Merlin Handyman

I had previously asked Bob Merlin to estimate a different project, and he told me he wasn't the best one for that job, this impressed me and led me to call him for this one. He was the cheapest of three estimates. Mr. Merlin gave an estimate based on time and materials, and hit it right on. He appeared when he said he would, worked steadily and quietly (I was working from home so this was nice!). He offered to come back if I noticed any un-evenness when the paint dried - this was a great touch! I'm very happy to have him in my neighborhood, I know he'll become a valuable go to resource. Abby

Bob Merlin is very good and thorough. I think he is reasonably priced although I wouldn?t know how his price would compare. I would rate him highly and would use him in the future, if necessary.

He came out on time for the estimate and he was a good guy to work with. I decided not to go with him, because I needed the work to be done quickly and he was working by himself. I did not think that he could get the work done in the time that I needed him too. I also thought that he was very expensive for the work. I would consider using him in the future.

The air-conditioning unit was installed in 1970 and it was pretty heavy. It was not an easy job to get it out and down the stairs and get it out and he did it, so my hat goes off to him.

Bob was very responsive, called me back promptly, showed up right on time, and did a good job with a tricky lock replacement for a doorframe that was crooked. He charged $40/hr which seemed reasonable for the work he did.

He was delightful - he also installed a window air conditioner for me. He was tolerant of my two dogs and in general was highly professional

Bob was a pleasure to work with. he does not answer his phone during the day, because he says it distracts him from his work, but he returns messages promptly in the evenings. he was great about letting me know when he was coming, and letting me know when he was done for the day. he was careful with my house, which i appreciated greatly. i found him to be trustworthy and did not mind giving him a key so he could let himself in while i was at work. his work so far (he's done with the interior painting, but there's outdoor painting left) looks fantastic and we are very happy with it. pricing-wise, he charges an hourly rate which is fair; combined with his efficiency and self-imposed lack of distractions, he is competitive. he was not the cheapest painter i've used recently, but i like his blend of price/professionalism/quality/efficiency. he actually completed work in a timeframe that made sense to me; other contractors i've used sometimes take way longer than i would have expected to complete a task, occasionally longer than it would have taken even me! in case you can't tell, i recommend Bob highly and will definitely call him again. (i left price empty since we aren't totally done yet, and i don't have the final bill yet)

He did a very good job. He is friendly and professional and I will continue to use his services. I would highly recommend him.

I called Bob because I thought my toilet was leaking and I also had some pipes hammering in my bathroom. I left him a key to get into my house and a note, and he called me later that morning to say that he'd fixed the problem and that it took him so little time he wasn't going to charge me! He explained what had happened and was friendly and punctual. I will definitely call him next time I have something I can pay him for!

I bought Elfa shelving from the Container store. The walls of my kitchen closet are drywall, then a bit of airspace, then a substance harder than tooth enamel. No drill bit would penetrate enough to place the anchors properly. Bob installed a wooden piece inside the closet high enough to get the anchors installed. Is it gorgeous? No - it's the inside of a closet for crying out loud. It works, I'm more organized, and delighted.

Except for a slight glitch/miscommunication in scheduling the first appointment and having to wait as he was quite busy in the Fall, very happy with the services! Very easy to work with, comfortable to have doing work in the house while there or when not at home, friendly, but professional and focused on each task. Thanks!

This man is a gem. He was right on time, did all three projects quickly and neatly and was very reasonable in price. He is pleasant and smart and I would definitely hire him again.

I was satisfied with his work, except that plumbing is not his expertise.

Being a single divorced mom, I signed up with Angie's List hoping to make things easier in choosing professionals to help with repairs. I called Mr. Merlin after reading the reports, but ended up being extremely dissatisfied with his work. I had to call him back (several times) to redo above the bulkhead doors because he had cut several pieces of wood to fit (he left gaps), instead of using one continuous strip of wood. Copious amounts of rainwater were still leaking through the doors. Also, he had incorrectly cut a piece of wood on the right side of the bulkhead which was too short. He did not fill in where nail holes were. Also, rust from the nails on back porch was bleeding through (he used the wrong type of nails). He came back to attempt to fix these errors in his workmanship. I then paid him $750. I did not pay the remaining because rain continually was flooding the basement as the doors were not weather tight. After numerous emails and phone calls with no response, I had someone else come to try and fix his mistakes, spending numerous hours. There were gaps between the bulkhead doors and frame, doors were not cut straight, and his workmanship leaves a lot to be desired. I was also under the impression he was going to replace the handrail leading up the back steps, as his estimate for materials/supplies was quite high. He reused the handrail, but cut off the rotted ends and installed two 1x6 fillers to make up the difference in length. All in all, it was a shabby job nowhere even near worth the $750 I have paid. A resolution at this point is out of the question. It is quite clear that he is incapable of performing this type of a repair. What are my other options? Toward the end, he wasn't even returning any of my emails or phone calls.

As other reports (including one I previously filed) indicate, Bob is smart, inventive, very competent, punctual,reliable and pleasant to have around. He thinks about the job he is doing and does it in the best way possible. He is so easy to deal with that it is tempting to have him do little jobs that I could do myself, so the cost adds up. BUT, unlike when I do it, when he puts in the hooks, they stay in the wall! And he is a very quick and efficient worker.

It was a weird experience. He showed up when he said he would, and he barely spoke to me. I wanted to discuss how he was going to do the job, which was a little tricky due to the size of the handles, and I found him very hard to communicate with. He spent well over an hour, made a paper template and punched a hole in the finish of one of the cabinet doors. Then he left, and called me from the road saying he did not have the right tools. He finally called back three days later, asking me to leave his drill and other tools outside so that he could pick them up. I think the job was just beyond his skill level, but I wish he had told me that before putting a permanent mark in one of the cabinet doors. I know he has gotten good marks on here, but my own experience was just not very positive.

I've always been very pleased with him. He is polite to my cats. He does a great job with painting. He is very reliable on the painting and he's not especially expensive. He keeps his appointments and he returns phone calls.

The jobs went very well. He was thorough, inventive, and efficient. At several points, he explained the options--from the most deluxe kind of repair (e.g., replacing the entire window frame) to the most practical and inexpensive (e.g., using a metal latch to prop up the upper sash), and then he gave me the choice of how much time and money I wanted to invest.

He did a fantastic job! A lot of the work he did was fixing the mistakes and incomplete jobs of other people I had hired. He was prompt, courteous and reasonably priced.

Bob has done work for us before and as usual he was prompt, responsive, organized and practical how to do things. He's very pleasant and quiet to have around and smart about thinking up the most efficient way to do something.

I was pleased with his service. He's not inexpensive but he is reasonable. He was on time, polite and thought outside of the box, which was worth it for me. He took initiative, was a really nice guy that had good skills. I would use him again in the future. I've recommended him to other people as well.

Bob is very good about returning messages and then coming when you arrange time for job. He is a very, nice polite person who you feel comfortable having in your house. He is a very good painter both on trim and walls and very good on clean up. He is fair in his fees. He also is good at other small handyman jobs, fixing a few trim boards, replacing float in toilet.

Bob was prompt and friendly; he's quiet and unobtrusive-easy to have around the house. He executed the project exactly as we had planned it; he clearly understood and appreciated what we were hoping to accomplish. The work was solid and he left the site very clean. There was a problem with one of the light switches we had purchased for him to install; it heated up and caused a shock. When I contacted him, he IMMEDIATELY came back to the house to figure out what the problem was; it turned out to be a defective switch, and was not related to his work.

We had just redone my daughter's room but I was leery of drilling holes in the plaster walls to hang her three shelves. I had called another handyman who never returned my call. Bob called back and agreed to come and do the work. He is a very nice man and seems quite knowledgeable, even giving me a mini-lesson on molly bolts. I had asked him, however, to let me know before he drilled the holes so I could check the placement of the shelf. He didn't so the shelf is a bit lower than I would have liked. Also one shelf was not quite level. I should mention that I am a perfectionist but with my naked eye I could see a slight slant. It even showed up using the level. Bob tried to correct it as best as he could and you can't really notice it now. His prices are very reasonable and he tries hard to make sure you are pleased. He cleaned up the area after he finished his work which is a nice bonus.

He charges $35/hr. Excellent all around.