Repairs

Home Repairs, Done Properly

The door that sticks, the soft board under the gutter, the handrail that moves. We fix the small things properly, and we tell you when a small thing is a sign of something bigger.

B-2 Remodeling License · C-33 License #803672

Two hands driving a screw into a white window frame with a cordless drill

01The Work

Every house has a list.

A cabinet door that won’t close. A window sill that gives under a thumb. A crack over a doorway that keeps coming back. Most of it waits, because each thing on its own feels too small to call anyone about.

Send us the whole list. Small repairs done together cost less in trips and setup than the same repairs done one at a time.

  1. Doors and windows

    Doors that stick or won’t latch, windows that won’t open, worn weatherstripping and broken sash cords.

  2. Dry rot

    Rotted trim, sills, fascia and siding boards cut out and replaced, then primed and painted.

  3. Drywall and plaster

    Cracks, holes and old water stains patched and painted to match the wall around them.

  4. Trim and stairs

    Loose baseboard, casing and handrails refastened, and broken pieces matched and replaced.

  5. Decks, fences and gates

    Loose or rotted deck boards, railings, gate posts and hardware repaired.

  6. Punch lists

    A list of small jobs done in one visit, before a sale or after a tenant moves out.

Repair or remodel?

When the list turns into a whole room, that’s a remodel. Kitchens, baths and larger changes are on our remodeling page and kitchen and bath page, and custom built-ins and millwork are under carpentry.

Small jobs follow the same licence rules as big ones. Electrical and plumbing go to licensed trade partners, and anything load-bearing goes to an engineer and an appropriately licensed contractor.

02Done Cheaply

Why the quick fix comes back

The usual quick fix for rot is filler or caulk pressed into the soft spot and painted over. It looks fine for a summer. The wood under it is still wet and still rotting, and by the next winter the patch is sitting in a hole.

The same goes for a board nailed over a damaged one, or a door planed until it closes. Why did the door start sticking? If the answer is a leak or a sagging header, it will stick again.

A repair holds when the cause is fixed with it. That’s most of what we’re paid for.

A person in a plaid shirt, seen from behind, hammering a new plywood board into place on a wooden wall

03How We Work

How the crew goes about it

  1. Walk the list

    We go through the list with you and look at each item, and at why it broke.

  2. One estimate

    One written estimate for the whole list, so you know the cost before we start.

  3. Do the work

    Repairs made with matching materials, then primed and painted.

  4. Say what we saw

    If a small thing points to a bigger one, like a crack that keeps coming back, we tell you.

Send us your list.

Start an estimate and tell us what needs fixing. We’ll come and look at all of it. We work across the Bay Area Peninsula.

M
McDermaid Assistant
Automated assistant
McDermaid · (650) 961-7415