Remember that old Tim Allen show, Home Improvement--the TV show about a guy who hosts a home improvement TV show called Tool Time? "Tim" would open each episode of Tool Time with the line, "Today I salute those amazing guys . . ." In today's post, I salute the guys who help keep our old homes working. There's no paper credential for someone who calls him or herself a "handyman," but the best have a firm place in my heart. A handyman is someone who probably grew up in a household where folks fixed things without a lot of fuss. He looks at pipes or wires as a doable puzzle rather than a formidable maze. As a boy, he probably helped a father or grandfather make plumbing repairs, paint the back porch, and install a backyard patio. He readily takes things apart, because he's confident he can put them back together again. He likes working with his hands, and learned a fair amount of carpentry outside of shop class. He's doesn't need a clerk's help in the hardware store. Above all, this person is thrifty by nature. He wants to tackle all repairs himself, and scorns elaborate, high-cost solutions. He never replaces when he can repair.
Over the years the handy-man-in-the-making accumulates a wide and deep knowledge of houses. Houses of all types in in all types of condition. He has encountered knob and tube wiring, horse-hair plaster, all types of tiling, steam radiators, old linoleum, and squeaky stair treads. He has strong opinions about the proper way to paint a house. He has installed drywall, reglazed windows, poured cement, and repaired many a rotted deck railing and stair. He knows what brand of wood stain to buy, can easily find a wall stud, and would never paint brick. He doesn't refinish floors, but he's your man if you need to find someone good. He knows when to use shellac.
At some point, this person discovers that most people do not share his calm, deliberate approach to the myriad malfunctions of houses. He finds, in fact, that many people are willing to pay someone else to fix a torn window screen, replace rotted trim around a door, or mount a new shelf in the kitchen. For them, the job of homeownership means finding someone like him to hire. Thus, if he chooses, he can pursue one of the last uncredentialled, yet essential, trades in America, that of the handyman.
Like many of you, I've hired a number of handymen over the years. A few of them were outstanding practitioners of the trade. One fellow helped my late husband and me whip our shabby 1950s ranch into shape when we needed to sell fast in a down market. Along with numerous repairs, this man taught me how to remove worn-out shag carpeting without damaging the hardwood floors underneath. He pestered our housepainter to do a better prep job, and pointed out the asbestos beneath the exterior shingles. The house sold to the first viewers. We moved to another city and bought a lovely Queen Anne. This house was in very good shape, but there were a few problems, and with new jobs we had no time (or skills). To the rescue came local handyman Paul Goodwin, an old house expert. He glanced at the broken window sash cords, the peeling front porch boards, the jammed cabinet doors, and set to work. Soon he had all the window cords replaced with proper brass chains, and installed new cabinet hardware. His refinishing skill brought the old oak front door back to life, and he knew to stain, rather than paint, the fir boards of our front steps. It was an education on old house maintenance every time we called him.
All of the handymen I know could do bigger jobs, and have remodeled or built entire houses. For various reasons, they decided not to become contractors. I think they enjoy the independence and serendipity of a handyman's work. They like old houses, and are incredibly honest.
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