Ground that moves, and the work it makes
Yards in Swansea and around Baby Point rarely sit level. They fall away toward the Humber or step down in terraces, and the clay underneath swells and shrinks through the year. A gate that shut cleanly in September catches on the latch by March. Deck posts lift, a stair stringer drops a few millimetres, and a handrail that felt solid last summer starts to give.
Most of that gets sorted without pulling anything out. Hinges are shimmed and the gate re-hung on its high side, loose boards refastened or swapped, railings drawn back tight and blocked properly. I do repairs rather than rebuilds. If a deck frame has gone past saving I will tell you straight instead of covering it over.
Houses from between the wars
Houses in Bloor West Village mostly filled in through the 1920s and 1930s. Brick detached and semi-detached, some with timbering across the gable, short steep driveways, and plaster inside. The doors are heavy and properly made, which is a pleasure until one starts dragging on the jamb and the old latch stops catching.
Windows are the other regular. Painted-shut wood sashes, casements that bind, tired weather stripping and torn screens all turn up every spring. Those I can service. Where a window is genuinely finished I will say so and leave the replacing to a window company, rather than sell you a repair that will not last.
The list I usually get handed
People here tend to save jobs up until there are enough to fill a morning, which suits the way I work. A typical visit covers something like this:
- Sticking interior doors eased, planed and re-hung
- Curtain rods and blinds fitted into plaster walls
- TVs mounted around awkward 1930s chimney breasts
- Vanities, faucets and shower heads replaced upstairs
- Torn window screens re-meshed and refitted
- Backsplash tile and fresh caulking around tubs and sinks
- Gate hardware, fence pickets and deck boards repaired
Booking a visit
Message me with a rough description and a photo or two, and you will normally hear back inside one business day. Quotes cost nothing and commit you to nothing. The price, fixed or hourly, is settled before I start, and you are free to buy your own materials or let me bring them with the receipts.
Parking matters more here than people expect. Drives are narrow, often shared, and the streets near Runnymede and Jane stations fill early. Say where you would like the van left when you message me. If you are above the shops on Bloor Street West or in one of the low-rise buildings near Old Mill, mention the stairs and the entry code so everything comes up in one load.
I am out Monday to Saturday, eight until eight, with Sunday by appointment. Electrical past swapping an existing fixture, switch or dimmer, and plumbing past fixtures and traps, belongs to a licensed trade and I pass it over. The rest I finish, sweep up after, and come back to if it is not right.
