When planning a career that will bring success, respectability and financial security, today's fast-trackers would do well to consider the up-and-coming field of handymen.

That's right, handymen.

The title may lack cachet among the upwardly mobile, but a young professional could do far worse than enter the burgeoning home- improvement market.

With the price of houses soaring out of reach, many San Diegans are finding it easier to fix up the home they own than buy a new one. And today's handyman isn't the same fellow with frayed jeans who repaired your grandma's screen door. He -- or she -- is more likely to be an entrepreneur with a toolbox.

Many enjoy the freedom of working for themselves. They typically take on small projects that large firms are too busy to bother with. Whether licensed contractors or self-trained craftsmen, they are in such great demand that many can stay busy strictly through word of mouth.

Since anyone can call himself a handyman, experts say it's advisable to ask for references and evidence of insurance before hiring anyone to work in your home. Although there is a shortage of home craftsmen, finding a good one is worth the wait.

Steve Clark, 39, of Point Loma, gave up life as a skydiving instructor to nurture a passion for fixing things.

"Since I opened my business two years ago, I've been booked solid," he said. "I'm 100 percent referral and I turn down business each week . . . If a handyman is any good at all, there's nothing to keep you from making a great living."

Not a licensed contractor, Clark is limited by state law to jobs of $500 or less. He learned his trade as a boy, going out on construction jobs with his grandfather.

"I built homes with my grandfather for years in Lake Tahoe," he recalled. "In the winter we fixed plumbing, broken pipes. I started this company two years ago because it allowed me to be with my son. My hours are my own. It gives me a lot of freedom. I do all trades, carpentry, electrical, plumbing and drywall."

Running Your Handyman Services out of a 1984 Chevy Blazer, Clark charges $30 an hour, but has an assistant who can perform uncomplicated jobs for $16 an hour.

The going rate for handymen in the San Diego area is "anywhere from $25 to $40 an hour," he said.

Although they place ads in newspapers and in the telephone directories, many handymen say they get the bulk of their business through word of mouth.

"I enjoy my life a lot," Clark said. "People are just looking for someone they can trust. There is a preconceived notion that handymen are uneducated and running around with a hammer to fix things for a couple of bucks. Most handymen I run into are professionals."

While men dominate the trade, the term "handyman" can apply to either gender. Clark's assistant, Debbie Trivino, is at home with a hammer or drill.

"If I don't know how to do it, I'll figure it out," Trivino, 46, said. "That's just the attitude you have to have. My dad was very handy, too."

Art Neuman of Cincinnati recognized the need for home repair services a decade ago and co-founded the Handyman Connection chain. There now are nearly 140 franchises, including two in San Diego County. A colorful character who once managed a prizefighter, Neuman considers himself the Ray Kroc of home repair. At age 70, he insists that he's just getting started.

"I'm not over the hill, I'm on top of the hill looking down," he said with a laugh. "It's kind of like McDonald's. What we have is a niche business."

And a growing one. He said the home repair company he created with Marv Belkin hit $40 million in revenues in 1999 and about $60 million in 2000. He expects to expand by between 30 and 40 franchises in 2001. Handyman Connection finds qualified workers and matches them up with customers in major markets in Canada and the United States. Nationwide, the company works with an estimated 2,000 craftsmen.

Neuman thinks he knows why more and more homeowners are calling handymen rather than tackling repairs themselves.

"When I grew up there was no shame in learning a trade," he said. "If you were a carpenter, electrician or plumber you could always earn a living for your family. Now you have a whole generation of people who don't know what to do. They don't have the time, they don't have the tools and they don't have the talent."

Stephen Bannigan, national trades director for Home Service Store,agrees. Home Service is the parent of Joe Fix-it. Using the Internet and an 800 number, the firm matches craftsmen and consumers nationwide.

"There is a need in general for repairmen," he said. "One of the reasons for that is the trades themselves are no longer emphasized as vocational options in high schools. There are less skilled craftsmen, period, in all trades."

Another component is decreasing leisure time. With two-income families the norm, free time has become too precious to spend on do- it-yourself projects. Tasks that are simple for a pro can drive an amateur up a wall, sometimes requiring repeated trips to the store for parts and tools.

David Pritchard of Escondido-based Westcoast Building Services, says it's not unusual for him to take on "a year's worth" of someone else's delayed home repairs in a single day.

And according to Neuman, hiring a skilled craftsman can be safer than doing it yourself. Home repair guides that tell people how to fix garbage disposals ought to come with first-aid manuals, he said.

Despite the growth of the handyman business, the do-it-yourself market remains strong, said Chuck Sifuentes a spokesman for the Home Depot home-improvement chain. In 1999 the company had $38.4 billion in total sales at its more than 1,100 stores, he said. Two-thirds of the customers were do-it-yourselfers.

Damage control

Handymen say it's cheaper to hire an expert than to go out and buy special tools for a task you may only perform once.

"I fix things husbands have screwed up," said Jeffrey Frost, a 63- year-old handyman who is also a general contractor.

Good handymen -- like himself -- are underrated, he insists.

"God gave me the gift to look at something and figure out how to fix it," Frost said earnestly. "You think a handyman is just a guy who goes out and has a few tools and fixes something, but it's amazing how many people can look at a toilet and not know why it isn't flushing."

Frost likes the freedom of being his own boss, but prides himself on being a professional. Neatly dressed in navy blue pants and a matching shirt, he ferries himself to jobs in a worn but well- equipped Chevy van. The only thing that may be called unconventional about his appearance is a thick, long mane of gray hair.

Frost, who calls his business Handyfellow Home Repair, charges a minimum fee of $45. His hourly rate is $40. Although there are less expensive handymen, not all of them are qualified and reliable, he says.

Learning to say `no'

"There is freedom about it, if you learn how to say `no,' " he said of his work. "If I don't feel comfortable doing a job I would just as soon pass on it. You could work around the clock."

Frost installed high-voltage cables in Los Angeles before he moved to San Diego to start working for himself. When a marine caretaker business failed to catch on, he turned to home repair work in 1983. The speed of his success astonished him.

"It just boomed," he said. "I put fliers out one Thursday in University City and I had five calls by the time I came home. I now have little things in the Yellow Pages. I don't do any (other) advertising. It is all word of mouth. I'm usually booked three to five weeks in advance."

So just how many handymen (and handy women) are there in San Diego County? Estimates vary, but most people agree there aren't enough to go around.

"According to the customers I talk to, there aren't any," Frost said. "They have a hard time finding competent, reliable people."

Bruce Stall, a spokesman for the Oregon-based Handyman Online, thinks the need for people who perform home repairs has yet to reach its peak.

The company matches craftsmen and customers in nearly half of the 50 largest U.S. metropolitan areas. Revenue is running about $1 million per month from referral fees. Whether it's because of the strong economy or the increased price of new housing, there is a growing interest in maintaining and improving homes, Stall said.

"Everything from Martha Stewart to Home Depot demonstrates people are becoming more involved and more interested in everything in and around the home," he said. "As everyone is time-constrained, having someone else to do that work makes a lot of sense."

Clark is happy to be that person. He says the demand for his services is strong enough to allow him to choose the jobs that fit into his schedule.

"I'm about 100 percent referral," Clark said with a smile. "It gives me the freedom to be with my son. It gives me the freedom to be me."

Credit: STAFF WRITER

4 PICS; 1. [Jeffrey Frost], a veteran handyman, prepares to connect a computerized TV set to the Internet. A master of many trades, his jobs range from complex electronics to swinging a hammer. 2. With a hand from assistant [Debbie Trivino], handyman [Steve Clark] installs a light fixture. Clark formerly taught skydiving. 3. Debbie Trivino has a fearless approach to home-repair projects. "If I don't know how to do it, I'll figure it out," she said. "That's just the attitude you have to have." (I-5) 4. A handyman is only as good as his tools. Steve Clark pulls a pair of pliers from his tool belt as he performs electrical work in Poway. (I-5); Credit: 1,2,3,4. Crissy Pascual / Union-Tribune photos