Plaster, lath and brick behind every wall
Most of The Junction went up between the 1890s and the 1920s for railway and stockyard workers, which means semis, row houses and small detached homes on narrow lots. Interior walls are usually plaster on wood lath. Exterior walls are often brick with wood strapping and plaster over that, so there is a hollow void exactly where you expect solid backing.
Hanging anything heavy on that takes care. A stud detector on its own is not enough over lath, so I probe, find the real framing or the strapping, and use fixings suited to what is genuinely there. Done properly, a television or a loaded bookshelf sits on a century-old wall without a crack showing. Done in a hurry, you get a fist-sized hole and a plaster repair on top of the original job.
Cracks are the other constant. Old plaster moves with the seasons and along old repairs, and patching it well means raking the crack out, filling in layers, and blending the texture rather than smearing filler across the surface.
Narrow lots, laneways and staircases
Access shapes how long a job takes on these streets. Many houses have no driveway, permit parking on the road and a rear lane that is tight for anything wider than a car. Front doors open onto steep porch steps, and the staircase inside is often narrow with a turn at the top.
Furniture is where that bites hardest. A wardrobe that suits the bedroom may not make the turn on the stairs, so it is worth assembling upstairs rather than down, or checking the box dimensions before delivery day. Describe the layout when you ask for a quote and I will flag anything that looks like trouble.
What I get called for around The Junction
The usual list on these streets looks something like this:
- Mounting televisions and shelving on plaster and brick walls
- Patching cracked plaster and repainting whole rooms
- Easing doors that swell and stick in old frames
- Replacing worn faucets, shower heads and toilets
- Swapping light fittings, dimmers and smart switches like for like
- Assembling and anchoring furniture in tight upstairs rooms
- Baseboards, trim and vinyl plank flooring in rooms that are not square
Larger work happens too. A kitchen backsplash, a bathroom refresh, a full run of new trim, or several days of patching and painting are all things I take on as one project rather than a string of short visits.
Straight answers before the work starts
Pricing gets settled before a single tool comes out of the bag, and asking for a quote costs you nothing. Photographs help more in old houses than anywhere else, because a picture of a cracked wall or an original door tells me what I am dealing with. A reply normally lands with you inside one business day. The figure is fixed or hourly, agreed up front, and it does not shift once I am on site.
Every job gets cleaned up before I leave, which counts for more in a house where plaster dust travels. If I buy the materials you get the receipts, and if you would rather choose your own, I will fit whatever you bring home. Should a repair not hold afterwards, say so and it goes straight back on my list.
Some jobs in century homes belong to a licensed trade. Knob-and-tube rewiring, new circuits, panel work, gas lines and structural changes go to a licensed electrician, plumber or contractor, and I will tell you that on the spot rather than take the money. Changing an existing fixture, switch or tap is everyday work.
