Hire a Handyman to Build My Dock or Seawall?

There are some time where calling or using a good handyman can save you time, BIG bucks, and give you a good result. [For the purposes of this article, we use “handyman” to refer to any person or company that is unlicensed to do specific work]

Patching drywall, painting, some yard work, minor repairs around the house. All perfectly appropriate.

And all that is true because of 2 things:

#1: The skill set needed

#2: Risks involved

#1: What skills does a handyman need?

That’s just it – a handyman’s skills are unmeasured. Basically, in most states all you have to do to become a handyman is say “I’m a handyman”.

And that’s normally okay because all you’re really looking for when you hire one is for them to better than YOU are.

Some handymen are very professional and very good at what they do. But there’s no licensing, no required training, no guarantees and not much of anything on the line for the average handyman if they mess up a job.

So if you’re terrible at drywall, or don’t want to fix your fence or unclog your sink, then a handyman might be perfect for the job.

But that’s because those jobs carry very little RISK

#2: What are the Risks of using a Handyman?

You can think about risk in the literal sense first.

No one is going be injured by a poor drywall patch for example.

And it’s very unlikely that a handyman will injure themselves on a small patch job like that.

Probably, you’ll never get a request to see a permit for someone that builds you a bench.

So yes, that’s a great way to get a small job like that done – call a handyman.

But trying to save money on important construction projects – like a Dock or a Seawall – is a different story altogether.

Your Financial Risk | Insurance

One of the reasons that a handyman, or “unlicensed” contract laborer can offer a lower price on most jobs is because they don’t have to have insurance.

Real businesses, like a licensed marine contractor, must have liability insurance. It can be dangerous working around any commercial equipment and the tools used to install seawalls and docks are now exception.

If you’re handyman gets hurt while on your property that will likely be 100% your responsibility. ESPECIALLY if the job should have been permitted.

Workmen’s Compensation Insurance is another expense that licensed contractors incur. It’s an employer’s responsibility to abide by the laws governing hiring employees. A company like Tampa Dock & Seawall has professionals on staff – not a crew of day laborers. And doing things right has a cost.

Your Legal Risk | Permitting

Seawalls and docks are serious construction projects that ALWAYS require permitting.

Permits are required because there are strict rules and regulations on the city, county and state level for their construction.

And those rules are there to protect YOU from dangerous or inadequate construction practices. Especially in the Tampa Bay area they are also there to guard our natural environment – environmental impact studies are VERY important.

Since permitting is required by law it can impact the sale of your property. Because a local government can actually force you to scrap and already completed project and start over if the proper permits were not pulled.

Your Physical Risk… AND your families

Without permitting. Without hiring a proper marine contractor to do your work. You really have no idea how sound the dock or seawall construction is.

Did you measure how deep they’re sinking the pilings for your dock?

Did they use the correct fasteners to makes sure the pilings are attached properly to the cross-members?

Was the cement in that seawall or seawall cap mixed properly?

It’s great to have a beautiful dock and a solid-looking seawall. But there’s only 2 ways to determine whether or not it was built well after it’s finished:

#1: Time

#2: Weather

Both are inevitable here in Tampa Bay!