I work as a handyman in the East Village (old-law tenement walk-ups, rent-stabilized railroad apartments, and the occasional renovated unit) with a $130 minimum visit and flat prices quoted from your photos before I climb a single flight. Most common calls: furniture assembly from $130, shelving and storage from $130, TV mounting from $130. Full list on the pricing page.
East Village apartments are small, old, and up a lot of stairs
Most of the neighborhood is five- and six-story tenement walk-ups from the late 1800s: no elevators, small apartments, and narrow winding stairwells that turn hard at every landing. Behind the doors: plaster-and-lath walls, quirky railroad layouts, and not a lot of square footage. Alphabet City runs the same way. It’s a young, mostly renting neighborhood (students, first apartments, rent-stabilized long-timers) that shapes what people call me for.
Two things come up constantly. First, small-space storage: when the floor plan is tight, the walls have to work, so shelves and vertical storage earn their keep. Second, damage-free work for renters: mounts and anchors that come out clean so your security deposit survives your decorating. On plaster-and-lath, that’s a hardware decision, not a guess; I bring anchors for both plaster and drywall. See drywall and plaster repair, patch and paint from $140: the move-out fix that pays for itself.
And the stairs are real. Carrying a PAX wardrobe or a bed frame up four flights is a job in itself, which is why I bring the flat-pack up and assemble it in the room. A pre-built piece that won’t clear the turn helps nobody.
What East Village clients book most
- Furniture assembly: dresser from $130, bed frame from $130, PAX wardrobe from $180. Assembled upstairs, in the room, so the stairs never win.
- Shelving and storage: floating shelf from $130. In a small tenement apartment, the walls are your extra closet.
- Picture hanging: gallery wall from $140, heavy mirror from $130. Right anchor for plaster, clean patch-out for renters.
- TV mounting: from $130 on drywall, from $160 on brick or concrete. Exposed brick looks great and fights back.
- Window A/C install and removal: from $130 each way. Old sash window, heavy unit, four flights of stairs: not a favor to ask a friend.
- Minor plumbing: running toilet from $130, faucet swap from $130. Prewar valves get gentle hands.
How booking works
Text or email me a photo or two: the wall, the flat-pack box, the window unit, whatever’s on the list. I answer personally, not through a dispatcher, with a flat price and open slots. Evenings and Sundays included, until 10pm, and Sunday’s the day most other handymen have gone dark, which is exactly when a fourth-floor walk-up finally gets its shelves up. If your building has rules for outside workers (sign-in, work hours, the super’s blessing), tell me up front and I’ll plan around them.
On the day: I show up on time, protect the floors, do the work we agreed at the price we agreed, and clean up before I go: cleanup’s included, and I haul the flattened flat-pack boxes back down the four flights so you’re not stuck dragging cardboard to the curb. Need it fast? See same-day service. I cover all of Manhattan. Send photos, get your quote.
Letters to the desk, answered
I'm on the fourth floor with no elevator. Does that cost extra?
No. The fourth floor costs the same as the first: the climb is part of the job in the East Village. Your flat quote from photos already includes hauling everything up the stairs. I've got 5.0 stars across 67 Google reviews, and a fair share of those are fourth-floor walk-ups.
I'm renting and want my deposit back. Can you keep the walls intact?
That's most of what I do here. Damage-free mounts, anchors that patch out clean, and small-hole picture hanging, so your decorating doesn't cost you the security deposit. When you move out I can patch and paint the marks too.
Will a PAX wardrobe even fit up my narrow stairs?
The box will; a fully built one won't. On tight tenement stairwells I bring the flat-pack up and assemble it in the room. A pre-built wardrobe that can't clear the turn is a wasted trip for both of us. I plan for the climb from the start.
My walls are old plaster, not drywall. Can you still hang things safely?
Yes. Plaster-and-lath needs the right anchor, not a guess. I bring hardware for both plaster and drywall and pick by feel once I'm on the wall. Shelves, TVs, and heavy mirrors all hold.
Can you come same day in the East Village or Alphabet City?
Often yes, especially evenings. I work until 10pm and on Sundays, when almost everyone else is closed. Text me photos of the job and I'll tell you straight whether today works and what it costs before I head over.