Two kinds of home on the same block
Step off Bloor onto Hazelton or Scollard and you are among brick Victorian houses from the 1870s and 1880s, most of them altered several times over. Move a hundred metres and you are in a tower, some of them from the 1980s, some finished within the last few years. The jobs asked for are similar. The walls behind them are not.
Old houses in Yorkville hide lath and plaster, timber that has been drying out for 140 years, and stud spacing that follows no rule. Condo suites give you concrete and steel studs instead. I check what is there before the first hole goes in, because guessing costs a repair on top of the original job.
Hanging art, mirrors and screens so they stay put
Much of my work here is putting things on walls, and the value of what gets hung leaves no room for a fixing that might hold. Heavy framed pieces go onto proper picture hooks or into solid backing. Gallery arrangements get laid out on the floor first, measured, then marked so the spacing reads evenly across the wall. Mirrors get bearing support underneath, not just screws at the top.
Televisions are the same principle with more weight. On plaster I locate the framing and, if the spacing is wrong for the bracket, fit a discreet backing board. On concrete I use masonry anchors. Cables get run out of sight wherever the wall construction allows it.
The small jobs that keep getting put off
Most calls in Yorkville are for things that have been annoying somebody for months.
- Doors that rub the frame or will not stay shut
- Cabinet hinges and handles replaced in a fitted kitchen
- Dimmers and smart switches swapped for existing ones
- Dripping taps and running toilets put right
- Wardrobe and shelving systems assembled and secured to the wall
- Fresh caulking around baths, sinks and shower trays
- Loose handrails and stair spindles made solid again
Several of those in one visit is the sensible way to do it. Write the list, send photos, and I will price the whole thing before I set out.
Bigger work, and where I hand it over
Larger projects run here as well. A bathroom refreshed with a new vanity and fresh caulking, a backsplash tiled, flooring and trim replaced through a suite, a room repainted after drywall repairs. Those take several days and get quoted as one price agreed in advance, with materials supplied and receipts handed over, or bought by you if you prefer.
There are limits I keep to. Replacing an existing light fitting, switch, dimmer, faucet or toilet is my work. New circuits, panel changes, gas appliances, anything structural, and any job on a designated heritage property that needs a permit are not. When a job reaches that point I say so and you get a licensed electrician or plumber in.
