Ep. 06 | Brendon Ford – Your Handyman Atlanta

Brendon Ford says Your Handyman Atlanta handles nearly everything except roofing, power washing, and foundation repairs. They do door and window installations, wood rot repair, bathroom remodels, changing light fixtures and outlets, faucet and toilet fixes, and general home repairs. For larger jobs like panel replacements or main line plumbing, they refer clients to specialists.

“It's probably easier to say what we don't do. What we don't do is roofing, we don't do power washing in house, and then we don't do foundation repairs. Everything else we'll do either in-house or we've got great business contacts.”Brendon Ford

Brendon Ford explains that their primary service area runs from Interstate 20 up to Sandy Springs, over to Norcross, and west to Smyrna. They also travel to Lawrenceville and Woodstock for a higher travel charge. They avoid going much south of the stadium because the Grady Curve and traffic from Lawrenceville can add an hour and a half to the commute.

“Our service area, if you look at Interstate 20 up to Sandy Springs over to Norcross and then over on the west side to Smyrna where the battery is, that's our primary service area. We'll go as far as Lawrenceville, we'll even go to Woodstock, and it's got a higher travel charge for that.”Brendon Ford

Brendon Ford says they offer a month to month plan for 150 dollars where they visit your home once a month, run a checklist of about a dozen items, and use any leftover time in the hour for small tasks like mounting photos or TVs. The checklist includes changing air filters, cleaning bathroom exhaust fans twice a year, and flushing water heaters twice a year. Subscribers also get discounted hourly rates and 10 percent off other projects.

“For that $150, we will come to your house for one hour. We'll knock out our checklist typically in 45 minutes to an hour. And then if we knock out your list in 45 minutes, that extra 15 minutes is your time. So if you have a little honeydew list, you want a photo mounted, a set of blinds mounted, or a TV put up, that t”Brendon Ford

Brendon Ford explains that monthly maintenance catches problems before they become expensive. A ten dollar tube of caulk that fails can let water in and cause wood rot that requires replacing a window, door, or wall framing. The plan is popular with first time homeowners and busy families who do not want to think about maintenance. Subscribers also get 10 percent off other work, which can pay for the annual subscription on larger projects.

“Caulking failing on the outside of your house lets water in, causes a wood rot. Next thing you know, you gotta replace a whole window, a door, some siding, wall framing because a $10 tube of caulk failed and you didn't catch it. We catch that.”Brendon Ford

Brendon Ford says you should change your HVAC filter every month, not every 60 or 90 days. He recommends running a cheap MERV 8 filter and changing it often instead of a high MERV allergen filter that restricts airflow. High restriction filters make the system work harder, increase energy bills, and shorten the lifespan of the unit. The filter is meant to protect the equipment, not purify your air.

“What a lot of HVAC companies will tell you and what we tell you is run a cheap filter and change it often. Run like a MERV 8. Let me buy a cheap $10, $12 air filter, a MERV 8, throw that in every 30 days and exchange it.”Brendon Ford

Brendon Ford explains that higher MERV rated filters are more restrictive to airflow. When you add a restriction to your furnace or air conditioner, the system uses more energy and puts more wear and tear on the compressor and fan. Units that used to last 20 years now last 10, partly because of over filtered systems. If you want perfectly clean air, buy a dedicated HEPA filter instead of relying on your HVAC filter.

“If you start adding a restriction in line to the air filter, you are using more energy to cool or heat your home and you're putting more wear and tear on your units. The AC units that you used to run last 20 years now last 10, part of it is because of stuff like this.”Brendon Ford

Brendon Ford says bathroom exhaust fans are a fairly common source of home fires, along with clothes dryers. The fan collects pet fur and dust, and many motors are not sealed, so debris gets inside. If you do not clean the vent cover, the motor runs hot and can ignite the dust. Your Handyman Atlanta cleans bathroom exhaust fans twice a year as part of their monthly plan.

“Twice a year we clean your bathroom exhaust fan. They cause home fires. The motors aren't sealed, so the pet fur and dust gets within them. If you don't clean it, fan runs hot. They're a fairly common source of home fires along with your clothes dryer.”Brendon Ford

Brendon Ford says lithium ion battery fires are a real thing. Batteries can short circuit internally and erupt into flames whether they are charging or sitting idle. Water does not put them out. He recommends keeping tool batteries and electric bike batteries in a shed or garage away from the house, and never keeping a physically damaged battery indoors. He stores his tool batteries in the back of his truck.

“Lithium ion battery fires is a real thing. What happens is they short circuit internally and then just erupt into flames. There's a lot of energy stored there and it rapidly oxidizes the battery. It's a massive flame and you cannot put them out with any traditional method.”Brendon Ford

Brendon Ford says manufacturers recommend flushing your water heater at least once a year, but Your Handyman Atlanta does it twice a year for their monthly plan clients. Water heaters collect sediment from city water that creates a localized hot spot at the bottom of the tank, which rusts out the tank. Flushing uses only four or five gallons of water and can save you from replacing a multi thousand dollar appliance.

“Water heaters will collect sediment from even city municipal water sources and it collects in the bottom of the tank and it creates a localized hot spot. When the bottom of your tank rots out, it's because of that sediment sitting there. You should flush your water tank at least once a year.”Brendon Ford

Brendon Ford explains that water heaters have a sacrificial anode rod that is meant to decay so the heating elements and tank do not rust. The anode should be replaced every two to five years depending on water quality. Most people do not know this. Your Handyman Atlanta does not change anode rods themselves but recommends contacting a plumber like Dale the Civilized Plumber.

“Every two to five years, there's an anode rod, a sacrificial anode rod that is meant to decay so that the heating elements inside the water tank or the tank itself does not rust. That anode should be replaced every two to five years, depending on water quality, and people don't know that.”Brendon Ford

Brendon Ford says all their rates are transparent on yourhandymanatlanta.com. They charge 125 dollars per hour normally, but monthly plan subscribers get 100 dollar per hour labor when they are already on site, and 10 percent off other work throughout the month. There is a trip charge that varies by zip code, which you can look up on their website. In person estimates cost money but are credited toward any work they do.

“Our hourly rates are transparent on there. Our trip charge, depending on your zip code, there's a zip code lookup tool. Those things we do for $100 an hour, opposed to our normal rate of $125. Throughout the month, we give you 10% off our normal rates.”Brendon Ford

Brendon Ford says they offer free virtual estimates. You click a button on their website, upload photos and a brief description, and they give you a free estimate. If you want an in person estimate, they charge for it, but the cost is credited toward any work they do for you. He notes that time is money, so they want to be compensated for on site visits.

“We do free virtual estimates. There's a button on our website. You upload photos and a brief description of what you need, we'll give you a free estimate virtually. But if you want an in-person estimate, at this current moment we're charging for those, however it is credited towards any work we do for you.”Brendon Ford