Best of Philly

Best Contractor

2023 Best Place That Will Help You Buy (or Sell) and Make Over That Fixer-Upper

Dwell & Co.

Found an 18th-century barn you’d love to call home? Want to fix up the old Victorian you live in now so it will fetch a better price when you sell it? Dwell & Co. will turn that old place into a stunning new one and help you buy or sell it. Because it’s both a design/build construction firm and a real estate brokerage, all you need to get things going is a single email. Read More »

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2023 Best Bathroom-Reno Help

Kit Renovation

Awkward contractor conversations, poring over a billion tile samples, surprise upcharges — these are just a few of the problems Kit solves for homeowners. Founder Merisa Fink started the company in Brooklyn in 2020 and now takes projects in Philly. Her idea is genius: Pick one of Kit’s high-end designs (we were Mid Century Scandi, but maybe you’re Farmhouse Modern?), and the team will customize it to fit your bathroom, hire the contractor, and give you a project manager to oversee it all. The end result is stunning and, as renovations go, pain-free. Read More »

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2022 Best Sanity Saver

3rd Story Philly

If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that the people you love, dearly, can sometimes drive you up the wall. If you’re looking for a little more space, the folks at Third Story are for you. This team of architects, developers and builders does more than just plop another level on your house; they take the time to learn what makes your home special and incorporate that into the expansion. Read More »

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2022 Best Jack-of-all-Trades

Joe Plaskowitz

Plaskowitz is much more than a handyman. Take, for example, the historic headquarters of the New Century Guild, which reopened as a tony little boutique inn. Plaskowitz wallpapered each room, restored fireplace mantels, and installed modified doors and hardware. He also restored the building’s original millwork, re-creating missing molding and ornamental pieces. Just think what he can do for your own century-old property. Read More »

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2022 Best Contractor

Tim Gleeson

If you’ve ever admired a cool design element in Yowie or the Deacon Hotel — powder-coated steel shelves, floating desks, a sculptural foam display case that looks both organic and cutting-edge — chances are Gleeson built it. The contractor and fabricator works on home projects, too, using the same visionary perspective for bars, bathrooms and built-in shelves. Read More »

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2019 Best Way to Become Your Own Rehabber

Jumpstart

Want to live in tomorrow’s next hot neighborhood? Jumpstart’s four-week neighborhood-based training programs will teach you how to rehab a house, and they’ll finance your first project if it’s in one of the city neighborhoods in which they operate. Scouting a location outside their established zones? Download Jumpstart’s free workbook and train yourself — or make the case that your block should be next. Read More »

| 215-247-5555 | Website

2019 Best TV Star You’ll Actually Want to Use

Rachel Street of Hestia Construction

Any DIY Network star can spruce up a 1970s suburban colonial, but it takes special finesse to rehab a centuries-old city rowhome. Philly Revival host Rachel Street — who’s also a real estate agent — does so using locally made and reclaimed materials whenever possible. Read More »

| 215-625-3650 | Website

2017 Best Exterior Contractor

AMDG Exterior Contracting

AMDG shows up when they say they will, communication is easy and clear, and if there is anything you’re unhappy with—which is highly unlikely—they’ll come back out and deal with it. For work one of our editors needed done, AMDG also offered the lowest estimate by far; the end result, our colleague gushes, is impeccable. Read More »

2377 Haverford Avenue, Ardmore, PA | 484-453-8412 | Website

2016 Best Urban Kitchen Contractor

Michael Quinn Contracting

Mike Quinn has won the devotion of entire neighborhoods in Philly, renovating and upgrading kitchens for one ecstatic client after the next. The appeal is threefold. First: He finishes on time. Second: He finishes at cost. Third: He finishes with no drama. In other words, he's a total pro who expertly deals with the space constraints and quirks in old rowhomes. He does great work with bathrooms, too. Read More »

1026 East Palmer Street, Philadelphia, PA | 215-300-5637

2012 Best Contractor

Michael Anthony General Contractor, Inc.

You don't want to call Mike. But when your upstairs toilet overflows into your downstairs living room, you'll be thrilled you can. Based in Delaware County, he's available 24 hours a day (even when he's on vacation!) and knows all the right people. Read More »

3315 Market Street, Aston, PA | 610-494-2986 | Website