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A woman who decided to hire her husband out to other women to do odd jobs for £40 an hour or £250 a day said business was thriving.
Laura Young, 38, of Milton Keynes, got the idea from a podcast describing how a man made his living putting together flatpack furniture for other people.
The mother of three advertised on Facebook and the Nextdoor app in June, bragging about husband James’ general DIY, painting, decorating, tile and carpet-laying skills.
Laura Young, 38, of Milton Keynes, decided to hire her husband James (left) to other women to do odd jobs for £40 an hour or £250 a day and said business was thriving
Expecting her to get a few giggles, the 42-year-old had his first client one day and soon worked from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. six days a week.
He has been forced to turn down jobs and ‘Rent My Handy Husband’ is now fully booked through mid-November.
Duties include helping hang a TV or curtains to rebuilding a wall, and he is available to anyone who needs help; men and women.
While James manages the labor side of the business, Laura manages the social accounts and website.
Duties include helping hang a TV or curtains to rebuilding a wall, and he is available to anyone who needs help; men and women
He has added a new service for the Christmas season, with installations of festive lights, both indoors and out
The business has been more successful than the couple could have imagined.
The savvy couple have added a new service for the Christmas season, with installations of festive lights, both indoors and out.
Laura said, “I never expected it to take off so quickly.
“We’ve only been on the road for four months and it got to a point where there was so much work coming in that James was working six days a week.
“We’ve had to turn down jobs and cut our hours, so now we’re doing it Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm.
While James handles the labor side of things, Laura works on running the social accounts and website
James was diagnosed as autistic four years ago and has always been able to focus on things like building and construction
“We had our own building plans that we haven’t even started yet because we were so busy.
“We’ve also booked our first job for January.”
James had to quit his warehouse job to become a full-time carer alongside Laura and care for their three children, two of whom have autism.
James was also self-diagnosed as autistic four years ago and has always been able to focus on things like building and building.
Laura said, “He’s very good at building things and doesn’t interfere with the instructions.
“So I thought this would be something he could do.
James had to quit his warehouse job to become a full-time carer alongside Laura and look after their three children, two of whom have autism
“James doesn’t have a commercial background, but his grandfather was a nuclear engineer and they think he was on the spectrum too.
“He has a very methodical mind and can think outside the box. He sees things differently.’
Within days, Laura’s Facebook posts were filled with people inquiring about her husband’s work.
The couple even had requests for more than 150 miles away.
Laura said: ‘The first customer had to replace a door frame and from there people just asked me on the Facebook page.
They don’t charge per job, instead they work per hour at a rate of £40, or a day rate of £250 and James is busier than ever
“It went from plain flatpack to so much more, like laying a carpet and remodeling a wall.
“We even had requests as far as Manchester where we told them it might be more practical to find someone closer because of the extra cost, but of course we would have done it!”
He does not do electrical and plumbing services.
They don’t charge per job, but work per hour at a rate of £40, or a daily rate of £250.
They also offer discounts to those who work in the NHS and emergency services, as well as people over 65, the disabled, carers and people with universal credit.
Laura said, “We know what it’s like to be parents of children with special needs and we know what it’s like to struggle with money or have to save.”