Handyman Matters of North Shore Chicago

I have a 100 year old house and I try to take care of it well. That means I have done a lot of work on it and I know a little bit about house repairs. That said, I don’t want to do it all and sometimes need help. I must say this service was easy, reasonably priced and professional. They did a great job in a very reasonable amount of time. They did work that is skilled, but not extensive and it is really hard to find anyone who can do that on a reliable basis. I would give my unqualified recommendation to this company.

Poor communication + Poor Communication + Poor finished product= Handyman Matters North Shore. They overcharged me for a simple painting job, and did a very unprofessional job. They are trying to strong arm me, charging me 300% more than I originally agreed to. Couldn’t be less customer friendly. Beware!

This is the second time I’ve hired Handyman Matters North Shore to come out and do some work on my house. Our house was built in the 1920s, so there’s always a lot of work to be done, lol! The first time we hired them for a few small projects, so I could see what their work was like. We had them install new sconces outside (which they did, even though it was freezing cold and there was snow on the ground), install closet shelving (they even went and picked up all the supplies), and patch a crack in our ceiling. This all got done with great communication and up front pricing. Their estimate was right on and entirely affordable. Just hired them again yesterday to come in and replace a door that had a 2-​inch gap in it because it wasn’t square to the frame. They ordered new doors, custom fit everything, and when they left, I swear my patio was cleaner than it was when they first got here. They hauled away all their trash and I was left with two beautiful new doors. Fantastic service, great communication, prompt, affordable and nice. So glad to have found them.

Here’s the deal with Jim F. and Handyman Matters… I am a contractor and I often use Jim’s services during the course of my work. I continually refer him to my own customers without hesitation. Let me say that again-​I refer my own customers to Handyman Matters without hesitation. Jim and his guys are always respectful of my customers and their homes which is paramount for me. You see, whenever a contractor sends another company into their existing customer’s homes, (the way I do with Handyman Matters) BOTH of their reputations are at stake. From a business stand point, you are taking a huge gamble by sending another company into one of your customer’s homes. Do they work clean? Are they respectful and polite? Do they charge fairly and honestly? Will they take care of your customer the way you know that YOU would? The answer for all of these questions as it applies to Handyman Matters is a resounding, «YES!» The economy sucks right now. There are a million people out there who call themselves «handymen». As a matter of fact, every single former general contractor in the world (and there are jillions of former general contractors out there right now, trust me!) now calls himself a handyman. But trust me on this, there is a huge difference between being a builder like those former GC’s and being a service oriented trustworthy business like Handyman Matters is. Do not be fooled friends! Those other guys will not come back to your house if there is ever an issue-​Handyman Matters, however, absolutely will. (I’ve seen it for myself!) Those other guys are typically not insured-​Handyman Matters absolutely is insured. (I’ve seen their certs!) Those other guys are quite likely to treat your home like a construction site rather than treating it, well, like your home. Handyman Matters understands this crucial difference. Your home is your home and Jim and his crew always treat it as such. (Again, I have witnessed this first hand) It is without reservation that I recommend Jim F. and Handyman Matters to you. Use them for all of your household projects with confidence. I do. And I will continue to do so.

I had Handyman Matters come out to take care of some minor matters having to do with the common area of a condo building. They were prompt and polite and showed up on time, which was nice for starters. An outdoor light that they had installed started to malfunction, although by no fault of theirs. On two separate occasions over a two week period when the light did not work I e-​mailed/​called Jim and Mike to see what could be done. The first time, Mike was out in under ONE HOUR since he was already in the area to look at the light. He was over today, less than 24 hours after my second call, and went and replaced the light which was still under warranty since it was malfunctioning. I’ve learned that you get what you pay for. I paid a fair cost for professionals to come and do their jobs and they were great from all aspects.

Great service! I had been holding off on some repairs around the house because I have had some bad experiences with handymen. When my toilet leaked and damaged the ceiling below, I had no choice. A friend of mine referred me to Handyman Matters where she had a good experience. They completely exceeded my expectations. They were friendly and professional, and the work they did was great. They came in, got right to work and kept everything clean, including covering our new cabinets and floor to protect them during the repairs. I called them back a second time to take care of some «to do» items, and I had the same experience that time. I would definitely recommend them.

Underwhelming workmanship and overwhelming cost.
The job was to hang 4 mirrors 24×36 and 4 bracketless shelves. The job took 5 hrs and cost @$ 500! Moreover the simple job was not very well thought out to take into consideration exposed wiring ducts, etc so the mirrors were hung somewhat haphazardly.
Moreover, I proactively emailed a detailed description and pictures prior to the job so they knew the materials they’d need and scope. The handyman came unprepared and had to make multiple trips to the hardware store for basics such as anchors for the mirrors. All of this wasted time being billed to me.
I could have employed my general contractor to have done this with better quality and at less cost.
There was second part to the job that was supposed to be rescheduled. I’m passing. I wouldn’t use them again nor would I recommend. 3 stars is kind.

My wife reviewed this company earlier.
We had them come back to install a water heater. The installer is a nice guy, friendly, professional.
He screwed up one pipe joint, prompting him to cut it out and re-​do it. He mentioned that a part of our plumbing wasn’t in very good shape. After replacing that part, he moved on to the other WH hookup, which also had a very slow drip-​leak after he was finished. He suggested we sit on it for a few days and see if it self-​selaed. I told him I didn’t want to deal with any ramifications of water damage or the water seeping onto the WH, so he replaced this faulty joint as well. While I’m talking to him about what he really wants to do about it I’m thinking about handing him more than a dollar a minute for this scintillating conversation.
So, after messing up two joints and fixing a plumbing problem created by the work, the company was 1.5h (or $ 120 in labor, plus some extra parts) over the estimate.

Great customer service! Eric came out to give us an estimate and was very friendly and helpful. He didn’t try to tell me what I should do or try to get me to spend more than my budget. He made some suggestions for how to redo my kitchen, which were cost effective and helpful.
The first day they were supposed to come and give me an estimate, they forgot/​blew me off. BUT Jim, the owner, and Eric BOTH called me the next day and apologized. Every company can make mistakes – but it’s how a mistake is handled that shows the true integrity. This company has great communication with its clients.
Eric put in a dishwasher for us in a house that did not previously have a dishwasher. He did an excellent job. He also fixed a light in our basement that we didn’t ask him to fix. The guy who gave the estimate was also the guy who did the work, which is always a plus.
After the work was done, Jim saw that we had a new child and referred us to a day care in our town that he had used. Friendly.
As for COST. Well, I am always wary of any pay-​by-​the-​hour company. It never fails that a «four to five» hour job turns into a «seven-​to-​eight» hour job. We had been burned by a company before handyman matters and so Jim allowed us to have a cap. The work could not exceed an agreed upon amount beforehand. Of course, the time and work did go over estimate, but Jim honored the agreement.
I would go with this company again, assuming we could again have a cost cap.