We recently had Tom's Yardscape (tomsyardscape.net, 540-949-TOMS) of Stuarts Draft complete an upgrade to our driveway and yard/house perimeter to remediate drainage issues that caused a soggy corner and add curb appeal to the property. Old mulch under our front and back decks was replaced with gravel; a loose gravel driveway was widened and coated with compact crushed gravel; a pathway was created encircling the house to stop encroaching weed and small plant growth; and a large stone drainage swag was built along the back slope to divert rainwater from the foundation. The new driveway looks almost like asphalt yet will accommodate future tree root growth with ease. Our lot looks prettier while still retaining the greenery characteristics of our mountain environs. Tom Hughes was quick to respond to my inquiry, walked the lot with me to share his ideas. He returned his estimate within days. His son TJ managed the work and has great artistic vision. In fact, he made suggestions as we worked through the job that I accepted immediately due to his thorough description. Their service was quick and professional. I highly recommend this firm to anyone seeking landscaping, stonework, pavers, drainage solutions, or yard design. Submitted by Valerie Passwaiter. July 2023
Kevin Batton - 434-282-4801
Kevin Batton (434-282-4801) keeps my cedar wood home well-stained. He was the one who recommended Jeff Walker (540-377-2285) and his assistant Bob to install three new windows in my mountain home. Submitted by Charles Murphy. June 2023
painting, painters
Doug Brooks, Sr. - 540-448-1493
Doug Brooks (540-448-1493) had several recommendations in previous WBB newsletters, so I called him to remove a built-in bathtub, rebuild the resulting enclosure, and do related tile and plumbing work. Excellent job, and I will call him again when I need any carpentry, plumbing, or tile work. He is very reliable, honest, and competent. Submitted by Jim Mummery. May 2024
I was in a crisis. I ordered a new refrigerator and it didn’t fit. The granite countertop needed to be trimmed. I called Doug Brooks, Sr. (540-448-1493). He was immediately responsive and came the next week to the mountain to fix it. He was clean and neat and very efficient. I would strongly recommend Doug for work. I know he does decks, kitchen renovations, and other furniture projects. He is honest and trustworthy. Submitted by Beth Musick. October 2023
For any work needed around the house I highly recommend Doug Brooks, Sr. (540-448-1493). He and his team recently replaced our back deck and front porch which included adding new sections to each and building steps from the third-story deck to the ground. He is also replacing a sink and installing a new wall cabinet in our laundry room. Doug is very conscientious of doing great work for a fair price. We will be calling him when it's time to remodel our bathroom and upgrade our kitchen. Submitted by Gary Davenport. October 2023
I recommend Doug Brooks, Sr. (540-448-1493; Jesus4me365@gmail.com) who upgraded our bathroom tub and shower. Doug is a very reliable, conscientious, and trustworthy contractor. He definitely goes the extra yard to keep his clients happy. He does more than just bathrooms, he is expert with woodwork as well. Submitted by Loretta Oustrich. July 2023
bath, furniture, decks, kitchen,
Jeff Walker - 540-377-2285
Jeff Walker (540-377-2285) and his assistant Bob installed three new windows in my mountain home. They were courteous, competent, and very reasonable. They did a beautiful job, finishing it in just two days.
Jeff was recommended to me by Kevin Batton (434-282-4801), who keeps my cedar wood home well-stained. The windows were purchased from the Cardinal Home Center in Crozet; Ron McManamay (434-823-1387) handled the order and made all the critical measurements. Submitted by Charles Murphy. June 2023
Central Virginia Residential Services - 540-874-2877
Central Virginia Residential Services (540-874-2877) just renovated the outdated yellow bathroom in our condo. First, Charles Grandstaff reviewed pictures and discussed possibilities over the phone. I was impressed with his professionalism and detailed recommendations, so we arranged a meeting in person. He took his time discussing ideas, then promptly returned a detailed estimate and contract via email. He listened to my ideas, offered adaptations, and offered ideas that I hadn’t thought of, and finally incorporated all of this into the final project. I appreciated his patience and flexibility and how he returned, in the end, to be sure every detail was complete. We trusted him enough to do the renovation while we were away for two weeks. We plan to have him do our master bath as well. Our custom glass doors came from Glass Innovations in Fishersville (540-949-0396). Submitted by Patricia Morris. June 2023
J&O Services - 540-836-4006
I can recommend J&O Services (540-836-4006; jaolservices@gmail.com). They are helping prepare my home for sale. So far they have power-washed and then painted the house, touched up paint inside the house, replaced damaged wood and repainted the deck, spread mulch, cleaned out the gutters, and much more. Laura and Jake are very nice people and easy to work with. Submitted by Dick Elder. April 2023
Butler Excavating and Septic Services - 434-531-8888
I highly recommend Butler Excavating and Septic Services (434-531-8888). Danny is the best and has been in the business for a while. I’ve never owned a septic tank, and he pointed some things out that saved me hundreds of dollars. He and his team are efficient, and effective, and got the job done right. You won’t be disappointed. Submitted by Colleen Campbell. April 2023
J&O Services - 540-836-4006
I can recommend J&O Services (540-836-4006; jaolservices@gmail.com). They are helping prepare my home for sale. So far they have power-washed and then painted the house, touched up paint inside the house, replaced damaged wood and repainted the deck, spread mulch, cleaned out the gutters, and much more. Laura and Jake are very nice people and easy to work with. Submitted by Dick Elder. April 2023
Butler Excavating and Septic Service - 434-531-8888
I recommend Bell's Septic Service as well as Butler Excavating and Septic. We purchased a home in Stoney Creek in December 2020. Although we had an engineer's diagram of the septic system, the septic tank was not visible at ground level. Because we were unsure of the last time the septic tank was pumped and unsure of its location, we contacted Mike Bell. Mike came out, probed the ground with a long rod, and marked the location of where he believed the septic tank was. Because the top of the tank was more than 3 feet deep, he had Danny Butler of Butler Excavating and Septic Service come out to dig up the marked location. Danny located the exact location of the septic tank using electronic sensing equipment. Mike Bell then came back to pump the septic tank, and then Danny Butler's team came back to install risers and a cap to the buried tank so that the location of the septic tank is seen above ground level. This four-step process was completed by professional staff who knew what needed to be done, was courteous, and kept us informed throughout the process. The costs were reasonable, and we are very glad and grateful that we finally found the septic tank, had it pumped, and fixed the problem of not readily knowing exactly where the septic tank is. Bell's Septic Service can be reached at 434-989-5869. Butler Excavating and Septic Service can be reached at 434-531-8888. Submitted by Mike Yurewicz. January 2023
Bell's Septic Service - 434-989-5869
I recommend Bell's Septic Service as well as Butler Excavating and Septic. We purchased a home in Stoney Creek in December 2020. Although we had an engineer's diagram of the septic system, the septic tank was not visible at ground level. Because we were unsure of the last time the septic tank was pumped and unsure of its location, we contacted Mike Bell. Mike came out, probed the ground with a long rod, and marked the location of where he believed the septic tank was. Because the top of the tank was more than 3 feet deep, he had Danny Butler of Butler Excavating and Septic Service come out to dig up the marked location. Danny located the exact location of the septic tank using electronic sensing equipment. Mike Bell then came back to pump the septic tank, and then Danny Butler's team came back to install risers and a cap to the buried tank so that the location of the septic tank is seen above ground level. This four-step process was completed by professional staff who knew what needed to be done, was courteous, and kept us informed throughout the process. The costs were reasonable, and we are very glad and grateful that we finally found the septic tank, had it pumped, and fixed the problem of not readily knowing exactly where the septic tank is. Bell's Septic Service can be reached at 434-989-5869. Butler Excavating and Septic Service can be reached at 434-531-8888. Submitted by Mike Yurewicz. January 2023
Greg Chapman - 804-833-3433
We had a few places of wood rot around the exterior of the house and the paint was chipping on my foundation. Greg Chapman, the owner of Virginia House Doctor, was punctual, and professional, and the invoice was reasonable. He went above and beyond to make sure the new paint matched and the repairs made the house look so much better. (You don't realize that a house could use a facelift until you do it!). His email is gregchapman7017@gmail.com; 804-833-3433. Submitted by Teresa Delph. December 2022
painter, painters, painting, repair, contractor, house
Ron Swinson - 804-240-8737
We highly recommend Ron Swinson as a contractor for his excellent building expertise. He enclosed our breezeway and did a first-class job. He is highly skilled in remodeling, additions, decks, repairs, and multiple other building needs. He can be reached at 804-240-8737. Submitted by Brooks Cook. December 2022
Building steps in our garage was a minor job, but Ron Swinson and his crew brought major talent and care to this project. He understood why we wanted a change and addressed all of the little issues in a big way. The contractor says he works small jobs like this into his schedule between his larger projects, such as roofing, putting in replacement windows, building decks, and repairing siding. Call his cellphone 804-240-8737 and leave a message. He returns calls in just a few hours. Submitted by Charles Batchelor, August 2020
We recommend Ron Swinson as a contractor. He is a licensed and insured Class A builder. He is insured. He transformed our screened porch into a gorgeous, four-season sunroom. He was on the job daily and finished in record time. He is a pleasure to work with and can be reached at 804-240-8737. Submitted by Linda and Louis Calderone. 2018
carpenters, builder,
Mountain Life of Virginia - 434-256-0501
We were living with an annoying electrical issue–two three-way switches on a dimmer were working so one often had to flip the two switches at both places to get the lights to come on or go off. I tried to fix it but gave up. One of the big property management outfits here, Mountain Life of Virginia (434-256-0501; maint@mountainlifeofva.com), had a new brochure saying they had set up a "maintenance department" and would do little jobs for Wintergreen homeowners such as "light plumbing, electrical, repairs." I called them on this little issue and it got fixed. About a week after I put in my repair request, I got a call asking if someone could come out the following day. The tech arrived on time, was professional, and resolved the light switch problem in a few minutes. A very reasonable bill arrived in my email two days later and I paid online. A nice handyman service. Submitted by Charles Batchelor. November 2022
Randy Mays - 540-416-8094
I hired Randy Mays of Window Wizards to clean my windows based on a recommendation in the WBB and was completely satisfied. I highly recommend Randy (540-416-8094). Submitted by Max Joy. February 2023
A few weeks ago there was a recommendation in the WBB for Window Wizards for window cleaning. We hired them and were very happy with the results. They were very professional, arrived on time, did a great job, and the price was very reasonable. We highly recommend them. Their phone number is 540-416-8094. Submitted by Paul and Tammy Venezia. October 2022
I would like to recommend Window Wizards for window cleaning. They did a wonderful job and are very easy to work with. Randy Mays is the owner and can be reached at 540-416-8094. Submitted by Martha Stocker. September 2022
Window washing, windows washing
Braden and Van Fossen Iron Works - 540-885-2251
Taylor Smith (540-885-2251) at Braden and Van Fossen Iron Works in Staunton manufactured this custom iron plate to be used as a heat reflector for the fireplace. The plate was recommended by Doug Parrish (540-885-3244) of Augusta Chimney Sweep. The plate was installed by handyman Silas Valentine, (540-849-9562). All three contractors did very fine work in a small amount of time at a reasonable price with a pleasant attitude. Submitted by Mike Chambers. October 2022.
stove, fireplace,
