Mr. Handyman of North and West Central MD

If I could give Mr. Handyman zero stars, I would. I hired them to install a 10 sq. ft. ceramic tile backsplash in the kitchen. Tile was standard off the shelf and I had all the supplies. I was told that they would bring tools, including a tile saw (which I specifically asked about). When the technician arrived he had no saw that could cut tile. Two hours later (which I was charged for), he came back with a saw (which I was also charged for) and finally started work. 4 hours later the tile was up (more or less). The technician damaged about a dozen tiles but installed them anyway. He said that when he returned in 2 days to grout he’d fix them with a hot glue gun. He did that, charging me $102 for a hot glue stick (even though I had some on hand). Of course he failed to repair 2 of the broken tiles and grouted over them. Oops. The grouting job itself is a disaster. The technician grouted over electrical outlets, grouted wood cabinets and rubbed a big hole in my wall trying to wipe down the excess grout he slopped everywhere. There’s a new patch and paint job in my future; thanks Mr. Handyman! Patches of tile have no grout, patches have glops of it. I guess it evens out? Best of all, he grouted the protective plastic wrap that the tile came in — yes, grouted in plastic shreds (which I can’t remove without digging out grout). Corners and edges are all grout, no tile. My kitchen looks like a disaster. 10 hours of labor and almost $1500 — the technician won’t leave without being paid. I called the home office twice trying to reach someone to help. But they already had their check, so no luck. I’ve tried twice to reach the owner, Rob, but “he may not come to the office for awhile.” No call back of course. I’ll be filing an MHIC complaint and filing a fraud complaint with the state comptroller. Do yourself a favor — avoid this company.

He was fantastic. He taught me stuff about creaking floors; it was educational. The people they send out are very knowledgeable about what they are doing.