Handyman & Remodeling Questions, Answered

Yes, if you want both. Patching, texture matching, priming, spot painting and repainting a full wall are separate steps, and each one changes the finish and the price. Say whether the patch should disappear under fresh paint on the whole wall or only needs to be smooth and primed for your own painting.

Our drywall guide explains what to identify before the quote.

Include the product model, size or intended load, wall material, desired position and available hardware, and mention cable routing and nearby outlets. Plaster and lath walls, common in older Duluth and Superior homes, take different anchors than drywall, so say which you have if you know.

A new outlet behind the TV is a separate job for a licensed electrician under an electrical permit; see TV and shelf mounting.

Describe whether the problem is rolling, latching, sealing, damaged glass or the frame. Worn rollers, a bent track or a failed latch can usually be repaired, while a rotted frame or a door that no longer seals points toward a new unit.

Photos of the track, the rollers and the bottom corners of the frame help most; our door and window guide covers the information to send.

Usually not. Repaired and freshly cleaned wood has to dry before stain goes on, and the stain maker's label sets how dry and how warm it needs to be, so staining often follows repairs by a few days. List both jobs in one request and we'll schedule them in the right order; see deck repair and deck staining.

Usually not the final price. One photo shows a lean or a crack, but not the drainage, base or backfill causing it, so send a wide view, close-ups and the rough height and length, and we'll tell you whether we need to see it in person. The retaining wall repair and exterior repair guides explain what gets checked.

Put the cause before the finish: fix the leak before the ceiling patch, and the sagging hinge before the door gets painted. After that, list the tasks that depend on those repairs, then finish work and optional improvements. Flag access limits and products still on order. The repair-list planning article includes a checklist you can use.

No. Town guides describe service coverage and visit preparation, not branch offices. We work out of the Twin Ports and travel to every listed community; the service-area directory has the notes for each town.

Permits are a separate question, because they come from the city, township or county your address sits in, which our building permit office list sorts out town by town.

Each job on its own line with its price, the materials listed separately with the product we agreed on, and a note on any part of the list that needs a licensed electrician, plumber or other specialist. Larger projects also show when the deposit and completion payments are due.

The workmanship guarantee is written on every quote, and nothing starts until you approve it. Our pricing page has the fee and billing terms.

It's not expected. A handyman who sets their own price has already built fair pay into the quote. If someone went well beyond the job, a tip is a kind gesture, but a short online review naming what they did is usually worth more to a small local business than cash.

Quotes usually go out within one business day, so the planning question is the season, not the quote. Decks, exterior painting, staining and pressure washing fill the summer calendar, so ask about them in late winter or spring. Interior lists like drywall, trim, doors and mounting work well through the winter.

Active leaks and safety issues get priority any time of year, so put them at the top of the request.

Monday through Saturday, 7am to 6pm. You can call, text or send the quote form at any time, and requests that arrive after hours or on a Sunday are read when we're back. Property managers and light-commercial clients can ask about off-hours scheduling, so a tenant or a storefront isn't disrupted during the working day.

We're insured for work in both Minnesota and Wisconsin and can provide a certificate of insurance on request; ask us for our license status in writing before you book. Panel and circuit wiring is done by a licensed electrician under an electrical permit, and gas lines, water heaters and main drains go to the matching licensed trade.

Our Minnesota handyman license guide covers when a contractor license is required, the one-skill and $15,000 exemptions, where electrical and plumbing work begins, and how Wisconsin differs.

Duluth, MN, Superior, WI and the Northland around them, from Cloquet west along US-2 to Bemidji and east to Poplar, WI: Hermantown, Proctor, Cloquet, Two Harbors, Moose Lake, Grand Rapids, Bemidji, South Range, Solon Springs, Iron River and the other towns on our service area page.

The $95 on-site fee is the same across the whole area and is waived when you approve the work.

Really. We're insured in both states and work both sides of the Blatnik and Bong bridges. The permit rules change at the state line: Wisconsin work follows the city, village or town the property sits in, and Minnesota work follows the city, township or county.

Either way, we check what your address needs, and who the office requires to pull the permit, before we quote.

Yes. We build new decks on footings below frost depth, repair and refinish existing ones, and build, repair and rebuild block, boulder and timber retaining walls on Duluth and Superior hillside lots. See deck building, deck repair, retaining walls and retaining wall repair for costs and permit rules.

Yes. We prepare the base, set and level a hot tub you've bought, start it up, and repair leaks, pumps, heaters and jets; a licensed electrician runs any new circuit under an electrical permit. For above-ground pools we level the ground, assemble and fill the pool, and handle spring opening, fall closing and cleanup. We don't sell tubs or pools.

Light commercial, yes: storefronts, offices, rentals and property-management punch lists. The pricing works the same way, a flat quote approved before work starts, and off-hours scheduling is available so you don't have to close to get something fixed.

Anything on the list that needs a commercial permit or a licensed trade is flagged on the quote, just as it would be at a house.

Every time. Dust is contained where the job makes it, debris is hauled away or staged for pickup as agreed in the quote, and floors are swept before we leave. In an occupied home or a rental, tell us which rooms have to stay usable during the job, and we'll plan the work around them.

The only evidence we were there should be the fixed thing.