be important to you:   

Professional garage service contractors are licensed.

When you choose to hire an employee from a company that specializes in installing new exterior doors, you know that that person is licensed to perform the services you need. Being licensed and certified means that they’ve reached and kept certain professional benchmarks of skill and safety, as well as demonstrated their installations and repairs are high-quality.

Handymen aren’t insured.

This might be one of the biggest risks you’re taking on with choosing a handyman – they don’t carry insurance. This essentially makes you the contractor, because if anything happens, like a door panel falls on your car mid-installation or the handyman falls off a ladder and busts a knee, those costs fall on you.

Licensed garage door technicians guarantee their repairs.

When you hire a handyman, you’re relying on their word – you don’t have any guarantees that the new overhead door will be installed right; you’re just hoping they’ll live up to their promises. With a professional garage door technician, their company cares about their reputation; they’re committed to customer service. So you know that the door will be installed correctly, and that if you do have any issues, they’ll be right back out there to fix them.

Having a handyman work on your home can void warranties. 

There are some parts of your garage door that carry warranties, which is great, but warranties come with conditions. For instance, most garage door openers come with warranties, but they’re automatically voided if an unlicensed person tries to install or repair them. (And that includes you, too!). Avoid the temptation to do it yourself or call a handyman; check with an official garage door contractor first.

Insured and licensed garage door installers protect you from liability.

Along with the fact that if an unlicensed and uninsured handyman can put the costs on you if they get insured on the job, they also leave you liable if a third party suffers losses. Like, say your neighbor’s kid rides their bike into your driveway just as the handyman is grabbing the ladder out of their work truck. Thwap – the kid gets knocked in the head and has to go get a couple stitches at the local ER. You’re on the hook for that, and if your neighbors are litigious, you could be liable for other costs like pain and suffering, or damage done to the bike. Worth it for that $100 discount on your garage door replacement? We don’t think so.

With an unlicensed handyman, you have no control over project timeline or completion.

There are pros and cons to being a jack of all trades. But the cons definitely outweigh the pros when it comes to your interests as a homeowner. With an unlicensed and uninsured handyman, you don’t have any guarantees they’re skilled at specialty services like installing a side-mounted garage door opener or a high-cycle torsion spring. Issues with the work can lead to project delays and, honestly, there’s nothing to stop them from leaving mid-project and never returning. Then you’re left with a half-finished, non-functioning overhead garage door… which is basically what you had before.

So next time you need some work done on your house, garage door or not, don’t be tempted by the low prices a local tool guy can offer; there’s a reason those prices are so low – you bear all the risk and responsibility.