General Home Repair
Long Branch, NJ

For us, the practical answer is: plumbing, electrical, carpentry, drywall, tile, flooring, painting and the general list of small repairs — plus the things that fall between trades. Where a job needs a licensed specialist instead, we say so on the call.

No, but a single small item and a list of eight cost close to the same in travel time, so batching is worth it. Tell us everything on the list when you call.

That depends on the day and the job. What we can say is that the phone is answered 24 hours a day, every day of the year — so you will get a real answer about timing rather than a voicemail.

Most trades set a minimum call-out fee that covers the first hour on site, and out-of-hours calls usually carry more than daytime ones. Angi puts general handyman work in the United States at roughly $50 to $150 an hour in its 2026 cost guide, averaging about $90. We do not publish a rate here because the honest answer depends on the job: the estimate is free, most work can be priced on the call once you describe it, and you hear the number before anyone is dispatched — not after.

Ask on the call and you will be told before we set off. The phone is answered at any hour, every day of the year, and whatever the job costs is agreed with you first. What we will not do is quote you a daytime price and hand you an after-hours one at the door.

Four, in the order they usually show up. A price that will not be said out loud on the phone. Pressure to decide in the next ten minutes. A large cash payment wanted up front, before anything has been done. And no registration number when you ask for one — in New Jersey, home improvement contractors must register annually with the Division of Consumer Affairs, and a real one will not mind being asked. Urgency is the emergency, not the salesman.

After the work is done and you have seen it, unless something different is agreed with you in advance. New Jersey law requires any home improvement job costing $500 or more to be put in writing, with the start date, the finish date, a description of the work and the total price — so on a job that size you are not relying on anyone's memory, including ours.

Yes, paying cash is perfectly legal. What matters is what you get back: a receipt, and for anything at $500 or more the written contract New Jersey requires. Be wary of anyone who wants cash specifically because they will not put the job in writing — that is a different thing entirely.