Project Title
HandyFix - Handyman services portal
Abstract:
This project presents a web-based platform designed to connect homeowners with skilled and
reliable handymen for a wide range of home repair, maintenance, and improvement services.
The portal aims to streamline the process of finding and hiring qualified professionals by offering
users a simple and efficient interface. Homeowners can browse services, read reviews, and
book appointments based on their specific needs, while handymen can showcase their
expertise, accept job requests, and manage schedules. With features such as secure payment
options, real-time tracking, and a rating system, this platform ensures a seamless experience for
both clients and service providers.
Introduction:
The increasing demand for reliable, on-demand handyman services has created an opportunity
for a streamlined, user-friendly solution to connect homeowners with skilled professionals. This
project aims to address that need by developing a comprehensive web application that
facilitates the booking and management of home repair, maintenance, and improvement
services. Built with PHP and the powerful Laravel framework, this platform offers a robust,
scalable, and secure environment for users and service providers alike.
Laravel, known for its elegant syntax and extensive set of tools, has been chosen as the
backend framework due to its ability to handle complex business logic while ensuring
performance, security, and scalability. The application enables users to easily browse a wide
range of services, select a qualified handyman, and schedule appointments. Service providers
can manage their profiles, receive job requests, and track their work schedules through a
seamless interface.
The system incorporates modern features such as secure payment gateways, real-time job
tracking, user reviews, and ratings, ensuring that both clients and professionals can have a
transparent, trusted experience. This project aims to redefine how people access home repair
services by leveraging the power of PHP and Laravel to provide a reliable, scalable, and user-
centric solution.
Problem Statement:
In today’s fast-paced world, homeowners face an increasing need for reliable, affordable, and
convenient handyman services for routine home repairs, maintenance, and improvements.
However, despite the growing demand, the process of finding qualified professionals for these
services remains cumbersome, time-consuming, and often unreliable. Homeowners are often
left to rely on word-of-mouth recommendations, unsystematic online searches, or traditional
service directories, all of which do not guarantee transparency or quality. Additionally, service
providers struggle to reach a broader customer base and manage job schedules efficiently.
Research indicates that the home services industry is experiencing rapid growth. According to a
report by Grand View Research, the global home services market size was valued at $500.2
billion in 2022 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.5%
from 2023 to 2030. This growth highlights the increasing demand for home repair and
maintenance services. Despite this, 45% of consumers report dissatisfaction with their
experiences in booking service providers, citing issues such as lack of reliability, hidden costs,
and poor communication.
Furthermore, a study by HomeAdvisor found that nearly 70% of homeowners experience
difficulty in finding reputable service providers, with 58% expressing concerns about the cost of
services and 52% frustrated by the lack of clear, trustworthy reviews and ratings. These pain
points present a significant gap in the market—one that can be addressed by a centralized,
online platform designed to connect homeowners with skilled, vetted professionals quickly and
efficiently.
Aims and Objectives:
This project aims to address these challenges by providing a web-based portal that streamlines
the process of booking handyman services. By leveraging the power of PHP and the Laravel
framework, the platform will offer a user-friendly experience for both homeowners and service
providers, with features that enhance transparency, efficiency, and trust. The platform will
empower users to make informed decisions, ensure fair pricing, and simplify the booking
process, thus improving the overall quality of the service industry.
Develop a Centralized Web Platform: To create an online platform that consolidates
handyman services, enabling homeowners to easily search, select, and book professionals for
various home improvement tasks such as repairs, installations, and maintenance.
Simplify the Booking and Scheduling Process: To design an intuitive booking system that
allows users to quickly select services, set appointment times, and make secure payments. The
system will also support service providers in managing job requests, schedules, and availability.
Implement Secure Payment Gateway: To integrate a secure payment system that supports
various payment methods, ensuring safe and seamless transactions between clients and
service providers. The system will also include billing and invoicing features.
Introduce Rating and Review System: To incorporate a rating and review system that allows
users to share their feedback on service quality. This will help maintain high standards and
guide future customers in selecting reliable handymen based on performance and customer
satisfaction.
Enhance Scalability and Future Growth: To build the application with scalability in mind,
allowing for easy expansion to incorporate additional features and services, as well as potential
geographic expansion, without compromising performance or user experience.
Provide Support and Help Resources: To provide users with easy access to support
resources such as FAQs, live chat, and a dedicated helpdesk to assist with troubleshooting and
resolving issues.
Literature Review:
The home services industry has experienced rapid growth over the last decade, driven by
increased demand for home repairs, maintenance, and improvements. This section reviews key
studies, platforms, and technologies related to handyman services, online booking systems, and
web development frameworks to provide context for this project.
Challenges in the Home Services Industry
A 2020 survey by HomeAdvisor found that nearly 70% of homeowners experience difficulty in
finding reputable service providers. The survey also highlighted frustrations with unclear pricing,
delays, and communication issues, suggesting a gap in the market for a centralized, transparent
platform that connects consumers with qualified professionals. This gap presents an opportunity
for digital platforms to provide a solution, simplifying the process of hiring service providers and
enhancing customer satisfaction.
Existing Competitors and their Lacks
Several online platforms, such as TaskRabbit, Thumbtack, and Handy, have emerged in recent
years to address the needs of both service providers and consumers. These platforms allow
homeowners to browse through service listings, compare prices, and schedule appointments
with handymen. They also provide features like ratings, reviews, and secure payments to
ensure a trustworthy experience.
Technology and Frameworks in Web Development
Web development technologies have also evolved significantly, allowing businesses to build
highly functional and secure platforms. The combination of PHP and Laravel has emerged as a
popular choice for web development, particularly for building robust, scalable applications like
the handyman services portal.
Conclusion
This literature review highlights the current state of the handyman services market and the
technologies available for building scalable, reliable platforms. While existing platforms like
TaskRabbit and Handy offer promising solutions, issues like high service fees, inconsistent
quality, and lack of transparency continue to affect user satisfaction.
Proposed Methodology
The development of the handyman services portal will follow a structured, systematic approach
to ensure high-quality results and effective delivery. The proposed methodology for this project
is based on the Agile Software Development framework, which emphasizes iterative progress,
flexibility, and continuous feedback. The methodology is divided into several stages, each
focused on specific goals and deliverables.
Development and Implementation
Objective: Build the application using PHP and the Laravel framework, implementing the
designed features.
Backend Development: Develop the backend functionality using PHP and Laravel. Key
features to be implemented include:
User Authentication: Users and handymen will register and log in using secure
authentication methods (Laravel’s built-in Auth system).
Service Listings and Search: Implement a service search feature that allows
homeowners to browse and filter available services by type, price, or rating.
Booking System: Develop a system that allows users to select and book
handyman services, including a calendar for scheduling and real-time availability
updates.
Ratings and Reviews: Implement a system for users to rate services and leave
reviews, enhancing trust and transparency.
Notifications: Enable email and push notifications for appointment reminders,
job status updates, and communication between users and service providers.
Tools
Design:
Adobe Photoshop (For Design and Imagery assets)
Adobe Illustrator (For Logo Icon Favicons and other Vector Assets)
FigJam (For a sketch of the system)
Figma (For a User Interface)
Implementation:
PHP framework
Laravel
MySQL
HTML, CSS, JavaScript (JS)
Vue.js
Git
Analytics
References
