The Handyman SF

Using a handyman app for Marin's canyon and shoreline homes

HandymanNow is a handyman app for Marin homes, free to use from the Sausalito waterfront to Novato. Photograph the soft deck board or rusted latch, tell the handyman about steps or dock access in the messages, and follow their arrival.

  • No charge to homeowners
  • Tell them about steps or the dock
  • Profiles reviewed before any job
Create my free account What the app does

How the app works

  1. Create your account

    Confirm your email, add your phone and home address. The same login opens the app.

  2. Describe the job

    A sentence and a few photos tell a handyman what they are walking into.

  3. Follow your handyman

    See when they accept, message them, and watch them on the map on the way.

  4. Confirm and rate

    Mark the work done when you are happy, and leave a rating for the next neighbor.

What the app handles well in Marin

Homes here can be hard to reach, and their wear shows up clearly in a picture: moss on treads, green hinges, a downspout packed with redwood needles. Photos and messages carry that to the handyman.

Rot you can photograph

Under the redwoods on Mount Tamalpais, deck boards, steps and gateposts rarely dry out. Close photos of the soft spots help the handyman see whether it is a board swap or rot in the joists and posts underneath, which calls for a licensed contractor instead.

Directions to the float

Sausalito's waterfront has more than 400 houseboats. Describe the dock, the gangway and where to park near the water in the app's messages, and say whether tools will need carrying a long way, so the handyman arrives ready for the walk.

Zone 0 chores

Fire Safe Marin asks homeowners to keep the ground right beside the walls free of anything that burns and to protect vents and gutters from embers. Request gutter clearing, torn vent screen repairs or moving a wood fence off a wall, with a photo of each spot.

Lucas Valley Eichler details

The Eichlers of Lucas Valley and Marinwood have glass walls, exposed beams and heating tubes set into the concrete floor. Mention those in the job description and add a photo of the sliding door or seal giving trouble, since sun on glass in a warm valley wears them in particular ways.

Why Marin homeowners use it

See them coming up the canyon

Narrow canyon roads and stair lanes make an arrival hard to predict. While the handyman is on the way, the map shows where they are, so you can meet them at the bottom of the steps.

Read the profile first

Profiles are reviewed before a handyman can take jobs in the app, and you can open a handyman's profile and reviews to see what they do.

Keep the deal simple

HandymanNow charges homeowners nothing and has no payment inside it. You and the handyman agree the price between yourselves, by message or once they have seen the job.

Guides for homes in The North Bay

Questions homeowners ask

Can I use the app for a floating home?

Yes. Indoor work on a houseboat, like swapping a fixture, fitting cabinet hinges, putting up shelves or resealing and painting, is close to small-house work. The float, the hull structure and the dock's utility hookups need a specialist. Mention in your request that the home floats, and describe how to get down the dock.

Does the app know where a stair-lane house is?

It uses your location when you send the request to match handymen nearby. A location alone may not show which steps lead up to the house, so write it out in the messages: the lane, the nearest cross street, how many steps and where a vehicle can stop.

Is there anything to pay after the job?

Only what you agreed with the handyman, paid to them directly; nothing is paid through HandymanNow, and the app is free for homeowners. When the work is finished, confirm in the app that it is done and rate the handyman.

When will HandymanNow be on my phone?

Android is rolling out to everyone soon, and the iPhone app is coming soon. You can set up your login on this page now and use it in the app later. Until then, use the request form on the Mill Valley, Sausalito or other Marin town pages, or call or text (415) 449-8213.

Which fire-safety requests make sense in the app?

Jobs a handyman takes on anyway: pulling redwood needles out of gutters, patching a torn vent screen, closing gaps an ember could slip through, and hauling firewood or lumber out of the five feet next to the walls. Re-roofing, new siding or a deck rebuilt in fire-resistant materials goes to a contractor.

HandymanNow, in your pocket

One place for the request, the conversation and the visit, from the first photo to the rating.

Opening soon onGoogle PlayComing soon to theApp Store
  • Describe the job and add photos
  • See the handyman's profile and reviews
  • Message in the app, no numbers to swap
  • Follow them on the map while they drive over
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