Richmond Hill was not built in one go
Drive Yonge Street from Crosby up to Lake Wilcox and you pass through about seventy years of building. Around the Mill Pond and Beverley Acres there are post-war bungalows and side-splits with plaster walls, solid wood trim and studs sitting wherever the builder felt like putting them. Bayview Hill and North Richvale went up through the 1980s in brick. Jefferson, Rouge Woods and much of Oak Ridges are newer again, and a fair number of homes beside Lake Wilcox started life as summer cottages before being rebuilt for year-round living.
Those differences matter more than they sound. A shelf anchored into plaster and lath needs a different approach from one going into 2010 drywall over engineered framing. I check what I am drilling into before I drill, which is why a mirror I hang stays hung.
What people here call me about
Most weeks in Richmond Hill are a mix of small things. A door that stopped latching once the frame settled, a kitchen tap that drips, flat-pack furniture that arrived in five boxes, a bathroom that needs fresh caulking before water gets behind the tile.
- Mounting televisions over fireplaces in newer Jefferson homes
- Patching and repainting plaster around older basement stairwells
- Swapping builder-grade light fixtures for something better
- Adjusting and rehanging interior doors that stick in summer
- Replacing toilets, shower heads and leaking taps under sinks
- Repairing gates and fence boards after a hard freeze
- Assembling closet systems, bed frames and office desks
If a job needs a licence, meaning a new circuit, a panel change or anything involving gas, I say so and point you to a licensed electrician or plumber. I would rather lose the work than do it wrong.
Condo and apartment work near the Yonge corridor
The towers around Richmond Hill Centre, and the rental buildings closer to Major Mackenzie Drive, come with their own rules. Most want the service elevator booked ahead and paperwork filed with property management. Tell me the building name when you get in touch and I will ask what is needed before the day arrives, so nobody is standing in a lobby sorting it out.
Inside a unit the work is usually mounting, blinds, shelving, closet fittings and fixture swaps. Concrete ceilings and walls mean proper anchors and a bit of dust, so I bring a vacuum and cover the floor before anything gets drilled.
How a visit actually works
Send me a short list with photos and I will usually reply within one business day with a fixed price or an hourly rate, whichever fits the job better. You agree to it before I start. If you have five small tasks waiting, put them into one visit rather than calling me back five times. It costs you less and it is a better use of the trip.
Materials come with receipts if I supply them, or you buy your own where you have a particular colour or model in mind. The work area gets cleaned up before I go. If something is not sitting right a week later, tell me and I come back and sort it out.
