Carpenter/Handyman in Arlington, VA

February 22, 2012 11:04 AM

Trying to find a reliable and reasonably priced carpenter/handyman in Arlington, Virginia

The office of my tiny non-profit (in Rosslyn) was just renovated/repainted, which meant that a bunch of stuff we had hanging on the walls had to come down. That included a bunch of mounted shelves and a few whiteboards. Now that the renovation is complete, my boss wants us to put the shelves back up. While my colleague and I could do it, for sure, it would take at least a day or so, and we really don't have time to deal with it.

So I'm trying to find a good, and reliable handyman/carpenter type person that could put the shelves and whiteboards up for a reasonable price, while we do our regular jobs. I'm leery of trying to find someone on craigslist, and the few places we cold-called were not interested for something small like that. The original renovation contractor is no longer working in the building, and they were hired by the landlord anyway.

Any suggestions for types of search terms to use, other resources to try, or suggestions for specific companies/people would all be welcome. Thanks!

posted by gemmy to Home & Garden (5 answers total)

I have a friend with extensive construction experience - he helped me open up a wall and put in a new header - who resigned from his job to become a stay-at-home dad; his last day is Friday. He might be interested in a small gig like this. You have a timetable?

Mefi-mail me if you want his contact information.
posted by phearlez at 11:50 AM on February 22, 2012

Best answer: We use Phillip at our office in Alexandria for all our random handy man needs- he was actually here last week putting our white boards up, securing shelves, and building desks. A couple months ago he put together all the ikea cabinetry for our break room. Really friendly and easy to work with.
posted by zara at 11:55 AM on February 22, 2012 [1 favorite]

all that sounds so easy, why not just get a coworker's son to come in and do it, preferrably one that has wood shop classes in highschool
posted by udon at 2:50 PM on February 22, 2012

Response by poster: Thanks for the offer, phearlez, but I think we might start with zara's suggestion - its' the type of intel that's exactly what I was looking for! (There's only three of us, udon. We all tried tapping our personal networks for suitable people first, with no luck.)

Thanks!
posted by gemmy at 10:00 PM on February 22, 2012

Response by poster: Ok! We just had Philip in to the office. In less than two hours, he had all our projects done and looking great. He brought all his own tools, and was nice and efficient. Great recommendation, zara, thanks so much!
posted by gemmy at 1:02 PM on March 6, 2012 [1 favorite]