I work as a handyman in the West Village (old Federal and Greek Revival townhouses, prewar walk-ups, and the co-op units carved out of both) with a $130 minimum visit and flat prices quoted from your photos before I arrive. The most common calls: door repairs from $130, drywall and plaster patching from $140, TV mounting from $130. Full list on the pricing page.
West Village buildings are old and crooked, and that’s the charm
The West Village sits inside the Greenwich Village Historic District, which means low-rise, landmark-protected, and gloriously irregular. These are some of the oldest buildings in the city: narrow townhouses from the 1800s, small prewar walk-ups, apartments that were never square to begin with and have settled since. Floors slope. Door frames go out of plumb. Nothing is standard-sized. That’s exactly the character people move here for, and exactly what makes careless work expensive.
A century-old door that binds and won’t latch doesn’t need replacing; it needs planing and hinge adjustment: from $130, original door stays put. That’s the classic West Village call. Prewar plaster patches differently than drywall and takes different anchors, and I bring both; see drywall and plaster repair, patch and paint from $140. Hanging art on plaster in a landmark building is a hardware decision, not a guess; picture hanging starts at gallery walls from $140 and heavy mirrors from $130.
If you’re a renter in one of these walk-ups, I’ve got damage-free options for shelves and mounts so your security deposit survives your decorating. If your building has house rules for outside workers, tell me up front and I’ll plan around them.
What West Village clients book most
- Door and hardware work: sticking, dragging, out-of-square doors, locksets from $130. Old buildings settle; doors complain first. I fix the swing, not the whole door.
- Plaster and paint: patch and paint from $140, room touch-up from $150 at painting touch-ups. Careful blending on original walls.
- TV mounting: from $130 on drywall, from $160 on brick or exposed masonry, which comes up a lot in these old walls. Beautiful and unforgiving.
- Furniture assembly: dresser from $130, bed frame from $130, PAX wardrobe from $180. Small apartment, narrow stairs. I carry it up and build it in place.
- Shelves and mirrors: floating shelf from $130, heavy mirror from $130. The right anchor for old plaster, not a guess.
- Window A/C in from $130, out $130; running toilet from $130, faucet swap from $130. Old valves get gentle hands.
How booking works
Text or email me photos: the sticking door, the plaster wall, the window, whatever it is. I answer personally, not through a dispatcher, with a flat price and open slots. Evenings and Sundays included, until 10pm, and Sunday’s the quiet day on these low-rise blocks, when I can take my time planing a crooked door without a soul waiting on the stairs. I cover all of Manhattan, with SoHo right next door.
On the day: I show up on time, protect the floors, carry my tools up the narrow townhouse stairs without scuffing the banister, respect the original woodwork and plaster, do the work we agreed at the price we agreed, and clean up before I go. Cleanup’s included, always. Need it fast? See same-day service. Send photos, get your quote.
Letters to the desk, answered
My old townhouse door sticks and won't latch. Do you have to replace it?
Almost never. West Village buildings settle, so frames go out of square and doors bind. I plane the edge, adjust or shim the hinges, and get it swinging and latching again; the original door stays. Door work starts from $130.
You work in walk-ups? These West Village buildings have narrow stairs.
I do, and the fourth floor costs the same as the first. Tight winding stairs are part of the job here. Your flat quote from photos already includes the climb and the careful maneuvering.
Can you come to the West Village same day?
Often yes, especially evenings. Send photos of the job and I'll tell you straight whether today works, even a same-day trip up the walk-up stairs. I also work Sundays, when nearly everyone else is closed.
Will you match old plaster and original trim without wrecking it?
That's the goal every time. On prewar plaster I patch to blend, not just fill, and I match hardware and finishes where I can. If something truly needs replacing, I tell you before I touch it.