Frequently Asked Questions

Most new subscribers get their free visit scheduled within 48 hours. All services are booked through the app — subscribers get priority scheduling over one-time calls.

Yes, after heating and cooling, the water heater is usually the biggest single energy user in a home, so an aging or badly set unit shows up on the bill fast. The giveaways: hot water running out sooner than it used to, a tank that feels warm to the touch, or a thermostat dial set above 120°F.

No. Even when air temperature is within the ideal range, a deck surface in direct sun can exceed 100°F — well past the point where stain can penetrate before it skins over. The result is a surface coat that peels within one to two seasons. The fix is timing: stain in the morning before the sun reaches the boards, or follow the shadow as it moves across the deck through the day.

A doubled bill is almost never one cause. Usually it's a rate increase stacked on a physical problem, arriving in a peak season. Start with the numbers: pull up the same month from last year in your electricity provider account and compare kilowatt-hours, not dollars. If usage is flat but the bill doubled, the answer is rates or your supply plan. If usage itself doubled, something in the house changed. The usual suspects are a struggling AC or furnace, a failing water heater element, or a space heater someone quietly started running.

Three to six months is the typical range, sometimes longer in a humid climate like Chicago's. New pressure-treated lumber arrives saturated with preservative solution and high moisture content. Stain applied before the wood has dried will sit on the surface rather than penetrating, and the first winter's freeze-thaw cycles will push it off. A calendar date isn't the right signal. Use a moisture meter to confirm the wood reads below 15% before you start.

Work from biggest to smallest. Compare this month's kilowatt-hours to the same month last year to confirm the problem is usage, not rates. Watch the AC or furnace: if it runs without ever cycling off, have it inspected. Feel around exterior doors and windows for drafts and seal what you find. Set the water heater to 120°F. Put the always-on cluster—TV, console, and sound system—on a switchable power strip. And enroll in programs like Peak Time Savings (check your provider's website for existing ones).

In Chicago's climate, paint has a longer theoretical lifespan but often fails sooner than expected because of freeze-thaw moisture damage. Quality solid stain typically lasts 3 to 4 years with straightforward maintenance when it's time to recoat. Semi-transparent stain needs refreshing every 2 to 3 years. For most homeowners, stain's easier reapplication process makes the total effort comparable to paint over a 10-year window.

For most households, yes. Not because the device is clever but because schedules don't forget. The savings come from run time you stop paying for at night and when the house is empty, and payback usually lands within a season or two of heavy heating or cooling.

Not without removing the paint first. Stain needs bare wood to penetrate and bond properly. Solid stain over intact latex paint can sometimes work as an interim solution, but the best long-term result comes from stripping to bare wood before applying any stain product.

The quick self-check covers three things: drafts you can feel at doors and windows, a water heater tank that's warm to the touch, and an HVAC system that runs without cycling. For the full picture, a professional energy audit uses a blower door and a thermal camera to find leaks and thin insulation no hand can feel.

Penetrating stains handle Chicago's freeze-thaw cycles better than paint because they move with the wood rather than forming a rigid film. For floor boards, solid stain is a better choice than paint if you want full coverage. For railings and vertical trim, paint works fine since those surfaces shed water rather than collecting it.

Yes, any time. There's no lock-in period, and moving between the three subscription tiers is simple. There isn't really a "switch to hourly" step, though. If you cancel your subscription, hourly work is still available for the property, just at the regular $125/hr rate instead of your plan's rate.

Look for full-time employees, fixed pricing, and booking that doesn't require a phone call. Contractor marketplaces match you to whoever is available — not necessarily whoever is good.

Check every spring with the water bead test and plan to reapply semi-transparent stain every 2 to 3 years, solid stain every 3 to 4 years. South-facing decks with full sun exposure and high-traffic areas near stairs wear faster than shaded sections. The water test is more reliable than any fixed schedule.

No. The $125 hourly rate applies to homeowners without a subscription. If you're subscribed and need time beyond what's included, extra hours are billed at your own plan's rate instead. On Essential, that's around $87 an hour rather than $125 (see the table above).

Standard rates run $100–$150/hour for one-off jobs. FixHome+ subscribers pay an effective $92/hour with no trip fees.

Heating and cooling, by a wide margin—about half of a typical home's energy use goes to space heating and air conditioning. The electric water heater is usually the second option. Third place belongs to no single device but to the crowd: TVs, consoles, chargers, routers, and everything else drawing standby power around the clock. Any one of them is trivial; together they add up to a significant amount.

Most Buffalo Grove, Wheeling or Hawthorn Woods area homes we work with land on Essential or Home Harmony. Which one depends on the age of the house and how much of a backlog they're starting with. Older homes with more deferred maintenance tend to do better on Essential's two monthly visits. Newer homes with less catching up to do often fit fine on Home Harmony's single visit. If you're not sure, the free visit is the easiest way to find out.

We prioritize quality at FixHome+ by implementing a thorough vetting process for our handymen and handywomen. This process includes background checks, hands-on assessments, and ongoing training opportunities. Our team boasts years of industry experience, takes pride in their work, and genuinely enjoys assisting homeowners. You can rest assured that your home is in capable hands with FixHome+.

If you need a service that isn’t listed in our offerings, you can select ‘Others’ in any service category with the FixHome+ App and describe the task you need help with. Keep in mind that a standard FixHome+ handyman visit lasts 2 hours, allowing us to handle most tasks efficiently. If you have any questions or need assistance, feel free to contact our support team via phone, email, or the contact form on our website. We’re here to help!

• You sign on the website or in the application FixHome+ from your phone
• Takes the necessary photo of the place where FixHome + services are needed. This allows our handymen to have a better understanding of the problem before arriving at your home, making for a better repair process.
• For non-emergency appointments, bookings will be made no earlier than 72 hours from creation. Please select a time from the options provided by the system and wait for the handyman to confirm your chosen time. You have the flexibility to choose the date and time for your appointment, keeping in mind that all available options will start no earlier than 72 hours later. We kindly request 24 hours to finalize the details with you and an additional 48 hours to accommodate the visit into our schedule and prepare accordingly. Our handymen require adequate time to ensure they are fully prepared to address your issue and deliver the best possible outcome.
• Confirm all the information you provided and wait for the handyman equipped with all the necessary tools and materials to complete the job efficiently and effectively

FixHome+ primarily serves the North West and North Shore Chicago suburbs area. You can verify if your ZIP code falls within FixHome+ service areas.

This is a list of home repairs that you provide. You also choose the priority of tasks in this list. This allows us to have a better understanding of your needs. FixHome+ To-Do List also helps our handymen come prepared with the necessary tools and materials, saving time and ensuring efficient repairs. You can update and edit your To-Do List, making it customizable to your home repair needs. It will also be convenient for you to follow the progress in the transformation of your home.

To delete your FixHome+ account, log in and access your profile. From there, go to Settings, open the Security tab, and select the "Remove Account" option, marked by a trash bin icon. Follow the prompts to confirm your decision, and your profile will be permanently deleted. For step-by-step guidance, check out the delete account detailed instructions.

Our handyman service Essential package includes two monthly visits to support your home’s regular maintenance needs. Each FixHome+ handyman visit lasts approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes, with the last 10-15 minutes dedicated to cleanup and task documentation.

For those seeking more extensive assistance, we offer the option to extend visits to 4 hours or request the presence of two handypeople. These additional services come with an extra fee to cover labor costs. If 2 two-hour visits feel excessive for your home, you can choose a package with fewer visits on FixHome+ pricing page. Currently, plans are available with 1 or 2 visits per month, or 1 visit per quarter.

With a FixHome+ subscription, our handyman visits your home on a regular schedule to handle maintenance before issues become costly. The recommended Essential subscription plan includes two monthly visits (every 4–5 weeks). We also offer a lighter plan with one visit per month and a seasonal plan with one visit every 3 months — so you can choose what fits your To-do list best.

As part of your subscription, FixHome+ handyman can assist you during first visit in creating a To-Do list for all the repairs and maintenance tasks you need help with. This way, you can easily keep track of everything that needs to be done in your home and schedule appointments accordingly.

FixHome+ creates a personalized Home Basic Checklist tailored to your specific needs. Our plans include over 10 essential home maintenance tasks to ensure the safety and functionality of your home. We provide a recommended list of maintenance works and guidance on when to complete them. Simply add them to your To-Do list and wait for our handyman to visit.

Our FixHome+ handyperson arrives fully equipped with essential parts like nails and basic caulk for everyday small tasks. For larger parts or materials, you can purchase them yourself or let us handle the research and purchase on your behalf. In the latter case, a fixed $10 shopping fee per visit will be applied, covering the cost of researching and purchasing parts (not per part). For parts exceeding $100, we will seek your approval to purchase our app.

Please note that for parts and materials you interact with daily (such as a new kitchen faucet), we recommend personally selecting them. Rest assured, we are here to provide guidance whenever you need it.

To subscribe to FixHome+, download the App or open the web version of FixHome+ App, then create an account. Add your property details, then schedule a free demo visit with our handyman. Once you're ready, activate your subscription in the app to unlock regular handyman visits and full access to the service. Now, your to-do list will be our concern.

To enable payment for services provided by FixHome+, we offer the following options. Our secure online payment portal, powered by Stripe, allows you to conveniently enter your payment details and complete the transaction. Rest assured, we do not charge any additional fees for payment processing.

At FixHome+ we understand that circumstances may change and subscriptions may need to be cancelled. That's why we offer a cancellation policy where subscribers can cancel their subscriptions at any time. Keep in mind, that even if you have no scheduled visits, we will charge for the month in which the subscription was canceled.