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Photography by Dilip Vishwanat

When the roof leaks, the dishwasher gets stuck on rinse and your 5-year-old just plunged his play sword into your finest painting, where are you going to go? Who are you going to call?

Of course, you could flip open the Yellow Pages and cast the fate of your prized possessions—or house—into the hands of a total stranger. Will they do their best—or a slapdash job? Will they give you one price and charge you another? Will you be pulling your hair out by the clump before the problem is resolved?

We hope not. But it happens. To avoid it, we’ve called our friends, acquaintances and people in the know, checked with our mothers and scoured Angie’s List to get references on places and people who will fix anything and everything. No one on the list comes without at least one (but usually two or more) recommendations. Hopefully, you will find the person you need to solve your house problems.

You might scan the list and see your favorite plumber, electrician, chimney sweep or whomever isn’t there—and you can’t imagine why he wasn’t nominated. Amazingly enough (to us), several (make that more than a dozen) people declined to be named, refused to participate.

And of course, one person’s hero can be another’s headache. We hope your experience with the names below is a good one. If only we could guarantee it.

Inside Your Four Walls:

Power Tripping

Has your toaster oven ever thrown sparks? Or perhaps, flames? You need the assistance of a reputable, experienced electrician. Paul Loveland of Loveland Electric (multiple locations area-wide, www.lovelandelectric.com, 636-926-7677), who’s owned his company for 30-plus years, aims to not get your business—in a way. If you’re lucky you may not need a visit at all, as Loveland’s call takers aim to get people through their problems on the phone. “There are basic things we have people check before we get there,” says Diane Loveland. If you do need help, Loveland and his team are there for work ranging from electrical to duct cleaning to providing backup power. In additon, Bates Electric (multiple locations, 636-464-3939, www.bates-electric.com) has been in business since 1992, and can provide free estimates by phone; they maintain a rigorous employee education program in order to provide the highest levels of safety possible.


Hot and Cold

Co-owners and brothers-in-law Joe Papa and Corey Malone of Air Comfort Service (314-731-4133, 314-814-8461, 636-866-0247, www.aircomfortservice.com) married into the business—both wed daughters of the former owner—and brought with them business degrees and a keen desire to learn. For residential service, they charge on a per-hour basis using a flat-rate book, the same idea as Blue Book pricing for used cars. “If people want to see the book, they can,” says Papa. “We simply tell customers ‘Here’s what’s wrong, here’s what we would do, and here’s what it would cost. ’ We’re always up front.” Papa is quick to remind consumers that although the price you’re quoted is the price you’ll likely pay, additional trouble—and expense—can surface during the course of a repair. “There’s a wide array of situations we deal with, and things do pop up.” Beckmann Brothers Heating & Cooling (4200 Bonfils, 314-426-5993), has offered service on residential and commercial heating and air conditioning in St. Charles, St. Louis city and the county for more than 42 years. Owner Michael Hopan has been with the company since 1983 and charges by the job, not by the hour, depending upon what it is you need. The only thing the company doesn’t handle is duct cleaning. On a civic-duty note, Beckmann Brothers works at reduced rates for organizations like Saints Joachim and Ann Parish’s care service. “We try to help people in need,” says Michele Svoboda, Beckmann’s office manager.


Plumbing the Depths

If Steve Stahnke of Stan-Key Plumbing Service, Inc. (2763 Tiara, Arnold, 636-296-0064) won’t settle for mediocrity, it’s because he learned his trade through a journeyman/apprentice relationship with highly skilled union craftsmen who didn’t tolerate average workmanship. Today, with 28 years in the trade, Stahnke offers a comprehensive line of plumbing-related residential and commercial services, from repairs to remodeling. They charge $50 for traveling to your house and $94 hourly for service (larger projects are more competitively bid). Stahnke acknowledges that’s not cheap, adding you’re paying for workmanship. “We don’t hire inexperienced individuals who act as ‘general contractors.’ We work best with other trade professionals and designers who understand the intricacies of the project.” Two others those in the know seem to have on their speed dials are: Tony LaMartina Plumbing Co. (314-965-9377) and Spasnick Plumbing (4760 Virginia, 314-353-5955). Both have been in the biz for years and each have armies of devotées.


Going Buggy

Tom Pollard, the proprietor of Best Control Pest Control (9144 Darlene, 314-638-2847) loves his work. “Killing roaches is one thing,” he says. “And it’s wonderful. I love killing bugs.”

But he also enjoys giving succor to those ailing. For example, during some recent wind damage, he removed a bee’s nest from a fallen tree, allowing power workers a chance to hook up the juice to a senior-living condo. Prior to that, the work crew had been hampered by an inability to get to the fallen wiring. The first step in the process—the taming of the bees—was the one that required expert care.

“That’s neat,” he says, reflecting on the seniors that day. “It lets you feel like you’re helping lives, too.”

Best Control Pest Control, in business for two decades, is one of several full-service pest control companies here. All of them are versed in the assassination of that ant colony in your basement or that wasp’s den on your deck, though some also deal with vector control, focusing on the elimination of unruly bats, birds and vertebrates from your domicile.

Among the highest-regarded pest control companies in town are the following: Antimite Termite & Pest Control (10024 Office Center, 314-471-2020); Blue Chip Exterminators (1633 Headland, 636-343-7900); and Woods Mill Pest Control (910 Kehrs Mill, 636-391-7003). If possums are your problem, Will at Woods Mill is a master at finding them and keeping the varmints away. Also of particular note is Holper’s Pest & Animal Solutions (9223 Gravois, 314-544-7378, www.holperspest.com), which is run by company namesake Jeff Holper. Known as “the Mole Hunter,” Holper attracted a degree of local media notoriety, not so much for his ability to tame the worst of insect invasions, but for his way with mammals, particularly squirrels, voles and, as his moniker would suggest, moles.


Window Pains

When that glass tabletop cracks into pieces, the place the pros go is Kirkwood Glass (300 S. Kirkwood, 314-966-0272), a three-generation business that’s been around since 1964. Though they must see a job to bid it, they give free estimates and specialize to the job with three divisions: home glass (including windows and glass tabletops), auto glass and shower door/mirror glass. They replaced most of the broken windows in North County after the awful hailstorm a few years ago, but just as you’d expect, they get a share of their business thanks to little kids thowing baseballs through picture windows. “I think we get one of those every day,” says Jocelyn Schneider, daughter of owner Charlie Schneider. They don’t do stained glass or glass blocks, but are happy to build new glass sunrooms or just sell you a piece of replacement glass for a picture frame.

If your windows are in once piece but so dirty it doesn’t seem to matter, Fish Window Cleaning (200 Enchanted Parkway, 636-530-7334, www.fishwindowcleaning.com), specializes in cleaning windows inside and out and making sills sparkle. President and founder Mike Merrick honed his skills with in-house training through the International Window Cleaning Organization. Window cleaning is also king at The Kings (311 N. Lindbergh, 314-872-8800). Owner Paul Cagle underwent professional training at Janitor University, which educates and certifies cleaning personnel. They charge by the job: “If you simply go by an hourly rate, it can be very misleading.” In operation for more than 25 years, the company was formed by a Covenant Seminary student and passed down to incoming students when he graduated. Now the company puts a well-trained 35-person staff—some still seminarians—to work.

Norm Foster of The Window Man (334 S. Fillmore, 314-965-2221) has been in business since 1990, apprenticed to his trade, and runs a tight ship. He admits that he’s one of the more expensive guys in town, but that the “prices are based on being able to pay our crew members well, so we can recruit good, professional people.” He can give you a bid over the phone based upon the type of windows you have, but a basic pane runs $6, screens $2, and the prices go up from there depending on how complicated the job may be.


Blind Fury

George Flynn of C & G Shine-A-Blind Inc. (314-894-7155) began his company—the first on-site business of its kind in the metropolitan area—in 1982. Flynn specializes in the repair and cleaning of miniblinds, wood blinds and faux-wood and vertical blinds. Flynn’s prices are established through size and quantity. When it comes to blinds, there really isn’t a job C & G (the G is for George, the C is for his wife and business partner, Cal) won’t touch. The Flynns have serviced high-security operations like the CIA, the FBI and the DEA. Nothing covert, he promises. Just cleaning.


If I Were a Carpenter

Sometimes it’s tough to find the right carpenter for the job. What if he goes nuts on your house and it ends up looking like the Malibu Barbie mansion? Never fear. St. Louis is rife with great carpenters, whose work is probably right under your nose. Next time you’re at City Museum and the kids beg to ride the train, take a closer look, because both the riding and toy trains feature the handiwork of Charlie Struckhoff (314-367-1983), a St. Louis-based carpenter who’s been in the business for 40 years. Struckhoff’s clientele finds him through word of mouth, as he operates out of a workshop in the basement of his home in the Central West End. His qualifications? Family tradition.

“My father was a carpenter, and he taught me a lot,” Struckhoff says, adding that he’ll usually take any job, from decks to furniture to millwork, for $40 an hour. Though he does a lot of built-ins for homes, Struckhoff says he won’t perform complete rehabs anymore. For Roger Kepner at Landmark Builders (6731 Manchester, 314-644-2464), home rehab proved an excellent learning tool. The 29-year carpentry veteran says that in addition to growing up with the trade, redoing his own Victorian house inspired him to open the business. Landmarks specialize in kitchens, bathrooms and room additions. A third carpenter who comes highly recommended is Gerald Cernicek (1606 Redbluff, 314-434-3579), a man who both builds and does those handyman jobs that never seem to get done.


Plasterered

You brag about the charm of your 85-year-old house but never have dinner parties. Hmm, something’s up … or falling down around you. You need Clayton Plastering & Tuckpoint (8025 Delmar, 314-726-6359), family-owned since 1968. No job is too small or too time-consuming for these masters of tuckpointing, stucco, crown molding, waterproofing, drywall, caulking, plastering … all things needed to bring back the charm of your humble abode.

Brotherly love runs deep at John Steurer Plastering (2927 Barrett Station, 314-822-9030). Brothers Jim and Joe are the third generation in this family-owned business, which was established in 1922. Prices start around $70 per hour.