Mensch with a Wrench

Punctual, professional, very competent and honest.
Knows how to fix stuff.

I contacted multiple handyman to get an estimate on repairing my sliding glass closet door and to my surprise, Michael was the only person to respond in a timely manner and even gave me free advice on trying to repair it myself! Due to the age of the door, I did have to find the parts and order it myself online. Michael came to do the repair on time. Very courteous and prompt! We are already discussing future projects. Highly recommend.

After getting the run around from another local handy-​person, my partner contacted this friendly mensch. He was at our condo within a week, delivered the repairs/​touch-​ups as requested and was right on target with price. Plus, he’s an extremely great guy to chat with during the visit. He also gave me tips on how to fix a couple other things around the house. I would not hesitate to recommend him to someone and have him back for other repairs.
Work done: replaced a light switch/​outlet, hung a curtain and three sets of blinds.

Contacted Michael about a problem with my toilet, he told me what the issue was and how it was a simple fix that I was able to do myself, and I ended up fixing it myself — totally a stand up guy. Looking forward to working with him in the future.

Michael helped w hanging several large framed pieces and mirrors in home office and throughout house and did an awesome job at a great price!

Michael has helped me with several projects over the past 3 years or so — hanging heavy pictures/​mirrors, repairing leaking pipes, installing towel/​TP hardware, etc. Not only does he do a great job but his rates are reasonable. And since he charges by the hour, you can really get your money’s worth if you come up with a list in advance. Michael is always on time, professional and honest. He tells me when he thinks I can fix something on my own, and provides helpful instructions on the side. I think this says a great deal about his character since there are many handymen out there that would not think twice about taking my money for work that I’m capable of handling myself with a bit of guidance. And when the work is done, he always volunteers tips as to how I can better maintain my apartment. I VERY HIGHLY recommend Michael for all home related repair/​installation/​maintenance needs!

I contacted Michael to replace a leaking kitchen faucet when my regular guy told me he was «too busy to do small jobs.» He called me in a few hrs and asked me if he could come the same evening. But, I didn’t have a replacement ready for him. I asked for an alternate day and he said he was booked for next 2 weeks unless there is a cancellation. I tried getting someone else to do it but couldn’t. Finally, I emailed him (yes, he reads & responds to emails) asking him to let me know if there was cancellation. I never expected to hear back. He called, came and fixed the new faucet. Since then I have used his services for additional stuff. So, what is not to like — prompt response, shows up on time, does the job well and is courteous.

Michael spent 3 hours at my new house in Lincoln Park recently having been able to squeeze me into his calendar as the result of a cancellation. He hung pictures (a lot of them), mirrors and bed headboards, towel rails and robe hooks, and volunteered tips as to how I could look after the house and its appliances better. Michael was on time, professional. honest and as helpful as the day is long, leaving me with a strong feeling of satisfaction about money well spent. VERY highly recommended.

have used MwaW a number of times for difficult tasks. Great guy – super service – very professional – HIGHLY recomended

I first contacted Michael about a quote to install a new light fixture in our living room and a new ceiling fan in our kitchen. He was so quick to respond with a few follow up questions and then we even booked the appointment through email as well. So convenient!
When he came, he was the epitome of professionalism and courteousness. He did both projects within an hour and charged us exactly what we expected based upon his estimate. We could not have been happier with the entire experience! Thanks Michael.

Hired Michael to fix a few things around our condo before renting it out, based off of other Unilocal reviews, and couldn’t be more satisfied. Michael was patient and honest about what he was capable of fixing and straightforward about his rates. I have even reached out to him for referrals for other services, such as painting, and he has not steered me wrong. Happy to have found him because lord knows my husband wasn’t capable!

I have recommend Michael to friends. He is very reliable, trustworthy and does a very good job for a variety of hime repairs. Furthermore, he is a pleasure to work with.

For those of you that are seeing the sparse ½ star reviews. Look; Michael is a HANDYMAN, not a general contractor. If you send him photos and work that he’s not comfortable doing, wouldn’t you happy with the transparency? I know I’d rather know up front if he feels capable of doing the job.
This guy is as ethical and genuine as it comes. If he told you to find someone else or that the work was out of his scope… ummm…duh?!
Some people…

My husband and I had Michael come by to install a light fixture over our dining room table and a dimmer switch. Before coming by, he had me send photos of the fixuture and made sure we had everything that was needed for the installation. We had to purchase a separate conversion kit, which we never would have known on our own. (Sidenote: LOVE that he will correspond about your projects via email — I HATE when companies will only do this stuff over the phone. This is 2014 — all businesses should use email!)
Michael was able to install our light fixture quickly and efficiently, asking for input along the way to make sure the height was to our liking. He also gave us some feedback on which lights we might want to use the dimmer switch for (we have a lot of different sets of lights and the setup is sort of wacky). Before he left, we also had him re-​install a screen that had fallen out of one of our windows — we aren’t handy people, so help with even simple things like this is welcome. :)
While he was working, Michael asked us various questions about our house and gave us some good advice (whether we knew about changing our furnace filters, whether we had carbon monoxide detectors, if we had plans to switch to more energy efficient lightbulbs, etc.). He seemed genuinely interested in helping us improve the overall state of our house.
We have used Michael once in the past, several years ago at our other condo, and he was equally helpful. I had a list of small repairs that were needed. He got through them quickly — in less than an hour — so he asked me to think of anything else he could try to fix so we would get our money’s worth. My mother-​in-​law also had him over at her condo this past fall to install some ceiling fans and a bannister and do a couple of other small things and she was very happy with the work he did. Based on these three separate experiences, I can happily say that we are big fans of the Mensch!

There’s a reason Michael has so many 5 star reviews! I emailed him about replacing a bathroom fan and re-​caulking our bathtub, and he responded right away. He actually stopped by to take a look at the fan so he could be sure to pick up the correct model. I’d been mentally preparing myself for a frustrating trip to Home Depot, but he took care of that for me!
He’s prompt, friendly, knowledgeable, trustworthy, and does quality work. He even checked our smoke detector and changed our furnace filter, two things I hadn’t even mentioned to him! Great service all around and a genuinely nice guy.

Call this guy first!
I needed a window screen replaced ASAP — he followedup with my request very quickly, let me know that he was pretty busy for the next few days, but gave me a great recco on where I could get it done cheaper and faster than he would be able to. What honest, amazing service. Next time I have a need — he’ll be the first one i call!

Contacted Michael initially on the phone about a drainage problem we were having on our balcony. He couldn’t make it out that week, but he was so helpful over the phone.
He ended up coming over about a week later and gave us some suggestions as to what we could do to help it drain better. While he was here he did a few other things for us. He is full of «fix-​it» knowledge. He has been here twice now. The second time to repair a ceiling fan. He is honest, affordable, and fun to talk to too!

After reading his glowing Unilocal reviews and checking out his website, I was all excited to discover a great handyman in my neighborhood. I was prepared to find Michael awesome. As a single working mom with a 100 year-​old single-​family house, I have A LOT of small repairs, and if I can ever find a reliable handyman, I will employ that person for life.
Michael is very quick to respond to phone calls and email, which puts him a step ahead of the competition. He asked me to send him a list of the jobs, and I sent him a dream list of everything I wanted done right then, which ran the gamut from having a new house number sign hung, to repairing some broken pieces on my stoops and resealing them, to putting a shelf in my laundry room. He asked for some pictures, which I sent.
And then proceeded to tell me that he was unable to help with virtually any item on my list. The bigger stuff, I understand: I may need a real contractor to do things like replace part of my kitchen counter, and I can understand his not wanting to undertake resealing my front and back steps or restaining my front door.
But as an example, one job was to remove old house numbers, fill the nail-​holes left by the old numbers, and hang a new house number sign. Though his website says he will do paint touch-​ups, he told me I would have to hire a painter to fill the nail-​holes and touch up the paint. He also told me I needed to hire a painter to paint a small piece of wood that had been replaced on the door trim. I ended up doing both these jobs myself in less than ten minutes, but I figured I would include them on the punch list since, if a handyman is already there and I already have the paint, no big deal to knock those things out as well, right? Apparently, wrong.
Here are the things Michael told me he could not do: replace the undercabinet lighting in my kitchen, put a shelf on top of my washer/​dryer in the laundry room (basically I just need a board fitted to the space and laid on top of the machines — he said I need to hire a counter specialist for that), repair and refinish my stoops, find a replacement for a broken vent cover and stain it to match the floor, fix the crack in my front door and stain the door, source and replace a new section of kitchen counter (including possible adding additional bracing and support).
In the end, I’m not entirely sure what Michael DOES do. Just light plumbing, hanging pictures, and putting together Ikea furniture, maybe? From my list, the only things he said he would do were hanging a new house number sign (but not patching the nail-​holes from the old one) and replacing some door hardware. And then he basically dismissed me, telling me he just specializes in small repairs and letting me know he wasn’t interested in any of my work. Not sure you can get smaller than patching a nail-​hole, but okay. It was severely disappointing since, as I said, I am looking for a handyman to work with long-​term.
I understand his not wanting to do some of the items on my list, but many of the ones he refused were typical handyman stuff. If you want a responsive guy to hang a picture and put in a dimmer switch, Michael’s probably great. If you want a general handyman who is able and willing to undertake a wide variety of repairs, then Michael isn’t that guy.

Michael is awesome.
He responds quickly to emails, and always tells you if you’ll need something specific for the job before he gets there so as not to waste time.
He also will let you see how he does things so I could do something myself the next time instead of having him come out. SERIOUSLY?! This is awesome, because you know he’s not just trying to use up all your time and money. He actually cares and just gets the job done efficiently and honestly.
As in interior designer, it is great to know that I can call Michael to help out with things for myself or my clients that I don’t know how to do, even something simple like hanging large framed pieces that need to be lined up precisely (harder than you think!)
Thanks Michael!

I used Michael a while back to fix our condo buildings back door that was ajar and the locks were no longer latching. He was very prompt, friendly and repaired the door the very day I contacted him!
Fast forward to this afternoon and I discovered our garbage disposal wasn’t working. I remembered Michael from the previous task, so I emailed him. I wasn’t expecting him to message me back until the following day since it was after 5pm, but he called me back within minutes of sending the email! He told me he knew what the problem was from my explanation and could instruct me on how to fix the issue over the phone since it was a quick and easy fix. He could have easily came to my home and charged an hourly fee, but he didn’t because he is quite a sincere and upstanding guy! Anyway, he was right on target about the problem with our disposal and I was able to fix the issue within minutes of our phone conversation.
I am very impressed with Mensch with a Wrench. I really don’t think anybody can beat service like that! I will definitely be contacting Michael with any future home repairs!