Kerry's Handyman Service

I asked Kerry to update a small half-bath off of our den. We wanted to replace the sink, remove old wallpaper, remove a medicine cabinet and update the lighting. Sounded rather dull and routine to me. To my delight, Kerry was full of ideas to make the project interesting and fun! Her suggestion was to put in vessel sink (it looks beautiful!) with a pendant light above it. Old wallpapered walls were smoothed and painted (also beautiful). Another idea of hers .... wallpaper the ceiling. Who knew? Looks amazing. Her work is excellent .... but her ideas are priceless.

I had a long list of things that needed doing around the house. These things were widely varied ... from paint work to clogged gutters to a broken garage door opener. I called Kerry, and was delighted to learn that she was quite willing to tackle them all. In one afternoon, she and her partner Jay worked about my house crossing things off my list one by one. Not only is the garage door fixed, but it shuts tighter and snugger than it ever did before. Every single thing I requested is done .... and done well! Thank you, Kerry!!

Excellent.

I have nothing but cheers and applause for Kerry's work in my home. We wanted a tile backsplash, and she installed it perfectly. It looks great, even around some tricky areas (window frames, corners and electrical outlets). At her suggestion, we updated the lighting, putting hanging lights over our sink, and under-the-cabinet lighting to brighten work areas. And to my delight (her suggestion again), these lights are on dimmers, making morning coffee (in the dark) much easier on the eyes with this special dimmed lighting. Her attention to details while painting is extraordinary. I am a detail-noticing person, and she totally surpasses my expectations. Kerry also installed a new oven and had to re-build the area to fit this oven which is larger than the original. Very pleased with all of her work.

Our kitchen cabinets are old.... and they looked it. As a homeowner, I considered painting them as a do-it-yourself project, and painted a small area to see if I could tackle the whole job. To my horror, that small area of paint scraped right off with my fingernail. There were also some repairs needed for loose drawers, so I quickly realized that I needed a professional. Kerry was amazing. She removed every door, and every drawer, and as a first step, sanded everything thoroughly. After that there were coat(s) of a gripper product that was applied before she turned to the actual paint. Several coats later, the cabinets look absolutely sensational. And.....Kerry saved us some money by recycling the hinges. She made them look like new. Very very pleased with her work. I will definitely have her back shortly to do more work in my kitchen.

We needed new doors that all actually closed and looked updated (1950's home). The work went smoothly and, at our request and cost, included the ordering and pick up of the materials. Doors are tricky and there were 2 mistakes made which were fixed at no additional cost. We're bringing them back for more work, including more doors.

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Personalable and easy to work with.  Guided us in decision making without taking over...but supplied enough expert opinion to help us make good choices. Everything was explained up front, we chose to have them shop for our materials and pick them up; we knew up front that would cost us some time (fair).  Found replacement materials when what we wanted was out of stock with zero hassle, and in one case saved us some money.  Work was done quickly.  Work was in a tight space with no damage to anything around it (especially a bath fitter tub).  Everything looks great, everything works, and the price was fair. 

She was overbearing, rude and nasty.

We needed a complete overhaul of our living room, dining room, hallways and foyer area.  These were all covered in old wall to wall carpeting,  and the paint was badly in need of a re-do.   As a previous customer of Kerry's,  I did not hesitate to call her once we decided to go ahead with this project. 

She was (as usual) responsive and personable, and eager to get started.  Her excitement about MY project was delightful, and it just made me feel so good to see my contractor so vested in making my home look good. 

She LISTENS.  As we walked around and discussed the things I wanted to do, she was clearly "present" and took it all in.  And then .......... she SUGGESTS.   This is one of the things that makes Kerry a treasure.  She has an "eye".  She sees and thinks of things that I would never dream of.   I trust her completely, and when she suggests a tweak here or there,  I always yield to her ....... and I have NEVER been disappointed, not one little bit.   If you hire this contractor, I sincerely recommend that you listen to her suggestions.  Believe me,  she comes up with amazing things.  

Kerry painted all of my ceilings,  (some unique and difficult spots).   Then she and her helper, Jay, pulled out all the wall to wall carpeting from both rooms and all the steps.   If you've ever seen ripped out carpeting, you know there are a ba-zillion nails and tacks and staples all throughout and around the perimeters of the floor.  They were relentless, removing every piece of everything.   I have no worries about walking in bare feet on these floors, they are like GLASS.  They sanded and treated and shined the floors .... they are beautiful.  Kerry and Jay worked over every inch.  (photo attached)

They also painted all the woodwork and the walls, and a very difficult oversized paned bay window ... all beautifully done.   Making a color choice for such a big project can be a nightmare.  Kerry took me through this process with great patience.  She pointed out the subtle shading differences in colors and helped me find a "pure" shade. She brought samples and painted these samples on different areas of the walls so I could live with them for a few days.  Kerry made the whole process fun and stress-free.  The end result is outstanding. 

As per Kerry's suggestion, we replaced several lighting fixtures.  Made a huge difference.   She also suggested replacing the doors on a centrally located closet ....... a sensational improvement  (they look awesome).   Another suggestion was to paint the interior of our front door.  I never would have thought of that, and yet it was absolutely a perfect idea.  It simply "finished" the room!

If I had to choose the one thing about Kerry that I most appreciate, I think I would sum it up as QUALITY.  There were several times throughout this project that I was completely satisfied with a portion of the job, and yet she was not.  Her eye sees things I simply don't.   She is not satisfied with "OK"..... it has to be perfect.    She will rework the spot until it is up to her standards,  which are exceptionally high.

Bottom line: EXCELLENT!    We had an area of our home that badly needed roof-attention.  It also had a pesky rain gutter problem ...... the gutter leaked oodles of water for no apparent reason.  Kerry, on the roof, on her hands and knees, investigated thoroughly.   She found the problem and it wasn't pretty.  The wooden part of the roof (in that gutter area) had rotted all the way through.   Kerry and her helper, Jay, worked diligently to solve this problem, not only repairing the area, but making it stronger than ever.  They then continued on inspecting the rest of the roof and covering it beautifully.  

     The work is wonderful, they were punctual, and ........ so tidy!   Years ago we had some roofing work done on another area of the house and I remember the mess.   With Kerry there was NO mess.  No piles of debris on the ground, no stray nails or shingles.  Their clean-up was magical.

It was great. Kerry knew how worried I was about a leak in our ceiling, and she checked every single faucet and pipe upstairs. She checked every single bathroom, as well as our washing machine. She even cleaned our drains! Afterward, she did an excellent repair job on the ceiling. She explained to my husband why we had the crack, and assured us that now it was properly repaired, it wouldn't happen again. Such a difference! I trust Kerry for all of our house's needs and would definitely hire her again. Thank you Kerry!!

What a pleasure it was to have Kerry and Jay do repairs to our home!  What started as several smaller jobs evolved into the addition of a large painting project due to the superior work they performed on the original contract--in which the pricing for both was very fair. They have been very professional, efficient and have performed quality work. They have been consistently on time, courteous, knowledgeable, and communicated with me VERY well. They got right down to business and had the jobs done in no time with outstanding results. There is no question that we will be using Kerry for future projects around our home.

I am so happy with Kerry's work!   When we moved into this house, one of the small bedrooms had a home-made built-in corner desk.   Whoever built it had done a fine job, because it was solid and strong.  So much so, that although I wanted it removed, I could not even determine how it was attached, let alone consider how to take it down.  

Actually, about 10 years ago I showed it to a gentleman who was working on another project in my house and asked him if he could remove it.  He studied it, mumbled something, shook his head and told me it would be a BIG job, and I should probably learn to live with it.  

Well,  I didn't learn to live with it.  I hated it.   And I showed it to Kerry.  Her response?  "No problem!" 

and, like magic, soon that corner desk .... was GONE!

Thank you, Kerry!   I've since painted that room, rearranged the furniture and it looks doubled in size. Love it!

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I was very happy with Kerry's work! The work was done over three days, and the kitchen was left perfectly clean while it was in progress. I also appreciated that Kerry returned my call quickly and checked in with me every day to ensure that my wishes were always considered and that everything was on track.
Kerry was also helpful as a style consultant. She gave me options for paint finishes, and helped me make decisions such as what to put next to our range to fill in the gap between the counter and the cooktop. I always felt I could trust her opinion and expertise.

Kerry re-routed my dryer vent, as due to builder design flaws was originally venting about 20feet to another side of building vs. directly behind the vent (1 ft).  She and her crew were early, professional, completed work on time and cleaned up after themselves.  I'm looking at possible other updates and handy work and will be calling Kerry first!

My bathroom was 56 years old and it showed.  (I'lll include "before and after" pics with this review.)  This bathroom is attached to our bedroom and is well used every day.  Cosmetically a mess, but the biggest problem was the shower.  It was a corner shower and was extremely tiny.   We hoped that there was a way to enlarge the shower area, and I turned to Kerry for a solution.  







Kerry didn't even hesitate.  She sized up the situation and came up with a plan.  By taking just a few inches out of my closet (next to the bathroom), she could turn the shower sideways and increase the size tremendously.  We were delighted with the plan.  







This project involved moving a wall, and so you can imagine the dust involved.  However,  Kerry and her helper, Jay,  work so very carefully to keep all dust and debris to a minimum.   They did SUCH an amazingly neat job that we never missed a night sleeping in our own bedroom, even though the work was all being done right there.  They were THAT tidy! 







Kerry is great fun to work with as together we "built" the bathroom.  I chose the things I felt comfortable selecting (the vanity, the fixtures) and I turned to her for her expertise in choosing the shower material, the floor, etc.







The result is amazing.  I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.  Before .... and After!  

After a little hiccup with scheduling the first visit, Kerry came and was very helpful figuring out what the problem was and explaining next steps to me. She also helped guide me with respect to mitigating the mold issue between her visits, which I appreciated.  She has a busy schedule so it took a few weeks before she could come out to fix the drywall, but she was proactive to trying to come earlier when other appointments ended early or fell through. The work was great, she is a really kind, pleasant person and the price was reasonable. I would definitely work with her again.

I would recommend Kerry to anyone. She not only did a wonderful job - she's fun and personable too! The former homeowners did a lot of the handiwork themselves, and it showed. Kerry came and fixed everything! She's kind of like a handy woman fairy godmother. I thought the work was very reasonably priced, and she saved us a lot of money by recommending something different for our deck.

Kerry has been out to my house previously to replace our back sliding glass door and our front door that was badly in need of replacing.  Her team is EXCELLENT and she is very honest and friendly.  They show up very prompt and get the job done right.  We recently called her back to quote us on replacing our windows.  The prices we received were very reasonable for the number of windows in the house.  They also corrected some problems that were done by the original builder.  I would highly recommend Kerry to anyone looking to get a fair price and a job done right.

(Full disclosure:  This is not my first review for this contractor.  When you find someone of QUALITY, whose work is EXTRAORDINARY,  when you need something done,  you repeat.  I have turned to this contractor several times, and never ever been disappointed.)
The walkway leading up to my front door desperately needed improvement.  It was a concrete path, and over the years it had shifted and cracked.  
I contacted Kerry, and together we chose some pavers that would be appropriate for the job.  And then the magic began.
She and her helper broke up the existing sidewalk and quickly carted away all the debris.  (Not just the big chunks.  On hands and knees they felt through the grass, picking out all the little pieces that could cause havoc in a mower.  This attention to detail is a signature trait of this contractor.)
They proceeded by leveling the ground, and precisely measuring the placement of the pavers.   Every piece was treated with care, leveled carefully,  and set into place.
The finished result is lovely, and I am 100% delighted.  
Thank you, Kerry!!!

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Kerry was very professional both in the pre-work communications and during the progress of the installation.  She often checked with me to make sure she was completing the steps we wanted without doing services we did not need or want.  The installation went great was done quickly for a reasonable price.

First the demolition.  Kerry and Jay removed all the tile (and walls) from around the bathtub.  They also removed all the tile from around the sink, and all other walls in the bathroom.  (It had been covered in tile everywhere.)  They also removed all plumbing fixtures, lighting fixtures, two sinks, vanity top, medicine cabinets .... everything gutted.   MAJOR point, here, as a homeowner ...... all this demolition was done without the slightest inconvenience to me.  They are so NEAT, it is amazing.  They are extremely considerate, and I noticed they closed the bathroom door whenever a task might be a dusty/messy one, containing the dust to that room. 

After demolition, the magic started.  They put up a waterproof wall around the tub, which would be a basis for the new ceramic tile. They sealed the holes in the wall where the medicine cabinets had been..... and the wall is flat and perfect.  No sign that anything had ever been there, at all.  

Kerry worked WITH me, choosing tiles, fixtures, sinks, wainscoting, colors, etc.  I'll admit I'm not the best at making choices, but that is not a problem with Kerry.  She makes suggestions, and offers options.  When I was in doubt,  I simply deferred to her, and was NEVER disappointed with her choices.   Case in point were the mirrors we chose for over the vanity.  She selected a mirror that I never would have considered...... and it was the PERFECT choice.  

Her attention to detail is extraordinary, and I think that is one of the things that makes her work so special.  The lines on her grout work are so perfect, and so straight, I can't even imagine how she accomplished it. 

She also does "extras" that I never even considered.  For instance,  she suggested a dimmer on the bathroom lights, so that when taking a bath, you can have a relaxing atmosphere, not a glaring overhead light.  I love it!!! 

And ..... woodwork!   She added the most amazing woodwork on either side of the vanity.   I knew woodwork was going there,  but I had imaged a simple strip of wood.  Instead, Kerry built a wide, deep gorgeous strip of woodwork on both sides that is simply stunning.  

Bottom line.... She does amazing work.  Kerry is a very talented woman .... an artist, truly.    She has a very busy schedule, and sometimes she has to juggle her jobs a bit.  But as a customer,  I am more than willing to be flexible considering the extraordinary effort, thought and talent she throws into her work.  

I have another bathroom in my house that needs some updating.  Kerry did such a wonderful job on this bath, that I have already hired her to do the other.    I'm a very happy customer.   If you would like to see her work, just contact her and we'll make arrangements for you to visit here.