Best Window Screen Repair in Chicago IL
Electrician
(Review updated to account for re-work)
My overall experience of getting some small drywall repairs +texturing had some bumps. Drywall texturing might be a bit more specialized/dependent on local experience than other handyman type jobs. After an initial drywall fix fell short of agreed scope, fixer had a follow-up worker come by to make a more reasonable match of the texturing, at their expense.
Pros:
-Responsiveness on Communication - The service was the first to respond for my bid on a drywall job, which was good.
-Availability - If you need a quick/emergency repair for which you aren't handy, this may be a good option. Seattle tradespeople aren't always super-available - Fixer has recently been bringing in some folks temporarily from Chicago to help bolster their team here.
-Friendly Attitude - All the fixer staff I have interacted with have been friendly/polite.
Cons:
-Expertise - Fixer's workers are generalists, who have a stock set of tools, but do not specialize in any particular trade. They provide folks with some baseline training, but the company takes jobs for a variety of tasks, meaning folks may not be super well practiced on details of any particular kind of job. E.g. Both of the fixers that came to my place didn't were not particularly experienced with orange-peel drywall texturing(which unfortunately is semi-common in Seattle area condos), as opposed to Flat drywall.
-Pricing model/Warranty - Look on their website to make sure you understand their model. Normally, Fixer charges an hourly rate. In my case, the work took longer than quoted due to questionable assumptions an initial worker made. Fixer did reach out with me to try improve on the key issues with the flawed repair at their expense which helped, but I don't take that as a guaranteed thing.
-Scheduling/Timeframe- My appointments got cancelled/postponed at least a couple times due to earlier jobs running over. I believe they offered a $25 credit for future work with each of those cancellations.
My experience:
Initially - I had a drywall repair and texture matching job to replace a number of holes cut by an electrician. The initial fixer decently repaired most of the patches themselves, but one large square section at eye level had an obvious recess of 1/4 inch from the surrounding wall, which he thought was fine. When I brought up the problem, he commented the electrician should have shimmed the drywall out. The screws for the patch which the fixer was hired to repair were accessible when he started.
He spent time applying a veiny sponge effect, where my walls have a orange peel texture which is sprayed on. It didn't make for a good match. My reason for bidding this work out, rather than attempting it myself was I wanted someone who could make repairs that would blend in well.
After I shared my feedback, fixer reached out afterwards, and we agreed to have another follow come by to try to correct things. The second fellow applied some drywall mud to flatten out a section of visibly recessed drywall, and sanded + applied orange-peel texturing to get a less obvious contrast between the textures.
To sum up:
A lot of work the fixer company does makes sense for generalists/handymen to take on. In my view, the textured drywall repairs requires experience and attention to detail to recognize potential issues early, and a practiced hand to do quality work. Some fixers might have good background for doing this kind of work on first attempt, but I think it's a roll of the dice.
My overall experience of getting some small drywall repairs +texturing had some bumps. Drywall texturing might be a bit more specialized/dependent on local experience than other handyman type jobs. After an initial drywall fix fell short of agreed scope, fixer had a follow-up worker come by to make a more reasonable match of the texturing, at their expense.
Pros:
-Responsiveness on Communication - The service was the first to respond for my bid on a drywall job, which was good.
-Availability - If you need a quick/emergency repair for which you aren't handy, this may be a good option. Seattle tradespeople aren't always super-available - Fixer has recently been bringing in some folks temporarily from Chicago to help bolster their team here.
-Friendly Attitude - All the fixer staff I have interacted with have been friendly/polite.
Cons:
-Expertise - Fixer's workers are generalists, who have a stock set of tools, but do not specialize in any particular trade. They provide folks with some baseline training, but the company takes jobs for a variety of tasks, meaning folks may not be super well practiced on details of any particular kind of job. E.g. Both of the fixers that came to my place didn't were not particularly experienced with orange-peel drywall texturing(which unfortunately is semi-common in Seattle area condos), as opposed to Flat drywall.
-Pricing model/Warranty - Look on their website to make sure you understand their model. Normally, Fixer charges an hourly rate. In my case, the work took longer than quoted due to questionable assumptions an initial worker made. Fixer did reach out with me to try improve on the key issues with the flawed repair at their expense which helped, but I don't take that as a guaranteed thing.
-Scheduling/Timeframe- My appointments got cancelled/postponed at least a couple times due to earlier jobs running over. I believe they offered a $25 credit for future work with each of those cancellations.
My experience:
Initially - I had a drywall repair and texture matching job to replace a number of holes cut by an electrician. The initial fixer decently repaired most of the patches themselves, but one large square section at eye level had an obvious recess of 1/4 inch from the surrounding wall, which he thought was fine. When I brought up the problem, he commented the electrician should have shimmed the drywall out. The screws for the patch which the fixer was hired to repair were accessible when he started.
He spent time applying a veiny sponge effect, where my walls have a orange peel texture which is sprayed on. It didn't make for a good match. My reason for bidding this work out, rather than attempting it myself was I wanted someone who could make repairs that would blend in well.
After I shared my feedback, fixer reached out afterwards, and we agreed to have another follow come by to try to correct things. The second fellow applied some drywall mud to flatten out a section of visibly recessed drywall, and sanded + applied orange-peel texturing to get a less obvious contrast between the textures.
To sum up:
A lot of work the fixer company does makes sense for generalists/handymen to take on. In my view, the textured drywall repairs requires experience and attention to detail to recognize potential issues early, and a practiced hand to do quality work. Some fixers might have good background for doing this kind of work on first attempt, but I think it's a roll of the dice.
Chicago, IL
Electrician
Fixer came told us the water needed to be turned off. Led him to where the shut off was located. He then informed me he was not allowed to assist in shutting the water off. So, we couldn't shut water off. Charged $130 for nothing!! Next day maintenance man turned water off, I did the job myself in 5mins!!
5840 N Broadway Ave Chicago, IL 60660
Electrician
The fixer was quick to understand the project and complete within an hour. Absolutely trust worthy....!
414B W 5th Ave Naperville, IL 60563