Plaster, picture rails and hanging things that stay up
Walls in Forest Hill are plaster on lath, sometimes with a newer skim over the top, and they behave nothing like drywall. A plastic plug bites into the soft coat and releases the moment somebody knocks the frame. So I locate the framing, or I fit a backer where there is none, and everything of any weight goes into wood.
Many of these houses still have their original picture rails. Where a rail is sound it is worth using, because it keeps weight off the plaster and lets a piece be moved later without another hole. For a gallery wall I lay the whole arrangement out on the floor first, mark from a laser line, then hang from the middle outwards so the spacing holds true.
The rest of what a big old house needs
Houses on these streets largely went up between about 1910 and 1935, and they age in predictable ways. Solid doors swell and drop on their hinges. Mortise latches wear until a handle spins in your hand. Deep baseboards pull away from the wall as a building settles. Third floor rooms get converted and the trim never gets finished. The regular list runs like this:
- Heavy interior doors re-hung and mortise hardware adjusted
- Plaster cracks and old anchor holes filled and painted out
- Baseboard, casing and crown repairs after settling
- Faucets, shower heads and toilets replaced like for like
- Light fixtures, ceiling fans and dimmers swapped on existing wiring
- Closet systems and flat pack furniture built in awkward rooms
- Video doorbells, cameras and smart thermostats fitted and set up
Suites along Bathurst, Eglinton and St Clair
Not everyone in Forest Hill is in a detached house. The edges of the neighbourhood carry post-war brick apartment buildings and newer condo suites, and that work runs to a different rhythm. Concrete and block walls want proper masonry fixings rather than the toggle that came free in the bracket box. Service elevators need booking ahead, and most buildings set quiet hours.
Tell me the building when you write, and check with your concierge or property manager about what they ask of anyone doing work in a suite. Sorting that out ahead of the visit saves a wasted trip on both sides.
Short lists, longer projects and where I stop
A morning of small fixes is welcome and so is a project that runs several days. Longer work I take on includes a bathroom freshened up with a new vanity and fresh caulking, a run of laminate or vinyl plank with new baseboards, or a kitchen tidied with backsplash tile and new cabinet hardware.
What I do not touch is anything requiring a licence in Ontario. New circuits, panel work, gas and structural changes go to a licensed electrician, plumber or contractor, and you will hear that at the quote rather than halfway through. Otherwise it is free quotes, a price settled before the first tool comes out, receipts for anything I supply, floors swept at the end, and a return visit if something is not right.
