Loss of trades people.

I can find people to hire for big jobs, but I still have to wait for them to come, even to give an estimate, because they're so busy. The problem is getting someone for smaller jobs. I need some repairs on my deck, but no one is interested in doing them. Even if someone was willing to do it, I'd be way overcharged to make it worth their while. My driveway is the same way. There's a section that could use repaving, but no one will do just that section. They want to do the whole driveway. It's a big chunk of change to do that. It's frustrating, but I'm not giving up just yet. I'm still looking for someone who will do it the way I want.
 

Seems to me the issue is not so much loss of trades people as it is loss of skilled trades people.

Workforce has become so diluted with unskilled trades people that it is a challenge finding someone that can actually do a task to completion in a satisfactory manner.
 
I have done handyman work for about 16 years, and I can tell you that all it really takes is a willingness to learn. If you don't know how to do something, there are multiple videos on youtube for it, books on every trade, and also instructions that come with almost every product. I learned from being in the hardware industry for 25 years prior, but any person can learn those skills if they are determined to do it.

There are also many things you learn on the job, simply because a lot of times, things just aren't the same as you might learn in a trade school. Rarely are two houses built the same, so you encounter a large variety of situations that require inventive solutions, but if you have a good working brain, and basic skills, you will come up with solutions that work.

The bonus is that when you learn those skills, you don't have to pay someone to do whatever needs to be done at your own home. I built my house, which saved boat loads of money, and whenever something needs replacing or added, I just do it. So wages are just part of the picture, but you also save on your own stuff.
 

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