Some Assembly Required

Labor is expensive. As such, it is becoming more common to purchase things unassembled. This saves the company the labor needed to assemble the product and also makes it cheaper to ship the item. You will find the unassembled product less expensive than the assembled one, but you have to put it together.

Depending on what you have purchased, the assembly may be no small task. Furniture, pergolas, garden sheds, children’s backyard playsets, outdoor kitchens and more are all being shipped to customers' homes for onsite assembly. Upon reading the instructions and tool requirements, many consumers are shocked. Others go into the project optimistically but eventually realize they need help.

Having been involved in assembling anything and everything over the years, I can tell you even seasoned pros do not always find this easy. Instructions may not be clear, or in English. Parts can be missing. Your purchase may come out of the box damaged. And the manufacturer's projection of the time required to do the assembly is often wildly optimistic. Their guy who has assembled the product many times can do it in 4-6 hours, but mere humans doing it for the very first time will take twice that – or longer.

Are you, or your spouse, handy? Do you have tools, and do you know how to use them? Do you have the time, and the desire, to do this yourself? You may immediately be drawn to the unassembled unit because it will save you a nice amount of the purchase price, but if that box is still sitting in your garage six months later – have you really get a deal?

And even if you are handy, and have the tools and time, complications arise. If the main beam on the kid’s playset twists or warps prior to assembly, you may find that legs and attachments no longer line up with pre-drilled holes. Adaptation will be required, or a new piece may need to be fabricated. I have first-hand experience with this challenge.

I suggest you factor assembly into your cost calculus. If you have to pay for the product and have to pay for assembly, might the pre-assembled option be better for you? Or, if pre-assembled is not an option, are you prepared to pay for assembly? Call around and get pricing for assembly, it can be more than the product itself, depending on what you purchased. This may change your desire for the product. If you move forward with the purchase and are prepared to pay for the assembly, this is not an unexpected expense that sets you back.

Mr. Handyman has assembled numerous things over the years, but we never seem to assemble the exact same make and model twice. We have assembled many backyard sheds and playsets, furniture, Murphy beds, outdoor kitchens, Christmas gifts (bikes), and bunk beds. Each project is unique, as is the site selection. Sometimes we will recommend a slab be poured, or the ground be leveled, prior to our starting.

As with anything done by Mr. Handyman, you get experienced staff who will work closely with you to get the job done the way you want it done. All work is then backed by our Done Right Promise.