Gentle Clean Carpet Care | Ambler, Penn.

Scott Rinier's foray into company ownership began abruptly in 2005 when he was laid off by another carpet cleaning company apparently to make room for the boss' son, who needed a job. "Three days later, I was in business for myself," he says. "There's never a boring day."

Rinier made a repeat customer out of Conshohocken member Amy McNutt with his timely, top-notch service. "He got all of the dog hair and smell out of the couch and my stairs look like new," McNutt says.

Former Chalfont resident Liz Bamberger, who owns a dog and two cats, says she had a similar experience when Gentle Clean Carpet Care cleaned her white living room furniture and the high-traffic carpet in her family room. "They were great with the pets," she says.

Rinier, whose work doesn't require a license, got down on his hands and knees to remove dried Play-Doh from basement carpet for Jenkintown member Steve Spindler. "He used a knife to scrape some of it up by hand," Spindler says. "The next time I get my carpets cleaned, I'll definitely call [Gentle Clean]."

Besides being thorough, Rinier, who employs one, cleans with green products when requested and donates $1,000 annually to a client's charity.

Eric Krohn Plumbing & Electrical Services | West Chester, Penn.

From kitchen remodels to bathroom renovations to dishwasher installs, no job is too tough for this jack-of-all-trades. "Typically, when [customers] call me, it's one and done," says Krohn, who's properly registered as a Pennsylvania contractor to do plumbing and electrical work. "In today's market, you've got to be versatile."

He says he's always interested in learning something new or using a creative approach to solve a problem. In fact, Krohn once rigged a self-refilling water dish for chickens out of a garden hose and an unused toilet fill valve for a customer in Flourtown. "I didn't think it'd work," he says, but it did.

Member Mark Gambarota of Phoenixville put Krohn's skills to more conventional use when he hired him to add a circuit breaker and plug unit for a newly installed sump pump and fix dimmers other electricians couldn't repair.

He fixed a bathroom drain plug for free, too, Gambarota says, adding that he's got the personality of a teddy bear. "You really trust him right away."

Krohn says he strives to do what's best by his customers. "My conscience would get to me if I knew I didn't do something that's right," he says, adding that he followed in his late father's footsteps to become a plumber/electrician.

The owner of 50 rental properties says he got into the family trade in the 1990s, starting his sole proprietorship after substitute teaching and studying criminology at Florida State University in Tallahassee, where he played football. "I wanted to be in the FBI," he says.

Instead, he settled into a familiar niche, and members are happier for it. "I have some pretty high standards," says member Tom Pherson of Chadds Ford. Krohn eclipsed those by replacing a water heater for him on Christmas Eve 2010, saving guests from taking cold showers.

"I just don't normally see that kind of 'stick-to-itiveness,'" Pherson says, adding that Krohn didn't charge a holiday premium. "I would definitely use him again."

Precision Heating & Air Conditioning | Linfield, Penn.

Owner Dominic D'Acciaro, a three-time Super Service Award winner, approaches every job as if it were being done in his own home, and he treats customers accordingly. "They trust us with the keys to their home, the alarm codes, the garage door openers," he says. "We take care of their needs."

D'Acciaro, a registered Pennsylvania contractor, started the family business in 1994 with his son, Dominic Jr. joining in 1998. Junior was a hit with member Laura Broh's then 10-month-old daughter during an annual furnace service call. "They're really personable," says the West Norriton Township resident, adding that neither man minded dogs jumping on them either.

The licensed father-son team, which uses green products to clean their equipment, offers free services to the Linfield Fire Company.

DB Cleaning Services | Philadelphia

Co-owners Douglas and Brunna Dutra put more than their first initials into DB Cleaning Services. One or the other, and sometimes both, personally clean and inspect nearly every job. "One thing people love about our services is we are there, almost all of the time," Douglas says.

Their hands-on approach won over Philadelphia member Young Hwangbo when she returned from a monthlong vacation to a broken-down, maggot-infested freezer. Douglas cleaned what Hwangbo couldn't from ceiling to floor. "He ended up cleaning the whole house. He was very thorough," she says. "They're very dedicated to what they do."

The company, which uses green cleaning products and requires no license, received praise from a member for cleaning quietly while her baby napped.

More Best Philadlephia Contractors of 2011

Find these companies' full profiles at angieslist.com to read more about what makes their service superlative

Advance Roofing Windows Siding & Doors | Newark, Del.

Advanced Furnace & Air Duct Cleaning | Bayville, N.J.

Advanced Plumbing | Reading, Penn.

Belle's Buildings Handywoman Service | Blue Bell, Penn.

Breathe Ez | Blackwood, Penn.

CB’s Electric LLC | Cherry Hill, N.J.

Daly Termite & Pest Management | Ardmore, Penn.

E A Harvey Heating & Air Conditioning | Kennett Square, Penn.

EcoGardens LLC | Bala Cynwyd, Penn.

Joe Wolf Builders Inc. | Bensalem, Penn.

Kircher Electric | Warrington, Penn.

Leaf Floor Covering | Malvern, Penn.

Mourar's Heating & Cooling | Phoenixville, Penn.

Old City Movers | Philadelphia

Piselli Construction | Morton, Penn.

R.E.G. Electric | West Chester, Penn.

Rossini Construction | Norristown, Penn.

Shechtman Tree Care | Philadelphia

Sun Control Specialists | North Wales, Penn.