help me hire a handyman!

August 8, 2006 2:55 PM

i need a carpenter and electrician to do a very small job in a condo (lakeview/boys town ish) in Chicago. everyone i've asked says they don't know anyone who will take so small a job. [described inside]

i need to replace louvered doors (which take up the whole wall between my kitchen and living room) with a wall (which needs a junction box in the middle because i'd like to put the fridge on that wall). i'd also like to move the door of my bedroom closet from the east wall to the north wall (thus requiring a second doorway to be replaced with a wall). also, i have french doors (between the dining room and living room) which need to be planed and rehung. i would also like the electrician to put in two GFCI outlets (bathroom and kitchen) and add a fuse to my circuit breaker.

can anyone recommend someone reliable who will take such a small job? one contractor for both or one of each is fine.

posted by crush-onastick to Home & Garden (6 answers total)

Your job doesn't sound that small, actually. You might try www.servicemagic.com. I've used them several times for jobs much smaller, and always found several contractors willing to take them on.
posted by Work to Live at 3:03 PM on August 8, 2006

My landlord (in Chicago) has been using the "your job is too small" excuse to not get our circuit breaker fixed for 4 months now. (The circuits that need to be fixed are turned off, which means the outlets over the counter in the kitchen and our dishwasher do not work. I guess that's better than dying in an electrical fire, but it's pretty damn annoying nonetheless.) I am surprised by your question - I had no idea that he actually might be telling the truth.
posted by misskaz at 4:39 PM on August 8, 2006

Speaking as a small-time carpenter myself, I would say that list doesn't really qualify as "very small" to me! It's not huge, but it's substantial enough to attract attention.

As for where to look, I would point to craigslist Look in the skilled trade services offered to see what folks are advertising. You can contact from there or place your own ad and see what results you get. You try the same thing in The Reader, for that matter...
posted by schwap23 at 4:42 PM on August 8, 2006

Ask the real estate agents involved with your condo purchase (both listing agent and buyers agent if you had one) for their referrals. They keep lists.

It doesn't sound small at all to me either.

I would separate out the electrical work.
posted by intermod at 6:27 PM on August 8, 2006

Post it on Craigslist.
posted by beatrice at 6:39 PM on August 8, 2006

I've been trying to get my house completely rewired all summer. (Going from "death-trap Aluminum" to modern copper.) Everyone I call says they will get back to me but never do. After talking / thinking it through, my conclusion is that this time of year combined with the solid construction growth in my area lends itself to these type of workers being busy with new construction. In my case, its a lot easier to wire a new building with no walls then tear out existing ones.

Maybe this applies to your situation. Personally, I'm going to wait until the fall to get my estimates.

Angie's List has reviews of various contractors in your area.
posted by premortem at 7:30 AM on August 9, 2006