UPDATE 6/20/15: Hoboken Handyman is under new ownership, so we cannot speak to current status of quality of home improvements/handywork.
I must say that buying a home is a time-consuming process, as you can tell by my last few Hoboken Homeowner posts. However, there are also some fun parts. If you’re thinking I’m talking about moving — I’m not. It’s more about the makeover. A Hoboken Handyman makeover, that is.
*Just a quick disclaimer {as I’ve said in previous posts}, I want to reiterate that while HobokenGirl.com does a very selective, small amount of sponsored posts in general, none of the people included in this post or other home owner posts have paid any amount of money to be featured. They are mentioned here because they are part of this quite complicated process that is buying and remodeling/making a house a home in Hoboken…and those that did an amazing job definitely deserve a mention. Just an FYI in case you were curious.
Once we closed on our house, we had a few weeks in between last possible date of move-in and when our lease was up, and so we decided to pounce on the opportunity to give our new digs a little refresh + makeover.
I had recently heard of Hoboken Handyman – a newly established handyman and remodeling service {by Paul Fried & Peter Glodek – seasoned builders/contractors in Hoboken}. We ended up meeting with Paul & Peter a day after speaking initially – & they made themselves readily available to come to our apartment and go over everything we wanted to do.
To Do List.
We established what we wanted to update, fix, and add — we got down to business. Paul & Peter started work the very next day after creating our list. They offered some suggestions {ex: change the toilets/bath tub so they’re fresh for us, buy new light fixtures and outlet covers, repaint the walls and fix the molding, paint the walls, etc}.
Now mind you, our before photos show a bathroom that wasn’t un-usable, just not what we envisioned our “first home bathroom” to look like. Here is the tub, sliding doors, and tile {BEFORE Pic}:
Old Tub + Shower. Ready for a Makeover.
The sink top and vanity was older and outdated {our building was built in the early 00’s – which depresses me since that was about 10 years ago already}.
Feeling “MEH” about this sink top BEFORE PIC. It needs an update fo sho.
So, how did it work? Basically, I went to Lowes {in East Rutherford} and Home Depot {in Secaucus} about 5 times over the course of a week {by my own doing…sigh} & picked out the vanity and sink top, tile, grout {sanded & unsanded}, some “tile bling” — which apparently means decorative tile for the bathroom, lighting fixtures, a new toilet, paint colors {which they handled buying and just added to the bill for materials later on} and anything else you can imagine a newly remodeled bathroom needs. Paul & Peter gave me the exact amounts of grout and tile I needed, and I was able to go pick it out easily. I also learned that Lowe’s is spelled W-E not E-W {which is the movie theater}. Learn something new errr’day! Peter actually went out of his way and picked up my vanity and sink top because it wouldn’t fit in my SUV! He also was able to get the tub and toilet for me since they were such large pieces to transport. Such a doll.
The day after I met with Paul & Peter, this is what my bathroom looked like:
Vanity & Tub already removed! Ready for ACTION.
Three days after we met it looked like this:
So much progress in such a short amount of time {mind you we had two weeks before move-in}.
After a few days later:
VOILA! Our new bathroom. Fresh-to-death.
A never-used toilet, tub, and sink = MY HEAVEN. I legitimately have NEVER taken a bath in any Hoboken apartment I have owned up until now. There is just something that skeeves me out about bathing in a tub that someone else has used. Either way…so excited.
I think the thing I loved the most about Paul & Peter’s contracting/remodeling services is the one on one attention we received. I would email them and receive a quick response, always received updates on how the project was going {even though I’d drive over to the new place and peek anyways!}, and when it came time for our bill for the finished product, we sat down with Paul in-person and went over everything that was on it. Hoboken Handyman is reasonably priced – especially when it comes to how fast they get the work done compared to other contractors, and I really loved that we weren’t billed until the project was complete. I’ve heard so many contractor horror stories where you pay them and then they don’t finish the job when they say they’re going to.
A few more Home Goods, Lowes, & IKEA details from our bathroom:
Some homegoods soap!
Moen fixtures from Lowes. We went for a modern look. Marble-esque tiles and brushed nickel hardware.
Home Goods soy candle + some IKEA grass. A house isn’t a home with a plant or two, in my book.
More Moen fixtures. I heart Lowes. WAY better than Home Depot, IMHO.
Our dueling laundry baskets from Home Goods. Did I mention I love Home Goods?
And of course, you can’t dry your hands without a little Frenchman from Anthropologie on your towel rack!
Pierre, the Frenchie, representin’ in the B-room.
Make sure to contact Peter & Paul at Hoboken Handyman to see how they can help with those nagging to-do list tasks {including helping you get your security deposit back in your apartment!} all the way to a FULL room or house remodel.
Finished product minus all of our personal details and touches!
HH pretty much does anything from hanging photos and mirrors to installing appliances to painting to sanding and resealing/staining floors….which is why we hired them again. For our kitchen. Stay tuned for {Before & After} Kitchen Photos coming soooon!
To find Hoboken Handyman on Facebook, click here and to call them: 201.683.6000.
To email Paul & Peter about fixing something in your house — click here.
Have you used Hoboken Handyman? What did you think?
