Frequently Asked Questions

There's a flat $95 service and dispatch fee to come out, the same anywhere in our 50-mile area — no mileage surcharges and no zones. That fee is waived entirely when you approve the work or have us make the repair, so anyone who actually hires us never pays it.

By the job, almost always — a flat price you approve before work starts. For long to-do lists, half-day and full-day 'List Day' blocks are usually the better value, and we'll tell you when that's the case.

Entirely your choice, and both ways are easy. Provide your own materials if you've already bought them or have something specific in mind — or have us source everything for you. We'll pick up every part, fixture, and material before we arrive, so no time is wasted running to the store on your clock. Materials are billed at receipt as their own line, never buried inside the labor number.

Card, check, or cash when the job's done and you've walked it with us. Bigger projects split into a materials deposit and a completion payment, spelled out in the written quote.

Quotes usually go out within one business day. Small-job visits typically land within a week; active leaks and safety issues get priority. Seasonal work — decks, exterior painting, pressure washing — books out further in summer, so call early.

Monday through Saturday, 7am–6pm. Property managers and light-commercial clients can ask about off-hours scheduling.

For the first visit, yes please — walking the list together beats any written description. For return visits, many regulars just leave us a code or key arrangement; we photo-document everything we do.

We're insured for work in both Minnesota and Wisconsin and can provide a certificate of insurance on request. We take on handyman-scope work, pull permits where projects require them, and refer the work that legally belongs to licensed specialty contractors — electricians for panel work, plumbers for gas and mains — to pros we trust.

Often, yes — and it's worth understanding before you hire anyone. The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry requires a residential building contractor or remodeler license for anyone who works in more than one "special skill" area (carpentry, drywall, flooring, painting, masonry and so on). A specialty contractor who works in only one of those areas is exempt — except residential roofers, who always need a license. There is also an exemption for contractors whose gross annual residential receipts are under $15,000 and who hold a Certificate of Exemption. Separately, and with no exceptions worth caring about: electrical, plumbing and HVAC work must be performed by those separately licensed trades, whatever the job size. Because we work across many skill areas, that licensing requirement applies to us — ask us for our license number and our certificate of insurance, and ask every other contractor you call for theirs. Anyone who gets cagey about it is telling you something. You can verify any Minnesota license at dli.mn.gov.

If they work in only one special skill area, quite a lot — and under the $15,000 exemption, small-scale operators can work unlicensed across skills. Typical handyman-scope work includes patching drywall, hanging doors, mounting TVs, swapping fixtures, deck repairs, assembly and general upkeep. Where it stops is code-regulated trade work (new circuits, panels, gas lines, water heaters, main drains), structural changes, and roofing. We'll tell you on the spot which side of that line your job sits on — usually saving you a wasted diagnostic fee.

A background-checked Twin Ports Contracting & Repair pro in a marked vehicle — never a stranger from a lead-selling app. You'll know who's coming before the doorbell rings.

The Twin Ports Contracting & Repair Guarantee, in writing on every quote: if our workmanship fails, we come back and redo it at no charge. Done right, or done again.

No — small jobs are the business, not an inconvenience. If a single item is too small to be worth a trip on its own, we'll say so and help you bundle it into a visit that is.

The short list: panel and circuit electrical work, gas lines, water heaters and main drains, roofing beyond minor repairs, and garage door torsion springs. Those belong to licensed specialists, and we'll point you to good ones instead of pretending.

Light commercial, yes — storefronts, offices, rentals, and property-management punch lists. Same upfront pricing, with off-hours scheduling available so you don't close to get fixed.

Every time. Dust contained, debris hauled or staged for pickup as agreed, floors swept. The only evidence we were there should be the fixed thing.

Duluth, MN and Superior, WI, and everywhere within about 50 miles — Hermantown, Proctor, Cloquet, Esko, Two Harbors, Moose Lake, South Range, Solon Springs, Iron River, and dozens more. See the full service area page.

Really. We're insured in both states and cross the Blatnik and Bong bridges every working day. Wisconsin addresses get the same response times as Duluth.