House Maintenance
Alarm Companies/Services (for house)
Citizens Security (formerly AAA Security), 413-448-4357, https://citizen-security.com/contact-citizen-security/. Excellent service. (8/15, 6/17)
ADT security systems. 800-257-8274 (8/15)
Alarms of Berkshire County 413-445-4030 High rec. (8/15, 5/18)
New England Security 413-442 5647 55 Church St Pittsfield (3/16, 5/18)
Lee Audio ’n' Security. 800-325-9111; 800-369-3905. Recommended! (latest: 12/23) (Berkshire Communicators does the monitoring.)
A-1 Security - Jeff Mason's cell: 413-528-9955. Danielle at the office: 413-528-9955. Local and very good. Responsive, accessible, technologically leading edge, and very good people. (latest: 12/23)
Another option: DIY: You do the installation and then pay the monitoring fee. Video can be tied to your cell phone. Hardwire with a WiFi backup is the least hackable. Put outdoor cams (can be solar powered) in unreachable places.
Asbestos Remediation
Nothing to add here yet. (Gem Environmental, Williamstown [http://www.gemenvironmental.com] did not respond to calls/emails. -- 10/16)
Basement Waterproofing
MPJ General Contracting, in Canaan, CT, 860-671-9560 or 860-671-9048, www.mpjgeneralcontracting.com. They did an excellent job with my basement, which is a bit more like a crawl space -- 4 ft high. (10/20)
Chimney Flashing Repair
All roofers and many handypersons can do this.
Kuhn's in Sheffield, best in the area. Not cheap but the absolute best. Bob Berman on WAMC, who is the fix-it guest, says if you have an issue call them. (11/18)
Chimney Sweeps
Sweep-n-Scan, Pittsfield, speak with Steve, 413-442-0201, www.sweep-n-scan.com. Responsive and reasonable. Great, honest family company. (Many high recs, most recent 3/22)
Clean Sweep, Sue & David - 413-243-1691, ask for Debbie or Tom. (Many high recs, most recent 4/21)
Gary Casarsa - Alford (5/13)
3-G of Torrington, CT, 860-489-0700 - website: 3Gchimney.com: I used them to clean out the flu - professional, reasonable and prompt. (5/13)
Rob Magadini -- high rec, very nice to work with. 528-1251, 413-717-0008. (5/13)
Kevin Armstrong, West Stockbridge. Did a great job, reasonably priced. 413-637-8321. (11/15, 8/19)
Matt Pevzner, 528-8173. GB firefighter and son of Sue of Jacks. Reasonable and nice, we've used him for years. (5/16)
John the Chimney Sweep, 518-653-1556. (8/19)
Matt Hitchcock - Ashley Falls - 413-854-8437. A nice, honest, and straightforward guy, has been in the business for MANY years. Prompt service to new customer in fall 2020. (2/15, 4/21, 8/21)
Keith Pecora, 518-330-5397. He's great! Did a VERY thorough job! (Also recommended by QuadraFire wood burning stoves.) (3/21, 12/21)
Northeastern Chimney and Masonry, Selkirk, NY, 518-535-4520, https://northeasternchimney.com/. They are professional and thorough, and the communication is excellent. (10/22)
Thomas Vollweiler, 518-751-0295, thomasvollweiler@yahoo.com. Chimney cleaning, relining and installation. Neat and very knowledgeable about all things chimney. (2/18, 11/22)
Fred Kotowitz, 413-854-7143. He has a good understanding of bricks, mortar, and stone. (7/23)
Actual Chimney Specialists, http://actualchimneyspecialist.com/. Hi rec. They service Berkshire area as well as the NYS side. (10/23)
Rob Keller, "Sultan of Soot," 860-435-2269. Very good! Told us a chimney didn't need cleaning. I wouldn't go anywhere else. Terrific and honest. Many thumbs-up! (most recent, 10/23)
Master Sweep & Repair, call John Koch (pronounced 'cook'), 413-499-4097, www.mastersweeprepair.com/. They were great! Helped solve a problem -- terrific! (most recent, 3/24)
Drain Clearing
United Rooter, Cheshire. 528-4808. Jon handled the emergency. (9/18)
Mt Everett Sanitation, 528-3364. Very reliable old company.
Floor Refinishing, etc.
Ben Downing, Downing Woodworks, 413-446-5351, benjamindowning20@gmail.com. Very knowledgeable & conscientious. Did great work. (4/14)
Erik Rydingsword, svard@snet.net. Refinished my 175-year-old wide-plank floors and they look amazing. (8/15)
Tom Race, Egremont Contractors, 413-822-2929. Did my cherry and maple floors. Great and very reasonably priced. (9/15)
Dalene Co., Torrington, CT, 860-496-1414, www.daleneflooring.com. Did a great job! Dustless technique. Manager David Smedick makes house calls to generate a quote. Email dsmedick@daleneflooring.com or Jennifer (JEtchegary@DaleneFlooring.com). (5/16, 7/20)
Rick & Rick. 229-2395. They do flooring. They also Install carpets (including stair runners) and ceramic tilework. Very nice, and superior work. (3/17)
Z&C Floors (talk with Clerio, a super-nice guy), 413-429-1634. Did a great job for us. (5/17, 8/20)
Father and Son in Pittsfield, 413-698-2389, http://fatherandsonfloorsanding.com/. Did a great job, on time and within budget. (2016, reported 7/19)
Darren Todd, 413-221-8547. Fantastic. Two recs. (5/20)
Jody's Floor Sanding & Refinishing, Jody and Shannon Margraf, Otis, 413-269-7141, shannon@jodysfloorsanding.com They're great! A lovely job on both old wide plank pine and 1960s oak flooring. Highly recommend. (10/14, 8/15, 7/20)
John Mullen, 413-446-2451. Preferred floor sander/finisher, but he has another full time job and therefore limited availability. "He always does a top-notch job if you can get him." (1/21)
Frank Monda, 860-671-0468, thefloorspecialist@verizon.net. Nice guy. Professional. Outstanding! (6/18, 3/22)
Daren Carlson of Carlson Wood Floors in Lee. 413-243-6077 or 413-329-3242, carlsondaren1@gmail.com. Recommended, very happy with them. Great job! "Really good if you can get him!" (many, thru 9/22)
Tallon Lumber, Canaan, CT, 860-824-0733. They do sanding, refinishing. (11/21, 10/23)
John Wendling, Floor Works, Richmond, https://www.myfloorworks.com/, 413-822-8699. Our floors turned out beautiful, and he’s very trustworthy. (3/22, 3/24)
Garage Doors
Madsen Overhead doors in Austerlitz, 518-392-3883. Everyone agrees: excellent! (6/17 - 7/23)
Overhead Door, Pittsfield, 413-442-4600, www.ohdc.com. Great! (10/21 - 7/23)
Gutters
Kevin Favre -- usually very busy and though it took a bit too long to get back to us initially, once he was on the job he did great work and didn’t waste any time. We’d use him again. 413-997-9700, 413-464-7140 (cell) (5/13) (See Contractors, above).
Larry Newey at 413 298 4500. Has taken care of my gutters for several years, as well as many other projects. Totally reliable and reasonable. (5/13)
Constantine, our handyman, is excellent. 413-443-4630 (5/13)
Steve Foose of Suncross, 413-446-6835. He came out in the rain and repaired a crushed downspout installed 10 years ago. Has stood by his product more than once. He also took them down and reinstalled them (at no charge) when I painted. Good man. (1/14) Quote was totally reasonable, his design/troubleshooting was creative and thoughtful, he showed up on schedule and finished on time, and his work was terrific. (10/16) Did a great job! (4/18) Also, a small flashing job. (11/18) One disatisfied customer had leaks because sections of gutter weren't screwed together. (8/19)
Rich at Completed Home in N. Canaan. 860-824-5094. Did a fine job of working with my old gutters, and added new ones. (9/16)
Susan Wadsworth 413-717-5690 or susanwadsworth.inspired@gmail.com. Experienced, honest, and hard-working local resident with a host of skills, including gutter cleanouts. (5/17)
Fall River Gutters, Pittsfield. Call Eric, 413-464-6067. We did an addition a couple years ago and needed gutters and leaf guards to match existing. They gave a reasonable quote, then did the job as expected, with complete cleanup. Eric thought the color match was not quite right, and on his own initiative, at no cost to me, came back to paint the new gutters to match. (8/17)
Mike Linde at Berkshire Roofing & Gutter, 413-281-4700 or 413-298-1029. (4/19)
Al Smith Gutters, Alsmithgutters@roadrunner.com, 413-637-3189. He actually came and completed the job early. (8/19)
Marge, of Painting by Marge, 860-485-3209, pbminc@hotmail.com. Her crew of outstanding painters just did the interior of our house last fall and also clean gutters. Can't recommend her business highly enough. Always on time, efficient, friendly. Long history in the area. (5/20)
Tom Netzer, 413-854-7652. Does a lot: roof, flashing, gutters. He's fair and phenomenal. (5/20, 11/21)
Mr. Gutter, Holyoke, https://www.mrgutter.biz/, 413-536-7451. (7/21)
Sylvain Lessard, CT, 203-232-8761. Prices were extreme reasonable, better then anyone in Berkshire county, even though he traveled from Connecticut. He installed green-colored gutters a new garage door that matched the roof. Highly recommend. (7/21)
Gutters & Siding, Pittsfield, www.guttersnsiding.com. Paul Roman, manager/contact, 423-347-9002, was responsive & professional. Visited the house and gave us a competitive and fair estimate. Scheduled an appt soon after. His team replaced all our gutters, downspouts, and rotted wood. We highly recommend. (4/23)
Ken Ortiz, South County Seamless Gutters, 413-429-5137. Installed our gutters and snow-guards. Recommend! (8/22, 9/23, 4/24)
Tehd Okun, 781-910-0911, Info@OkunServices.com. Nice fellow. He cleaned out the gutters and hosed them down to make sure they weren't blocked, and fixed the one that keeps separating. Fully insured. (10/19 to 10/23)
Scott Wodecki is no longer doing gutters, just metal roofs. 528-7969. (as of 9/18)
One unsatisfactory report for https://www.gutterprony.com/.
Handy Person
Sharon Wybrants, swybrants@gmail.com, 528-6530. Willing to help! (7/12)
Mindy Waite does odd jobs around the house. She is terrific! Works hard, cleans up after the project, reliable, friendly, and can even took care of the dog when you're out for the day. 413-429-7580
Ron Brazie Jr. 413-717-2889 (cell). Will do pretty much anything. Many in Egremont have happily used him for many different chores. (5/12)
Kris Granger, Grangers Construction Inc., 413-822-8228.
Aaron Kincaid, Aaronkinkaid@gmail.com; 413-629-8381 or 413-717-5635. Does both indoor and outdoor work, built a beautiful bathroom for a friend, tends my grounds, and is a great problem solver. (3/15)
William T. Wood, 413-429-7667. Handy in many realms. Can build, paint, weld. Smart, artistic. (3/15)
Tom Race, contractor. Terrific! 413-822-2929 (9/16)
Andrew Bosch, 413-717-9980. Does anything from carpentry to stonework, and does it very well! (2/17)
Susan Wadsworth, 413-717-5690 or susanwadsworth.inspired@gmail.com. Experienced, honest, and hard-working local resident with a host of skills: Interior: housecleaning, including basements and garages; painting; personal assistant, errands, grocery shopping; serving and organizing parties; licensed hairstylist who makes housecalls. Exterior: gardening and weeding; yard clean-up, pruning, hauling of branches; gutter cleanouts; mildew treatment and cleaning of decks; grill cleaning; various other tasks. (1/17)
Lou Serpe, Egremonter, 413-884-2873. Very trustworthy, does good work, won’t overcharge. (8/18)
Gino Furio, No Shenanigans Handyman Services, 413-854-1940, ginofurio98@hotmail.com. (New Marlborough) I am very happy with his work. A nice person with fair pricing. (8/19)
Amelia McCloud, 413-854-1003, ameliamemccloud3@gmail.com. Recommended for small jobs: carpentry, painting, cleaning. She has a 3-hour minimum. (2/20)
John Clemmons, 413-446-9333 (text). He is personable and trustworthy. (5/20)
Manny Saavedra does great work. 413-464-1895. MANY people LOVE him!! (5/16, 5/20)
Almo Zani, 413-429-7846. He is a great carpenter! (7/20)
Don “Sparkie,” 845-489-3256. Recommended! (2/21)
Ed Smith of Canaan, zorrordmc@gmail.com, 860-671-0796. Handyman, painter, carpenter, do-anything-guy. Reliable, good, hard-working, and a total sweetheart. Fine carpentry, roofing, building, landscaping, and can fix most things. Cleaning, repairs, carpentry, painting. (He hesitates to do plumbing and electrical, due to specialty tools and licensing, but can do most anything.) (8/16, 2/18, 4/21)
Jhon Torres, 929-317-8872, torresgraficas@gmail.com. He can laminate and install wood floors, has carpentry skills, and does gardening (including tree work). (5/21)
Kevin Granger, klg1961@gmail.com, 413-717-5191. Has been extremely helpful with smaller projects. (5/21)
Jim Olmsted, 413-528-0102. He does great work, is reliable, and his charges are reasonable. (6/21)
Tim Pitt, dfpitt@gmail.com. Recommended. (4/22)
Eric Pilch of Lake Shore Builders, 518-821-0099. He is terrific and very honest. He takes his time because he's very meticulous. Can do walls, tiling. Text is best. (7/22)
David Christian, 518-755-2310. He'll move things, take stuff to Barbato's to dump, etc. He’s reliable, kind, and very good. Highly recommend. (7/22)
Mike Brooks, 413-854-1328. Gardening, painting & staining, general all-'round handyperson. (Not electric, plumbing.) He's terrific! (5/23)
Jonathan Taylor, 528-8278, boardbanger@icloud.com. Terrific for small jobs and almost everything to do with the building trade. Wonderful! Very knowledgeable and reasonable. Highly recommend. (latest: 5/23)
Doug Winseck, 413-626-8507. He's a great painter and all around handyman. Reasonable, a clear communicator, and the work he did for us was very good. (latest: 5/23)
Benjamin Antonio, 518-697-9024. I have know him for years. He has helped me move several times. He has workers with him and is very reliable, competent, and reasonable. Highly recommended for all kinds of jobs. Highly professional. (many; latest: 6/23)
Bernardino Aguilar (Egremonter), 413-717-7448, Bernarag@hotmail.com. Excellent and creative! Raves from happy clients. (many; latest: 9/23)
John Rioux, talented handy man. Fantastic; prompt, courteous, very skilled. He’s looking for more clients! Phone/text 418-932-8492. (1/24)
Pete Soules, aka Pete's Handyman, Sheffield, 413-854-5856. For small home projects and repairs. His breadth of knowledge and the quality of his work are great! Capable and competent at various jobs around the house, including carpentry. He’s reliable and just generally a really nice guy. Recently retired from his full-time job as road superintendent in GB. (2/21, 11/23, 3/24)
Lord St. Pierre, Baldwin Hill Rd, 413-522-3280. Large and small jobs, a great help to us for many years. Can repair house siding. He put in our ultraviolet water purification system. (5/13, 5/20, 3/24)
House Caretakers (winter, weekly, etc.)
Ed Brahney, ebrahney@roadrunner.com, 229-2342 home, 413-329-7349 cell (10/13)
Cory Ives 413-429-1289; Very reliable, honest. He's a local mason. (10/13)
Jose 518-697-9040; Handy, reliable, and does repairs. (10/13)
Greg Peck, NeighborNet member, and Eg Fire Department member for 48 years. 528-4855, or email dodropin18@yahoo.com (10/13)
Tony Ullrich, home 413-229-2773, cell 413-717-7468; retired GB police officer. (10/13)
Gary Warner, 413-591-8270, gary.warner@gmail.com. NeighborNet member, experienced, familiar with small engines such as in generators. (10/13)
Caroline Wilson, 528-2172, or email crlnwlsn@hotmail.com. NeighborNet member. (10/13)
Joe Morandi. 528-1855. Has taken care of my vacation home for years. (7/15)
Bonnie Wells 413-854-7417. bonbonz75@yahoo.com. High rec. (10/15)
Lord St. Pierre 413-522-3280 (Egremonter): licensed and insured contractor. Many happy customers in Egremont! (6/16)
Bryan Frank (Egremonter), Posto Property Management, Premier Property Management and Rental Management, www.postoproperty.com, hello@postoproperty.com, 413-206-6386. Concierge home care for full-time and part-time residents. Short-term (AirBNB) rental management, long-term rental management. Home improvement consulting. (9/20, 1/22)
Paul Montgomery (former Police Officer), lives on Townhouse Hill Rd, 413-717-0272. (9/21)
Inspection (Mold, Asbestos, Air Quality)
Bald Eagle Inspection Services, https://baldeagle.biz/, 518-488-2538. Near Albany, but Jason Federico will come to the Berkshires. He's terrific, highly qualified. (11/21)
Lumber (sources of)
Eric at Falls Village Sawmill, 401-225-2263. Recommended for rough-cut lumber for woodworking projects. (11/22)
Konkapot Tree and Timber, Ashley Falls, 229-2182. Owned by Will Conklin (of Greenagers) and Cal Turner. (11/22)
Berkshire Products, Sheffield, https://berkshireproducts.com/. They have an amazing selection of boards and slabs, of different kinds of wood. Most of it aged. (11/22)
Ghent Wood Products, https://ghentwoodproducts.com/. For kiln dried lumber. (11/22)
Herrington's in Hillsdale, of course! https://herringtons.com/stores/hillsdale-ny/, 518-325-3131. Family-run, for all building needs. (4/23)
Dettinger Lumber, Pittsfield, https://dettingerlumber.com/, 413-442-6916. Raves for service! Family-run, and cheaper than Home Depot. (4/23)
Metal Work
Kody Goddard, KG Fabrication, Ashley Falls, www.kgfabrication.com, 413-230-0285. A good guy! (6/23)
413-230-02
Mold Remediation
Catamount Carpet Cleaning, Pittsfield, https://catamountcarpet.com/restoration-services/mold_removal/. (12/18, 10/20)
Belfor Restorations, 914-281-4312. Speak with Amanda Nokes (in Westchester but will arrange for here). (12/18)
H&H Environmental, Saugerties, NY, 888-250-6653, www.hhenvironmental.com. (8/20)
Abide Environmental, https://abideinc.com, 800-696-2243. Excellent, clean, and responsive. (10/20, 4/24)
Painting (House)
See "Painters."
Pool Maintenance
Leisure Pools - Peter and Melissa Zdziarski (229-0093 or 413-446-0753) (mzdziarski@gmail.com) (4/18)
Blackwell's Pools and Patios, GB, 528-5988. Very reliable, adults do the services. (4/18)
James “Toby" Zucco, 413-329-4633. Recommend highly. (7/18)
Robert Preusser, 518-851-9766. Recommended. (7/18)
Justin Ellison and Jeff Messer of J. J. Pools, 203-217-1366 and Justinellison816@yahoo.com, or 360-628-1380 and jeffmesser@yahoo.com. Service, renovations, equipment, repairs. Recommended. (7/18)
Brendan Pollock @ Aquarius Pool, 413-854-3195. (Picked up from another listserve -- not clear if this was a rec or just contact info.) (11/18)
Jack Case, 413-429-7994. Maintains our pool and does a great job. (2/22)
Nathan Mosher, 518-275-6062. Very nice, reasonably priced, will open up and maintain the pool through the summer. (2/23)
Concrete pools: Justin Ellison, 203-217-1366. High rec. He started 13 years ago in Fairfield County and has brought his expertise to the Berkshires.
Porch Care
Sanding
Bruce Bona, "Peace of Mind," 413-854-3727. Licensed, fully insured, excellent team. Really good guy! (6/19)
Manny Saavedra does great work. 413-464-1895. MANY people LOVE him!! (5/16, 5/20)
Power Washing (see under Cleaning)
Property Management
Tim Lee, 413-429-1018, 7knoblane@gmail.com. HIGHLY recommended! (9/21)
Bryan Frank (Egremonter), Posto Property Management, Premier Property Management and Rental Management, www.postoproperty.com, hello@postoproperty.com, 413-206-6386. Concierge home care for full-time and part-time residents. Short-term (AirBNB) rental management, long-term rental management. Home improvement consulting. (1/22)
Radon Testing
Berkshire Radon, LLC, 528-9700, www.berkshireradon.com. Three unanimous "most favorable" reports. The expert at Berkshire Radon suggests that first you buy a (relatively) inexpensive radon detector and measure levels in several rooms, including cellar. Then call if levels are high. (1/20) They installed a vacuum-based radon reduction system in the basement. It works great! (9/20)
Roof Shoveling (winter) and Cleaning
Advice: Make sure roof workers have liability insurance.
Manny Saavedra does great work. 413-464-1895. (2/15)
Juan Rodriquez, 413-717-2950, juanrodriguez2171@icloud.com Highly recommend! Hard worker, polite, timely, trustworthy, responsive & pleasant to be around. (2/15, 4/20)
Aaron Kincaid swept my roof twice this winter and I have had no leaks or ice jams. Aaronkinkaid@gmail.com; 413-629-8381. (3/15)
Advice: Power-washing a shingled roof will remove the granules from the shingles. (Not good.) Spray a moss-killing solution on the roof and then just rinse it off. The moss washes off after a few rainstorms, and black streaks of algae disappear. Old roofs look almost new again.
Snowplowing
Bob LeBeau -- absolutely wonderful!! Bob's Lawn Service 528-4438, 1-413-447-5411 (cell) Two recs (10/12)
Jim Parsons, 413-652-5692. Already works on Baldwin Hill East and Blunt. Honest and a real gentleman. He also mows lawns. (12/12)
Brian Schoonmaker, Green River Landscape Maintenance, 528-1993 (H), 413-717-7653 (C) (7/12)
Wayne Schoonmaker -- amazing! 413-329-7268 (6/12)
Todd Tinker plowing services. 413-717-1368. tinkeroutdoors331@gmail.com (two votes of approval) (6/12)
Jared Havens, 528-3602. On Mt Washington Rd. Very reliable. Does mowing too. (11/16, 9/17)
South County Winter Care: Gary Storti, 528-1678; or Will Steinert, 413-281-9859. Plow, sand, salt. Terrific! (9/16)
Mike Stevens, 229-7900. He's been satisfactorily plowing our driveway for some time. (9/17)
George Soudant, 413-329-7518. Has plowed our driveway for years. Very attentive. (9/17)
Malcolm McCain, of Berkshire Property Maintenance LLC: mmccainberkshire@gmail.com, 917-833-0743. Excellent snowplower. (2/17, 9/17)
Ryan Larkin (Egremonter) 528-8908, Ryan@LarkinLtd.com or billing@larkinltd.com Responsive and reasonable. (1/15, 9/17)
Skip Carey, 413-329-6613. Very reliable. (1/18)
Todd Mitchell valleyviewpropertyservices@yahoo.com. Does both mowing and plowing. He is a very nice fellow and completely reliable. (11/18)
Juan Rodriquez, 413-717-2950, juanrodriguez2171@icloud.com Highly recommend! Hard worker, polite, timely, trustworthy, responsive & pleasant to be around. (2/15, 4/20)
Michael Bell, 860-248-5926, MBBuilders3@gmail.com. He's good and not expensive. (10/20)
Butch and BJ Kahlstrom (father and son), KahlstromEnterprises@gmail.com, 413-717-1697, 413-441-7131. Highly recommended. (11/21)
Lovan DeRis -- reliable, friendly, and does a wonderful job. 413-329-5987 (10/12, 11/16, 11/21)
Carlos Calvo, Year Round Maintenance, carlos.calvo.yrm@gmail.com, 240-429-9083. A lovely, hardworking guy. Highly recommended. Also great for lawn care, leaf clean up, etc. (11/19 thru 4/23)
Benjamin Antonio -- 518-697-9024, benjiantonio@hotmail.com. He's excellent and even shovels the walk. Understands how to plow for future snow and doesn’t tear up my drive. NOBODY can touch him in work or cost. He has a crew devoted to Egremont. (many recs, 11/18 to 12/22)
Paul Montgomery, 413-717-0272. (11/23)
Trash Haulers
John Coyle, Berkshire Removalist, 413-429-6508. Will help with hard-to-get-rid-of items. Super nice guy who can dispose of most anything. (8/20)
Macaw Services, www.facebook.com/macawservices, 518-704-8459. Speak with Tony Torres. Junk removal, large and small. (11/20)
Roger Trucking, 528-8128, www.rogertruckingservices.com. For regular trash hauling and to rent a dumpster at a very reasonable price. (8/21)
Triple J Trash Removal Services, 413-717-7622, triplejtrash@gmail.com. Took over for House-to-House and is actively seeking new customers in Egremont and Alford. (6/23)
Scrap Metal Pickup
Don Peck 528-1620 "The best!" (12/13)