Have you ever ordered a wardrobe from IKEA and had trouble putting it together? The parts look like puzzle pieces, but the instructions are hard to follow. The bolts look the same, and the pieces are heavy. You wish you had someone to help you, but you don’t.
One woman had a solution for that. She decided to rent out her husband to help other people with jobs around the house. It’s a funny and nice idea that made the family’s life better. Laura Young, the woman who had this idea, answered some questions, so let’s see what she said!
“Rent My Handy Husband” is the hilarious name of a UK business, where a wife “rents out” her husband to anyone needing help with odd jobs around the house
Keeping a home nice and tidy can take a lot of work. You might need to build furniture, clear the garden, or paint the fence. It’s always better to have someone to help you, like a friend, a family member, or a neighbor. But sometimes they are not around, so what do you do?
You call ‘Rent My Handy Husband’ and get a handy husband to help you, of course! Sadly, this is a new idea, so there might not be many of them yet. But if you live near Milton Keynes, England, you might be lucky and get this husband-and-wife team to help you!
Back in June, Laura Young, 38, thought of renting out her husband James’ skills in fixing and making things, like painting, decorating, tiling, and carpet laying. She got this idea after listening to a podcast about a man who made money by building furniture for other people.
She thought, ‘Why not?’ and made some ads on Facebook and the Nextdoor app, offering her husband to help with jobs around the house for £40. She thought this would make people laugh, but soon they got their first customers.
What started as a joke soon grew into a 6-days-per-week job, where James was sometimes booked from 9am to 8pm. November is fully booked, sorry!
“The first customer needed a door frame replaced, and then from there, I just had people inquire on the Facebook page. It went from a regular flatpack to so much more, like laying a carpet and rebuilding a wall,” Laura revealed, as per the Daily Mail.
What started as a joke became a way to make money called “Rent My Handy Husband.” James was busy for six days a week, sometimes from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.He is booked for the whole month of November and even some jobs for January 2023.
“I never expected it to take off as much as it has,” Laura told Bored Panda, with requests coming from all over the UK and them having to say “no” to jobs
Their business was so popular that they had to say no to some jobs and work less, now Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.“I never thought it would be so successful,” Laura shared. They even got requests from people who live over 150 miles away.
Some people even joked if James would ever “rent out” Laura, which made them laugh a lot. “It was not like the ‘Indecent Proposal’ Robert Redford made,” she said.
The funny name, as well as James’ incredible skills and lovely personality have ensured the success of the business from the very beginning
Laura thinks that the name “Rent My Handy Husband” helped make the idea work well. “It’s a funny name, and it makes people look twice,” she said. She also said that her husband’s skills and personality helped a lot: “They meet James and see he’s a really nice guy who can do most things.”
They are very busy, but they want to help their neighbors for Christmas. They will help with putting up lights inside and outside homes, which can be tricky, but not for James and Laura! They can handle anything except electrical or plumbing work, which they don’t do. Other than that, no job is too small for them!
This venture has allowed the parents of 3 young kids, 2 of whom have autism, to have a more balanced life and ensure that they’re getting the best care possible
While James does the practical work, Laura takes care of the social media and the website. This was a good chance for them because James had left his old job in a warehouse to be a full-time dad to their three kids, two of whom have autism.
“It’s really good for our family because having kids with special needs makes life unpredictable,” she explained. “We also have to go to the hospital a lot, so we are happy we can make this work for us.”
James was diagnosed with autism himself four years ago. He’d always been really good at building things without instruction: “He sees things differently”
Laura said that James was also diagnosed with autism four years ago. He always liked to build and make things, but he was also very good at it. “He’s good at building things, and he doesn’t need the instructions,” Laura said.
“James didn’t learn a trade, but his granddad was a nuclear engineer, and they think he was on the spectrum too,” she said. “He has a very logical mind and can think differently. He sees things in a different way.” James loves anything that involves building, engineering, or creating.
“I’d like to hope we are helping within the community,” Laura said. They hope the business continues to grow, and we wish them the best of luck in their ventures!
The price of £40 per hour, or £250 per day, might be too much for some people. The family gives discounts to those who work in the NHS and emergency services and to people over 65, disabled people, and caregivers. “We know what it’s like to be parents of kids with special needs,” she said. “We know what it’s like to have money problems or have to save.”
“I hope we are helping the community; we joined a group that asks trades to do an hour or two for free, and we offered our help too,” she said. “We have many customers who get our discount, and that feels like a small community.”
The Youngs have some competition now, but they are not worried. They are happy for other people who do the same thing. They hope their business keeps growing.
“Many people from all over the UK want our help, but it’s not easy for us to go there. Maybe we’ll think of a way to do that later,” Laura said.
Tell us what you think of this story and if you want a handy husband in your town!
