A Handyman & A Greenthumb

I gave jeff a description over the phone. he emailed me a estimate. when the weather allowed he did the job in the amount of time agreed upon along with the price agreed. I plan on using him again for a landscaping job this spring.

This was overall a very good experience. Since it was outdoors Jeff stopped by and estimated while I was at work, his estimate was very fair and we requested he do the work. Unfortunately on the day that he was to start it snowed and the temparature plumeted, so he called and asked to reschedule. He rescheduled, showed up on the new date and began work. The job was to remove old concrete steps and replace with some type of wooden steps. I left the design up to him and his excellent crew. In addition, he needed to repair bricks that had been pulled down by the dropping steps. Also, during the job, I thought of some additional work that he had not estimated. He graciously gave me an estimate and incorporated it into his overall design. In addition, he found a problem that was not on his original estimate and fixed that for a nominal fee. The end product was far above my expectations. I have built several decks myself, but the finished design and product on the front steps were far above what I could have accomplished. I have had nothing but complements and people have actually stopped by to comment. They cleaned up overnight, left nothing for my cars or my children to get hurt by. Their final clean up was also exceptional. Well done and would recomment to anyone.

Great! Jeff came to the house, listened, made suggestions, drew a diagram, and emailed estimate. He was very good to keep in touch via email. On the work day, Jeff and two men worked quickly and efficiently. They completed the task in a long half day despite the cold weather. Very professioal! Overall, a definite improvement.

Jeff was very professional, responsive and a pleasure to work with. He had very good suggestions for plants and design for planting area - and did a great job with small flagstone area that was exactly what I wanted. Jeff and other workers were onsite when promised, had necessary equipment and worked efficiently. Work was accomplished in 2 days - good job with cleanup. Would definitely recommend and would use again.

We love it! Our original deck was very basic, and the flooring had been secured with nails that were popping out of the wood, causing a hazard. Jeff's team tore out and disposed of the old deck materials and rebuilt with wider and less steep stairs and a beautiful wood and aluminum railing. They added a very nice wooden pergola to the high end of the deck. Because our property is sloped, one end of the deck is about 3-4 feet off the ground and the other end is about 10 feet. Jeff covered the ground beneath the deck with river rock and a low edging, allowing us to use an area that was originally mud for storage.

Like many of those who review this company, we have called on Jeff and his team to do a number of projects, and have always been delighted with the outcome. In this case, we needed to upgrade flooring in four bathrooms, two of which had pergo and two carpet. We also decided to replace hunter green ceramic tile in the foyer and garage entry with the same tile being installed in the bathrooms. Jeff advised us on materials selection, worked with us to determine the appropriate grout color, removed and disposed of the old flooring and put down the new tile (approx 275 sqft combined in the six areas). They completed the work in two days, and accomodated our schedule plus that of a plumber who was replacing toilets in all four bathrooms.

It all went extremely well. This is probably the fourth or fifth project Jeff has handled for us and we continue to be very pleased with the quality of the work and his attention to detail. His projects always come out better than expected and this one was no exception. I only wish he could have provided us with more rain over the summer. I ended up having to do a LOT of watering to keep the sod and grass seed areas green over the summer... but they did and I couldn't be happier.

We had Jeff estimate several things, knowing that we may not be able to complete all items on our wish list at the same time: Installing a retaining wall and landscaping in the front, as well as removing old tree roots in the existing bed. Install a round patio in the middle of our backyard, with stepping stones leading from the existing patio to the round patio. Add landscaping to the backyard (trees, roses around the new patio) Lawn Restoration. Jeff separated the estimate into each of the smaller jobs so that we could easily decide which portions to do and not do. We decided to go ahead with the backyard landscaping, patio/stepping stones, and lawn restoration. Jeff planned to come out about a month later to complete the work, and ensured that dig right came out before he was there. Unfortunately, a heat wave + drought was in full swing by this time, so he recommended (and we agreed) to hold off on the lawn restoration until the weather was more favorable to helping maintain the improved lawn. He and his team completed the work quickly, and it looked great. You couldn't tell by looking at the yard that a work crew had been there to install anything, and the landscaping was done very well. Several months later, and the trees and knockout roses he installed are still going strong! We use the smaller patio for our telescope, and it's great not to have it sitting in the middle of the grass when we want to star gaze. This was the second time we've used Jeff and his team, and he has always impressed us with his attitude and professionalism, as well as quality of work.

Jeff came out and gave us an estimate to do some minor maintenance on our deck and fence, and then stain all the woodwork (fence, deck, small staircase to backdoor). We've had him do work for us several times before, and his time frame for the work and estimate was reasonable. He came out when promised to complete the work, but ran into an issue with the fence requiring more stain than he expected (and taking longer than expected). The color also came out darker than he expected. He called and let us know, and gave us 2 options: 1) Don't pay for the fence portion, leave it as is (don't put another coat on it this season since it was so dark) 2) Put another coat on it (pay for the fence portion) We looked at it, and the color actually looked good. We decided to have him go ahead and do a second coat. He came out a few days later and completed everything as promised. The fence and deck look great!

Jeff's work was top notch in all respects. This is a man with a great work ethic and VERY prompt. If he says he is going to be there, he will be there! My wife and I were impressed by his no-nonsense, professional approach to getting the job done. I would put his work up against anybody's. If we have ANY work for a general contractor to do on our house, Jeff, the HandyMan, will get our business.

Jeff and his team did an outstanding job from start to finish; I don't think I could be more satisfied with the outcome. I will definitely contact him again for any future projects and would happily recommend his services to anyone.

They were timely and didn't waste any time getting started. They finished ahead of schedule. Their craftsmanship was expert, and I highly recommend them. They brought in equipment to break up and pull out a huge concrete patio. They hauled off the old patio and brought in manmade stone that closely matched the native stone on our house to build the retaining wall that would become our new patio. They backfilled the retaining wall with AB3 to create a good base for the pea gravel we had requested for the top finish of our patio. Then they brought in top soil to smooth out the areas uncovered after removing the old concrete and the tracks left by the heavy equipment needed to remove the old patio and bring in the blocks for the retaining wall.

It went pretty well and we are very happy. The basic work was done very well and we'll find out next spring how well the drainage actually improved. There were some issues with underground cables and the trench digger machine, but Jeff didn't hesitate to do whatever was necessary to make it all work out well. One of the catch basin's wasn't installed in the exact right place to catch the water, but Jeff came out and moved it. When we slightly alter what we want, Jeff is great to go with the flow. His price is good, his work is very good, and we'll be using him more in the future.

All services were completed on time and professionally - Did not leave the job until they were certain satisfaction was met !

If there was ONE thing we could change about our house, it'd be the backyard, it's not only small but it was very lumpy and somewhat hilly, not to mention it slopes down toward the house slightly. It's pretty to look at but not functional in the least, not even a spot to put a swing set for the kids. The yard is enough to question whether we'll stay in the house for many years to come. That may sound extreme but regardless, we were anxious to have Jeff and his guy/guys come in and at least flatten out the yard as we gradually take on the chore (financially) of transitioning the backyard into a place we want to hang out and even entertain. While Jeff unfortunately can't make our yard bigger, at least not without being sued by the neighbors, he was able to flatten out our yard some which I was excited about. He shaved off some of the bumps while redistributing that dirt and brought in some dirt to also spread across the yard. I'm confident the yard is about as flat as it can be w/o killing several trees randomly in the yard complicating the process. I had got 3 different quotes and Jeff's was much better than the other two. I was very pleased with that. Jeff made sure I was happy with everything before he left. They cleaned up well. Would use again.

Jeff was easy to work with, did what he said he was going to do and was fair priced. The job looked good and was what we were expecting it to be. We would definitely have him come back for other projects.

I waited too late this spring to get started on the project. And we had a family gathering planned soon. Nonetheless, Jeff squeezed us in and finished the job in time for our party.

Overall, I am happy with my experience with this company. He was the only one of three companies I called for estimates that was timely in getting there for an estimate, and the work seems to be done well, even my husband was pleased.

We were frustrated with how long it took to come and get the job done, but it really wasn't their fault. They were booked weeks in advance, and they told me that upfront at bid time. When our turn came, the weather was just too hot and dry to poor concrete without risking surface cracks. They explained the problem to us, and let us decide if we wanted to take the risk or not. We decided to wait until the weather broke, and I'm glad we did. Our patio is beautiful. Not only did they show up on the day the said they would, but they showed up on time, and ready to work. They came with a crew large enough to get the job done with as little interruption to our lives as possible. 3 days later, we had our finished patio. They even cleaned up a burn pile for us while they had their equipment on site. We will not hesitate to use them again. I think that says it all.

Jeff ended up doing the work when I was out of town because his only availability was during a time when we were out of town, that I planned months earlier. When I got home, he only replaced about 25% of the sod, and removed a bunch of mature peonies that weren't to be touched (which he soded over). I emailed him about the error, and asked when he would be in the area next so we could figure out a solution. He replied and said, "his notes were correct, I was wrong." He said he will just "chalk it up to a loss." My final email to him said, "To clarify, are you going to walk away and not finish the job?" I received no further correspondence. I would have gladly paid him, I just wanted him to come back and finish the job we agreed on. VERY unprofessional.

I had communicated with Jeff entirely by email right up until he called me to let me know they were ready to work on my house. The work was done on a house that is going to be put on the market, so needless to say I want it to look nice without having to pay a lot. His crew showed up and got right to work, by the time I made it to the house to meet them (7:30am) the sidewalk & porch were already torn out and they were working on tearing out the grass area that was to be landscaped. Knowing that I was going to put my house up for sale Jeff recommended landscaping that needed little to no maintenance & mulch for a softer look. The whole process was painless, and they worked quickly. I'd say the whole project took only 5 hrs from start to finish. The end result is so much better than I had pictured in my mind. I will definately use them again!

Jeff and team did a great job. He was very reliable and reasonably priced. The quality of the work was outstanding. I will definately recommend and use him again.

Very impressed with Jeff and his company. We initially asked for an estimate for some basic landscaping for our home and he made it out within a couple days to discuss what we wanted. I'm not terribly great at describing what I picture in my mind, but he helped talk me through it. He also pointed out things we hadn't thought of, such as managing drainage. We were comfortable with what we had discussed and the price. He let me know upfront that they were booked a number of weeks out, so expectations were set. I felt good about them, so I decided it was worth waiting to have them do the work. They ended up making it out to perform the work within the timeframe he had estimated. Work was done in just over half a day. I wasn't sure how close it would come to what I wanted, based on the fact that I'm not good at describing things visually. However, it had all the elements I wanted and turned out to be even better than I had imagined. I was very impressed that he could take my description and turn it into the finished product we saw. Would definitely use again if we have future stonework or landscaping needs.

After reading many reviews on Angie's list, I selected this company. I sent an email and Jeff Watkins contacted me right away. We agreed on a time for him to come to the house; he came as scheduled, I showed him what I wanted done. He said he would send a quote over the weekend. When I got the quote, it was very reasonable, and I sent back an email saying we wanted him to do the work, but we were in absolutely no hurry. A couple of weeks ago, he contacted me and told me what day he would be here. He asked permission to begin quite early in the morning because of the heat, and we certainly understood and agreed with that! He showed up right on time with his crew. They were finished in just a few hours. He even dug up a large bush for me that I had failed to mention to him earlier, and he did not charge for it. The retaining wall is perfect, just what we wanted. The side of the house where he put the river rock looks so neat and clean. The tree came down before I knew it was gone, and all trace of it was removed. Jeff patiently explained to me how to care for my little rose bush since I am not a plant person. We couldn't be happier with the work and with Jeff and his crew. Very professional, friendly, and reasonable. You won't regret hiring this company.

I contacted Jeff and he met me at my house within a couple of days. We discussed what I was looking for and he said he would send a quote by the weekend, which he did. We emailed back and forth for a bit answering my questions. His wait time was about six weeks which was fine with me. When the time came close to start, Jeff and I started communicating via phone. It took them four days to complete and that was during our extremely hot weather. I met with Jeff the first morning before they started and saw them every day before leaving for work except the last day. We communicated regularly through the week. They were great to work with and I would not hesitate to work with them again. The work was excellent, their attitude was wonderful, and they cleaned up after themselves. My backyard was transformed by the work they completed.