ContractorRecommendations
These recommendations were made by individual homeowners, not the HOA Board.
The Chantarelle Handyman Handbook
Explanation, History and Caveats
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2020 Art Club
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CHANTARELLE
Homeowners Association
The Chantarelle Handyman Handbook was written and compiled by former Chantarelle residents Don Freeman and Helen Rowntree back in March 2003. At the time, the information was probably correct and current based on the level of expertise and hands-on experience of Mr. Freeman. Since then, Mr. Freeman has moved on and sixteen years have elapsed. Much has changed, not only in technology, materials, and practices espoused in the handbook, but also in the Chantarelle houses themselves. Some of the tips may no longer be applicable because of kitchen and bathroom remodeling, furnace and hot water heater replacements, installation of new garage doors and windows, and the like.
For example, on page 6, which refers to improving the look of the original oak cabinets, many houses may have had those cabinets replaced or repainted by now, so this particular instruction would no longer apply. On page 34, reference is made to a garage floor epoxy coating called Litex, which is no longer available (as far as we can tell). And there are a few references made to the installation, testing and maintenance of smoke detectors. Be aware that in California, carbon monoxide detectors are also required in houses. These are just some examples where the information may be dated.
So, please peruse the handbook with these caveats in mind.
Chantarelle Board of Directors
September 2019
Kitchen Remodeling - Ed J. Roulades: Janice Ingraham recommends him. He only does kitchens. She was very pleased with the outcome. 707-695-5353. ejr2111@yahoo.com.
Painter - Antonis Construction: Janice Ingraham recommends him. He is pricey but did an excellent job. He was very clean and completed the job in a timely manner. 707-280-5740
Renewel by Andersen: Janice Ingraham recommends this company. She says that they are pricey, but the windows they put in are beautiful. They have excellent no-interest financing. https://www.renewalbyandersen.com/
Rafael Morales- Owner, Patterson Painting & Decorating. Recommended by Sharon Barncord. Rafa and his crew recently painted all of our cabinets (Kitchen, MBA, laundry room, hall) and did a beautiful job. They were extremely professional and polite, careful with their work, exacting with detail, and finished the work on time. They did a fabulous job painting the outside of our house in April. Phone: (707) 996-0115
Fernando Morales of Morales Handyman Services for carpentry work. Recommended by Sharon Barcord. He repair all of the dry rot on our house prior to the exterior painting. Fernando and his crew completely refurbished the chimney and numerous other areas of cedar trim and boards. Their work was impeccable. Phone: (707) 227-6792.
Martin Palacios, General Construction - Remodeling, Carpentry 707-292-7092
Recommended by Randy and Michele Hirai, Martin has so far rebuilt our pergula, stained and replaced parts of our deck, repaired dry rot all around the outside of the house and chimney, rebuilt side fence, and painted the exterior of the house -- all done meticulously, conscientious of material waste, knowledgeable of the right materials for the job and all at a fair price (material plus labor). Martin is reliable, does very good work, conscientious, and is close by (lives part-time locally in Sonoma). Give him a try, or talk to him about your project. We will be using Martin for projects in our home next!
Steven Koski, Drafting Homes, www.draftinghomes.com, steven@draftinghomes.com, (707) 927-8682, 858A E Blithedale Ave., Mill Valley, CA 94941 Recommended by Thomas Flinn. In order to get construction permits from Sonoma County, I had to have cad cam drawings made of my 2 bed/loft home and then show changes. This is a difficult thing to get done, too small for many people and delayed our project for 6 months. I found Steven online, he lives in Mill Valley and specializes in small projects. They were excellent, quick and Sonoma accepted the plans with no changes. If anyone needs architectural drawings of their homes, I have drawings with Steve Koski, he can adapt them for your project. The work is done. We took our guest bath that has the side porch next to it and added that to the bathroom. It doubled the size and now we have a barrier free shower and beautiful grab bars, towel bars that are grab bars, even the toilet paper holder is a grab bar. Anyone interested in doing the same, let me know, I can help, it was hard to do and I learned a lot. Because you are just filling in the exterior wall of the house, you can do this on any house with the outside tiny porch, you aren’t going into anyone else’s yard, just putting up a wall filling in the exterior of your home.
Bathroom Remodel - JR Solutions, gerzon@wearejrsolutions.com, (707) 755-0237
Recommended by Thomas Flinn. Difficult remodel, new roof, new foundation, added the outside porch to existing guest bath. Reasonable price, hard workers, worked on Saturdays etc. Very happy with their work. They can do whole houses, ours was a small project for them and they didn’t treat us like it was. We got the attention we needed.
Excellent Window Washer plus light plumbing - Russelle Johnson recommends
Jason Olhava, 707-230-9324, windowclearnersnorthbay@gmail.com. She writes that Jason "was born and raised in Sonoma and is now starting his own company. He has worked for several years with a construction company here in Sonoma and is branching out on his own. He just washed my windows and screens and did an excellent job. He is very personable, courteous, and on time."
Sparkling Windows Linda Jackson recommends this business. Bart Hacker, owner, proprietor and excellent window and screen cleaner. 415-971-1614. More than two decades of experience gained from his father, Rich. Careful, professional, neat, lots of smiles. Linda has used Bart for 3 years, and used his father for 3 years prior to Bart taking over. Affordable rates. Free estimates.
DP Pappas Construction Inc. Pappasconstruction48@gmail.com - Thomas Flinn recommends this business. "We just finished repairing an area with rot under the garage window. We started with another person, but the price was almost double what Dustin Pappas was able to do. Dustin did a proposal, and he kept to the price. NO TIME AND MATERIALS BIDDING. Dustin is licensed in California as a contractor and is a multi-generational Sonoma resident. He was able to come to my house the same day I called and generated an estimate within 2 hours. He told me has done this same repair on 10 houses in Chantarelle. He told me his schedule and kept to it, finishing the project in 2 days The price was more than 40% less than the time and materials estimated by the other contractor."
Camilo Arenas - https://carenasmasonrycontractor.com – Barbara White recommended Camila Arenas as a stonemason contractor. She said that he is licensed, insured, and fairly priced. He is a meticulous craftsman who did absolutely marvelous work for them. The company does stonework, pavers, retaining walls, sidewalk installation, and patios. The phone number is 707-228-3414.
Oscar Lopez, Construction and Painting: Peggy Owens would like to recommend the work of Oscar Lopez. He has painted her house, including removing all dry rot, etc. He has also cleaned her gutters and roof. Other work included repairing and painting deck and retaining walls. Oscar’s work is excellent and his prices reasonable. Contact info: Oscar Lopez, Sonoma Construction Service,707-775-5411
Handyman/Painter - Rob Weinstein recommends a handyman/painter that he has used for several projects including the installation of a gas fireplace, building a pergola, and refinishing a deck. We have a friend who is currently using him to replace her 40-year old fence. Call Rob for more information