If you live in Arlington and you’re comparing The Smart Fix Handyman vs Hank’s Handyman Service, you want a straight answer. I’m Chance O’Shel. I grew up around custom home builds here in Texas, spent time in real estate and later as a firefighter, and now I run The Smart Fix out of Fort Worth. I coach every tech on our team. Here’s my honest read on both companies for Arlington homeowners.
Short version: Both companies use W-2 employees instead of random subcontractors, and both are DFW locals. The Smart Fix is a Fort Worth side shop focused only on repairs, installs, and remodels, backed by $1 million in insurance and a one-year workmanship guarantee. Hank’s is a Garland based shop that does handyman work along with pest control, weed control, and lawn care. If you want a repair and remodel specialist that’s close to Arlington, The Smart Fix is the tighter fit. If you’d rather have one company handle handyman plus pest and lawn, Hank’s covers more ground.
Quick Comparison at a Glance
| Criteria | The Smart Fix Handyman | Hank’s Handyman Service |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2017 (DFW) | 2019 (DFW) |
| Nearest office to Arlington | Haslet / Fort Worth (about 25 min) | Garland (about 40 min) |
| Google review rating | 5.0 with 300+ five-star reviews | About 4.8 with roughly 1,400 reviews |
| Employees | W-2, background checked | W-2, per their website |
| Insurance | $1M liability + workers comp on every job | Insured (limits not published) |
| Workmanship guarantee | 12-month written guarantee | Warranty offered, ask for written terms |
| Handyman scope | Interior, exterior, installs, light plumbing/electric, remodels, commercial | Carpentry, doors, sheetrock, recaulking, hanging, appliance installs, floor/tile, painting, kitchen makeovers |
| Non-handyman services | None. Repair specialist only. | Pest control, weed control, lawn care, gutter cleaning, pressure washing |
| Hourly rate | $145/hour, $95 job minimum | Not published on site |
| Project review | Yes | Not advertised |
Coverage in Arlington
Arlington sits between Fort Worth and Dallas. Where a company is based matters, because drive time affects response speed, same day availability, and after-hours callbacks.
The Smart Fix Fort Worth office is at 421 E Wishbone Ln in Haslet. That’s a short hop south on I-35W and I-820 to most Arlington zip codes. On a normal weekday I’ve got techs in Arlington almost every day. Our Arlington service page lists the neighborhoods we cover most often, from north Arlington near Randol Mill down to south Arlington near Kennedale.
Hank’s Handyman is headquartered at 435 W Interstate 30 in Garland. Garland is about 35 to 40 miles from Arlington on the northeast side of Dallas. Their published service area includes Fort Worth, so they’ll come to Arlington, but they’re driving from farther out. For a same day drywall patch or a leaky faucet, a closer shop usually gets to you faster. For a scheduled remodel that runs several days, drive time matters less.
Services Offered
Here’s where the two companies split.
The Smart Fix sticks to handyman and remodel work. That means interior repairs like drywall, tile, and cabinets. Exterior work like fence, deck, siding, and gutters. Installations like TVs, shelving, smart doorbells, and light fixtures. Light plumbing and electric. And full kitchen and bath remodels. We don’t do pest control, weed spraying, or lawn care. We stay in our lane on purpose.
Hank’s offers handyman services along with a separate pest and weed division. On the handyman side, they cover carpentry, door repairs, sheetrock, recaulking, hanging and assembly, appliance installs, floor and tile, painting, and kitchen makeovers. Beyond handyman, Hank’s runs fire ant, cockroach, rodent, spider, mosquito, bed bug, and termite control, plus weed control, fertilization, tree and shrub care, gutter cleaning, and pressure washing.
Both cover the everyday stuff most Arlington homeowners need. The real question is depth versus breadth. If your house needs a full bathroom remodel or a punch list that mixes drywall, tile, cabinet, and plumbing work in one visit, a repair-only shop like ours can quote it, staff it, and warranty it as one project. If you’d rather have one number for handyman plus pest and lawn, Hank’s gives you that under one roof.
Employees, Insurance, and Guarantee
This is the part I care about most. When I was doing real estate inspections a decade ago, I saw so many jobs go sideways because a “handyman” showed up who was actually a random sub the company had never met. When something broke, the homeowner had nobody to call.
Both companies claim W-2 employees, which is a real difference. Employees can be trained, background checked, and held accountable. Subcontractors move around, and quality moves with them.
The Smart Fix carries $1 million in liability coverage plus workers comp on every single job. If a tech drops a ladder through a window or gets hurt at your house, that falls on us and not on you. We back our labor with a written 12-month workmanship guarantee. If something we did fails within the year, we come back and make it right at no cost. In three years of tracking, we see callback claims on roughly one in twenty jobs, and we fix every one.
Hank’s states they carry insurance and warranty their work, but the specific liability limit isn’t posted publicly on callhanks.com. If insurance limits matter to you, and for most homeowners they should, ask Hank’s directly and get the coverage number in writing before work starts.
Pricing
Both companies use hourly labor rates plus material costs. Neither publishes a full price sheet, which is normal for handyman work because every job is different.
The Smart Fix charges $145 per hour with a $95 job minimum. Quotes go out upfront before we start, so you know the range going in. We also offer a project review for bigger projects, where I look at photos or a short video and give you a real ballpark before any tech drives out. That saves you an in-person estimate fee.
Hank’s does not publish rates on their website. Third party review sites report Arlington area handyman rates from about $65 per hour for one tech up to $160 per hour depending on the company and the work. Get a written estimate before booking, no matter who you choose.
Reviews and Reputation
The Smart Fix has more than 300 five-star Google reviews across our DFW service area. We ask every customer for honest feedback, and I read every one. I coach the team on any review that calls out something to improve, not just the ones with five stars.
Hank’s Handyman Service shows about 1,400 Google reviews with an average rating close to 4.8 stars across their footprint. That’s a strong review count for a company founded in 2019 and reflects the volume of work they’ve done in DFW in six years.
Both companies have real customers who are happy with the work. Review count on its own isn’t the whole story. Read a mix of five-star and three-star reviews for either company. You learn more from how a company handles a problem than from how it acts when everything goes right.
Where Hank’s Might Be the Better Fit
Hank’s makes more sense for you if:
- You want one company to handle handyman work plus pest control, weed control, and lawn care, so you’re not managing three vendors.
- You live on the northeast side of the metroplex closer to Garland, Rockwall, Rowlett, or Mesquite, where they’re based.
- Your handyman list is small and routine, like a sheetrock patch, an appliance install, or a door adjustment.
- You already use Hank’s for pest or lawn and want to bundle a small repair with a scheduled visit.
Where The Smart Fix Might Be the Better Fit
The Smart Fix makes more sense for you if:
- You live in Arlington or the west side of DFW and want a shop that’s actually close by.
- Your project is a remodel, an aging in place upgrade, or a punch list that mixes repairs across several trades in one visit.
- You want $1 million in insurance and a written one-year workmanship guarantee in hand before work starts.
- You’d rather deal with a repair specialist than a general services company.
- You want a project review before committing to a tech visit.
How I Put This Together
I pulled everything I could find from callhanks.com, third party review platforms, and public directory listings for Hank’s. Smart Fix info is straight from our office and current pricing as of 2026. I compared what each company publicly claims and how they operate around Arlington. If a Hank’s rep sees this and thinks a detail is off, reach out through our contact page and I’ll update it.
Editorial note: This comparison reflects public information as of the publish date and my working knowledge of the DFW handyman market. Both companies are separate businesses. Neither has reviewed or approved this article.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does The Smart Fix Handyman serve all of Arlington?
Yes. We cover every Arlington zip code, from north Arlington near I-30 down to south Arlington near I-20. Our Fort Worth office is a short drive up I-820.
Does Hank’s Handyman Service work in Arlington?
Yes. Arlington falls inside their listed DFW service area. They’re headquartered in Garland, so drive time is longer than a Fort Worth side shop.
Are both companies licensed and insured?
Both companies use W-2 employees and state they’re insured. The Smart Fix carries $1 million in liability plus workers comp on every job. Ask Hank’s for their exact coverage limit in writing before you book.
What kind of guarantee does each company offer?
The Smart Fix backs every job with a written 12-month workmanship guarantee. Hank’s advertises warranty work as part of their service promise. Ask for the specific warranty terms up front so you know what’s covered and for how long.
Who’s a better fit for a full remodel in Arlington?
The Smart Fix leans toward repair and remodel work as a core specialty. We handle full kitchen and bath remodels every week. If your project is a remodel, ask both companies for a written scope, a timeline, a certificate of insurance, and photos of past projects before you decide. For more options, see our top 5 handyman services in Arlington comparison.
Ready to Cross It Off Your List?
If you want a repair, remodel, or install handled in Arlington, we’d be glad to take a look. If you want this checked or handled, reach out through thesmartfixhandyman.com.
Chance | The Smart Fix
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