We got tired of knocking on doors to find a good contractor.

My wife and I bought a fixer. The house needed a lot, and most of it was work we couldn't do ourselves.

Finding people to do it was the hard part. The big platforms were a mess to sift through. What worked was the old way: we knocked on the neighbor's door and asked who they hired. We asked family friends who they'd call again. Every good contractor we found came by word of mouth, from someone we could ask a follow-up question.

It worked, but it was slow, and it only reached as far as the doors we were willing to knock on. At some point we asked each other the obvious thing: wouldn't it be easier if this were shared out in the open? The answers were already on our street. They just lived in people's heads.

WhichCrew is that, written down. Neighbors add the projects they had done, with photos, and name the crew that did the work. It's local on purpose. A recommendation from three blocks away tells you more than a pile of stars from strangers.

We built it in Long Beach, where we live, and that's where it's deepest so far. If you've had work done on your home, add it. The next person knocking on doors is probably your neighbor.

Richard SreyFounder, WhichCrew · Long Beach, Californiarichard@whichcrew.com