[Chat] Wanted: Handyman/Carpenter/Advice--recommendations

Emily Chalmers echalmers at mindspring.com
Tue May 2 15:25:10 EDT 2006


Unfortunately I returned to the list a message that was intended for Didon
alone.

However, now that the word is out, I'll list the contractors I've found who
have done really wonderful work. It took me weeks to find this group, so I
hope this listing saves others some time.

Tile: Steve Snyder, Eagle Tile and Marble 443-677-6280.  Steve tiled my
kitchen floor, which was very, very uneven. He not only levelled it out but
also did a lovely job with the tile. Total cost with the levelling $1200;
without $800. The old tile was already up, and I bought the new tile and
grout. Steve also redid the lead pan in my 1930s shower, breaking up the
old tile and installing new waterproofing and tile. It looks great. Total
cost $750, including material. Steve is a great guy--just be sure to tell
him to clean up the grout dust and haul away his old tile!  He left me with
a bag I can't lift . . .

Flooring: Old World Floors, in the phone book. People in CV have talked
about Bobby Severe for years, and I'm here to say that he is the best. He
refinished all the wood floors in my house, upstairs and down, and repaired
stained and damaged areas. The floors look fantastic. Total cost
$4200--about $1500 a floor and $700 for the stairs. He does repairs at $20
a board.  For the record, my house is about 1400 sq. ft., all but the
galley kitchen and baths with hardwood floors. Bobby may charge a bit more
than others, but his work is worth every penny--and he is prompt, pleasant,
and clean. 

Electric:  Ed and his son at E-Z Electric. I hired them out of the phone
book (they have a display ad). What a relief to find them! They don't
charge by the minute like everyone else, but work on a job-by-basis and
will do very small jobs. They put outlets in my kitchen and redid some of
the wiring before the new appliances were installed.  Total cost $650. 
They also installed a new base fixture for a ceiling fan in a room where
there had been no light fixture for $350. They are pleasant and prompt and
as noted don't run the meter at $50 every 15 minutes.

Plumber: Lou Mank and his daughter at Charm City Plumbing, also in the
phone book. Lou has been around for years. Not cheap, but very nice to deal
with and very competent. I thought I got a great deal on the two commodes
he replaced for me, as he has to seek out special "thrones" to fit the old
bases--$656 for two, including hauling away the grotesque originals. The
kitchen was not so cheap but required a lot of work.

I also have a good carpenter for small jobs, a great painter, and a
plasterer/mason. However, I am unwilling to divulge their names until they
are done with my house.  The carpenter works in the evenings after his day
job, so if you want him you must be ready to give up your evenings. He has
been installing my kitchen and has done an excellent job with the Ikea
cabinets and has made some lovely oak transitions for the floors. The
plasterer redid a bad skimming job for me, but I won't reveal his name
because he might give you the name of the carpenter. Mean, aren't I? The
painter is a very nice, ridiculously reasonable guy who also does faux
finishes. I know he wants more work.

If anyone's interested, send me an e-mail or call me in a few weeks
(410-366-4094) and I will post. 

Best,

Emily

NB Here are some contractors to avoid: Mastercraft Construction, Tim
O'Conner Painting, Stephen Scalf Electric, Joe Birch, contractor.
Mastercraft is incredibly expensive, does dishonest estimates, and really
did a terrible job on my kitchen floor; the owner then yelled at me for
half an hour when I criticized his work. Tim O'Conner demanded a huge
deposit, sent over incompetent, really filthy workers to skim the walls,
had his hands all over me one day, and then screamed at me when I told him
his work was bad and I didn't want him to do any painting (I also lost
about $400). Stephen Scalf wanted to do $2,000 worth of unneeded electrical
work. Joe Birch is just plain weird--not unpleasant, just weird.
The world is full of creepy contractors!






> [Original Message]
> From: Didon Pachner <pachner at att.net>
> To: Chat at charlesvillage.info <Chat at charlesvillage.info>; Charles Village
Discussion <discussion at lists.thevillage.org>; Julie Modlin
<juliemodlin at yahoo.com>
> Date: 4/17/2006 8:33:41 PM
> Subject: [Chat] Wanted: Handyman/Carpenter/Advice
>
> Hi Folks,
>
> My front porch is in serious need of attention.  I'm thinking about 
> replacing the rotten boards (tongue and groove) with new boards or if 
> that's too complicated, replacing the entire front porch.
>
> Does anyone know a carpenter/handyman who can do this type of job?
>
> Has anyone ever done this?  If so, how complicated is it to replace 
> individual boards - is it even "do-able"?
>
> Thanks!!
>
> Didon
>
>
>
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> http://charlesvillage.info/mailman/listinfo/chat_charlesvillage.info






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