Handymen pinpoint the right tools for the job, using oil on squeaky hinges, screwdrivers on loose bolts, and sledgehammers on raucous alarm clocks. Summon home-improvement savants with today's Groupon: for $29, you get $100 worth of yard work, cleaning, and home services from Redbeacon. Redbeacon's service area extends throughout the Bay Area, north to San Rafael, east to Brentwood, south to Morgan Hill, and west to the Pacific Ocean.

Redbeacon, winner of TechCrunch50's top prize for best start-up company in 2009, remedies home-improvement woes by connecting the public with local, qualified professionals in a wide range of fields, including plumbing, cleaning, and landscaping. Through the online request system, customers send their cries for help into the ether, where the spirits of handiwork seek out brave, capable souls and return with up to four competitive quotes. Redbeacon approves all of its professionals before allowing them into their stable, and only those that are available within the job's requested time frame appear after the request is made. Common requests include mowing lawns ($35 for under 2,000 feet), snaking clogged drains ($75), and clearing errantly thrown graduation caps out of gutters ($149). Costs for featured services vary by provider and the specifics of the job.

Upon discovering a flickering light or a toilet that disconcertingly flushes counterclockwise, clients can rush over to the Groupon service-request page to air their grievances to the nearest available electrician, plumber, or painter. Redbeacon also provides a service guarantee agreement for any professional who does not complete the service per satisfaction.