Ugh - so so frustrating! hope the DIY goes well -

FWIW we are paying $$$$ to have some rotted wood replaced on some dormers bc of the insane way the ”pros” installed our gutters - assumed they did it right and can’t see up there anyway -

keep thinking that talented tradespeople who can communicate and keep a schedule will be making more & more of money as fewer people can do that work.

I wish my sons were interested in the trades - AI can’t do it, that’s for sure

I taught myself many DIY projects since I found the price to pay for good work was not in my budget when we renovated many times over the years . Hubby aslo tuned up skills. I do n not want to do the plumbing, or the whole house wiring but hanging a fan in my wheelhouse always ,same for blinds and drapes these are not going to kill anyone if done wrong the first time by me .

I was never good at DIY even when I was younger. (Am I an older woman now? Who knows!) I have tiny, weak wrists, with tendonitis, and I find it difficult to hold a drill at all, and certainly not level. A lot of homes I have lived in have concrete and plaster walls. All the anchors and expanding bolts confuse the hell out of me and I don't want heavy things falling off of the wall. And I'm not touching anything that has wires in it.

But, youtube can be really amazing for teaching myself the few DIY things that I'm physically capable of.

@la_la Girl - Ugh! That stinks. It is the worst when tradespeople damage one thing while repairing another.

We had such a string of bad luck with contractors, all recommended and with high ratings/reviews. My husband finally said we could just f*** things up ourselves and save a lot of money.

Yes to WAGO electrical connectors. Big NO to Sharkbites and never, never when buried in a wall. Hubby installed one for a overhead connection where first floor joists are exposed. I was knocking down cobwebs with a broom and barely hit the pipe. You guessed it, the Shark Bite connection failed.

Your real estate agent may have a short list of handymen. In my area, successful agents often ensure that things get done before close of escrow. If your agent wasn't a go-getter in that respect, you can try asking other local agents who close a lot of deals successfully.

Use a licensed electrian for electrical work and a licensed plumber for plumbing. Anyone at all can call themsleves a "handyman" to make money when they may have no idea what they're doing.

It certainly does not take a licensed electrician to hang a fan or any light fixture. Unfortunately the trades have been so under appreciated there just aren't many around who know simple home repair anymore. Our son is learning from his helpless friends how much his father made his life easier! Our offspring know how to do many simple home maintenance chores: change their oil, maintain their lawnmowers, replace toilet floats, and hang light fixtures etc all the must knows if one is going to own a home. The confidence they have in what they can do gives them the courage to try what they don't with some help from Youtube. Perhaps in retirement the local Senior Centers ought to teach a few classes. When all else fails Youtube is a great teacher.

We successfully hung the blinds that the handyman messed up. Hopefully our work doesn't come crashing down in the middle of the night. My back is killing me. I have a disease that puts me in a lot of pain and these are not the kind of life skills my body can hack.

My husband will be up until 2 AM editing a brief because of time spend on the blinds, and we couldn't spend a lot of time with my mom tonight either. The whole reason for purchasing this new condo is to live near her for a year while she goes through chemo and recovery. We have more money than we have time, and right now spending time with my mom is so valuable.

As my husband loves to say - "I'd never ask a plumber to write my legal brief so why would I (a lawyer) fix a sink?" I'm often embarrassed when he says that but tonight I was seeing his point. I'd so much rather be doing my cerebral work that doesn't hurt my body, I'm good at, and can do quickly.

Our great realtor gave me many names but nobody is available. I think there is a real shortage of skilled people doing handyman work now.

I realize these are such first world problems. Thanks for listening to me kvetch.

PS - Our kitchen sink is now not draining. Oy vey!

To start with, if there wasn't a fan installed there previously, a fan box should be installed first. You cannot hang a fan from a regular light fixture.

A fan box is used to make sure a ceiling fan is securely mounted and provides proper support to handle the weight and fan vibration. It also falls within code compliance. Always use a licensed trade and not a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to types of work related to safety and code compliance.

Surprising that he had so many good reviews and still managed to mess up.

I verfied that my bank stopped payment on the check. I'm sure I'll be hearing from him soon. If he agrees to come and redo the work, I'd like to say no. I will pay him $50 for the crappy job he did hanging my window blinds but I don't want to pay the $300 for the fans. He was here a loooong time but that is because he didn't know what he was doing. I just want to be done with him and have someone else come, take them down, and rehang them. The lights are starting to flicker on them too.

@GN Builders - Thanks for the info about a fan box. The fan is actually lighter than the chandelier that was hanging there before. And these are super sturdy plaster ceilings. Do you still think we need to get an electrician in to install a fan box?

Most electricians want to do jobs in the thousands with wiring and not just a few hundred bucks to hang a fan. That is why I called a handyman with electric experience. I thought him being IBEW would have made him more skilled ...

@Norwood Architects - Right? Makes me wonder if they are AI reviews or what!

@Kendrah Better safe than sorry, not having that fan come down on top of someone.

The light fixture is just hanging, the fan is vibrating, and because of that, the fasteners become loose, which increases the risk of failure. It has happened in the past, which is why there is a code requirement.

Fan boxes are easy to install, and they sell them specially for remodeling installations. You can get them in any box store or on Amazon for around $20.

Good luck

Kendrah - I assume that you guys have checked the statute in NY that covers work/services performed at residential properties. Many states (not sure if NY is one of them) require the homeowner to provide the contractor/service provider a "right of remediation" to fix work/services that were not done correctly.

I would save the text (down load on a computer) where you asked him to come install the piece for the fans. His "you're welcome" response sounds like a refusal to remediate the issue. However, I don't know if you've provided notice about the issues with the blinds.

Maybe NY's statue doesn't require a right of remediation. The amount of $ for the items is small - so, I wouldn't assume that he'd try to place a lien on your property (or file a small claims action) - but just in case I thought I'd point it out.

You probably know all of the above - however, I thought I'd point it out because I didn't know about this statute in my jurisdiction until I was researching the law after I had a contractor who completely messed up my primary bathroom renovation (his company had 4.8 stars and just under 300 Google reviews).

My law practice focuses on commercial real estate development and business law. I've only dealt with residential property issues for family/friends (or recently, myself). So, I hadn't ever had the need to research law related to renovation work on residential property.

@Norwood Architects: I also wonder about all of the 4.8 star reviews that my former contractor has due to what happened + the way he handled the situation.

Not only did he send over a new employee that had been recently released from an eight year prison sentence for battery/fraud/theft (he introduced him to me as his "business partner" + he hadn't done a background check on him - and I had jewelry go "missing" during the time period the new employee was working here + he made fake receipts for materials that I reimbursed), he was so unprofessional when it came to addressing the issues that occurred that I can't imagine how he had (has) a 4.8 star rating with 300 reviews.

I've hired a few contractors from Thumbtack. One guy was fantastic. Another guy did not do a good job on my interior doors and I would have complained to Thumbtack if not for his 5 kids.

Anyway....Reach out to Thumbtack to let them know. I have found them to be good with answering.

Thanks @shirlpp. I had no idea that Thumbtack would intervene.

I'm not sure of how much they will help with, but I've complained to them about a contractor, they called me and reached out to the contractor.

@dani_m08 - Thanks for your input. It's helping me be more specific about my communication with them. This isn't in NY (which actually has laws that really favor the contractor.)

I have hung many ceiling fans and have never used a fan box. One has been hanging for 27 years with no issues. $300 to hang some fans is ridiculous! If I lived closer I'd come put them up for you.

@Pennsylvania girl, PA got the same requirements as anywhere else, and PA follows the same code, not to mention every ceiling fan installation spec will indicate the same thing:

Ceiling Fan Installation Requirements

Electrical Box

1. Use a UL-rated electrical box specifically marked for ceiling fans.
2. Ensure the box is securely mounted to a ceiling joist or a fan-rated brace.
3. If replacing an existing fixture, you may need to upgrade to a fan-rated box.

You need to use a licensed electrician for this. It’s not just a matter of the safety of you and your family... it‘s also a matter of the safety of all who may inhabit the condo in the future...

If you don’t want to use a licensed electrician, consider taking the fans down and just leaving them down.

You may be able to get away with hanging a regular light fixture without an electrician. Although, personally, I‘ve only ever used a licensed electrician for that, also. I’m renting in my current place - and at this time, have no plans to change the light fixtures or ceiling fans. But for anything electrical here - my current landlord IS a licensed electrician. That’s what he does.

You say the lights on the ceiling fans are already ”flickering” ...

You need a licensed electrician.

"You need a licensed electrician."

No, you need a licensed electrical contractor who will send out a licensed electrician. Licensed electricians cannot legally contract for electrical work without an electrical contractor's license.

I don’t know if my current landlord also has an electrical contractor’s license. It’s possible. He‘s had a high-powered job in the field, for many years; I think he basically runs the City. (NYC)

FYI: The difference between electricians and electrical contractors:

@ GN Builders L.L.C I understand that, but I've never been through a home inspection that the inspector took down the ceiling fan to check what box is in there. For most people that aren't wealthy a simple swapping out of lights/fans is something they DIY and usually mount to existing box, myself included.

In NJ, towns require a CO inspection when a home is being sold. During that inspection, if a fan is present, some towns require a letter from a licensed electrical contractor with their seal to verify proper fan installation and confirm that a fan-rated box is in place. If the homeowner doesn't want to pay, they can take the fan down and install a regular fixture.

@Kendrah - I thought you were in NYC for some reason.

My ex used to hire truly unqualified people for cheep prices. Every time I went out of town I would come home to some disaster.

On one occasion he had someone install a heater fan that I purchased in our bathroom. I came home after being out of town for a couple of weeks. I asked him who installed the fan and he assured me that it was installed by "R____", our contractor. I turned on the shower, turned on the fan, heard a crack and pop and steam and smoke is coming from the fan.

I called my contractor who came out a few days later, he had not installed the fan and my ex admitted he got some illegals to come in and do the work for a few bucks. They tied wiring to the wiring for the light fixture. Wrong wiring, unsafe splicing . . . so I got to pay for the original fan plus a replacement fan and my husband had paid for the installation and then I got to pay for another installation and according to my contractor, I was lucky it didn't start a fire and burn our home down.

There is a reason my ex is my ex.

I can do a lot of repairs myself, but I don't do electrical other than a simple outlet, don't do major plumbing, don't touch gas lines.