Handy Mensch Home Remodeling

It went very well, They are very good and honest with the pricing.

Absolutely wonderful. Lenny was straightforward and authentic; his written proposal was clear and fully represented each detail of the project. Project Scope: Removal of load bearing walls, installation of massive 24’ beam, foundational footers, electrical (new 110 and 220 lines), HVAC (movement of ducts), paint/drywall, lighting. Legit amazed in how good the team was at keeping the dirty at bay. We highly recommend Handy Mensch for whatever your home project may be. We will absolutely look no further than Lenny and his team for our next project! Keyword time: #building #construction #home #remodel #quality #honest #contractor #good #great #on-time #builder #kitchen #load-bearing #remodeling #general contractor #handy man #handy-man #integrity #satisfied #pro #best general contractor

Once again, HandyMensch did an excellent job. The deck extension was built on a slope which meant that special care had to be taken to ensure the deck was level. The guys measured, remeasured and measured again before they actually built each part of the deck. We have used HandyMensch for a variety of remodeling projects and have always been impressed by the friendliness and technical abilities of the workers. They aren't the cheapest, but we prefer to pay a bit more to be sure that the work will be completed to our satisfaction.

We have a house that was built in 1950, and we had a large, second floor porch that needed to have a railing added (!) and to be screened. We also added ceiling fans. The only thing that was difficult from my end was finding a contractor who was a willing to build what we wanted. Because we look down from our porch to see all the wildlife, and not out, we wanted to make the railing as unobtrusive as possible, and our solution was to use steel cables. Lenny listened to what I wanted, and came up with a drawing that accurately captured what I had in mind, and then his crew came out and built it. They were really easy to work with, and the job came out great. I had a hard time finding a company that wasn't trying sell me something that they wanted to build vs. what I wanted built. So, it was really nice to work with Lenny. The porch was rebuilt during the pandemic so the crew came and went by ladder on the outside of the house, and whenever I talked to the super he was wearing a mask.

The result is a gorgeous kitchen and beautiful floors. I have worked with HandyMensch before on other projects, such as repairing and updating a water damaged basement and building a new deck. So I knew, going into this project that Lenny Berger, Chief Mensch and each of his staff would be a pleasure to work with and that the results would be top notch. Lenny always made sure that he and I were on the same page as to what exactly I wanted done. He has the ability to communicate clearly and to explain things in terms that I can easily understand. He answered any questions clearly and patiently, both before and during the process. He made several suggestions that improved what I originally had in mind for the kitchen. I was always notified in advance what was to be done next and who was coming to do it. The work was completed in a timely fashion. I never had to worry for a minute that all work would not be done correctly. Based on my past experience with HandyMensch, I was sure that everything would be completed in an efficient, professional way and would be up to my high standards. And, indeed, the HandyMensch again met my expectations and did superb work. I do not hesitate to highly recommend Lenny and Handymensch.

Fine. He was very polite but we thought the price pretty high

Excellent, as always. They were quick to put me on the schedule, came to take a closer look at the work to be done so that they would have the right equipment, and did the work on the day scheduled. The work is excellent - better than before repair was needed, and I am completely happy with what they did.

Lenny and the HandyMensch are the best contractors we have worked with since moving into our house. Lenny and his team are upfront, put everything in writing, and are easy to communicate with. They remodeled our entire guest bathroom, which included moving plumbing and installing everything new (tiles, vanity, sinks, soaking tub, accessories, shower, fan, lights, etc). Everything came out perfectly. Lenny and his team are very detailed and don't try to rush in and out to get the job done. If we did notice something off or had a question, his team would immediately respond or adjust the problem. Also, he kept us informed on status real-time, which enabled us to go about our daily lives. At first, we thought his price may be slightly higher than other contractors, but used him based on other recommendations - It is well worth it because of his attention to detail and the fact that he sticks to the budget up front and any changes are in writing so we avoid all "surprise" charges that other contractors throw in on a regular basis. We highly recommend using Lenny.

We picked HM off of Angie's list, and were sucked in by his name and motto. I did not feel like he was a mensch at all. We also liked the idea of a fixed price, but that ended up only being true if it cost him less rather than a little more than the amount listed. I think in the end that it came out in the wash, but I didn't like how he dealt with us. 1. We were charged $250 to install each fan/light. The results look unfinished (he said that wasn't included). I thought that was a high price for what we assumed would look finished. 2. He tried to squeeze the wrong size faucet into our sink by bending the plug. It wasn't until I kept complaining that he fixed it. 3. He charged us $800 to remove carpeting that took less than an hour. We kept asking about it and he would say, oh, we spent more time on something else. In the end, they did replace some tiles in the bathtub for no "extra" so maybe it was fair. But, I'm not sure. And the whole reason we used him is that we wanted to be sure what we were paying for. 4. He had a really nice and good guy doing the dry wall. He offered to fix the area around the fan/light, but HM wouldn't let him. Nice guy was there when we had an emergency having to replace a rotted floor asap. Nice guy offered to do it, but HM made him leave, showed up himself, and offered no help. No, we would not use him again.

We were very happy with all aspects of working with Handy Mensch and highly recommend this company. We hired HM to expand the current closet space in one bedroom and get that and another closet cleaned up and prepped for installation of a new closet system. Lenny Berger came out to do the estimate and was very thorough in asking questions, making sure he understood our needs. HM staff were always very responsive to calls or emails, and we had no problems with communications. The HM crew were friendly, explained their work's progress, and sought clarification as needed, and tidied up well at the end of the day.

I can't say enough good things about Handymensch! This was our second time using Lenny and his guys, and they were everything that you want a good company to be. They were cautious about promising anything until they saw the work that needed to be done, but provided a good estimate right away. Dan, the personable and professional handyman they sent, was on time, tackled and completed all our jobs, worked efficiently, was thorough, cleaned everything up, and was in every way a pleasure to work with. You can bet that when we next need handyman help, our first call will be to Lenny at Handymensch!

I was very pleased with the entire experience. I am also very pleased with the results. Lenny, the Chief Mensch, was knowledgeable and accountable. If I had a question or needed to make a change, he was always patient and cooperative. Any worker that came to my home was professional and efficient. I have used HandyMensch on previous jobs, such as building a wooden deck. I will definitely use them in the future. If you want quality, hire HandyMensch.

Do not use this contractor for large projects! Lenny, the owner, is a really nice, respectful and communicative guy, but his subs are horrendous and he does not do what needs to be done to fix situations properly. I have never written a bad review like this and I waited a very long time to write this review because Lenny was a nice guy and I take reviews like this seriously.... but 3 years later, on a roughly bi-monthly basis, we are still finding shoddy workmanship, things done NOT TO CODE, and deeply regretting the day we hired him!! We have pretty much had to redo (or unhappily just live with) EVERYTHING that The Handy Mensch did, except for painting and some of the electric....seriously. Many of the things that were done wrong, broke, fell apart or stopped working were within the FRIST year, while the project was still under warranty.(some while the project was still ongoing!) We finally chose to pay other workers to come in to the fix the problems after Lenny's people just kept making things worse.... that says a lot I think, no one wants to spend more money when they don't have to, because things are under warranty- but we did. Having the Handy Mensch come back to fix things always resulted in more problems. Here is an incomplete list of the things that have gone wrong, MOST of them within the first year, many of the second and third year issues were "discovering" things out of code and shoddily done=falling apart or shorting out (yes, shorting out!!!): ~Kitchen Cabinets- that BTW, took NINE extra months to be installed= falling apart within 2 months of installation. ~New dryer vent not only installed so poorly that it fell out of the wall vent opening, but also the flexible duct work was FAR too long and just coiled up behind the dryer, quickly leading to blockage and a fire hazard.... It would have taken 5 extra minutes to cut the vent to the proper size for proper air flow. ~Improperly installed faucets and drain pipe for bathroom sink. After several attempts by their plumber, we paid to have someone come in to fix the leaking water and sewer gases.... our plumber immediately pointed out where things had been improperly installed and surprise, problems fixed! ~Improperly installed toilet, resulting in a slow leak, resulting in water damage on our new kitchen ceiling, also within 2 months. ~During a dinner party, our newly installed front porch light fell out of the ceiling with a horrible noise and was found swinging (still lit!) by its wires.... classy! Come to find out, the next week when we had it fixed, it was installed totally wrong, shoddily (one tiny screw holding it up) and definitely not to code!! (this light was installed by one of the Handy Mensch's crew- not their electrician). ~Basement door threshold lasted in place for less than 6 months and light shined in under it from day one. ~Sunroom carpeting never installed right, came up in several areas immediately after installation, never fixed properly. ~Garbage disposal installed wrong, leaking after a few months. ~Numerous places (kitchen ,bathrooms, basement) where there was no caulking, where there should have been. ~4 out of 5 main floor new windows leaked with heavy rain, had to all be removed and re-installed by another company. ~The original caulk work on the above motioned windows was horrible. It looked like drunk monkeys did it (trying to keep my humor here). I pointed this out to Lenny on one of our walk-arounds and he just ignored it. (and at that point I was so tired of dealing with all the issues, it was just too far down on the list to follow up) ~New trim around windows was also very poorly done, about 1 out of 3 corners matched up properly. ~Refinished wood floors showing excessive wear (only two of us in this house), a company we brought in to look at them stated that not enough coats of polyurethane were applied. ~Outer glass door for the front door was installed incorrectly causing metal to rub on paint and look unsightly and not always close/open properly. ~And our favorite story (this is a long one)= We chose to have the tiled walls, showers and tub in our bathrooms resurfaced (from pink in one bath and green in another) to white. The first people that came in to do them did a ridiculous job. So Lenny had the first guy's brother come back to "fix it". I happened to be on site this day (Thank GOD!!!) I understand that workmen do not like fixing other's mistakes, but over the course the day this sub became more and more angry, aggressive, and odd acting. I could hear him cursing and complaining upstairs. Next thing I know he is outside, in front of our house, by his truck, on his phone yelling dozens of expletives (most starting with F) at his brother (the original workman) and how bad it was and how he didn't think he was getting paid for fixing the job, and threatening to "burn the bathroom just to burn you!" (the brother) (I still have this on video). A little earlier I had already been getting concerned for my and our home's safety and I texted Lenny to get over to the house ASAP. Before Lenny arrived and before I had time to lock the front door, the sub came back in the house with paint thinner and a lighter in hand and marched up to the bathroom and started pouring the flammable paint thinner into the tub!!! I am a petite woman, and though I followed him up the stairs, I was very frightened that either he was going to become physically violent towards me and/or dowse me with thinner, but I also felt I needed to at least see what he was doing before getting out of there! I didn't want our "new" home going up in flames! As he was pouring the thinner into the tub I was yelling and pleading with him to stop, (as I was backing out to escape!). Luckily Lenny showed up just in time to talk the guy down a little and physically remove him from our house. I had already had my phone out to dial 911 as Lenny arrived. I was then left to clean up all the paint thinner in the tub before it ate through the resurfacing! What a mess and very, very upsetting. Part of me really wishes I had called 911 anyway, between the threats and refusing to leave when asked and attempting to burn our bathroom, what that workman did was illegal and he should have been held accountable. For a long time we were concerned he would return, he really was crazy! The brother eventually came back to fix the bathroom again..... he once again did a bad job, made it worse and to this day there are drips, different colors of white and different "finishes" (shiny, mate, flat) to the tile. After a certain point we HAD to move in NINE MONTHS AFTER THE ORIGINAL FINISH DATE, so we had to accept what was there. Resurfacing two tile bathrooms has just not been something we wish to try and redo. But we get to remember this story every time we look around our bathrooms. At the very least, we always win at cocktail parties when friends start swapping bad contractor horror stories! There are/were many more issues with this job and I truly understand that bad things happen. We were more than forgiving of much that happened with this job- crazy subs, long delays and shoddy workmanship. It was the continuing discovery of shoddy work, electric not to code and things falling apart since that has finally "broken the camel's back" and has gotten me to write this bad review. Maybe we were too nice and should have written sooner, but please be wary, do not do a big project with this company. Again Lenny was a really nice guy, maybe he was in over his head, maybe he had bad luck. He didn't, however, address things like he should have and certainly didn't fix the final bill as much he should have. We paid it and just wanted to move on. Had I known we would be having this many ongoing problems with his work I think we would have fought the final payment amount. Live and learn. My husband regularly walks around the house shaking his head saying "Lenny, Lenny, Lenny..." We really do try to keep a sense of humor.... Happily, every workman and company we have had in our home since has been great and we have been pleased with all of their work so hopefully this is our one and only bad review!

Called and requested to speak with Lenny to discuss the project. The individual who answered the phone was rude and unprofessional.

Dan, the handyman , was terrific. He went over the items that were listed on the worksheet and started the job. I was impressed by his efficiency. He put needed supplies for the task in a bucket, readied everything needed and proceeded. This minimized trips to the truck and ultimately the time it took him to complete a job. He worked steadily with a lunch break the first day and completed the entire job on the second day. He did the following: replaced two outside front lights, tightened a shelf in a powder room, bought and replaced an under-cabinet light in the kitchen, replaced one tile and grout around two tiles in a bathroom, fixed a cabinet door hinge, spackled a damaged area on a wall and re-caulked where needed, replaced the ceiling fan/light on a porch, replaced a full section of fence, cleaned an area on the roof that accumulated leaves and debris, nailed loose pickets on the fence around the entire perimeter, replaced the screens on two porch doors and installed sweeps on both doors." I highly recommend this company and especially Dan. It could not have been better.

I have an Insurance Agency and have referred The Handymensch to my clients who sustain damage to their home interior from wind and water damage a number of times, with great success. They are responsive, professional and always communicate with us and our clients very well. They do an awesome job.

he did it in steps with professionalism

We contacted The HandyMensch about a task that no other handyperson was willing to take on during two years of intermittent searching: replacing the now-defective Blum Compact 33 hinges in our kitchen cabinets. The response from the first call was positive and encouraging; the return call (from Mr. Berger) confirmed that The HandymMensch could do the job. The Handymensch works on a time and materials basis, but in this case we had the materials and needed someone with the tools and expertise to replace the hinges and rehang the doors. Mr. Berger mentioned that if we had any other tasks that ?our? HandyMensch could take care of while there, to simply ask them to be looked at. The net result was the cabinets are all repaired, AND we have a cranky bi-fold door replaced and behaving better than the old one ever did, AND we have a new storm/screen door (another task hanging in space for two years due to lack of someone show up and do the job), AND we have a new doorbell. The last two items required Dan, the HandyMensch for our oy veys, to go to a hardware store, purchase the items to be installed, and return and complete the installation. He disposed of the old storm door too. All this came to a total of time and materials of three-quarters what we?d been quoted recently for just the hinge replacements. In addition, Dan was personable, polite, informative, responsive, and a steady, no-nonsense worker. Altogether one of the best service experiences imaginable.

The job went very well. They were able to match our existing woodwork. Their work also enabled us to pass a home inspection. The contractors were very professional and friendly.

They did a nice job, and were very upfront with costs and what would be best for our situation. The type of attic stairs we wanted would not work, but they suggested some that would, and put it in. We are very happy with the result.

We hired the Handy Mensch for multiple projects in 2013, based on the quality of the projects delivered in 2008 where we had a second walk-in closet built in the master bedroom. In the summer of 2013, we had a new backyard wooden fence and gate, and a gate for the deck installed. In the fall of 2013, the Handy Mensch team remodeled an existing powder room, which included removing and replacing the sink, toilet, and floor tiles, as well as adding a new ceiling light and painting the walls and ceiling. During this engagement, the team also replaced the front and back entry and storm doors, added crown molding in the living room, installed new doors for a hallway closet, added bed molding in the hallway, and painted the hallway, living room and the front and back entry doors. The Handy Mensch team, led by Lenny Berger, included Eric, Dan, and Alfredo. The whole team worked together and communicated well during the engagement. Since no project is ever completed 100% as planned, when discussions and decisions had to be made related to discoveries with the original home construction, issues with manufactured parts, weather conditions, and additions/deletions in materials and effort, all team members were straight forward and pragmatic with their estimates and recommendations to us. We discussed several other home improvement projects, such as remodeling another bathroom, the kitchen, the basement, and the utility room. We look forward to working with the Handy Mensch team in 2014 on one or more of these projects.

This was the second time that we have used the HandyMensch. We contracted with them for the remodeling work because we had an excellent experience with them in the past. The owner also put us in touch with an interior designer to help us in developing our ideas and, when the bids from other contractors for a planned entertainment center came in too high, he recommended a firm that could install a closet storage system as well as the built-in entertainment center. at a price that we could afford. His referrals proved to be excellent choices and the HandyMensch worked closely with these professionals to coordinated the work. During the demolition and construction work, the workers took special precautions to prevent the dirt and dust from spreading to other areas of the house. Plastic sheeting was put up to seal off the room and the our stairs and floors were covered with cloth and plastic to prevent any damage. The project commenced on schedule and finished on time. Some days the workers stayed late to keep the project on schedule. When problems arose (as they always do in any remodeling), the foreman consulted with us as to possible solutions and waited for our decision before proceeding. Everyone working in the project was polite, friendly, competent and hard-working. The owner showed up on a regular basis to check on the progress and consult with us. When the electricians installed an inappropriate light socket in the closet, the owner quickly had it replaced with a correct type. When problems with installing wall shelving occurred due to a pre-existing deformity in the wall, HandyMensch came up with a solution at no additional cost to us even though the solution involved considerable additional work. The quality of the workmanship exceeded our expectations and we are extremely pleased with the new appearance of our basement recreation room. We will undoubtedly use the company again in the future when we are doing significant repairs or upgrades to our house. We definitely recommend HandyMensch to anyone contemplating a remodeling project as the owner will help you think through your project and will propose money-saving suggestions.

It went just fine. They charged us $150. That was a lot but it was their minimum. They came promptly. I needed something done immediately and they did it. It was all very good. When you need something done immediately and you don't have a 3-storey ladder, you have to find somebody who has one.

This was a Horrible experience which has left my house in worse shape than when the Handy Mensch arrived on site. I have never seen such disrespect for a client's home by a contractor. I now know more about how not to build than I ever wanted to know. After signing the contract and providing 50% down (20K+) for the renovation work to be done, we were told work would begin within 3 weeks on March 4. At the request of the contractor, we moved everything out of the bedroom, bathroom and attic so work could begin. During the afternoon of March 1, we received a call that the tiles had not been ordered when payment was received and their would be a 3-4 week delay. We were assured that much of the work could be done in advance of the tiles and that we would get a revised schedule the following week. After repeatedly asking for a revised schedule, we insisted that the Handy Mensch come over to give us a revised plan, the first week of April. Agreed to a new date for the work to begin with the understanding that the work had to be finished by the end of May. To facilitate the end of May deadline we agreed to purchase an off the shelf vanity with a commitment that the wall custom wall cabinet would be made to match. First day on job in mid-April, the lead carpenter arrived an hour late, when I mentioned that I thought he was going to arrive at 8:30 he screamed that I had no right to question when he would be coming and going in my house. I called the company's owner who assured me that it would not happen again. All seemed to be back on track for the demolition phase. In the building phase there was always a reason for why a wall seemed crooked (my level must have gone bad), the floor, which had been level now seemed to be slanting and the subway and custom glass tiles were not being installed evenly and all the cut tiles had jagged edges. The pebble shower floor was not sloped correctly and we had pooling in multiple places. The threshholds at the corner of the shower did not match up and attempts to clean it up after the frameless glass shower walls were installed made it worse. The door to the bathroom was hung too high and at an angle so that one could see into the bathroom and angled across the threshold when it was shut. Once clothes were hung on the closet rod in the walk in closet, the rod fell to the ground leaving gaping holes in the wall and our clothes covered with drywall dust. Throughout the whole experience with the Handy Mensch, we were faced with dry wall dust throughout our house. Although we were assured that the crew would sweep through every day and limit the mess to the area in which they were working, this was not the case. We had dry wall dust in our ventilation system, chunks of drywall dropping and left on our daughters bed and office equipment when they needed to cut through her ceiling to pull electrical wires. When the protective floor covering was pulled up in our bedroom the tape pulled up parts of the floor. After unsuccessfully trying to sand and stain the section of floor new boards were put in. Unfortunately they were a different species of wood. When I mentioned my concern to the subcontractor, I was yelled at and told he was doing me a favor by doing the work. The custom wall cabinet was initially installed crooked and had mismatched wood. It was only at our insistence that it was re-done to match the vanity. Only after providing the lead carpenter with the industry standard for glass tiles did they remove the glass tiles and begin again. After three installations by the carpenter/tiler the finished product was still less than satisfactory. Throughout the process, the contractor/owner of the Handy Mensch was no where to be seen and only showed up on site after multiple texts and emails. Due to out of town guests arriving work ceased on the project in the middle of June for 3 weeks and was to be begun again the week after July 4th weekend. When the owner of the Handy Mensch arrived on the 5th to go through the punch list, he contemplated the 50+ item list and said he would get back to us with a timeline for completion. On the 7th he indicated that his team was not able to deliver the quality of work we wanted and walked off the job saying he would refund us our money. It took 30 days and over 10% of the project cost to arrive at a signed settlement agreement which did nothing more than was already agreed to verbally. At no point did we seek damages, we just wanted our house to be repaired. We have hired another contractor to assess what needed to be done to complete the job. Upon analysis we discovered major safety concerns, and the necessity to take the whole project back to the studs. The attic stairs had been installed with dry wall screws and missing the safety screw per the manufacturers instructions, the floor joists under the bathroom had been cut to install the new toilet but not re-secured properly. At some point the toilet could have fallen through the floor. Electrical work had non insulated wires behind walls, into junction boxes and were not stapled per code. Sockets were angled out of walls. Support studs to the roof had been cut to accommodate plumbing for the sink and not re-enforced. A hole had been cut into the attic space to fit plumbing and never repaired. Instead the vanity was put in place to hide it. We discovered this when the bees entered our bedroom through the passageway. The plumbing was exposed and run into the attic wall without any insulation to protect it from changes in weather. The shower pan was not pre-pitched per manufacturer instructions and the floor backer board was not installed with mortar under the shower pan. The shower basin was not sealed properly and the drain was installed at an angle which would lead to water leakage and mold which began to appear in the corners of the shower after a the few weeks of use in June. Fiber glass seam tape was not used on the majority of the backer board in the walls and floor of the shower. Insufficient insulation and in some instances no insulation was used between the living space and the attic. Nor was it stapled in place per the manufacturers instructions. This caused the HVAC vents to weep incessantly and damage the paint finish. Drywall had been installed without taping or properly attaching to the studs. To hide poorly constructed and bowed walls, the door frames were built out with wood putty and in one case the pre-hung door was attached to dry wall rather than a stud in the wall. These stain grade doors are no longer stainable. The frameless glass shower walls were cut at an angle to hide the crooked walls built by the Handy Mensch. We are now having to purchase new glass because it is not reusable. We just discovered that the shower vent was installed too far away from the shower and thus non-compliant per the county inspector. The shower panel shower head installed by the Handy Mensch was stripped during the installation. We are trying to determine if it is reusable. Now that the floor joists are repaired, the floor will be level again, our new contractor is repairing the modifications the Handy Mensch made to the vanity to hide the uneven floor caused by the severed joist and poorly installed tiles. Our new contractor is close to repairing all of the damage that was done in the course of the previous renovation, replacement floors, tiles, glass and doors have been ordered and and we are now beginning to see the promise of the beautiful bathroom that we envisioned when we invited the Handy Mensch to work on our home. There are many more issues wiht the work that was done and the lackadaisical attitude of the Handy Mensch that are not listed here. Rather than list them in detail, let me simply encourage any one considering using the Handy Mensch to consider our experience with the company.

We were having our windows and trim replaced when the installer discovered significant wood rot below the window, extending to the bottom of the front elevation. It was beyond their ability to repair. Handymensch came out in less than 24 hours, surveyed the damage and thought that it had not extended into the floor joists or deep into the subfloor. Within days, they came out pulled all the rot away, inspected the joists (they were fine) and found that they only had to cut away a small amount of the exposed subfloor. It could have been a major problem if the subfloor was significantly damaged, because it would mean our hardwood floor would have to come up. The work was done in 7 hours. The actual cost was 10% lower than the original estimate. The work was excellent quality and Handymensch really knew their stuff about wood rot.