Compare

Zebrano vs a general contractor vs Jiffy vs DIY

DIY costs your time. Jiffy fixes a task. A general contractor delivers a project. Zebrano looks after the home, acting as its steward.

Zebrano
General contractor
Jiffy App
DIY
Works for
You and your home, year after year
The project
The task in front of them
You, on your own time
Scope
Maintenance, repairs, small renovations and emergencies
One defined build
Small single-trade jobs
Whatever you can find time for
Regular, seasonal maintenance
Proactively schedule and oversee every job, plan ahead for unique repairs and book the follow-ups
Forget to schedule ahead and don't like managing small jobs
No familiarity with your home, and you have to book
It all falls on you
Who shows up
Licensed, vetted, insured trades matched to the job
Their crew and subs
Whoever is available on the app
You, then whoever you find
Who oversees the work
Your dedicated Home Manager
Their site lead, for their project
Nobody
You, between meetings
Knowledge of your home
Builds year after year
Ends at handover
Starts from zero each visit
In your head and inbox
Pricing
$121/hr, 60-hour minimum, hours never expire. Trades billed through Zebrano
Contract price with margin on subs
Per task
Your time, plus trial and error
Emergencies
One call to someone who knows the house
Not their job after handover
Book and wait
You call who you find on Google
Planning ahead
Annual Home Care Plan and Five-Year Capital Plan
Their project schedule
None
You remember, or you don't
Your time
Minimal
Some
More
All of it
The right call

When each one makes sense.

DIY
Works when the job is small, you enjoy it and you have the time. You have to schedule and be home regularly to meet your maintenance trades, and on a large or heritage home, a small job can hide a bigger one.
Jiffy and similar apps
Good at one task, booked one at a time: hang a mirror, fix a tap. Nobody looks at the house as a whole, and nobody is accountable for what happens next.
A general contractor
The right choice for one defined build with its own architect and drawings. When the build is handed over, so is the house, back to you.
Zebrano
Built for a home with many systems and many trades, owned by people with more to do than manage them. We contract and manage the trades ourselves, as we have since 2001, and we stay after the work is done.
Small projects

Can Zebrano handle small renovations too?

Yes. We handle small renovations and refreshes from scope to final deficiency: closets, baths, millwork, painting, furniture sourcing and light updates. Because we contract the trades, you get one invoice, and Zebrano is accountable for the result.

Let's walk your home together.