After another fruitless call the next day, I cracked and called Home Depot, where the operators put me on hold for five minutes and hung up on me twice. After telling the next operator “This is an emergency!,” I finally got through to window treatments, which transferred me, ironically enough, to an “expeditor.” By this point, I was through. Home Depot was very good about getting me a refund, however.

Maybe Johnny was having some personal issues. But Home Depot doesn’t seem to be picking from a gold-medal pool of contractors. The main difference from the Yellow Pages: It’s more expensive, because there’s a big, orange-aproned middleman named Home Depot.

Step 4
You’ve got a friend: the recommendation.

Next up: the loose shower nozzle. This job met with laughs, sneers, or just a simple no, no matter who I called from the Yellow Pages, so I followed a friend’s recommendation for an odd-job guy who had helped her move.

James quoted me $50, which seemed high. He gave me a two-hour window, came half an hour late, did the job just fine, and then said, “I had to replace some materials—so let’s say $70.” Since the handle seemed to be working fine, I paid the surcharge, but I skipped the tip.

When my friend asked later, “How was he?” I felt awkward, answering, “He was fine.” I didn’t mention the extra $20, as well as the fact that James was the winner of the Filthy Shoes Award, tracking more muck into my apartment than all others combined. Recommendations are tricky; with a layer of friendship added in, it’s harder to be tough on details.

Handyman Michael Perri (see step 5).    (Photo: Phillip Toledano)

Step 5
The democratic crapshoot: Craigslist.

My next task was only slightly bigger: the shelves that started this whole project. This time, I went one step up from a recommendation: Craigslist, the Website that’s full of ads for everything from romance to apartment rentals. The pool here is cheaper than the Yellow Pages, for obvious reasons. You don’t have to be licensed to take out a Craigslist ad: You just have to be able to write the ad. Companies do list, but mostly it’s individuals—and customers are in the dark as to whether those individuals have criminal records or use stolen vehicles.

Craigslist is democratic, but it’s also hard to navigate. Two wrong clicks and you’re answering personal ads for farm-animal sex. I found Household Services and got pages and pages of links, 100 to a page. Some were simply sloppy (“SAVE MONEY & TIME WHEN YOU NEED NEW BLINDS, SHATTERS, SHADES”), some frighteningly esoteric (“MR. EVERYTHING WITH A CAR”), and some ridiculous (“We help create extra rooms in your apt”).

I clicked one that seemed disarmingly honest: “Paint, new outlets, furniture build, moldings, fix closets so your wardrobe fits, new sink, vanity, faucets, grout, doors, you name it. Let me know—I can help.” And there was a Website, which looked legit.

I sent an e-mail to Michael Perri (917-501-7161; mysite.verizon.net/vze7yg7f/), who placed the ad, and he replied later that day. It seemed odd to start the conversation over e-mail; Craigslist is the only place you do that. But Michael e-mailed back, asking for job details, and wasn’t hesitant about giving his number, which was reassuring. We talked on the phone the next day, and he came over a few days later.

At first I was nervous; Michael looks like he’s in his twenties (he just turned 30), and he didn’t have a big tool kit—just a backpack. He quickly allayed my fears when he laughed at the standard screws that came with the shelves. “How could they give you this crappy little screw?” he said, and took a bigger one out of his bag.

After the two Montclair shelves, he installed a few flat-panel shelves on my wall. Great job—perfectly straight, secure, level. The whole thing took just over an hour. He was prompt, professional, thorough, and the price was pretty good—$100, plus tip.

My experience was good, but even in my glee, I recognized it was random. Craigslist is even more of a crapshoot than the Yellow Pages, so I wouldn’t use it for high-risk jobs. And if you do, ask the big questions: Are contractors licensed? Do they have references? Will they give a free in-person consultation?

Step 6
The handyman “portal”: ServiceMagic.

For my last job—new grout on the bathroom tiles—I tried another Website, ServiceMagic (servicemagic.com). Started in 1998, it’s basically a handyman portal. You fill out a form listing the work you want done, and ServiceMagic matches you to three professional contractors in your area (they go through extensive licensing and legal and insurance screening first). You get their information, they get yours, and you work out the details. But the key to the site is its online reviews—you read other people’s feedback to help select your contractor, and after the job is done, you can post your own ratings.