Where can I find good help these days?

August 8, 2005 4:32 PM

Where can I find good electricians, plumbers, handymen, and whatnot in Baltimore? Is there a centralized resource where people can find out who's good, who's cheap, whose repair work is going to need repairing by another contractor, etc etc? Must one rely on word-of-mouth or blindly picking a name from the phonebook?
posted by anonymous to Home & Garden (4 answers total)

I have found Angie's List (http://www.angieslist.com/) to be very reliable. Also, you might want to check Craig's List and see what others have said.
posted by richardhay at 4:55 PM on August 8, 2005

Is there a centralized resource where people can find out who's good, who's cheap, whose repair work is going to need repairing by another contractor, etc etc?

You're pretty much describing Angie's List. I'm not aware of any competitors. You do have to pay a membership fee, but the upside is that they owe their loyalty to you (as a paying member), not to the service providers.

ServiceMagic doesn't charge you a fee to provide a certain number of referrals, and does some screening (I think) to keep out the rip-off artists. So it's better than nothing, or taking a blind stab at yellow pages listings.
posted by WestCoaster at 8:24 PM on August 8, 2005

Ask your real estate agent. If they've been around long enough, they know good contractors in the area. Don't worry that you're taking their time; they're looking to keep you as a customer when you want to sell your place. Long and Foster has a program.

Also, you could try asking your neighbors.
posted by clearlynuts at 8:01 AM on August 9, 2005

You can email me & I'll give you the name of a close friend who's a licensed general contractor who does a lot of restoration/handyman type work, mostly in and around Fells Point. He pretty much rebuilt my house when I lived in Highlandtown; did everything.
posted by mygothlaundry at 8:14 AM on August 9, 2005