Andy Sjostrom Handyman Services

Great company, great work.

Perfect. No problems.

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It didn't go.

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True to my previous experience with Andy, this job went as expected. Tony, Andy?s associate, performed most of the work. He was great and I had no reservations before or after in allowing Andy to send him out to handle this job. The big part of this job was troubleshooting and repairing a faulty shower diverter valve. The volume of water and pressure was greatly diminished because the diverter value would not fully engage, thus allowing mostly hot water to flow unabated through the tub spout. The reason this job was tricky was due to age of our tub and faucets. The fixtures, if not original to the house, are at least 50 years old. And they were very well installed. After an hour of work, the spout and valve housing were finally removed only to reveal that the plumbing fixture were made Crane and no longer available. No sweat for Tony as he let me know that we could find modern replacements that would pair nicely with the existing hot and cold faucets. He was right. After a few modifications to the plumbing tap, the new spout was installed and the shower issue resolved. Tony also replaced the bathroom sink faucet with a new one. He also repaired the toilet handle and replaced another electrical outlet. In true handy man style, Tony also applied a little caulk around the tub and replaced fluorescent bulbs and starters in an older bathroom vanity light. Both of these jobs were added tot eh work request after tony arrived. He and Andy are great about tackling my unexpected ?Hey can you do this request?? that are quickly becoming the norm whenever they are working on our home.

Everything went great just as I had expected. Andy keeps a full schedule of appointments, so it was a couple of weeks before he could get to my repairs. But once we had a firm appointment, Andy was quite punctual. In fact, he called to ask if his associate, Tony, could join him on the project. He was very considerate and professional, as was Tony. They showed up on time and worked through my list of repairs. Andy and Tony were willing to listen to my questions and help educate me on the "ins and outs" of owning a 100 year old Oak Park home.

We were very impressed with his responsiveness and communication in discussing our projects. He had a very fair hourly rate and fair policies. The only reason that we did not use him is because we had so many little things, we decided we should use someone who priced by the job for our long list.

He's very reliable, very positioned and smart. He can figure out solutions if you have something out of the ordinary. He's just really good.

Andy arrived on time on the appointed date. The door handle I wanted replaced with a knob was determined not to be necessary and Andy just turned the handle in the opposite direction so that our new shutters could be installed without the handle being replaced ($$ saved!). Andy then looked at the broken door lock on the upstairs french doors (Pella) and was able to fix the mechanism so it now locks again. He then patched two drywall holes in our dining room from the A/V installers that had just run electrical outlet over our fireplace. He did 2 coats of mud and will be back to finish the work at our next appointment. Andy also re-caulked our upstairs bathtub and made a point of explaining why he was using clear silicone seal vs. white (mildew and mold eat the pigment in colored caulk--who knew!). He also pointed out that he had sealed over the top of the faucet and handle since water often gets behind those and causes problems. We reviewed a number of other items that needed to be completed and we will be scheduling another appointment to take care of those in the next couple weeks. He did a great job, was very quiet while I was working from home, and cleaned up every speck when he was done. He was even courteous enough to ask if the vacuum cleaner noise would bother my dog before he turned it on. What a great guy!

This is the second time we've used Andy. The first time he worked on four other double-hung windows. He replaced all the chains and hardware and adjusted the sashes so that everything works. This time he did the same for three more windows and replaced all the hinges, casement locks, and slider locks on the French windows in our sunroom. He is very careful with the old wood and trim and, if you want him to, will show you how it all works and how to keep it in good condition. In addition, he is prompt, reliable, and absolutely meticulous about keeping track of his time. He is always really friendly and nice but is also respectful of your time, money, and home. He's a gem.

We have hired Andy a few times to do several repairs. He did an absolutely beautiful job in replacing our front stairs and made great suggestions on using durable materials. Andy was able to refit several doors on closets and take care of many projects that we did not have the time to try to repair. A few things that made him stand out: He is very familiar with the "quirks" of 100 year old houses in the Oak Park area and can adjust to them, he is prompt, polite, cleans up after he finishes his work, estimates the correct about of time for jobs, makes money-saving suggestions about repairs, buys his materials local and lives local. The only drawback is that he works strictly standard M-F work hours and has a tight schedule; however, we were willing to work with that once we began using him and saw the quality of his work. Highly recommend.

Andy was responsive from the first time I inquired as to his services. He was helpful in telling me what supplies to have on hand for his work. We agreed upon a date well ahead of time and Andy showed up exactly on time. I was impressed with the prep work he did, thoroughly cleaning the surfaces, scraping where necessary. He put two coats of paint on each surface, and they look great. He worked quickly, cleaned everything up, and left everything as it was found, but with a fresh coat of paint. Overall, he exceeded my expectations.

Excellent job. I did have a problem with the latch on the front door; I contacted Andy the next day, and he came over at my convenience to adjust the door so that the locked engaged.

I originally contacted Andy because we had a really bad smell in the rental unit that would come and go. We couldn't figure out the source. I contacted several people from Angie's List. Most people replied. Andy was the only one to write again and inquire if the problem had been solved. I really appreciated that. So, when I had another problem, I called him. He came to fix the problem of a water leak in the house. He diagnosed the source. He caulked where the gutters are attached to the house. This has stopped the water from coming in. We've even had some very heavy storms recently to test it out. No water! He also tried to help us figure out what was the source of the smell. We had consulted many people. Many people told us it had to be a drain and to pour water down the drain, but there were no visible drains on the floor. It would come and go, and we couldn't figure out any connection. This smell was a source of great frustration to us and the renters. Andy showed us where the exit pipe from the washer went into another pipe. He suggested pouring water down that pipe when the smell was bad. My renter said she has done this twice and the smell goes away. Phew! Andy's advice has saved us more frustration and money. He was the only one to take the time to figure it out. Andy is knowledgeable, professional, and punctual. I will definitely be calling him again!!

Andy was straightforward about pricing, showed up on time, courteous and tidy. His work was excellent.

I contacted Andy on the phone after seeing his name on Angie's List. We scheduled a time for him to come out and he confirmed via email. Andy arrived on schedule and brought in his tools, and we discussed the job briefly. He removed the old fan and installed the new one in its place, and cleaned up very thoroughly after the job was finished (although I didn't see it) I could hear him covering the bathroom floor to catch any debris. The new fan works great.

The project went very well from beginning to end. I originally contacted Andy through Angie's List and explained the need to replace our front stairs. He suggested that since it was a big job and we were new clients that we hire him to work on smaller projects around the house to see if we liked his work for a small investment. He showed up on time, was very friendly and professional and cleaned up after himself. After our trial run, we decided to ask him to bid on the stairs and windows project. We accepted his bid and set a date for the work to begin. He began and finished on time and we are very pleased with the result. The project took one hour less than he estimated so he knocked off some money from our final bill! We would definitely hire him again and recommend him to our friends.

Everything went very well. Andy was always there when he said he would be, gave us an estimate in a timely manner, and kept expenses within the estimated amounts. The jobs were done to our great satisfaction. Andy did a great job containing the construction mess from the rest of the house, he was thorough, great to work with and delivered everything as promised. We will definitely call Andy again for work we need done on our vintage home!

Andy was prompt, extremely conscientious, and even took the time to show me how everything worked when I showed an interest. There are a couple of odds and ends he didn't get to so we are going to have him back when our schedules allow. However, he finished everything he promised in the time allotted and the price was exactly as he quoted. We highly recommend him. This being our first house, and a vintage one at that, it's a relief to have someone trustworthy to call who knows how to fix things and who respects the craftsmanship and beauty of an old house.

Overall it went extremely well (and quick). Andy's team came out several times to gives us an accurate estimate (and met with our claims adjuster as well to explain the work that needed to be done). Once we received the check from the insurance company, Andy and his team completed the job in about 3 1/2 days, they we're always on time, very professional and extremely clean. I ended up having Andy back to fix a leaky garbage disposal seal in our kitchen.

Great job overall. Andy worked with us for some time to come up with a deck design that worked for us, showing us examples from the neighborhood, pictures from magazines, etc. The first design was well thought out, but didn't suit our tastes. He happily redesigned it to meet our vision. Andy is exceedingly professional, considerate, and pays close attention to the details that matter. He doesn't rely only on what he's learned over the years but completes extensive research on materials, best practice, and options that could affect pricing (or other concerns you may have). Always leaves the job site clean, which is great, especially for more long-term projects. The only drawback is that he is a busy guy and it can take some time to get a job scheduled. Worth the wait, though.