The calls that come in most often
Assembly and mounting top the list, same as anywhere, but this town adds a steady run of door work. Old houses shift with the seasons, and a door that closed fine in February binds against the jamb in July. Planing an edge, shimming a hinge or resetting a strike plate usually sorts it, and it is a half-hour job rather than a new door.
After that come the fixture swaps: kitchen taps, shower heads, toilets, a vanity in a bathroom that has not been touched since the 1980s. Light fixtures, ceiling fans, dimmers and smart switches also come up, as long as the circuit is already there. Anything needing new wiring or a panel change goes to a licensed electrician, and older houses here do sometimes turn up wiring I will not touch.
Plaster, lath and walls that fight back
Plenty of houses on the older streets still have lath and plaster behind the paint. It cracks along the same lines every year, it crumbles if you drive a screw in carelessly, and stud spacing is a guess until you find the first one. I patch plaster so it sits flush with what is around it, and I use fixings that suit the wall instead of hoping a plastic anchor holds.
- Patching plaster cracks in older brick and stone homes
- Hanging mirrors and artwork on lath walls
- Easing and rehanging doors that stick in summer
- Replacing worn hinges, handles and locksets
- Weather stripping and screen repair on older frames
- Re-caulking tubs and tiled surrounds
- Fitting shelving where the studs are not where you expect
Newer houses in Georgetown South
The south end is a different day's work. Walls are drywall, framing is regular, and the jobs are about finishing the place: shelving, blinds, closet storage, a TV over the fireplace, baseboards and trim after a floor goes down. Laminate and vinyl plank in a spare room or a hallway is straightforward, and I cut the transitions and quarter round to match.
Newer does not mean trouble-free. Builder hardware wears out, interior doors go out of square, and the wall where you want a big screen often has nothing solid behind the drywall. Bathrooms and kitchens in the twenty-year-old parts of the south end are now due for cabinet hardware, new taps and fresh caulking.
Planning a visit and what to have ready
Write the list before you call, even the tiny items. Because this is the far end of my run, one trip with eight small tasks beats three trips with two. If you are out in Glen Williams, Norval, Stewarttown or Limehouse, that matters even more. A photo of each item is the fastest way to get a price.
Materials come with receipts, or you buy your own and I fit it. Hours are Monday to Saturday, 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM, and Sunday by appointment. I usually reply within one business day. When the work is finished the room gets cleaned up, and if something is not right afterwards I come back and sort it.
