Sam & Sons Services covers Washington DC for three trades: electrical, handyman and home repair, and remodeling. Plumbing and heating and cooling are not offered in the District — those two remain Virginia-only, and we would rather say so here than waste your call. Permits in the District come from the DC Department of Buildings, water and sewer from DC Water, and work affecting the exterior of a historic property carries a preservation review step before a permit can be issued.
Electrician, handyman and remodeling contractor in Washington DC
If you are looking for an electrician in Washington DC, a handyman or a remodeling contractor, those three trades are available across the District. Sam & Sons Services LLC has worked in this region since 1999, operating from Alexandria across Northern Virginia, and holds Virginia DPOR class A contractor license #2705070610. The office answers on (703) 256-8080.
The three trades offered in the District are electrical, handyman and home repair and remodeling. Every job is priced by an estimator at the property, in writing, before work begins — never over the phone, and never from a published figure.
Three trades in Washington DC, not five
This is the part most contractor sites bury. We do not take plumbing work or heating and cooling work in the District of Columbia. Those two trades stop at the Virginia line.
- Offered in Washington DC
- Electrical, handyman and home repair, and remodeling — the same crews and the same standard as our Virginia work.
- Not offered in Washington DC
- Plumbing and heating and cooling. If that is what you need in the District, call another contractor rather than waiting on us.
- Offered everywhere else we serve
- All five trades, at every Northern Virginia address on our list.
It is a short conversation on the phone, but it is a better one if you already know the answer. Our Virginia coverage is set out on service areas.
Permits for electrical and remodeling work in Washington DC
The DC Department of Buildings regulates construction activity and issues building permits in the District. There are two application routes and a third shortcut, and which one a job falls into changes the schedule more than the work itself does.
- The DOB Permit Wizard handles residential projects and certain trade permits.
- The Citizen Access Portal handles commercial projects.
- Instant Permits, also called Simple Scopes of Work or postcard permits, cover a limited set of scopes and are the fastest path where a job qualifies.
None of that resembles the Virginia county process on the other side of the river, which is one reason we keep the District work to trades we run ourselves end to end. Permitted work is closed out at inspection, and on permitted jobs the final portion of the contract is not released until it passes.
Historic preservation review in Washington DC
The District's rule is stated simply: you need historic preservation review when a building permit is required for work affecting the exterior appearance of a historic property, and the same applies to designated historic interiors. Where no permit is required, no preservation review is triggered.
Permits are required for new construction, demolition, building additions, alterations and repair, and specifically for retaining walls, fences, sheds, garages, decks, site work, window replacement, signs and awnings. The scheduling consequence that catches people out: the postcard and instant permit route cannot be used on a historic property. A job that would have been a same-week permit elsewhere becomes a reviewed permit here.
- Window repair and replacement — named explicitly in the permit list, so worth checking first.
- Fence repair and installation
- Deck, porch and railing repair
- Front door repair and replacement
- Storm door installation — it changes the exterior appearance, so on a historic property ask before assuming it is exempt.
- Door installation and fitting and door weatherstripping — rehanging and resealing the existing door leaves the street face exactly as it was, which is often the point on an older house.
- Concrete step and walkway repair, plus foundation cracks, grading and crawl space work — site work and retaining walls appear on the permit list, so regrading beside a historic house is checked the same way as a window.
DC Water, lead service lines and electrical bonding
Water and sewer in the District are DC Water — the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority — with wastewater treated at the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant at the southern tip of the District. Blue Plains is a regional plant: it also takes about 31 million gallons a day of Fairfax County wastewater, roughly 19% of that county's flow, alongside parts of Maryland.
The fact that matters to us is the piping. DC Water estimates that the District has more than 42,000 service lines made of lead or galvanized iron, and its replacement program, launched in 2019, aims to replace all of them with copper. It publishes a service line map, offers lead testing kits and runs a lead hotline on 202-787-4044.
We do not do the pipe work — plumbing is not one of our District trades — but a service line replacement has an electrical consequence that is squarely ours. In many older houses the incoming metallic water service was part of how the electrical system was grounded and bonded. Change the material of that line, or cut into it, and the grounding and bonding arrangement has to be looked at rather than assumed. That is an electrical inspection question, and it is the sort of thing we check when we open a panel. See electrical panel upgrades and replacement and wiring, circuits and troubleshooting.
Electrical work we take in Washington DC
- Electrical panel upgrades and replacement
- Capacity, grounding and bonding assessed on site — particularly where a service line has been changed or is due to be.
- EV charger installation
- A permitted circuit, sized after the existing service is measured rather than guessed at.
- Outlets, GFCIs and switches
- Kitchens, bathrooms, basements and exterior points brought up to current protection requirements.
- Lighting installation
- Interior and exterior fixtures, including work on older ceilings that need a box capable of carrying the load.
- Ceiling fan installation and repair
- Support, box rating and switching, which is where most retrofits go wrong.
Handyman and exterior repairs in Washington DC
Home repair is the broadest of the three District trades, and the one most likely to touch the preservation rules above. Common starting points are rotted wood and trim repair, roof leak and roof repair, gutter repair, cleaning and downspouts, drywall and ceiling repair, interior and exterior painting and door repair, which takes in sliding glass and patio door repair and, indoors, pocket and barn door repair — work the exterior rules leave alone unless the interior itself is designated.
Remodeling kitchens, baths and basements in Washington DC
Remodeling is offered in the District, with the caveat that the plumbing and mechanical portions of a District remodel are not ours to carry — we are open about that at the estimate stage rather than halfway through. See kitchen remodeling, bathroom remodeling, basement finishing and remodeling and home additions. One bathroom job in the District is wholly ours: bathroom regrouting and recaulking is handyman work, not plumbing, and on a bathroom where the tile is sound it can be all that is needed.
Washington DC and our Northern Virginia service areas
The District sits at the edge of a service area that is otherwise entirely Virginian. Nearby areas where all five trades are available include Arlington, Alexandria and Falls Church. If a property is on the Virginia side of the river, the trade list is longer and the permit office is a county one.