It was a fairly busy week last week - but that's a good thing! I met a couple of very nice ladies who graciously allowed me into their homes to do some work.

The first job looked a little challenging at first glance. It was stripping, sanding and painting an exterior huge bay window that consisted of 20 rather large windows that were in dire need of attention - well, at least the wood surrounding them. I apologize I should have taken before and after shots in which this time I didn't. Regardless, the window came out very nice with a fresh coat of high quality natural white paint. On to the other window at the side of the home where a garage window had obvious signs of weather. The trim surrounding the perimeter had rotted away to the point the window was about to fall out, so I replaced the trim, added in some window putty, caulked all around, sanded and painted it - but not necessarily in that order :)

Another job this nice lady had on her agenda was to have 3 exterior coach lanterns removed and replaced along with the front lamp post removed. About an hour or so later - voila! On to the next job. This was merely filling in multiple holes where a front storm door had been removed and the frame painted.

I really enjoyed working at this particular home in the north end of our beautiful city of London. The woman had made me feel very comfortable as we engaged in conversation and shared stories. Her grandchildren also joined in part of the conversation and I was even invited in to join the trio for a nice lunch. Wonderful! It never ceases to amaze me of how kind people can be - Thank you!

Now getting to the unusual request... This was another job where some vinyl flooring needed to be removed from a cement floor due to a little bit of mould coming through the vinyl. I removed the baseboards and then the flooring and treated the cement floor with bleach and later cleaned the floor with TSP crystals. After a couple of days allowing the cement floor to completely dry, I picked up a carpet the lady had purchased and installed it over the cement floor and re-installed the baseboards.

The unusual request was can I build a 'Book Box'? Also known as a 'Mini Library' for the exterior of this business. Sure I could! I never built such a thing before, but with a little imagination, some pine, hinges, stain and plexi-glass and a post to mount it on...behold! The Book Box allows people to access information about the business - free. All you have to do is visit the box to take out a book or information pamphlet/brochure out...oh, but be sure to close the box with the latch after you do to prevent any of Mother Nature's elements from taking a peek herself!

Thanks for reading and feel free to comment!

Yours truly,

Wilson's Handyman Services.

Okay! So the title is quite long, but that about sums it up! June & July are gone and we are already into August! (Quite frankly I'm still waiting for summer to arrive ~) Regardless, it has been quite some time since I last updated my blog. I'm not really a blogger - I'm a Handyman.

Let me first apologize to all those reading my blog. Why? Because it has been quite a while as I said. I have been busy painting, installing baseboard, installing trim, dry walling, taping, mudding, sanding, installing curtain rods, electrical plug & switch plates, laminate flooring, installing carpeting, cleaning out eaves troughs-a many, laying patio stones/walk ways, cutting plywood sheets, stripping & painting a shed, cleaning windows and screens, installing equalizer strips, did I mention baseboards? Seems to be the season for that sort of thing, so my mitre saw has gotten a work out to the point I will be replacing the blade! But y'know, this has been great for Wilson's Handyman Services. I technically began this sole proprietor business in January, but officially launched at the end of April.

There have been 'lulls' just like any business, but for the most part, it's been fairly steady and I've been getting (thankfully) a lot of repeat business! This handyman business has also been very gratifying and I've been fortunate enough to have already met some great people kind, caring, generous, thoughtful, interesting.

I'm in the mood to write tonight, but I'm going to cut this one short (no pun intended). I've got a few things to prepare for a couple of calls tomorrow, some marketing and a little more promoting to get the word out there even further.

By the way, please keep in mind as of August 8th I will no longer be responding to emails at handyman@bell.net as I am changing my Internet Service Provider. My NEW email is Blair@wilsonshandymanservices.ca

Yes, I know it is a little long as well, but fitting don't you think? Gotta go...in the meantime enjoy the photos & video!

Cheers!

It was a perfect day for replacing a large screen on a door today. Kudos to Home Depot for carrying a relatively inexpensive screen replacement kit! A perfect size for the 34" X 84" door I needed to fit.

I removed the door off of its hinges, laid it on a flat surface, removed the old torn screen and any protruding hardware that could puncture the new screen and began laying it out over top of what is obviously a home made/built to fit door.

One thing to be careful of when replacing a screen is to make sure the screen is pulled taught while installing the spline. From there just use one end of the provided tool, feed the spline into the groove and follow through with the other end while tucking the spline in (see photos below). As this is done the spline pulls the screen in nice and tight. There are a few other things to know, but I'm not going to bore you on it. We'll keep today's blog short & sweet, but thanks for reading!

 

Truth be known...canvassing neighborhoods on foot with door knockers in hand (you know, those colorful things that hang on one's door knob of their home advertising services people offer?) does pay off - and I'm glad they do because they are not cheap to have designed and printed! A few weeks ago I distributed just a few (maybe 50-60) of them in a very nice neighborhood. At the time I was fortunate enough to bump into a few people along my route and explain what Wilson's Handyman Services is all about.

I remember distinctly running into a very sweet lady who was tending to her bushes in her front yard. I walked up her driveway, smiled, introduced myself and asked if she would mind if I hung a doorknocker on her front door handle.

She said that would be fine and then introduced herself to me. I explained the purpose of my visit and said I hope to see you again. Well, sure enough; I received a call from her and asked me to come over and give her a quote for cleaning her windows inside and out. She gave me a nice tour of her extraordinary home smiling the whole time as she did and then asked what I thought - indicating to close the deal. So, I gave her a quote (who her husband sitting in the family room nearby) said to his wife "oh hire him, that's not going to break us" and so she did.

It's a great feeling working for such fine folks. I started the work the very next morning under perfect weather conditions for cleaning windows inside and out. It was easy working for these nice people because they were very accommodating and their home was jaw-dropping.

When I was finished and it was time to receive my payment I noticed my door knocker on the kitchen table next to a note pad as if this lady had planned on hiring me all along - after all she did say she would get back to me and was true to her word.

 

A pretty good start to the season if I do so say so myself! I've managed to help out a few fine folks along my journey operating as Wilson's Handyman Services and have been enjoying what I do. That's important isn't it? Liking what you do? Well...guess what? I even enjoy cutting grass! Yes! Go figure. many people have said to me "You're kidding...really?". "You're a rare breed".Yep, I love the smell of fresh cut grass, the sound of my Briggs & Stratton gas motor and the sun in my eyes. Call me crazy, but I find the time cutting grass very therapeutic.... a sense of serenity if you will.

I wanted to test out my lawn mower for a new season so I took it over to my in-laws and cut their front and back lawn while they were away doing errands. There was quite a surprise on their faces when they returned. I said to them as they pulled up in their driveway " I hope you don't mind, I wanted to test out my lawn mower and make sure she's operational for the season". They smiled and just directed me to the back of the house where their grass was growing quite fast. Well, after all, it is spring...the first of the season fertilizer should already be put down and we've certainly had our fair share of rain to get the green stuff growing thick and fast.

So...if you're looking to get your grass cut at decent rates, give Wilson's Handyman Services a call! That's 226-234-9291.

P.S. I do windows too!