Any women out here doing this by themselves?

I think I’m going to have to give up. I’ve been trying to get this going on my own for 2 months now and I just can’t do it. None of my family is supportive of this and there’s just so many things I can’t do. I can’t hang a tv on the wall, move mattresses by myself, it took me an hour today to figure out how to drill a hole and then it wasn’t even big enough. I’m just not handy or strong :cry::cry: I’ve wanted this for so long but I just don’t think I can

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People of any gender unable to do those things often hire them done, @Cyndyrr327 . It would be a cost of doing business. I’m sure you have thought of that, though.
Just a bit of cheerleading if it helps: You do get stronger the more you do. And next time you drill a hole, you’ll measure first, so it won’t be a wasted hour. Googling is great for handy hacks. Hosting might make you better, stronger, faster, in other words. :slight_smile:

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Why don’t you hire someone to do the jobs you can’t . That’s what most hosts do female or male @Cyndyrr327

I would say majority of single hosts are female.

I’m one and combine my STR business with being a single parent, running a community food project and a demanding job.

Stay strong.

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We have an organisation called the Mens Shed. They are basically for retired men to go and do shed type things in a shared environment.
They have some serious equipment.
They do repairs, build and make things.
When our highway was built they were contracted to make wildlife nesting boxes.
There is so much knowledge and talent in that building!
When I am stuck, I go up there and usually find someone who can help me with whatever and as it is a charity, the costs are tax deductible.
Last time I was up there I was informed by one of the members, that anytime I want/ need anything, they were told to drop everything and help!
Anything like that where you are?

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Yes, I’m a single 72 year old female host. I’m sorry you’re feeling overwhelmed and over your head with stuff you aren’t good at. I’m quite handy and mechanically minded, so I do most things myself. One thing I hate, though, is carpentry projects, I hate even sawing a board. So I’ll hire someone for any woodworking that needs doing.

(Drilling a hole that’s too small is way better than too big :wink: Just get a larger drill bit- it’s easy to make the hole bigger.)

I only host a private room for 1 guest in my home, so there really isn’t that much to do. Although I did get up on a ladder
and clean and seal the brick ceiling in the guest room and bathroom this year, which was a 4 day job.

Here’s a suggestion as far as mattresses are concerned- there’s no way I could move a regular mattress by myself, nor slide a bedframe with a mattress around when cleaning. My mattresses therefore, are a 4 inch slab of firm foam, with a 2 inch topper of softer foam. The mattress pad holds it all together and my guests find the bed super comfy. I can move those foam pieces myself, and I put felt pads under the bed frame feet, which makes the bed easy to slide around on the tile floor to clean under.

If you can’t afford to hire a handyman to help you out, think about what you are good at that you could trade for services. Maybe you like to cook and could make up meals that could be frozen that would be an attractive trade for a single guy. Or maybe you can sew and do clothing repairs in exchange. Or do gardening, or bookkeeping, or computer work.
I’ve done a lot of work trades like that over the years.

Also, right now it’s summertime- might there be a place in your town where students sign up looking for summer jobs? You might be able to get some help with things you find difficult.

And you may not be able to become strong, but you can learn to be handy. It’s a matter of practice, patience, learning the right techniques (you can find youtube videos on almost everything) and trying not to get discouraged. Even when people are fairly skilled at things, it always seems to take longer than anticipated, or there’s some frustration- the drill bit breaks, you run out of the right size screws and have to go buy more, you run out of paint when you have a 1 meter square section left.

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That sounds awesome.

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I’m 64, single and haven’t had a man around to help me do much of anything since 1986. I also don’t have any family. By the time I strted Airbnb that had been my situation for years so it didn’t deter me. However, your feelings are understandable.

I agree with others to hire out big jobs and keep working on the small ones. So much can be done on your own but all skill development takes practice.

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@Debthecat Re that organization for retired guys to help out folks who need it:
I have known some retired guys who could have really used a gig like that- they seemed to not to know what to do with themselves after retiring from a 9-5 job they had for 40 years. They just drive their wives nuts, aimlessly hanging around the house all day, getting in their way.

An older couple lived next door to me years ago in Canada. The husband had worked for the electric company all his life. He spent his days in his retirement splitting and stacking firewood in his shed, every piece meticulously lined up as if it had been done by some machine, and mowing the lawn and weedwhacking everything, even when it didn’t need it. His wife had a clematis vine she had planted years before and was trying to get to grow up the side of the shed, and every single year at some point in the summer I would hear her yell- “Les! Did you cut down my clematis again?” “Nope, didn’t go near it.”

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They are a great little bunch of guys, some of them even bake for the morning break.

They have some serious equipment up at that Shed.

I needed a 120 year old window repair done. Local quote from window company-$1000.
Got one of the guys from the Shed down on Thursday, told me to get it out ( husbands task) over the weekend, delivered to the Shed on Monday, fixed by Wednesday, saved the original glass. Recaulked price…. Was $30 OK?
I bolted up there with the cash!

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I think women run most of the owner-run Airbnb rentals.

I’m 62. How to do everything is on YouTube. When renovating my rental I ran out of money and ended up having to install my kitchen sink, dishwasher, disposal. It’s amazing what you can learn to do.

I found a handyman to help with somethings I can no longer do involving lifting and installing light fixtures/fans. He’s a retired gentleman looking to make some extra cash.

Most women don’t have the upper body strength a man does so we must work differently/smarter, we can’t just force something. For example, my neighbor is a few years older than me had purchased a new wooden dresser. The store staff loaded into the back of her SUV. We could not lift it. We removed the drawers & carried those in 2 at a time. Without drawers we easily moved the dresser.

You can do this.

Is there an area STR Facebook group where you can develop a network of local hosts? They may can provide you with handy-helper resources and a host support network? Do you have any neighbors who are STR hosts? It’s helpful to know the neighbors.

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Organize everything that you need to do into one time help and ongoing difficult chores. Hire someone to get the one time things done quickly. The sooner they are done, the sooner you can open. This bigger list may attract a handyperson better than a little job here or there. If the cost looks overwhelming perhaps someone will trade you a future stay for a friend or family member for some of the work. You might also consider a small business loan once you figure out if you can get a return on your investment in your desired timeframe. After implementing ideas found in other posts regarding furnishings and amenities that make hosting easier, decide if you can handle the day to day turnovers. You may need to allow yourself a little more time than average between guests. If you really need help develop a solid description of what you need done, how much notice you can give and what you are willing to pay.

You appear very eager to host. Think about your objectives for hosting. If you are excited about meeting people and having a little company now and then, you may not care if you do much better than break even. If you have a specific income target, focus your decisions around your budget.

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Are you in the states? If so, register on Next Door for your neighborhood. Once registered use the search bar to find a handyman. Make a list of everything that needs to be done so he or she can do it in one visit.

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Yes! @Cyndyrr327 you’ll find lots of handy folks on Nextdoor. I see people make posts requesting help with all kinds of stuff. Everything from putting up shelves, moving a couch, to installing new faucets, etc. They get a ton of responses. Apparently, there are a lot of people who work as handy folks.

Btw, the most popular in our neighborhood seems to be this woman called Handy Lisa. It’s a great way to support your neighbors too.

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Not a woman, but offering encouragement and support! 71 years old, male, single, doing it by myself, and every day is a new challenge, physically (3 changeovers in a day lol) and mentally (strange requests and people).

My advice: Whatever you do - putting up a TV, stocking a kitchen, etc - is just ticked off your list. There will be a time soon where there are so few ‘essential’ things to do that you can start enjoying the STR experience.

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I’m also in my sixties (well into, unfortunately) and although I’m not single, my Airbnb business is my job and he has a job elsewhere so I’m a ‘single female host’ in just about every respect.

I host two apartments, co-host another apartment for a neighbour plus I have a freelance job, But I’ve never hung a TV on a wall or moved a mattress.

I employ a handyman to do any necessary work and use electricians, plumbers and so on when needed. Most hosts do, I think.

Gender has nothing to do with it. Many blokes are hopeless at doing any sort of repair work to anything like a professional level.

I really want to be encouraging and supportive. I am, but the fact that you think that women aren’t suited to this job (or any other job for that matter) sounds like something from an American TV show from the 1950s.

:slight_smile:

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It’s very true that plenty of men aren’t “handy” at all and/or want nothing to do with fixing or building anything. While I had a couple of longish term relationships with carpenters who were good at that and fixing other things, I’ve never had a boyfriend or husband who wanted anything to do with, nor were knowledgeable when it came to auto mechanics, unfortunately. :face_with_diagonal_mouth:

I think I mentioned this in a different thread.
Of the over 22 new hosts I’ve met in the past 6 months, only 3 were men.

Based upon my tiny sample, women are the innovators & moving personal & family finances in new directions.

8 are retiree or soon to retire.
4 are young mothers with children engaging in gig work & now STR.

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While there are certainly exceptions (so please don’t accuse me of sexist stereotyping), women tend to be better and more interested in creating nice living spaces, thinking about what guests might need, and also are much better at multitasking. In husband/wife hosting teams, the men seem to take on the tasks like yard work and fixing things, while the women handle the decor, the communications with guests, etc. If they do their own cleaning, both often share that task.

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You Tube is your friend.

I also find it helpful before I start a handyperson project to ask myself, “What’s the worst that could happen?”

I’d never tiled anything before, and was staring at two blank walls for backsplashes. The worst that could happen was the tiles would fall off the wall and I’d have to hire someone. Worked out fine.

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Very true. And if the worst that could happen is that you electrocute yourself, call an electrician.

Also, you never know if you might be good at something or enjoy it until you try. My first tiling project was the small indoor front porch floor of my old house in Canada. This was before the days of all the youtube DIY videos. I checked out a bunch of tiling books from the library and did what was quite a professional-looking job.

I found I really liked tiling, and how quickly it can transform a space. I’ve gone on to do many more tiling projects, and laid every floor, countertop, backsplash and shower tile in my Mexican home.

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