This is a sponsored post by HomeAdvisor written by myself. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This poor stair wall has many identities over the past years.
But believe it or not, I think we may finally be done with this space (but don’t hold me to that).
I posted about the installation of the planks (part 1, part 2) a couple of months ago thanks to some help finding a great carpenter through HomeAdvisor.
The space was almost complete but there was just one more thing that would take it from good to great in my mind.
When we we renovated the home about 4 years ago I tried to think of everything we would have needed and wanted in this home.
Lighting is tricky…you know you need lights but what kind?
Cans? Pendants? Flush Mounts? Sconces?
Fast-forward to 2015. The space looked fine and perfectly functional but from a design standpoint the stair well needed some visual interest.
I tried art but it seemed to make the space feel claustrophobic because it’s so narrow so instead I decided a light fixture might fit the bill.
I found this vintage barn enameled shade on Etsy. It was perfectly imperfect with the dings, rust, scars and scratches.
My sweet Mr. wired it all up and got it ready to hang. Only problem is the can wasn’t centered over the stair well. I decided to call a few electricians to see how much they would charge to move it a few inches.
Enter HomeAdvisor.
If you’ve ever tried to find good help you know how difficult it is. Trying to even get someone to pick up the phone or return messages feels like pulling teeth. Bids are often all over the map and customer service is non-existent in many of my past experiences. Then it’s always a gamble if the work will be up to par.
HomeAdvisor has been my best tool in finding good quality home improvement specialists. You type in the services you need then it matches you with home improvement people in your area. It’s like a dating site but for home improvement.
In my latest search I was looking for an electrician to move the electrical box in the ceiling about 10 inches then switch it to be able to accept a hanging pendant. I called four people from the site. One never called back, one was booked out a couple of weeks, one quoted me $250. (too high) and the last one was sent by an angel.
No literally, when he arrived he had a glowing halo above his head. He was awesome (RELCo Electric).
How many times have you ever said that about someone coming to work on your home?
He was going to be late on the day of our appt so his scheduler called to ask if that would be all right or if I’d like to reschedule.
People. That is RARE to receive a phone call if they’re going to be late in this field.
He showed up right when his scheduler said, was courteous, knowledgeable, put a drop cloth down, cleaned up after himself, and charged me less than what he originally quoted (about $90.).
I shouldn’t have been shocked. I read his reviews before I called him and they were all stellar. That’s the best thing about HomeAdvisor is the reviews and he had six pages of them.
You can get a pretty good idea of what you can expect by reading other people’s reviews.
To save money we opted to patch the hole (tutorial on that soon) and hang the pendant ourselves. Drum roll…
I love how it turned out and I’ve gained a new electrician for life.
If you’re looking to hire some home improvement help you should first start with HomeAdvisor.
It’s free to use and the reviews are the most priceless piece of information you can get before hiring someone.
You can also follow HomeAdvisor on their site, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.
Hey there! I’m Michelle; I’m an Passionate DIY’er and in constant pursuit of how to bring beauty to my house full of men (3 boys + 1 hubby). Stick around and see what I’ve got up my hard-working sleaves!
I recently ran across the name HomeAdvisor and wondered about this service. After reading this, now I know to call on them. I have many honeydo’s that never gets done right perhaps because I haven’t employed the right person. As for the new look of your stair well and the new light, it looks beautiful..
It’s all about the reviews in finding a good person! Happy “honey-do”-ing! XOXO
It looks awesome! You have a fantastic eye for design. I just love it.
Aww, thanks Briauna. You made my day! Michelle 🙂
The timing of this could not be more perfect! I’ve been trying to figure out how to find an electrician to do the exact same thing at our house.
We bought a new light fixture (the 8 pendant “Paxton” chandelier from Pottery Barn) for over our table but before we install it we need to have the box moved because it is not centered… the small ‘hanging boob lamp’ the builder put is easy to ignore being off center because you don’t want to look at it, lol, but before we put something bigger up there, it’ll have to be moved about 8 inches or people one side of the table will hit their heads.
I love the PB fixture! I’ve been eyeing it. Great choice. Yes, you have to try HomeAdvisor. I was so impressed with the guy and found. I’ll be using him for life! Good luck and bye-bye boob fixture! 🙂
The funny thing was, I fell in love with it and showed it to my mom one day to get her trusted opinion. She started cracking up and told me she had just recently ordered the three pendant version for over HER table, hahaha
I helped my dad install it (translation: held two of the pendants to keep them from banging into each other while he cursed at the ceiling) and that only made me want it more. Its stunning in person. So when they went on sale I grabbed the 8 pendant for our space as well as the matching single pendants for over our sink and one for them over their sink.
Thanks Michelle. I LAUGHED so hard at your dad cursing the ceiling. That is SOOO how our projects go around here. My husband was doing that very thing when hanging my sons light fixture. He got so mad he stormed off and left it hanging crooked…that was four days ago. Guess what he’ll be doing for the 4th of July!?!?
gorgeous! I love that you left the texture of the light.
Thanks Emily! 🙂