Handyman Services in Scranton, PA
Browse 1 local handyman in Scranton. Check reviews, compare pricing, and contact directly — no middleman fees.
Common Handyman Services in Scranton
Here are the most requested handyman services in the Scranton area.
Settlement Diagnosis & Documentation
Photographing and measuring cracks, checking whether door and window openings have racked, and documenting the pattern before anything gets patched. In coal country this is the job that comes before the repair — a slow dish-shaped settlement reads very differently from ordinary old-house movement, and patching first can cost you a claim.
Crack Patching & Door Re-hanging
Patching plaster and drywall, re-hanging doors that have gone out of square, closing trim gaps and easing stuck windows. These are the visible symptoms of both ordinary settlement and trough subsidence, which is exactly why the diagnosis comes first.
Double-Block & Party Wall Work
Repairs where two homes share a wall — roof and flashing at the junction, shared chimney flues, water tracking across the wall, and coordinating with the neighbor. Scranton has a lot of attached twins, and a problem on one side is frequently a problem on both.
Basement Moisture & Drainage
Sealing, sump pump replacement, regrading away from the foundation and extending downspouts. Old foundations in a freeze-thaw climate need water managed, and in mining country there's an additional concern: mine water can come up out of the ground rather than down from the sky.
Ice Dam Prevention & Winter Prep
Attic insulation and ventilation, gutter clearing and repair, pipe insulation and draft sealing. Northeastern Pennsylvania winters are long, and on housing this old the cheapest repair is the one done in October.
Plaster, Trim & Older-Home Repairs
Patching plaster over lath, repairing original trim and sash, and the general upkeep of a house built well before modern materials. Scranton has one of the oldest housing stocks in the country, so this is the default rather than the exception.
Need something not on this list? Most handymen in Scranton handle a wide range of odd jobs. See the full list of handyman services.
Finding a Handyman in Scranton
There is one thing about owning a home in Scranton or Wilkes-Barre that doesn't apply anywhere else on this site: the ground underneath you may be hollow. This was anthracite coal country, and roughly a million Pennsylvania structures sit above abandoned mine workings. When those old voids settle, houses move — and standard homeowners insurance doesn't cover it. Private insurers walked away from the risk back in the late 1950s, which is why Pennsylvania runs its own Mine Subsidence Insurance program to fill the gap. Here's the part that matters most: only about 61,000 policies are in force statewide, roughly six percent of the at-risk structures, so the state's own assessment is that most subsidence repairs get paid by uninsured homeowners out of pocket. That changes what you need from a handyman. The first job isn't fixing the crack — it's figuring out which bucket the crack belongs to, because the answer determines who pays. Pennsylvania's geological survey publishes a free address lookup that shows whether mine workings are mapped beneath your property, and it's worth checking before you call anyone. The order of operations matters too: patching cosmetically before the state makes a determination can destroy both the evidence and the claim, and the insurance program excludes pre-existing damage. Whether you own a double-block in Scranton, a single in Dunmore, or a place over in Wilkes-Barre or Kingston, document first, determine second, repair third.
On HandymanCan, every Scranton handyman has a public profile where you can check reviews from real customers, see photos of past work, and compare pricing — then contact them directly by phone, text, or email. No middleman, no booking fees. Browse all cities or start with the profiles above.
How to Hire a Handyman in Scranton
Before you hire anyone for a crack, a sloping floor or a door that suddenly won't close, do two free things. First, look your address up on Penn State's mine map viewer — it will show you whether mine workings are mapped beneath your property. Second, learn the difference between the two failure patterns the state recognizes, because they look nothing alike. Sinkhole subsidence happens where mine cover is shallow, under about fifty feet: a steep-sided pit, sudden and obvious. Trough subsidence happens under deeper cover and is the one that fools people — a slow, dish-shaped settlement with a stretching zone and a squeezing zone, showing up as stair-step cracks, racked window openings and doors out of square. That is indistinguishable from normal old-house settling to the naked eye, which is why owners patch it cosmetically for years and never file a claim. If there's any chance it's subsidence, document it and get a determination before repairing — the insurance program excludes pre-existing damage, and a fresh coat of compound can take your evidence with it.
- Ask for the Pennsylvania Home Improvement Contractor registration number. Pennsylvania requires contractors to register with the Attorney General's office, and the registration number must appear in advertising and on contracts. Note that it's a registration, not a license — Pennsylvania does not test competence through it.
- Confirm general liability insurance. Since the state registration isn't a competence credential, insurance and references are what actually protect you.
- Check your address on the state mine map viewer first. Penn State publishes a free, address-searchable map of mapped mine workings. It costs nothing and it changes what questions you should be asking.
- If subsidence is possible, document before repairing. Pennsylvania's Mine Subsidence Insurance excludes pre-existing damage, and cosmetic repair ahead of a state determination can destroy the evidence. Photograph, measure, date — then determine, then repair.
- Know that standard homeowners insurance excludes mine subsidence. Pennsylvania runs a separate state program precisely because private insurers stopped covering the risk, and only about six percent of at-risk structures are covered — so verify what you actually hold before assuming you're protected.
- Don't confuse this with limestone sinkholes. Pennsylvania's program covers collapse of man-made mine workings; it does not cover natural limestone-weathering sinkholes. Same word, entirely different cause and a different insurance outcome.
- If you own a double-block, talk to your neighbor early. Shared party walls, roof junctions and chimney flues mean one repair frequently involves two properties — coordinating up front is cheaper than arguing later.
- Get a written estimate that breaks out labor, materials and timeline, and ask for references or before/after photos from recent jobs in the Valley.
Handyman Costs in Scranton, PA
Typical rates for common handyman jobs in the Scranton area.
Estimates based on 2026 northeastern Pennsylvania rates, which sit among the lower-cost markets on this site despite the region's proximity to New York. Actual costs vary by provider, job complexity, materials and which county you're in; many pros charge a minimum or first-hour fee of roughly $70–$125. Note that subsidence-related work is a different category entirely — if a determination is involved, the sequence and the paperwork matter more than the hourly rate. * Pennsylvania requires a licensed plumber for plumbing work — faucet and toilet repairs are shown for reference only.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a handyman need a license in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania requires registration rather than a license. Contractors doing home improvement work must register with the state Attorney General's office, and the registration number has to appear in their advertising and on their contracts, so asking for it is routine. What's worth understanding is what registration is not: Pennsylvania does not test competence through it, so the number tells you someone filed paperwork and can be held accountable, not that anyone assessed their work. That makes general liability insurance and real references more important here than the registration number itself.
My floor is sloping and my doors stick. Is it mine subsidence?
It might be, and in this region that question is worth answering before you repair anything. Scranton and Wilkes-Barre sit over abandoned anthracite mine workings, and the state recognizes two failure patterns. Sinkhole subsidence occurs under shallow cover, roughly under fifty feet — a steep-sided pit, sudden and unmistakable. Trough subsidence occurs under deeper cover and is the deceptive one: a slow, dish-shaped settlement producing stair-step cracks, racked window openings and doors out of square. To the eye that is indistinguishable from ordinary old-house settling, which is exactly why owners patch it for years without ever filing. Penn State publishes a free map viewer where you can check your own address for mapped workings.
Doesn't my homeowners insurance cover that?
Almost certainly not. Private insurers stopped covering mine subsidence in Pennsylvania in the late 1950s, which is why the state created its own Mine Subsidence Insurance program to fill the gap. The uncomfortable part is the uptake: roughly a million Pennsylvania structures sit above abandoned mine workings, but only about sixty-one thousand policies are in force — around six percent. The state's own position is that most subsidence repairs are paid by uninsured individuals. So before assuming you're covered, check what you actually hold, because the default answer is that you aren't.
Should I repair the damage now or wait?
If there's any realistic chance it's subsidence, document it and get a determination first. The state's insurance program excludes pre-existing damage, and cosmetic repair before an assessment can remove the evidence the claim depends on — a skim coat of compound over a stair-step crack takes the pattern with it. The practical sequence is document, determine, then repair: photograph and measure with dates, check the mine map, get the determination, and only then bring someone in to fix it. For ordinary old-house settlement with no mine workings beneath you, there's no reason to wait.
Is this the same as the sinkholes in limestone areas?
No, and the distinction matters financially. Pennsylvania's program covers collapse of man-made mine workings — voids left by anthracite mining. It explicitly does not cover natural sinkholes caused by limestone weathering, which is a different geological process entirely and the kind of thing you'd find in, say, central Kentucky. Both get called sinkholes, both produce settlement, and they have completely different causes and completely different insurance outcomes. If someone tells you "sinkholes are covered," ask which kind they mean.
How much does a handyman cost in Scranton?
Roughly $45–$85 per hour, with a minimum or first-hour fee around $70–$125 — among the lower ranges on this site, which surprises people given the region's proximity to New York. One page covers both Scranton and Wilkes-Barre because they sit in the same metropolitan area along with Hazleton, spanning Lackawanna, Luzerne and Wyoming counties, so a pro from one city will often work the other.
Are You a Handyman in Scranton?
Get found by local customers. Create your free profile in 5 minutes — no fees, no catch.
Create Your Free Profile