I live in a Large (300 plus homes) mobile home community and it might be a good idea to advertise in their monthly newsletter as I see other small businesses owners often do, and if your carpentry skills might be conducive to mobile homes, as I know that they can be a little different that traditional stick frame home. I do know that all business owners must be licensed and insured and vetted by our management team, so keep that in mind too.
I often hear of neighbor's needing ramps built, bathrooms and kitchens remodeled and made wheelchair accessible, plus a multitude of other "handyman type services
I also see a lot of these types of services advertised for free in the local "NEXTDOOR" app.
CarpenterHK, another thought to those in the third paragraph of my earlier post.
I've found that some handymen include on their website links to specific trades, and some tradesmen with whom I've spoken indicate they can recommend handymen. It's kind of a bi-lateral referral process. But I've also found that few will make any referrals w/o knowing the potential client (or getting a job with the client themselves, then making referrals).
Another source is real estate agents. One of the 4 I interviewed said he could provide names of contractors, specifically citing one for a major project with which I was really having trouble finding solutions. When I asked for the name, he said he only gave contractors names to those who retained him as a realtor!
Another real estate agent, a Veteran, wasn't selfish and recommended someone, for a different project entirely.
I've hired contractors before, but hadn't seen this level of interaction or referrals during my earlier projects.
Some of the more progressive Senior Center communities in my area have referral lists, as does even one realtor. The Alzheimers' Assn. also has good, reliable lists.
Are you by any chance Veterans? If so, you can list your services with the national Veteran owned business lists (post back if either of you are Vets and I'll look up the URL for the database).
In my area, good, reliable handymen are hard to find; they're like diamonds when I do locate some. There are also small companies that have handymen available, but they vary in quality and reliability. And in my experience, although they appear to be independently or locally owned, there's an LLC somewhere in the corporate structure. A possibility might be to affiliate with companies of similar trade, but which also provide service to the population in general. E.g., plumbers would deal with showers, but not necessarily roll-in ones.
Some local building departments occasionally refer to those who've performed work in the community, but you have to establish yourself first to get those kinds of referrals.
Another thought is county home improvement and/or remodeling programs. Ours has one, not specifically focused on older people, but just county residents in general. I have only one experience, with one who worked on a neighbor's house. He was young, impressed with himself, but lacking in professionalism and a disaster in the making on safety issues. I wouldn't hire him to walk a dog.
One excellent way to get exposure used to be at the Area Agency on Aging Caregiver Expos, held annually in my area. Wheelchair van adapters, bathroom remodelers and others focusing specifically on adaptive work were represented. It was an excellent resource, by the AAA cancelled that excellent series of expos for caregivers and seniors.
Some of the better organized local communities and/or Senior Centers also have small expos. They're excellent places to locate contractors, and for contractors to make their services known to potential clients.
If you want to advertise in the yellow pages, do so under "Mobility outfitters", or "Mobility Contractors". Titles of the categories may vary by location.
Thanks for caring about seniors. Many could not afford the costs of remodeling their homes. Great ideas though. I agree with what other posters have said.
This past year I helped my mom get bids to "seniorize" her tiny bathroom. Nothing fancy, just remove bathtub and create zero clearance entry into shower. Replace ceramic tiles. Didn't get a bid lower than $10K from contractors who are not even "top end". She flipped her wig and was incredulous at the cost. Incredulous! She's 90. Needless to say, not going to happen. Cost is the factor. Tacy's is a good suggestion.
The problem is, a lot of our seniors cannot afford to pay for this type of work. Would you be performing these services for free? Or would you be a non-profit relying on donations? Its a great idea you’ve got here but I guess the only way I could see this working is if you can perform the work at little to no cost.
I think that the biggest challenge is the cost. There are companies that do this type of work, but it is cost prohibitive and it is usually the least able to pay that need the items you listed.
I'm not sure how you would go about checking if it would be a viable business where you are but it has been my experience that it's hard to find anyone who will take on little projects, unfortunately many tradespeople say they will fit you in but months can go by before it becomes obvious that means never 😧.
Onwards & upwards as they say. https://www.tellaboomer.com/
I often hear of neighbor's needing ramps built, bathrooms and kitchens remodeled and made wheelchair accessible, plus a multitude of other "handyman type services
I also see a lot of these types of services advertised for free in the local "NEXTDOOR" app.
I've found that some handymen include on their website links to specific trades, and some tradesmen with whom I've spoken indicate they can recommend handymen. It's kind of a bi-lateral referral process. But I've also found that few will make any referrals w/o knowing the potential client (or getting a job with the client themselves, then making referrals).
Another source is real estate agents. One of the 4 I interviewed said he could provide names of contractors, specifically citing one for a major project with which I was really having trouble finding solutions. When I asked for the name, he said he only gave contractors names to those who retained him as a realtor!
Another real estate agent, a Veteran, wasn't selfish and recommended someone, for a different project entirely.
I've hired contractors before, but hadn't seen this level of interaction or referrals during my earlier projects.
Are you by any chance Veterans? If so, you can list your services with the national Veteran owned business lists (post back if either of you are Vets and I'll look up the URL for the database).
In my area, good, reliable handymen are hard to find; they're like diamonds when I do locate some. There are also small companies that have handymen available, but they vary in quality and reliability. And in my experience, although they appear to be independently or locally owned, there's an LLC somewhere in the corporate structure. A possibility might be to affiliate with companies of similar trade, but which also provide service to the population in general. E.g., plumbers would deal with showers, but not necessarily roll-in ones.
Some local building departments occasionally refer to those who've performed work in the community, but you have to establish yourself first to get those kinds of referrals.
Another thought is county home improvement and/or remodeling programs. Ours has one, not specifically focused on older people, but just county residents in general. I have only one experience, with one who worked on a neighbor's house. He was young, impressed with himself, but lacking in professionalism and a disaster in the making on safety issues. I wouldn't hire him to walk a dog.
One excellent way to get exposure used to be at the Area Agency on Aging Caregiver Expos, held annually in my area. Wheelchair van adapters, bathroom remodelers and others focusing specifically on adaptive work were represented. It was an excellent resource, by the AAA cancelled that excellent series of expos for caregivers and seniors.
Some of the better organized local communities and/or Senior Centers also have small expos. They're excellent places to locate contractors, and for contractors to make their services known to potential clients.
If you want to advertise in the yellow pages, do so under "Mobility outfitters", or "Mobility Contractors". Titles of the categories may vary by location.