Buy the Hour

Carpentry on the outside of my home. The handyman was out of town and it took him a long time to respond. Decided to do it myself.

I've used Buy-the-hour before so I sent an email with my request. He responded quickly (patiently waited for my reply) and got the job done well and at a fair price.

I've used Buy the Hour twice so far and I am very pleased with the service. John is a professional. He's respectful of my time and money. He always calls to confirm, shows up on time and works quickly and efficiently. He has also referred me to some contractors he trusts who handle more difficult projects and I have had some positive experiences using them. I will use Buy the Hour again in the future.

John is very responsive, highly professional and his team did an outstanding job at a very fair price. After weeks of getting quotes from electricians, brick masons and painters, it was so nice to find one company that would do it all. And, the price was well under the sum of the other quotes....for the same work. Highly recommended!

From estimate to completion, this is one of the most honest, reliable business from which I have purchased a service in the last twenty years.

I was very happy. I will absolutely use them again.

Showed up within an hour of my calling him. He was friendly, very professional, and did a great job.

I called on 2/15/12 looking for a Handyman type contractor to do some light work. John was very prompt in calling back within 2 hours. I advised him of the work I needed done and we set an appointment time on 2/16/12. He was very prompt and did all the work requested. I was invoiced the exact amount he advised.

John was great! Very professional and took care of anything I asked. I thought I was going to have to spend a few hundred dollars replacing a ceiling fan/light but he showed me the damaged ballast and once I got a replacement he fixed it quickly. He was also at the house when a new dishwasher was being installed. There was a problem with the location of the pump and the dishwasher wasn't going to fit. He was able to cut and cap the pipe and reroute whatever it is that drains the dirty water to another pipe under the sink. He saved me a lot of hassle and money so I didn't have to return the dishwasher and find a new one that would fit with this silly plumbing! He came back when promised to finish the ceiling fan and kitchen light replacement although I already paid him for his services. I asked him to put new locks on all the doors and he recommended a system that will let me re-key the locks easily anytime I want to on my own. I will definitely use him again!

Usually he and my husband talk a lot. John comes out himself. He's clean. You can't even tell he's been in here.

He has a strong background in electrical engineering or something similar, but it is obvious that he would rather make people happy on a daily basis. He did his job perfectly and I have no complaints. I would hire him again for similar or different work because of his conscientious nature.

Very friendly and professional. Finished both jobs in less than an hour.

John performed multiple tasks (see Services Performed), including buying replacement parts (totaling $150) for most items being repaired. This included work both inside and outside. John was prompt both days he came out, doing the inside work first, then waiting patiently for the outside work when warmer weather allowed for glue and sealant to dry. He was articulate as to what was needed to be done. John was very quick, yet thorough in his work. In one case, he did not perform the repair on replacing a large piece of glass in a door, but recommended a good glass company that did handle the job.

John is the perfect handyman. He is highly skilled and a delight to work with. We have used him several times after being disappointed with five or six other handymen we tried..

John arrived at the time agreed to replace 3 toilet tank valves, check out and replace a smoke alarm and replaced a track light dimmer switch. He accomplished the work in less time and cost than I expected. I was having a hard time locating someone to do another job for me and he provided a recommendation. He was informative about other issues I had and offered some advice on window repair that literally saved me thousands of dollars. I would hire him again and would recommend him to anyone.

John was great to work with. I found him on Angie's List. He returned my call promptly, listened to what I needed, made suggestions, and then showed up 10 minutes early for our appointment. He kept me informed of his progress and was proactive in determining the best, most cost-effective way to accomplish the few items I needed done. I also called him with another project a week or so later. He researched it and helped me determine that I did not need to do this. It would be a waste of money. He could have easily told me that I needed to do this (which I thought I did anyway, so it would have been an easy sell) so he could make money. But he didn't. Try to find those ethics in his industry! I consider John to be very knowledgable, honest, professional, and cost effective. What more could you ask for? Chip Bulloch

I email some photos to John and he come for a closer look several days after. It is a bit challenge for him to finished it alone, So he bring his tutor with him to work on the job several days later. The rot woods are replaced with the new one with PVC and they add some angle to prevent rain water accumulating. It took two person a full morning (9am-1pm)to finish the job in a hot day. The price is very reasonable and the job is well done.

John was prompt to come and estimate the work and to complete the work. He suggested an alternative for one repair that required the use of another contractor, which was a cheaper answer. The work was done well and within the price estimate. John is a quality guy who performed several additional repairs and still stayed within the estimate. I would definitely recommend his work and would use him again.

Showed up when he would and did the work. Very Satisfactorily !

As above, he was not able to perform the work due to the construction of my house. He did act very professionally and I would have confidence in hiring him for other work.

After leaving a message for John, he promptly returned my call. After talking with him about the job for about 10 minutes, he determined that, although he could do the work, he wouldn't be the best person for the job. Instead, he provided me with the name and number of another company that has been doing work in the area for 30+ years and that he recommended. Considering how everyone could use work in this economy, John's knowledge and upfront honesty about what he does best and what others are best at really impressed me. Should I have the opportunity to use John again, I will certainly give him a call.

John was great. His estimate was a bit lower than other estimates for the job. The price of the total project ballooned to about three times the estimate, because he needed to involve someone with more drywall experience. However, this total cost was still 30% lower than our next best estimate. John clearly was thinking about efficiency and my wallet the whole time, and I would definitely call on him again.

Buy the Hour did a very good job with the ceiling fan installation. He was very flexible in coming out to do the job. I had scheduling conflicts and he always worked around them. He cleaned up after himself very well. The installation was very professional and the fan did not wobble.

John Gwynn answered questions via email and cell prior to my committing. He showed up on time and performed the work that frigid and cold afternoon. He first came to see what I wanted done, and what I needed for the small job. He left to purchase the products and came back with everything he needed. All his tools and supplies are in the vehicle, as well as a cutting machine to cut slabs of wood, etc. I purchased garage glass window tint by Gila, after he installed only 1, I wasn't happy with the product I purchased by Gila Lowe's. I told him to stop after 2 windows. So he took it right off and he advised to return it. He did not charge me for labor as it was an incomplete operation and only the beginning of it. I had a problem with the carpeted garage steps as they kept drifting to the left of stairs. He tried several methods but the carpet was too thick, therefore he drilled the screws into the carpet & stair frame. It was necessary, it worked and looks great. I am not afraid of tripping anymore.

I'd definitely recommend Buy the Hour, great work and a fair price.