Every review below comes from a real NorthStar customer in the Twin Cities — pulled from Google, our post-visit follow-up emails, and the survey we send the day after every job. We don’t filter, we don’t buy reviews, and we don’t hide the ones that dinged us.
The newest reviews at the top — updated weekly.
“Booked them for a ‘small list’ — a faucet drip, a closet door off its track, and a wall patch. They knocked it all out in one visit and the price was exactly what they quoted. Rachel even texted me the day after to make sure everything still worked.”
“I’ve tried three handymen in the area and these guys are the only ones who actually show up when they say. Ceiling fan, two outlets, and a smart thermostat — done in half a day. Marcus knew exactly what he was doing and didn’t waste a minute.”
“We had them install a heated driveway system last fall. Best money we’ve spent on this house. No shoveling at all this winter, even after the January storms. The controls are simple and the driveway was clear by 7 a.m. on the worst morning.”
“I almost bought a whole new toilet. The handyman told me the tank was fine and the parts were fifteen bucks. Saved me hundreds. Honest work, done in under an hour.”
“Two fence companies told me I needed a full replacement — $6,800. NorthStar braced the posts and got me three more years for four hundred. Honest work.”
“We’d been meaning to get to the doors and windows for two years. One visit, one number, done. The house already feels less drafty and the front door closes with one push.”
“The kitchen feels like a different room. Every switch is at the right height, the dimmer is smooth, and the under-cabinet lights are hidden — nothing looks retrofitted.”
“I honestly didn’t think all six of those things would get done in one visit. Everything works, everything looks right, and the price was exactly what he quoted on the phone.”
“Second time using them. Same handyman, same flat rate, same clean work. They finished early and cleaned up so well you couldn’t tell anyone had been here except the new fixture.”
“They repaired six window screens and rehung a storm door in one visit. Everything matched, everything closes cleanly. They even fixed a small hinge issue on the back door that I didn’t mention.”
“They were the only company that actually explained the operating cost of the heated driveway before I signed. Honest, on time, and the controller is dead simple. Zero complaints.”
“Booked them to fix a doorknob dent and a couple of picture holes before a showing. They matched the paint so well I genuinely can’t find where the damage was. House sold the following weekend.”
We publish these because they’re honest and because they tell you more about us than the 5-star wall does. Here’s what went wrong and how we responded.
“The work itself was excellent — the kitchen faucet install is clean and dry. But the handyman arrived about 40 minutes past the start of the two-hour window. He texted ahead, so I knew, but I’d blocked off the morning.”
Tyler’s visit was on a day we had a plumbing emergency in the morning that pushed back the whole schedule. We’ve since added a “traffic buffer” to the 2-hour windows on days with a morning emergency job, and we now call — not just text — when we’re running more than 30 minutes late. Tyler rebooked us in November and rated that visit 5 stars.
“The drywall patch is fine but the paint sheen is a little off in the direct light — it flashes a bit when the afternoon sun hits the wall. The handyman told me upfront that he could only match the color, not the exact sheen, so I knew going in. Just want to flag it for the next person.”
Megan is right — sheen matching is one of the few things we can’t always control without knowing the original paint. We now recommend, in our booking confirmation email, that customers locate their original paint can before the visit. When we have the original can, we use it and the issue doesn’t come up. Megan declined the repaint we offered since she was moving out anyway, but we credited her $40 toward a future visit.
“Good work on the deck board replacements — the boards match nicely and the railing is solid. But two of the boards I asked to have replaced were declined because he said they were structurally fine. I get it, but I would’ve paid for the swap.”
Fair feedback. Our handyman made a judgment call not to replace boards that weren’t structurally compromised, to save Chris money. What he should have done was replace them anyway if Chris preferred — the customer’s call. We’ve updated our internal guidance so handymen present both options and let the customer decide. Chris is booked for a follow-up this spring to swap the remaining two boards at no labor charge.
We read every review — even the good ones, to figure out what to protect. Here are four things that came directly out of customer feedback.
We moved from 3-hour to 2-hour arrival windows after customers told us the 3-hour window made scheduling their day impossible. We also added a text when the handyman is 20 minutes out.
Customers told us the biggest drywall frustration was sheen mismatch. We now send a one-line reminder to locate your original paint can before the visit — it makes the repair invisible every time.
We used to explain the $65/hour only if asked. Now it’s in the confirmation email, on the invoice, and on the pricing page — no surprises on hour two.
Customers asked to see what a finished job looks like before booking. Every quote we send now includes 4–6 photos from similar past jobs — no more guessing at quality.
Reviews broken down by the type of work — because a good plumber isn’t automatically a good drywaller.
“Fast, tidy, and everything on my list was done in one visit.”
Read the category →“Honest diagnosis — told me to repair instead of replace.”
Read the category →“Knew exactly which smart switch would work with my wiring.”
Read the category →“Patch disappeared. You can’t tell anyone was here.”
Read the category →“Every door in the house closes with one push now.”
Read the category →“Saved my fence for $420 instead of $6,800. Honest work.”
Read the category →“Haven’t shoveled in two winters. Worth every penny.”
Read the category →Three sources, one number that stays steady across all of them.
4.9 ★
421 reviews
Where most of our new customers find us. Reviews are public and unedited.
4.8 ★
189 responses
Sent the day after every job. 62% response rate, highest of any channel.
68%
Rebook rate
Nearly seven out of ten customers hire us again within twelve months.
No. We publish every review we receive, including the 4-star and 3-star ones, because they tell you more than the 5-star wall does. When a review flags a problem, we respond publicly and describe what we changed. If we ever got a 1-star review that was factually incorrect, we’d respond publicly with our side — but we still wouldn’t delete it.
Yes. Our post-visit survey has an option to publish without your name — it shows up as “Verified Customer” with your neighborhood. Google reviews are separate and always have a name attached, but that’s Google’s policy, not ours.
Every review on this page is linked to a real NorthStar job number — a booking we completed and invoiced. We don’t aggregate reviews from third parties or scrape ratings. When you leave a review in our post-visit survey, your job number is attached to it automatically.
Yes. If a customer isn’t satisfied with the work, we come back and make it right at no charge. If we can’t fix it, we refund the labor cost for that job. In twelve years we’ve issued fewer than twenty refunds, and we’ve never once refused one.
We respond within 48 hours, publicly, every time. We don’t offer to “make it right in exchange for an update” — that’s manipulative. If we can fix the issue, we do it and let the customer update their review if they choose.
Once, the day after every job. No follow-up requests, no repeated emails, no “hey just checking in” reminders. If a customer doesn’t respond, we assume they’re busy and move on.
Most people check the work itself after reading reviews. Here’s where to look.
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