Handy Men & Mrs Helper Kitchen & Bath

I have used this provider before and could not have been more pleased then and now! Faith is a delight to work with on scheduling, very responsive and does her very best to get me the help I need in a timely manner. Steve was the gentleman that did the work for me and a consummate professional. Did a superb job on all repairs, very prompt and respectful of cleaning up after his work. This is the only service I will use as they have proven their worth and value 1000%. Thank you, Faith and Steve!

It hasn't gone yet because I haven't been scheduled.

Our existing mailbox was just bearly standing up at the curb. Faith immediately contacted her carpenter Doug Bork. Doug came out the same day and completed the job. Doug was highly professional and made sure we were happy with his work. My wife and I will definitely call them both for future work done in our home.

If I could I would give Handy Men and Mrs. Helper an A++++++ and ten stars. This is the first time we had done any major work on our home and were a bit nervous about how it would go. Faith was wonderful to work with. Rod had come to the house as scheduled to determine the estimate. He had helpful ideas about how to implement our changes. He came back with a quote within a couple of days. Shortly after that we scheduled the work. I have to say that Steve and Urmas were fantastic. They were extremely professional and the best at what they did. I was always surprised at how clean the house was at the end of the day. The work turned out better than we could have possibly imagined. The work took a little less than 3 weeks and it was like getting a birthday present at the end of everyday. We added recessed lighting to almost every room plus additional pendant fixtures to the dining room and kitchen. It really brightens up the house. We painted almost every room. It looks fantastic! They replaced all of the shelving in our kitchen pantry and now have plenty of room. Another item that stands out is the addition of closet doors. We used to have old sliding doors that went all the way to the ceiling. They were awful and falling apart. They replaced the doors with beautiful bifold doors and even replace all of the shelving in our linen closet. We also had a front screen door that wasn't working properly. That even works flawlessly now. I would highly recommend Handy Men and Mrs. Helper to anyone that needs ANY work done to their home.

We had our exterior entrance door replaced due to some shoddy work from another contractor (not this one). Hank replaced the old steel door with a fiberglass door with sidelight. He did an excellent job on the door. The door needed painting to match our exterior colors. The door was going to be painted a forest green color. We also needed the door knocker, door bell, peep hole and storm door installed, which was part of the original work. Hank said that we needed to pain the door before he installed the storm door or the frame would rot if installed on an untreated surface. We called back Faith to see about painting it and we needed to fill the painters entire day with work, so we gave him the door and surrounding framework inside and out as well as the baseboards that are along the stairway to the upstairs. The painter never came out to see the work, but Faith relayed the information to the painter on what was required and I talked to them as well. Painting day came and Marek, one of the painters arrives and asks my wife why we are painting the door. He wouldn't paint it if it was him. He kept telling her he wouldn't paint it if it was him. He would leave it white. But, we still had to give him other work to do since he was already here and still was required to be paid. After some back and forth with my wife, he was going to do what we had hired him for and that is paint the door. In the first place, there was no need for the arguments at the outset of the job. That gave us a bad taste in our mouths from the get go. He didn't do the painting but his other painter did. The other painter was saying that we needed tinted primer to be avaialble for him. We purchased the paint ahead of time for everything and asked told Faith that we had the paint and the type of door that had to be painted. No where in the conversations did any type of primer come up before the painting job. Anyway, the other painter seemed to settle down a little and started working. Well then he dropped the brand new lock handle set when he was taking it off the door and scratched it. Later, he was arguing with my wife about filling a hole with some wood filler because he didn't think it needed it. He told her and I quote, "why does it have to be perfect". Well, nothing is perfect, but if you are hired for something and the customer asks to do something that is in your scope of work, you do it and don't talk back. The other painter was very unprofessional. I was at work that day and I was communicating with Faith on the issues and told her that I wouldn't be paying her the full price because the painter scratched our brand new lock set by dropping it. Later, that day Hank got involved and went to our home to see what was going on. He was able to take care of the handleset entirely and fix it. No longer was it scratched. Basically he took it completely apart replaced the scratched piece and put it back together like he was the manufactuer of it! Hank saved the day! He took care of the other painter as well by setting him straight. Marek later came back at the end of the day tp collect payment and did apologize to my wife, but both painters were unprofessional from the start, which there is no excuse for. Also, Faith claimed "they treat your home like it is their own they are so meticulous with their work", well that wasn't the case at all. They weren't any different from contractors we encountered in the past. They just wanted to get paid and leave as quick as possible. If anyone did go above and beyond it was Hank and I would hire Hank again in a second! At the end of the day, everything got done that was agreed to be done. However, the other painter missed painting some spots on the door frame and trim. I told Faith this and she offered for Hank to complete it when he returned for the storm door install. I told her that I would do it myself. This is not Hank's responsibility since he is a carpenter and not a painter. It should have been done originally, but I didn't want those painters back in my home because of the awful first impression they made on us. I ended up finishing their job. Lastly, I will never hire those painters again, but will be giving Hank any work that he is willing to do for me in the future. I fully recommend Hank for carpenter services. I had to rate some of the services as lower than an A because of the awful experience with the painting. I had to average the services together (painting and carpentry). If I just received Hank's services then all A's would have been submitted, but due to the painters, something less is being submitted. They ruined the experience.

2 day response, over weekend, to Angie's List message.

He called me the night before and was there promptly at 8:00 a.m. the next day. He took out the old mailbox and before he cemented the new one in, he let me inspect it to make sure it was the appropriate height, and width away from the street. He did an excellent job. Doug is a very nice man. I would definitely use them again.

The quality of the work was great. Where they filled in the holes, you cannot tell that there was ever a problem.

Absolutely GREAT! Tom arrived when he said he would, gave suggestions on how to fix our damaged/outdated shower and bathroom floor, and Faith had an estimate to us in two days. We set a date to begin the work about two weeks later. Tom came right on time the first day and got right to work tearing out the shower and the floor. He made sure to protect the carpet with plastic and to keep the house as free from dust as possible the whole time. Tom had the whole job done in a week's time and did beautiful work- we are very pleased! Did I mention that everyone was a pleasure to work with? Absolutely! We will likely call HM&MH when we've saved up our pennies to do our next bathroom- meantime we'll very much enjoy the new one we have now! We highly recommend this Contractor!!

The experience of working with Faith and Rein was excellent. Faith always returned our calls, or emails promptly. Once work started Rein did an exceptional job. Since we had old wallpaper that was difficult to remove, and an intercom system that had been removed, he primed and skim coated the walls to perfection. He then primed again, and painted. Our dining room looks absolutely beautiful. We will definitely use Handy Men and Mrs. Helper again, and I know I will be asking for Rein. He is a true professional who knows his craft.

The work that was done was excellent and quick. Urmas was professional and the resulting output was was exactly what we wanted. We had no problems with scope creep or gotchas on any of the work. I would definitely recommend their work to anyone needing drywall done, Urmas even took care of the tricky spots and made them look good. Also to the providers credit because the job went well within time budget and without issue so a connecting portion of drywall was skimmed (this may not be the 100% correct technical name) and seamed without additional charge. The only issue we ran into was due to aggressive scheduling and a slow United States Postal Service. Our deposit check took way too long to be received a couple towns over and we agreed to pay the full amount at the completion of the job because it seemed to be lost in the mail. The provider agreed that if the check arrived they would not deposit it. It did arrive eventually and because of a communication issue at the provider got deposited anyway. The provider notified us of the issue right away and sent us a check for the amount to get us to the correct balance again.

I called to request an estimate to gut and restore 2 bathrooms. I spoke with Faith and she was very pleasant. However, she explained that her husband was the only person who comes out to give estimates and that they charge $100 for him to do so. I explained that I have never had to pay a contractor to come to my home to give me their price. She said that the price included the cost of a lead test and that if a contractor does not mention a lead test right away, they are no good. I guess everyone I have called in the past are all no good? My house was built in the late 1970's so it is not that old. I have had other work done on it with no problems. She gave me a very strong sales pitch and I was told that their business met with the CEO of Angie's List and that they were the best of the best receiving the highest award that any contractor on Angie's List could receive, etc. etc. I was very disappointed to get this kind of response. All I wanted was an estimate and felt that any company that would charge to give you a price is more interested in money than coming out to do a good job. With this kind of attitude, there is also a possibility that they might over price their work.

Provider declined to give me a quote, would not listen to what I wanted done, and told me they were only interested in doing work they had done before.

On the phone, Faith was polite, responsive, and pleasant to work with. Rod arrived early to do the estimate, was very knowledgeable and had some good ideas to share with me. I was not an easy customer to deal with but they were both very accommodating in terms of pricing and scheduling. I had a bit of a misunderstanding with Faith. The details are less important than the fact that she made a real effort to make things right by me. They clearly value their Angie's List customers and make every effort to ensure they receive positive feedback. I did not have any work done this time but I plan on using them in the future and would recommend them to others.

Two men worked for 2+ hours to complete the work. They took all the old materials and left all job sites clean. Very focused and demonstrated and explained what they were doing and made sure I was understood how the new equipment worked and was satisfied with the work. A very good experience.

I found Handyman & Mrs Helper through Angie's List, spoke to Faith on the phone and Rod was able to come out the same day and we went through what I wanted done in the kitchen. It was a pretty extensive list. and in a few days I had my quote. It was a 5 week long process, and thanks to Rod & Faith I now have the kitchen of my dreams. Every person Rod recommended for our needs came through beautifully and the end product is just awesome...the cabinets with Tracy, the granite with Sven, the tile store in Lake Zurich and Denise who helped us select tiles, the painting with Virgo and last but definitely not the least Heath, who did all our kitchen and bathroom work....awesome does not begin to cover the work they did. They were very professional every step of the way and what I really liked was how careful they were to get the work done while still keeping the house relatively clean, plastic sheets went over pretty much immediately before work started on day 1. Every evening they vacuumed the floor of stuff before leaving. My hubby really loved that the end price point was pretty much what was quoted, the only extras were the upgrades I made to some of the stuff, was such an effortless experience, no hassles at all. I can confidently say that Rod & Faith, Handyman & Mrs.Helper will be our 'go to" people for any house remodeling in the future.

He arrived when he said he would, did what he said he would and cleaned up reasonably well when he finished the job.

The work was completed very professionally. Care was taken to contain the dust from all of the needed sanding. The workers were very meticulous and did an excellent job of matching the color of the stairs. This was an especially difficult project as it involved correcting a disastrous previous attempt by another professional to stain the railings. The stairwell and railings now look wonderful and have made the foyer of the home beautiful.

It took several calls to get a quote from Faith and her husband (I think) but then it was complete waste of time because she told me that replacing ~150 sqft of tiles might take over a week!! That's standard 12x12 tile installation and Excluding shower area! I think it was a waste of calls to get a quote so I would not be calling her back and would not recommend them to anyone.

Doug, Faith, and Rod -- I wanted to write you to thank you for the excellent work you did on our yard. You have literally transformed our ugly duckling yard, into a work of art. It is great to finally have a yard that I can sit and enjoy, relax in, and be proud of. You have given us an enormous gift with your high quality of workmanship, professionalism, and your sincere dedication to the job. The words ?Thank You? are simply not enough to express our sincerest gratitude for the patience, flexibility, positive attitude, and overall quality workmanship you provided. In the nine years we've owned this house we have literally spent thousands of dollars on other landscape contractors to come in to ?fix? our ugly duckling yard. Those other contractors ALL left us with more work after they left, than we had before they were hired. I eventually gave up and tried to do the work myself. As hard as I tried, I simply could not do the work myself. You are the first and only landscape contractor that we have hired that we can honestly say the only work we have left to do is to sit and enjoy the results. We?re proud to tell our neighbors and friends about the quality of work we received from Doug, and HM&MH. Doug, Faith, and Rod, you have restored my faith and trust in humanity. And to potential new customers of HM&MH, this world can be full of so many dark things - world hunger, war, strife. That's why it's easy to lose sight of how good humans are, naturally. But you won't feel that way for long when you hire HM&MH THANK YOU!

Rob was so easy to work with. When he came out and gave us a quote, he was already giving helpful tips on our DIY projects. Jason finished the work for us and he cleaned the place everyday before he left. Cement boards he put down are even and leveled. We can tell because we tiled on them ourselves. Will definitely work with them next time when we need to.

I spoke to Faith Southard of Handy Men and Mrs. Helper, who explained how they work and asked for digital photos. The project was complex enough that one of her associates came out to look at the project in detail. I went over what had happened and asked whether a patch or replacement was necessary, and the conclusion was that the plaster would eventually all fall in if patched. That was what I thought would be the case. The estimate came in promptly and covered all the labor. Materials would be separate but could be estimated pretty easily because of the area. They planned to work with the area closed from the rest of the house because of the possible presence of lead in old paint. I could have requested a test instead ($50), but since my house is so old, it seemed easiest to go with containment. The lead containment would generate some additional cost but it did not seem out of line. Overall, I found Faith and her associate Maijic (probably spelled wrong) good to work with. There was no miscommunication when I spoke to one or the other and the estimate was clear. The price was about what I expected. In the end we went with another provider, but that is no reflection on the service Handy Men and Mrs. Helper provided (the other provider is someone my husband is acquainted with). I would call them again.

We're just in the beginning stages of rebuilding two large decks on our house. The decks are in poor condition, with one railing having fallen off recently. I am disabled, and it gets difficult for me to do the "leg work" of arranging inspections, getting permits, and all the other bureaucratic stuff that needs to happen in order to get approval and ultimately start tearing down and constructing the deck. Rod and Faith came through for me, assuring me that they will take care of dealing with the village on everything from pursuing variances for the deck construction to accommodate my disability, to obtaining permits, to arranging inspections. That assurance alone was the deciding factor to choosing HM&MH to perform the deck construction even before we see the final cost estimate. Just the fact that Rod and Faith will handle some (I still need to go to the HOA to get their approval first) of the "leg work" is a huge savings in terms of the time and effort I would have to expend to get it all done. There is a monetary value to a persons time. The value a person places on their time is an entirely individual choice. There are no rules, there are no restrictions, there are no limits, there are no minimum values. For me, as a disabled woman also living with cancer, working in the male dominated field of I.T. management, my personal time is more valuable than the added cost (if any) onto the estimate that I receive from HM&MH for the deck reconstruction. The words "Thank You" are not enough to express my sincere gratitude for the high high high quality of service that I have received from HM&MH, Rod, and Faith and all of their tradesmen. I live by the "pay it forward" concept, and I intend to continue to "pay forward" the kindness, passion, caring, and courteous nature that Rod and Faith express in their business of helping people.

Everything went extremely well. We had a large list of smaller, miscellaneous items that needed attention. I feel that they did a very good job on all of the items that they worked on. I am very satisfied with their work and really appreciate their efforts. Would highly recommend for this type of work. Steve did a great job. Thank you.

There's nobody better than HM&MH, Faith, Rod, and Doug Bork! I hired Doug to perform repairs to some hardscape work I had done a few years earlier. Now that I am disabled with Parkinson's Disease, and the pain of cancer, I am no longer able to do the landscaping tasks that I used to enjoy. And now that I have Doug, I don't have to worry about it. Doug has literally turned my ugly backyard into a small eden for me. I find myself taking a chair outside to sit and enjoy the beauty of the yard. As with all HM&MH tradesmen that I have hired, Doug listened to what I needed and wanted, and not only offered suggestions for improving on what I wanted, but also carried through on his promises! I now have friends and neighbors telling me how amazing our yard looks after Doug has visited. I only wish he lived closer to me so that I could hire him to mow my lawn, too. Doug is also very flexible and tolerant of my "can you do this, too". Doug has been delayed by weather several times, but he never fails to keep me informed of his progress and the tasks he'll be working on next. He even comes on weekends and Sunday's. He's now built steps for me so I can easily step down off of a patio and around a retaining wall, while walking with a cane! I have nothing bad to say or complain about with HM&MH, Faith, Rod, and Doug. If I could I would adopt Doug to be my permanent personal landscaper. He's beyond awesome . . . he's awe-inspiring. I don't understand how anybody could rate HM&MH with anything other than a AAAAA+++. If there was a grade higher than AAAAA, then HM&MH, Faith, Rod, and Doug would be deserving of that grade. I have dealt with many of HM&MH tradesmen and in every single case I would rate HM&MH with nothing less than an A+ on all categories. Faith, Rod, Doug, Steve, Jason, Tim, and Pam have all been sent to me from God . . . they're all my angels and have always done their very best to make my life of pain and discomfort, restul and relaxed. The simple words of "Thank You" are not enough to express my sincere gratitude for the work that I've received from HM&MH. Yes, they're a little more expensive, but I've always believed you get what you pay for. If you cut corners with lower quality material, or lower cost servicers, then you're just asking for trouble. Let HM&MH handle EVERYTHING and you will NOT be disappointed. I am in the process of having HM&MH quote me on some deck repairs. With my disability and the pain I deal with every day, I was getting stressed about having to coordinate so many moving parts involved with rebuilding an aging deck. One day I called in tears to Faith and expressed my concern for how I was going to get it all done. After hanging up with her, I continued to stress out . . . until my phone rang a few minutes later. Rod called me to tell me not to worry, that he would take care of all the coordination that has to happen with the village, and with the homeowners association. In my opinion, that alone seals my decision of the contractor to use for the rebuild of our decks . . . HM&MH, Faith, Rod, and Steve. Just there mere fact that I don't have to worry about all the leg work (my legs don't work too well) is well worth any added expense on the work quote from HM&MH!