About Tom Minard — TPM Home Repair

My name is Tom Minard. I'm the owner and sole operator of TPM Home Repair, a handyman service based in Lake Zurich, IL. When you hire me, you get me. Not a crew, not a sub, not someone you've never met. Just me, every time.

Over the past 30 years, I've worked across just about every trade a home needs. Framing, electrical, plumbing, drywall, doors, windows. I've done the work with my own hands. That background is why homeowners in Lake Zurich trust me to show up and get it right.

How I Became a Lake Zurich Handyman

For most of my career, I worked as a construction manager in the telecom industry. In that role, I oversaw contractors who built and maintained cellular infrastructure across the country. Because of that experience, I learned how to manage complex projects, hold work to a real standard, and tell the difference between a job done right and a job done fast.

On the side, I was always the guy neighbors and friends called. Leaky faucet, busted door, electrical question. They called because they knew I'd actually fix it. That went on for years.

Then one day, a potential client asked me for proof of liability insurance. At the time, I didn't have it. That was the moment everything changed. I looked into it, got covered, formed the LLC, and set up the Google Business Profile. Sometimes it takes one question to push you in the right direction.

Starting Over After the Move

At the start of 2025, I relocated from Westchester to Lake Zurich. In Westchester, I had built a strong reputation through Nextdoor and word of mouth over several years. So when I moved, starting from zero in a new market was a daunting experience.

For a while, I was driving long distances to take care of existing clients while also trying to get found in a town where nobody knew my name yet. I rebuilt the website, worked through Google's verification process, and focused hard on SEO and my Google Business Profile.

Before long, friends of friends near Lake Zurich hired me and left reviews that helped me get found locally. After that, the phone started ringing from homeowners in Lake Zurich, Barrington, Long Grove, and the surrounding areas. That's how you build it. One job at a time, done right.

How I Work With Every Homeowner

My approach is straightforward. When you hire TPM, you get me every time. I'm the one who shows up, does the work, and stands behind it. If something isn't right, you tell me directly and I fix it directly.

Beyond that, I try to give homeowners advice the way I'd talk to a friend or family member. That sometimes means telling you not to do the project you originally called me for.

A while back, a client called me to install can lights and three-way switches in a living room with no existing lighting. It was a good project. But when I walked the house, I found water on the basement floor.

The water heater was 20 years old and actively leaking. On top of that, the AC condenser outside was on its last legs, and it was the start of summer. The family had a newborn at home.

So I told them to hold off on the lights. Their home warranty covered the water heater. After that, getting the AC handled before summer hit was the next priority. Lights can wait. A baby needs cool air and hot water before you add recessed lighting.

They took the advice. Because of that decision, I've been back several times since for other projects. That's exactly the kind of relationship I'm trying to build with every client in Lake Zurich and beyond.

What I Work On

After 30 years in the trades, here's what I bring to every job:

• Electrical: new circuits, panel replacements, rewires, fixtures, switches, and outlets
• Plumbing: copper water lines, PVC DWV, cast iron, faucets, and fixture installs
• Drywall: hanging, patching, and finishing
• Doors and windows: new installs, adjustments, hardware, and re-plumbing older frames
• General carpentry and home repair
• Garage door openers
• Home maintenance and inspection punch-list repairs

I'm based in Lake Zurich and also serve Barrington, Buffalo Grove, Hawthorn Woods, Kildeer, Long Grove, and Mundelein.