handyman's special

noun

1. fixer-upper.

Example Sentences

He plied his trade for three years before dropping anchor on Long Island, where he bought a house — a handyman’s special — and took a job with Con Edison, working at a power plant on the East River.

Read more on Washington Post

By then the home was rundown, he said, calling it a “a handyman’s special.”

Read more on Seattle Times

Ms. Williamson chose TLC over other phrases that some might have thought more apropos, like “handyman’s special,” “needs renovation” or “Bring your shrink, your contractor and a bottle of Scotch.”

Read more on New York Times