Good job! And good brother!
Plumbing companies charge more than a handyman because of the "showing up" factor. A lot of handymen know how to do certain jobs and will charge a reasonable rate, but will not show up in the time window or even on the day they promised.
One example: my ex-husband's secretary's husband was hired to paint our house. He had worked for a company but decided he could work for himself and make more money. Problem was he didn't have the work ethic or management skills or something to show up regularly.
Since it was exterior, I didn't nag him for the first couple of months (yes, months) after he'd started the job and left his ladders, radio, etc around the house.
But then it was 1)his mailbox was full (had to go through his wife) 2) his horse died 3) there was a hail storm and his neighbor's fence was down....I think this may have involved livestock 4) Had to bail a buddy out of jail 5)his truck broke down...
When I sold a house in 2007, the realtor recommended a handyman for some interior painting and other assorted jobs. He loved some of my furniture so we made a deal of the work in exchange for the furniture. He came with a crew and stayed until midnight getting it all done.
Then...crickets! Neither I nor the realtor could reach him to either give him the furniture or pay him. She didn't have his address. His cell went to voicemail and eventually mailbox was full. We couldn't find him on the internet.
The house was on the market for 6 months. I had the same phone number for 8 years. He was just gone. He never came back by my house or called me. I used to check obituaries but didn't find him. It's a mystery.
There's an old adage about handymen: You can have 2 of these 3 virtues but never ALL: 1. Shows up when he said he would 2.Does good work 3.Doesn't charge an arm and a leg.
#2 good work is the most important to me and then I vary between #1 and #3. For a plumbing issue, I will use a "phone book" company. One with a website, phone number, Yelp reviews, sometimes a guarantee of arrival time (Benjamin Franklin Plumbing in Dallas gave a credit if the arrival window wasn't met). For something less urgent, I will be laid-back about the time/day if I'm going to be around the house anyway.