I had a need for a porch for our dog door. I had a basic idea and approached The Handyman Dan with the project. They were able to expand upon my idea and constructed a good looking and highly functional mini porch in a reasonable amount of time. The preliminary cost and final cost were virtually identical which helped when budgeting the project into our normal finances.

I emailed Handyman Dan my 25 item long to do list. He took a little longer to get back to me than I am used to on email but I guess that's because he had tools in his hands working hard for other people. I lined up a date with Frank, Dan's friend and co-worker. Frank is a great guy - very professional with a can-do attitude. He took great attention to detail and worked hard. We were so pleased with his work after the first day we added 8 things to the list. I will have Frank back in the spring and recommend him to all of my friends. Walk through and around your house and write down every little job that you will never get to and ask Frank to take care of it. It feels a lot better coming home knowing a profesional has taken care of all the small jobs I didn't do over the past 1.5 years in the house.

We've called Dan twice for two separate jobs and both times his associate Frank came out to take care of the work we needed done. We first had a dryer vent installed and although it was a tough job (apparently our foundation is very thick) Frank completed the job quickly and neatly. He took care of all the little details and cleaned up after his work. The second job was to cut and lay slate tiles for a new hearth. We were on a tight timeline for this job and we called Dan on a Monday - on Thursday morning Frank came out to do the job. He got to work right away and completed it in less than half the time it would have taken us to do it. Again he was really tidy and gave us tips for finishing up the job which we plan to do ourselves. Frank is always friendly, courteous and easy-going. He never wastes time and their rate is quite affordable. Franks seems to have a lot of experience doing home reno work and is very knowledgeable. We would definitely hire them again and would recommend them to other people.

We set the job up by email as Dan asked for pictures before quoting. The quote was pretty accurate. Three of our basement windows were never installed properly leaving large gaps at the top where animals were getting in. His associate Frank did the work. Well thought out solution and conscientious.

YES, Dan came to our house. YES, Dan installed 5 lighting fixtures in record time but wait! Dan also saved us tons of cash... the previous owners installed the kitchen cabinets and there was a two inch gap beside the dishwasher. Dan recommended not trying to match the cabinet wood, but instead repaired it in a creative way by putting two equal sized pieces of wood to hold the dishwasher snug... then painted them black. When I saw this I couldn't believe how excellent it looks now. thanks Dan for all your help and creative ideas... call Dan if you need some work done around the house!

I asked Dan to come by and install a new range hood and to vent it to the exterior of the house through our double-brick home. Dan estimated about 3 hours work over the phone and that is exactly how long it took. His work was meticulous. He drilled the vent hole through the brick wall and then installed the exhaust duct. He fully sealed the external part of the vent to keep water out and refilled mortar in a couple spots around the hole. He even went the extra mile to fill in some mortar in a couple other spots where it was loose. Dan also was diligent in making sure the duct was properly sealed so that the exhaust went out of the house and not somewhere behind the drywall. Cleanup was also very well done. This was my first interaction with Dan and I found him to be extremely friendly and professional. He finished this work about 2 hours ago and I've already recommended him to a friend. It's nice to know he's out there. I have many such projects that I plan on getting him for in the future. Hire him. He's good.

I emailed Dan based on the reviews from this site. He sent his brother Glen (?) over to 1. Install a door on my shed, 2. Cut and install shelves for my pantry and 3. Install the door jam and door. 1. It took over an hour for him to install a pre-hung door he had trouble squaring. This job really shouldn't have taken more than 15-30 mins and now I have paneling propped up beside the shed and other items that were in the shed now lay propped up on the outside. I have arthritis and this is an issue for me. 2. He did an okay job of cutting 4 shelves from some old shelves that I had, however the top one is so close to the door jam that it isn't useable. This took him around 3 hours again that is a bit longer than I think it should have taken. 3. The door jam, well in all fairness the opening was a bit about a 1/4" at the bottom. My concern was that he didn't appear to be knowledgeable around standard door sizes when he recommended that I take back the door I had and swap it for a 16". He spent approx 1 1/2 hrs playing with the jam and asking me for advice. I don't mean to be harsh but I thought I was paying for their expertise. I realize that it had its challenges but I didn't expect to have to be the one who problem solved for him. In the end me with my arthritis had to take the 18" door back and special order a 16 3/4" door for the pantry, his spec for a 17" door was off based on the squared opening he left. Having said that, he was pleasant and if you only require some very basic help like hanging a picture or replacing light bulbs etc I would recommend them for jobs of that kind. I'm still waiting for the call back re the door installation that was done on Oct 5th, it's now the 13th. I have proceeded without them. UPDATE: I don't want to get into a banter about this..some of the response stated just isn't true....proceed with caution and use for basic services.

Company Response:

Sherry I’m sorry that you feel this way about the work that was done. Unfortunately this is the first I have heard of it. There is a ? by Glen. Frank is his name and not related. #1 Frank had to get the used pre hung door from the neighbour. It was a 34” door that need 36”rough opening. The shed was 34” and had to be maid larger. Frank informed Sherry that the paneling would not fit in the shed with the door on. #2 Sherry was consulted and agreed on height of shelving before they where cut and installed. Each shelf a different size and angel and cleats installed for the shelf to rest on. #3 Frank framed in existing opening with a door jam provided. The 18” door provided would not fit in the space where Sherry wanted to make a pantry. Frank offered suggestions for doors that could be trimmed to fit. A special order normally takes 2 weeks. Frank also left his name and phone number and said to call when she had the new door and he would come and install it free of charge. Frank offered to put the door for return in the customer’s car. Dan Emter

I spoke to Dan and he sent his colleague Frank over to do the job on a rental place that I own. Both Dan and Frank were very professional and courteously over the phone. They were easy to talk to and very straightforward. Frank scheduled the job with the tenant directly. The work was promptly and efficiently done. No hassle. After having dealt with several other contractors and handymen these two were excellent. I would highly recommend them.

We needed to remove the 25 yr old broadloom and replace with hardwood due to a severe onslaught of dust allergies. Dan took out the broadloom and put down the hardwood very fast. He made no mess at all and since he sealed off areas outside the master bedroom and upstairs hallway, the dust was kept to a minimal throughout the rest of the house as well. There were 8 doorways to contend with as well a meeting different types of floors in the 2 baths and toher 2 bedrooms. The finishing touches at the walls are fabulous. The whole job looks magnificent. In addition, the backyard wooden fence was leaning due to two trees coming down on top of it in the past year. Dan found a way to straighten it without adding UGLY wooden props. This has saved us from a VERY costly replacement this year. WE are already planning to have Dan back for our next renovations in the Living Room. I highly recommend Dan to anyone!