A savvy mum has launched a 'rent my husband' service for other women - charging £35 a time.
The mum-of-three was looking for ways to bring in a bit of extra money amid the rising costs of living. She came up with the idea after hearing a podcast which told of a man making a living putting together flatpack furniture for others, Derbyshire Live reports.
The 41-year-old then realised her handy husband James could do the same thing. He had already used his DIY skills to transform the family home in Bletchley, Bucks, by building custom beds including a 9ft-wide family bed for when their children refused to sleep at night. He also fitted a kitchen and made a dining table from scratch and keeps on top of things such as painting, decorating, tiling and carpet laying.
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Laura said: "He’s good at everything around the house and garden, so I thought why not put those skills to use and hire him out?” She launched a "Rent My Handy Husband" website and advertised on Facebook and the popular Nextdoor app.
She was amazed at the number of replies she got. She said: "People are genuinely interested. There have been a few that got the wrong idea and thought I was hiring James out for something else entirely!
"Even with the cost of living crisis, I’m not planning to do that! However, most people think it’s great. They say it’s sometimes hard to get builders to quote for little jobs as they’re not interested.
"James is perfect for things like putting flat packs together, putting up trampolines, building shelves and installing things. Sometimes it's quicker and easier to get someone in to do a job we've been waiting on our husbands to do for what feels like a lifetime. Life gets in the way and those jobs get put to the side, which is where my idea came in."
James, who says: 'You create and I'll build', can create all kinds of things including custom-build bunk beds for children from a sketch. He also makes bespoke furniture that is ideal for a family.
The work is ideal for the former warehouse night shift worker after he was forced to give up his job two years ago to help Laura with their three children, two of whom are autistic. Laura continued: "He has been diagnosed as on the spectrum himself but this makes him very thorough and excellent at any DIY job he does."
She added that James was planning to return to college to study motor mechanics and will fit in his hubby hire work between studying to boost the family income. Laura added: "He has always had a keen interest in building and creating. I’ve put him to good use over the years establishing our own family home and also helping friends and family."
His current home project is building his own outside kitchen for summer days. Laura said: "The hire charges average around £35 a house and no job is too small. It can be as little as fitting a TV to the wall, fitting a blind or painting a fence.
"We want to keep the charges to a minimum and be honest with people. We know what it’s like to be on a budget, so we offer discounts to disabled people, carers, people on Universal Credit and the over 65s.”
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