Handyman Services
The list on your fridge, handled in one visit.
Every property in Nova Scotia keeps a list: the deck board that went soft, the interior door that sticks every humid summer, the tap that drips, the trim the cat scratched, the fence the storm leaned. Our handyman service clears the whole list in one booked visit — skilled tradespeople, real tools, honest hourly rates, and work done to a standard.
Winter keeps us busy too: it's the best season for interior work while the property hunkers down — and every spring we repair what freeze-thaw did to decks, steps, railings, and fences across HRM.
Handyman · Nova ScotiaWhat's included
- Interior repairs — drywall patching, painting, trim, caulking, doors and hardware
- Kitchen & bath — tap and fixture swaps, caulk renewal, towel bars, cabinet hardware
- Deck and fence repairs — board replacement, railing tightening, gate rebuilds
- Exterior fixes — siding trim, steps, railings, and the things storms loosen
- Freeze-thaw repairs — heaved steps, sticking doors, cracked trim re-secured
- Furniture assembly, TV mounting, shelf and picture hanging
- Weatherstripping and draft-stopping — cheaper than heating the outside
- Smoke/CO detector installs and battery swaps
- Small tile, grout, and silicone renewal jobs
- Punch-list service before listing, leasing, or Airbnb turnovers
Freeze-thaw is the busiest handyman in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia's freeze-thaw cycle is a demolition crew that works nights. Frost heaves steps and deck footings out of level, swings door frames a few millimetres each way until latch plates don't line up, and works every exterior joint loose — railings, fence posts, deck boards, trim. It's why the "honey-do" list in this province is never actually done: the climate adds to it every single winter.
Humidity does the interior half of the job. Halifax summers are damp, winters are bone-dry indoors — wood floors gap in January and swell in July, and interior doors stick then free themselves on a schedule. A handyman who understands the cycle fixes the door to work in both seasons (hinge-side relief, not just planing it for July), and knows deck fasteners here must survive wet-dry cycles that would pop a screw in Arizona in a decade.
The honest math: a maintained house is dramatically cheaper than a repaired one. A $200 railing tightening today is a $2,000 deck rebuild deferred five years. Our most popular booking is the annual "walk the property with a pro" visit — you point, we note, we fix the small stuff on the spot and quote anything bigger.
Pricing guide
| Scope | Typical NS range |
|---|---|
| Hourly rate (1 tradesperson) | $65 – $95 / hr |
| Half day (4 hours) | $240 – $350 |
| Full day (8 hours) | $450 – $650 |
| Common small jobs (tap swap, drywall patch) | $90 – $250 |
| Annual property walk-through + punch list | from $150 + fixes |
| Materials | at cost, receipts provided |
You approve the estimate before work starts, see materials at cost with receipts, and pay for time worked — not padded blocks. Lists of small jobs booked as half/full days get the best rate per item.
How we work
Year-round. Winter is ideal for interior lists (painting, drywall, fixtures); spring is freeze-thaw repair season (decks, steps, railings); summer and fall are best for exterior projects before the next cycle begins.
Common questions
How do you charge — hourly or per job?
Well-defined jobs get a fixed price before we start (a tap swap is a tap swap). Lists of mixed small items work best hourly or as a half/full day — you see the estimate first and only pay for time actually worked. Materials are always at cost with receipts.
Can you fix the deck railing that's come loose?
That's a Nova Scotia classic. Freeze-thaw works fasteners loose every winter. We re-secure, replace split boards, and — where the footing has heaved — re-level. If a repair is really a rebuild, we say so and quote it straight, with the repair-vs-replace math spelled out.
Do you paint?
Yes — touch-ups, single rooms, trim, and interior repaints, with proper prep. Full exterior repaints are a bigger project we'll happily scope separately. Handyman painting is for making things look right, not competing with a full painting crew on a whole-house job.
What jobs are too big for the handyman service?
Anything needing a licensed trade permit — electrical panel work, plumbing beyond fixture swaps, structural changes, and roof work over a single-story height. We'll tell you plainly when a job crosses that line and help you plan it right rather than improvise.
Can I book you for a whole day and just work through my list?
It's our favourite booking. You walk the property with the tradesperson, point at everything, and we work the list top-to-bottom by priority. Most clients are genuinely surprised how much one prepared day clears.
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