I don't write negative reviews, but after my experience with Handy Gentleman, I feel it's necessary to warn others about the issues I encountered. I hope that this review helps future customers make to informed decisions on hiring Handy Gentleman.
In April/May, I hired Handy Gentleman to renovate my stairs. The initial quote was $1.5k, I asked David to come by my house to discuss how he would complete the job and to get to know him. This led to 1st quote being increased to $2k, which I didn't ask to be re-quoted, and that raised a concern for me. After renegotiating, we settled at $1.7k cash only for materials and labor. I agreed to this, giving David a chance, and trusting that the work would be handled professionally. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.
From the start of my stairs project, communication was poor. David tends to call from a few phone numbers so you never know it's him, which is frustrating as a customer. Next, David failed to secure the necessary permit for the work, despite assuring me that it wasn't needed and showing me a permit document which he claimed was proof from the Village that a permit was not needed. This was a huge mistake on his part, which resulted in a surprise inspection, along with additional inspections on my home, costing me time and significant stress.
The morning David working on my stairs, he repeatedly called me, demanding help with renting a van and purchasing materials because he had forgotten his wallet at home. This was highly unprofessional and irresponsible, especially since I was already working and sick at the time. As a paying customer, I am not expecting to facilitate the project myself. If that was the case, I would've fixed my entire stairs myself. On top of that, David's communication style can be very poor--he hung up on me multiple times when I asked him to hold briefly, it could have been a 20-second hold and he would hang up, which added to my frustrations because when you called him back he wouldn't answer.
When the stairs were finally completed, the old ones were left in my yard despite my expectation that they'd be hauled away. To make matters worse, David reused old boards from the previous stairs to "level" the new ones, which not only seemed like a corner-cutting to maximize profit but also raised safety concerns. They assured me the stairs were safe, but I remained skeptical. David also didn't use the material he said he would like to pour concrete or use completely new boards throughout the stairs. Instead, David decided to tell me at the end of the project that it wasn't in the budget and he reused my old stair boards. Again, poor communication and poor quality decisions.
The final straw was the inspection, which revealed that the stairs were not up to code. The step heights were incorrect, and improper materials were used, such as drywall screws in wood instead of galvanized nails. The Village informed me that the permit documentation David provided was from a Village in Wisconsin with the same name as mine, a mistake that should not have happened, considering we both live in Illinois. I wish I caught this but didn't.
After my stair inspection in July, it took David a month to address these issues after the inspection. His communication during this period was almost nonexistent, showing a complete lack of urgency. Even after the corrections, the stairs were damaged, with cracks left in the wood frame and the railing not being properly secured. I had to fix this issue myself. Eventually, the side of the stairs will need to be replaced again due to the wet weather Illinois has.
Lastly, David failed to provide a receipt after the completion of the project in May, and even now after multiple requests. I need this receipt since I am a landlord and need to log my expenses. David's decision to ignore my request to issue one, coupled with his insistence on cash payments, raises concerns about the legitimacy of his business practices. I tried to request a refund for this project through the Yelp Guarantee for all these issues but was denied due to David not providing receipts and requiring cash for the job which Yelp will not deem as proof of payment. David had the nerve to say "People like me should be exposed" but it should be the other way around with all these issues. This lack of professionalism, combined with the failure to follow basic building codes, made this one of the worst contractor experiences I've had.
If you're considering hiring Handy Gentleman, I would urge you to think long and hard. I've tried to be patient and reasonable, giving David multiple opportunities to fix his mistakes, but the consistent lack of professionalism, respect, communication, and accountability has led me to write this review.
I hope David can learn from this experience and improve his business practices. I wish him the best moving forward, but I cannot recommend his services after what I've been through. read more