Handyman Services

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The most common projects that I tend to do for homeowners are kitchen & bath faucets, outside stair rails (vinyl or wrought iron), re-caulking tubs, showers & sinks, changing out toilets, changing light fixtures & fans, re-screening torn screens, replacing exterior & interior doors and storm doors and all things deck related——replacing bad boards, sanding and staining, to a complete deck rebuild using composite or wood, last but not least——anything related to aging in place, such as grab bars, floating sinks that are wheelchair accessible & walk in bathtubs,

I believe these items are in highest demand, because they either wear out or go out of style and as for aging in place products, folks just want to stay in their homes longer, seniors are living longer and product innovations in these area , are constantly improving,

Although most of my clients have me on speed dile, I truly get so much satisfaction in completing these projects, I sometimes forget that I’m working for them, I sort of get lost in the project, my standard of acceptability is usually much higher than my clients, I guess I am competing against myself,

When you love what you do it doesn’t feel like work!

If I sound like a good resource to you please don’t hesitate to contact me!

Composite Decking With Metal Railings

If planning a deck project, consider mixing and matching, e.g….composite decking with metal railings or cedar decking with synthetic railings, and also consider mixing & matching when it comes to brands/manufacturers,

Regardless of the material, picture framing can add an extra WoW factor, pucture framing hides the butt end, and creates a more finished/professional look,

When it comes to railings, there are many choices, wood with metal balusters, fully synthetic railings, PVC and metal to name a few,

Wood, synthetic and PVC are a little more traditional in that their a little more “beefy” looking, whereas metal railings are a little more sleek and modern, whatever the look one wants, there’s probably a option that works,

So, let your imagination run wild!

Why a Cedar Deck vs Composite

Composite decks have come a long way, but there are still some challenges, the joists can be 16" on center, however 12" on center is considered a safer way to avoid warping....if one's deck gets hit with a ton of sun, warping is a real concern, the other challenge is the temperature of the Composite decking, many complain about the deck being to hot to walk on with bare feat, on the other hand most Composite decks have minimal maintenance,

If one chooses wood , pressure treated is chosen most often,, Cedar is an even better choice, Cedar has non rotting properties that make it ideal, it also look beautiful,

If one does choose Cedar it's important to remove the Mill Glaze, the glaze is created by the combination of heat and mechanical compression from the milling process, and one of the best ways to remove it, is with Oxalic Acid,

Once removed , a good stain/sealer is a great way to protect the wood,

Most wood decks don't experience the heat of composite decks, and warping from the heat is less of a concern, there is a certain amount of maintenance associated with wood decks so each material has it's trade-offs,

It really comes down to how much one wants to invest and the look one is after,

Rotted Deck Posts

Many deck posts are installed incorrectly, and can cause dryrot as a result,

Rotted deck posts pose a real threat,

The posts support the beam that supports the entire deck,

Very often this dryrot goes unnoticed because it below grade,

Deck posts are often buried in soil or installed directly into concrete, wile the concrete is setting,

Either way is incorrect, moisture will enter into the bottom of the post and eventually cause dryrot,

To change out posts that are beginning to rot can be a little tricky,

Supporting the deck while changing out the posts is crucial and needs to be done correctly,

A Toe Jack can be used to support the deck as well as jacking the deck up a tad to slide the new post underneath,

After the new post is in position, release the Jack and let the beam slowly drop onto the new post,

Putting the post in some sort of post holder will keep it from rotting in the future!

Deck Restoration,

There are basically 6 stages or 6 ways of addressing a deck,

1) Because the deck has been maintained, a good powerwash, scrub (with my *secret formula), powerwash again, paint/stain or a solid stain, (a mix of paint and stain),

2) Because the deck has not been maintained and the surface has alot of flaking paint or the stain is worn off, sanding and scraping are essential....in this case, 80% of the time in restoring the deck will be in the prep.,

3) The Structure is sound but some/many of the deckboards are extremely worn, splintering, or showing signs of dryrot... (dryrot worsens exponentially), in this case, one will need to carry out steps 1 & 2 and replace some or many boards,

4) The Structure is somewhat compromised, the most common is the support posts are showing signs of dryrot or additional bracing needs to be added, in this case those items need to be addressed, along with steps 1-3

5) A combo of any of 1-4, and replacing all the decking, & possibly railings with either Pressure Treated, Cedar or some kind of composite material or synthetic

6) Complete deck replacement, in this case the Structure is completely compromised, the Ledger board is coming away from the house & all or most of the support beams & postd are rotted

*secret formula.....Oxi Clean, White Vinegar & Dawn

Pull Out vs Pull down Faucets

Pull Outs have a spray head that can be pulled directly out of the faucet body,

Or

Pull Down faucets pull down away from the cradle, usually magnetized,

In most cases I prefer pulldown spring faucets,

I like the fact that there's no weight clunking around under my sink and I like that the mechanism is a simple design that has less room for failure,

Many of us have had the retracting feature on our pull out faucets fail, the faucet stops retracting,

I also love the look of the spring design on either pull outs or pull downs,

Wrought Iron Railings

There's something clean about wrought iron railings,

I recently installed these beautiful black railings and couldnt be more impressed with ingenuity behind the design,

The design and engineering allowed for total customization when in the field,

Some HOA's only allow wrought iron and if your in one of those these are a real game changer!

Rotted Deck Posts

Rotted deck posts need to be addressed sooner rather than later....

Many deck posts are placed directly into concrete and and rot over time,

When the posts are removed, this "hole" in the concrete where the bottom of the rotted post posts lies, will need a different system, one system that works well, is to remove the rotted wood, fill the hole with concrete, place a metal post sleeve with an outer fl**ge that's anchored into the concrete over the filled hole, this will keep the post from rotting in the future

In a recent case, a post that was placed directly into concrete, was severely rotted on the bottom, and to top matters off, this particular post carried the majority the weight of a 2 story deck with a metal screen room on top!

When replacing posts, having temporary support is critical, and needs to handled with extreme caution,

The best way to insure the stability of the posts is to have some sort of jack, I personally like using a Toe/Claw Jack vs a Bottle Jack, the Toe Jack has a larger surface, about the size of a 4x4 and works great for slowly jacking up the deck,

Many posts are notched and placed under the load beam and connected with Carriage Bolts, and when replacing said post, cut the notch about a 3/16th's to a quarter inch higher than the Beam/Header, place the new notched post under the beam, jack up the 4x4 under the beam, slide the notch in, and lower the jack letting the beam rest softly onto the post,

This is a project that should not be put off as there are many deck collapses per year with many injuries, some severe!

Safety First

Go Joe Handyman

Mini-Split Line Set Covers

Very often, folks have Mini-Split systems installed and line sets are left uncovered, weather takes a toll,

In a recent case there were vines/weeds hanging off the line sets, and the insulation was coming loose, an electric cable was also hanging down,

A vinyl line set cover can really create a clean look,

Having the line set cover can also help protect against the elements