About San Juan Islands Handyman
I’m Ben Henkel. I live in Friday Harbor and I run San Juan Islands Handyman.
- Licensed & bonded
- WA L&I #SANJUJI741OT
- Insured
- Locally owned in Friday Harbor
I’ve run a business on this island for years — Sea Quest Kayak Tours — which means I’ve spent a long time learning what island logistics actually cost, why the ferry schedule runs your life, and what it takes to show up when you said you would. That last part turns out to be most of the job.
San Juan Islands Handyman is a separate business, licensed and insured on its own. I started it because the gap here is obvious: plenty of people can do good work, and it is genuinely hard to get someone to call you back, show up on the day, and tell you the truth about what a job needs.
Photo: You, outdoors, on the island — not a studio headshot. No hard hat, natural light, horizontal.
Shot list item 1. This is the most important photo on the site. It goes here and in the hero.
How I work
I’ll tell you if something is outside what I should be doing. Electrical work, plumbing work, and anything structural need a specialty license in Washington, and I’ll connect you with someone who has one rather than take a run at it.
I show up when I said I would. If something changes, you’ll hear it from me before the appointment, not after.
You get an itemized invoice with the hours on it.
Licensed, bonded, insured
Registered with Washington State Labor & Industries as a general contractor, #SANJUJI741OT. Carrying a $30,000 surety bond and general liability coverage. You can verify any contractor at the L&I website — I’d encourage you to do that for anyone you hire out here.
What the registration does and doesn’t cover. A Washington general contractor registration is not an electrical or plumbing license, and Washington treats advertising those trades without the license as the violation itself. So I don’t advertise them and I don’t do them. Any work requiring an electrical or plumbing license is coordinated with a licensed contractor rather than performed in-house — I’ll book them, meet them at the house, and stay involved until it’s finished.
Why the plural
San Juan Islands, not San Juan Island — because I work the whole archipelago, not just this one. Orcas, Lopez, and Shaw get scheduled island days, and I run my own skiff to the outer islands the ferry never touches.
Next step
Get on the Schedule
Call (360) 317-0203 or send your list. I’ll give you a straight answer on timing.
Related