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Calgary Handyman Services | FT Property Services Inc.

TOP 10 HANDYMAN JOBS FOR HOMEOWNERS

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Top 10 Handyman Jobs For Home Owners in Calgary, Alberta | FT Property Services Inc.

7) INTERIOR PAINTING

While painting is a task that is often attempted by do-it-yourselfers, it is messy, time consuming and takes experience if you want an acceptable finished product. Since paint is something that is on display for everyone to see, all the drools, drips and sags of a novice paint job really stand out. That’s not to mention all the paint that gets where it isn’t supposed to be - on the ceiling, light switches, baseboards and floor. The sad reality is a poorly done paint job can ruin the look of your home and even decrease it’s value.

Whether it’s painting fresh drywall repairs, smoothing out a previous do-it-yourself paint job or a fresh coat of paint to change an outdated wall color, we can help. In addition to doing outstanding work we also take cleanliness seriously - you won’t find any paint spilled on your floors or in your sink! Save yourself the mess, time and frustration and have us do your painting.



 
8) DOOR REPAIRS AND INSTALLS

Another task we commonly do for home owners are door repairs and installs. The doors of your home are something that see a lot of use, you and your family look at and touch them every day. A poorly working or damaged door is not just annoying to use, it can be unsecure, let in drafts and lower the perceived value of your home.

Some of the door related jobs we typically do are door lock changes, door adjustments, interior door replacements, exterior door replacements, closet door replacements, storm door installations and weather stripping installations.

While installing a door might seem pretty straight forward it can actually be a daunting task. Things like out of square or odd sized openings are pretty common and make these jobs more difficult than they appear. If these things are not taken into consideration during the install you can be left with a door that doesn’t open or close properly.

Over the years I have seen some pretty bad door installs. I’ve seen exterior doors that weren’t attached to the home’s framing and were just held in place by the interior and exterior trim. A good body check to these doors will knock them down and obviously this a really bad for security.

Something else I see a lot of are door that aren’t shimmed properly, which usually results in the door frame bowing and the door not working properly. Unfortunately the only way to correct this is to completely re-install the door and trim. This can be pretty time consuming and expensive to repair, especially if it is the second time you are paying for the door to be installed!

Another thing I see a lot of is doors that don’t latch properly. This usually is the result of a rushed install by someone with limited experience. Doors usually require some fine tuning to work properly and there are a lot of things that can go wrong with them!

If you have a door that isn’t working properly and you can’t figure it out, or if you need some new doors installed it is best left to a professional. The cost to have an improperly installed door re-installed usually exceeds the cost to have it installed properly the first time. If you’d like to save yourself the trouble of dealing with a problem door, contact us today. We have years of experience working with doors and can have yours fixed in no time!



 
9) SHELVING INSTALLATIONS

Something else we frequently do for home owners are shelving installations. Shelving is a pretty important and often over-looked part of having a comfortable and useful living space. Shelving comes in so many styles these days and some of the most common styles we install are “floating” shelves, closet organizers, garage shelving racks, free standing garage or basement shelves and custom shelving.

While it may seem pretty easy to install shelves, it is important that they are anchored to the wall properly. Failing to do so will almost certainly lead to the shelf falling off of the wall, along with everything on it. This obviously creates a pretty good chance for property damage and injury.

Much like any other wall mounting there is also the potential for hitting wires and pipes inside of walls. As I mentioned above, this is usually a very expensive mistake to repair and could even result in a nasty electric shock!

If you are looking to have some shelving installed it is a good idea to have the work done by a professional. This way you can relax knowing the shelf over the couch won’t fall on your head or the shelving in your garage won’t fall on your car. If you are looking for a professional, local Calgary company to install your shelving, contact us today! We can install all styles of shelving for you and can even make custom shelving to suit your needs.



10) FENCE AND GATE REPAIR

Fences and gates take the full force of our extreme weather in Calgary. Blistering sun, bone chilling winters and gale force winds all take their toll. Add to this physical damage and rot and these structures can often need a little TLC. Having a broken fence or gate is super annoying. It affects the usefulness of your yard, your privacy and your security. On top of this, a broken fence or gate looks terrible and can effect the value of your property.

Working on fences and gates is something we frequently do through our handyman service. Typically this involves replacing broken boards, rotten fence posts and repairing or replacing broken gates. If the fence is beyond saving we can also tear it out and build a brand new one that will last for years to come. If your fence or gate could use some TLC we are here to help. We will save you the back breaking labour involved and leave you with a finished product you’ll love!

So if you are a home owner and need help with any of the handyman jobs listed here, contact us today. In addition to these items we can also help with many more jobs around the house. We have been serving Calgary since 2015 and would love to add you to our list of happy clients!

4) WALL MOUNTINGS

Wall mountings are another job we commonly do for home owners. While most people feel comfortable putting a nail in the wall to hang a picture, some wall mount jobs can be a bit more daunting. Aside from the challenge of getting multiple items to line up nicely on a wall, some items require special attention and techniques to hang safely.

Failure to properly wall mount heavy or valuable items can lead to personal injury and property damage. In addition to this, there are also hidden wires and pipes in most walls. Accidentally hitting either of these with a nail or screw can lead to a shocking experience or a wet basement.

Things like TV wall mounts, heavy pictures or mirrors and cabinetry are best left to a professional. Save yourself the trouble and potential for damage or injury and have us take care of your wall mounts. We have years of experience so you can have peace of mind knowing the job was done right.

 

5) BASEBOARDS AND CASINGS

Without the proper tools and experience, installing baseboards and casings is very challenging. I’d go as far as saying that without the right tools and experience it is impossible to achieve good results. We have all seen bad baseboard and casing jobs where the pieces don’t line up properly, the inside corners have gaps, the outside mitre joints are split open, joints on long runs are visible and the pieces look like they are ready to fall off the wall.

Much like poor quality drywall repairs, poorly installed baseboards and casings can really drag down the look and value of your home. People see the lack of quality on these very visible items and it makes them question the quality of the things they can’t see. In addition to this, installing baseboards and casings is a time consuming and expensive job. It is something that is best done right the first time!

Installing baseboards and casings is definitely not a DIY job for anyone without wood working experience. There are a bunch of trade secrets to doing this job properly. In addition to this you will also have to be able to measure and make cuts precisely. I’m talking within 1/32 of an inch (0.79mm). This kind of precision is difficult for most to achieve on something small and on something like a 16 foot (4.88m) piece of baseboard it can seem impossible.

Another reason why this is not a DIY job is you need a lot of special equipment. At the very least you will need an air compressor, brad nailer and quality compound mitre saw. These 3 tools alone will easily cost you $1000.

If you have damaged baseboard or casing that needs repair or you’d just like to update what you currently have, I strongly suggest having a professional do it. You’ll save yourself a lot of frustration, time and wasted material. You’ll also end up with a finished product that you can be proud of.

If you are looking for a company to help with your baseboard and casing install or repair, contact us today. We have years of experience doing this work and all the tools required to do the job right.




6) WORKOUT EQUIPMENT ASSEMBLY AND INSTALL

Another type of assembly we commonly do for our clients are workout equipment assemblies. This encompasses a lot of items including treadmills, exercise bikes, home gyms, chin-up bars, trampolines, gymnastics equipment, basketball hoops and more. Since our policy is to assemble anything, regardless of make or model, we can help with any of your workout equipment needs.

Much like furniture assembly, workout equipment assembly can be a time consuming and frustrating process. There are usually a ton of pieces that look similar and are easily mistaken for one another. Accidentally mixing up one of these pieces usually results in back tracking and wasted time.

In addition to this, most workout equipment is made of steel, so it is a lot more labour intensive to build as it is typically a lot heavier than furniture. Since people directly interact with workout equipment and this usually involves a lot of stress on said workout equipment, it is imperative that it is assembled correctly. Failing to properly assemble workout equipment is very dangerous as it may collapse while in use which can cause serious injury or death.

If your workout equipment is something that needs to be installed after assembly that will add another layer of difficulty to the process. For example, if you had a chin-up bar it would need to be assembled and then securely mounted to the wall. Failing to properly mounting this item could result in it falling off the wall while in use, potentially causing serious injury to the user.

Another example that we see a lot of are in-ground basketball hoops. This style of basketball hoop is the best choice for Calgary. With the high winds we experience other styles of basketball hoops (with bases filled with sand or water) frequently blow over resulting in damage to the basketball hoop itself plus whatever it falls on.

Proper install of an in-ground basketball hoop is very important as it requires a large concrete base in the ground. Failing to get the concrete base right will result in a basketball hoop that leans over like the Leaning Tower of Pisa! The only way to fix this is to jackhammer out the faulty concrete base and start over from scratch, which is a very labour intensive, expensive process.

If you have workout equipment that needs assembly or install and you aren’t confident in your own abilities to do so, it is best to have the job completed by someone with experience. You’ll be able to have peace of mind knowing that it is safe to use and will provide you with years of service. If you’d like a hand with your workout equipment assembly and install, contact us today. We have years of experience doing this type of work and will have you set up in no time!

Top 10 Handyman Jobs For Home Owners in Calgary, Alberta | FT Property Services Inc.

One of the most common questions I get asked by home owners when they find out about our handyman service is “What sort of jobs do you do?”. This is always a tough question to answer without a long winded explanation. Like most handyman services, we offer a wide variety of services. Also like most handyman services, there are services we do not offer.

To be fair, it can be a pretty confusing situation as most handyman services offer different services from one another. I’d go as far as saying you’d be hard pressed to find two handyman services that offer identical services. This leads to wildly differing opinions about what a handyman typically does.

Because of this, when people ask me “What sort of jobs do you do?” I typically just ask them to describe their problem and let them know if we can help or not. I’d love to give people a straight answer and that got me thinking about making a blog post. While this is not an exhaustive list of the services we offer, these are the top 10 handyman services we do for home owners.

If you are looking for a handyman service but cannot find what you need on this list, please contact us. We’d be happy to speak with you about any projects you may have. If it isn’t something we can help you with we will do our best to recommend someone who can.




1) DRYWALL REPAIRS

Some of the most common handyman jobs we do for home owners are drywall repairs. This isn’t too surprising to me as repairing drywall is not only a dusty, physically demanding and time consuming job, it is also quite difficult to do well. Most people shudder at the thought of repairing their own drywall and I totally understand. I used to hate repairing drywall myself but over the years I have actually grown to enjoy it!

While some people are tempted to repair their own drywall, it is best left to someone with experience. On paper repairing drywall looks like an easy job but in reality a person needs years of hands on experience to be proficient at it. Doing seamless drywall repairs is an art and only practice makes perfect.

We have all seen poorly executed drywall repairs done by a person with limited experience. They stick out like a sore thumb and often look worse than the initial damage. To make matters worse, when people see poorly repaired drywall they question the quality of other repairs in the house and wonder what other corners were cut.

If you have drywall that needs repair I would strongly suggest hiring an experienced, reputable company to do the work. You’ll save yourself the hard work, mess and frustration of doing it yourself and you’ll end up with a far better finished product. Whether it’s a hole, crack, dent or just a poorly done repair that needs to be fixed, we’d be happy to help. Contact us today to discuss your drywall repairs!

 

2) WINDOW BLINDS, SHADES AND CURTAINS 

Another handyman job we frequently do for homeowners is installing window blinds, shades and curtains. Not only are these window coverings essential for privacy, they also keep the hot summer sun out of your house. In addition to this, window coverings have a huge impact on the look of your home, inside and out. Having the right blinds, shades or curtains is important and worth spending some time on to get right.

While there are more options for window coverings than ever and buying them has never been easier, installation is still a problem for many people. If you don’t have the tools or experience required to hang window coverings they can look bad and even fall off. I’d say about half of the window covering jobs we do are repairing other peoples poor installations after they fall off the wall!

If you aren’t sure of your abilities to install your window coverings it is best to have someone with experience do it. You’ll save yourself from a lot of frustration and extra holes in your walls and window frames. Contact us today if you’d like a hand with your blinds, shades or curtains. We have years of experience and will have your windows looking great in no time!

 

3) FURNITURE ASSEMBLY 

One of our most popular services since we opened in 2015 is furniture assembly. If you have ever purchased furniture items from Ikea, Wayfair, Structube, Bouclair or the Brick, you know that the assembly can be a daunting task. For some of these items you practically need an engineering degree to make sense of the instructions! And if you don’t have the right tools you’ll be there all day trying to put it together with the allen key they provide.

I have heard from many of our furniture assembly clients that the reason why they decided to hire us to assemble their furniture is to avoid frustration. Many pieces of furniture can seem like a jigsaw puzzle to assemble and many people don’t have the patience for that. The second most popular reason why we are hired to assemble furniture is to save the client time. Without the proper experience, tools and game plan assembling furniture can take forever!

Over the years we have pretty much assembled every type of furniture you can think of. We assemble all makes and models of furniture and can also assemble and install kitchen cabinets, BBQs, propane fire pits, children’s play structures, pergolas and sheds. Save yourself the time and frustration of furniture assembly and have us put your new furniture together.

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Written By Steve Hyde | Updated December 7, 2020 | Calgary, Alberta