Handymen Get an Image Makeover

Forget the old image of the scruffy plumber (with the waistband falling down a little too low), who has shown up to fix the leaky faucet. A new kind of Mr. Fix-It has emerged and home service companies are not shy about touting their friendliness, education and even-- their attractiveness.

"On Craigslist, you can get someone for $25, but you don't know who you are letting in your door," says Clayton Jarvinen, who started the Chicago-area handyman service, Call Clayton. "No one promises that you are getting a clean-cut, good-looking guy who knows what he's doing."

But Jarvinen does promise it. On his Web site, the entrepreneur promotes his entourage of "handy man candy" that can do anything from set-up your cable, hang art and mirrors, and put up holiday decorations.