Houses in Thornhill are at the age where things need attention
Royal Orchard, Grandview, Bayview Glen and the streets off Centre Street are full of ranch bungalows, back-splits and two-storey homes from the 1960s and 1970s. They were built well. They are also fifty-odd years old, which shows up as original hollow-core doors, sliding patio doors running on tired rollers, stipple ceilings, and bathrooms where the caulking gave up a while ago.
Old Thornhill village near Yonge and Centre is older again, with heritage homes that have plaster walls, thick baseboards and floors that are not quite level. Work there is slower and more careful. Newer pockets like Beverley Glen and Brownridge behave more like a modern subdivision, with drywall, nail pops and builder fixtures people are ready to upgrade.
Put the small jobs together
Most people have a list rather than a single task. Batching them into one visit is cheaper for you and simpler for me, so write everything down before you get in touch, including the things that feel too minor to mention.
- Easing and rehanging doors that stick or will not latch
- Replacing patio door rollers and adjusting sliding screens
- Patching stipple ceilings and repainting after a small leak
- Fitting new vanity taps, shower heads and toilet seats
- Hanging heavy mirrors and artwork on plaster walls
- Swapping tired light fixtures for dimmers and smart switches
- Recaulking tubs, showers and kitchen backsplashes
Light fixtures, dimmers and switches replacing what is already there are fine. A new circuit, a panel change or anything gas-related is not my work, and you get pointed to a licensed electrician or plumber instead.
Apartments and condos near Promenade and Steeles
Between Bathurst, Steeles Avenue and the Promenade there are plenty of apartment and condo units, and many are rentals or homes people have downsized into. Buildings there usually want the service elevator booked ahead and paperwork filed with property management, so name the building when you ask for a quote and I will find out what is required.
In-suite jobs are mostly mounting televisions on concrete walls, putting up blinds and curtain rods, assembling furniture that came up in the lift in boxes, and changing out fixtures. I bring a vacuum. Concrete makes dust and nobody wants it left behind.
Seasons change what the phone rings about
Spring brings fence boards and gates that shifted over winter, deck rails that worked loose, and screens that tore. Summer humidity swells doors so they bind at the top corner. Autumn is weather stripping, door sweeps, and getting exterior lights and video doorbells sorted before it goes dark at five. Winter is mostly indoor work: shelving, drywall, painting, flooring and the jobs put off all year.
Whatever the season, the routine is the same. Free quote, a fixed price or hourly rate agreed first, materials with receipts if I supply them, and a clean space when I go. If something is not right afterwards, I come back and put it right.
