A 'simple' $75/hr handyman job almost never costs $75. The actual line items include: trip charge ($45–$95), minimum visit duration (often 2–4 hours regardless of work), materials with markup (usually 15–25%), disposal fees, and tax.
Flat-rate quotes are almost always cheaper for jobs the pro has done 50+ times — TV mounts, faucet swaps, garbage disposals, drywall patches. The pro knows exactly how long it takes and prices accordingly.
Hourly is appropriate for genuinely undefined work: 'figure out why the doorbell stopped working,' or 'walk through and tell me what's wrong with this house.' Anything else, demand a flat quote.
On HandyMandyMan, every quote breaks out labor, materials, fees, and tax separately. No surprises after the work starts.