Middletown, MD
Handyman in Middletown, MD
Middletown sits about seven miles west of us, straight out Route 40 Alternate and down into the valley between Catoctin and South Mountain. It's close enough that a small job there doesn't need to be padded out to justify the drive, which is most of why small jobs are hard to get anybody to do.
That's the real problem with a punch list. Each item is twenty minutes of actual work. Nobody wants to come out for twenty minutes, so you wait, and the list grows, and by the time it's long enough to be worth somebody's time it's also long enough to be expensive.
What the list usually looks like
Around the older houses on and off Main Street it's doors and trim. Houses that have moved a little over a century: a door that catches on the jamb in summer and swings open on its own in winter, a window sash painted shut, baseboard pulling away from a wall that isn't plumb anymore, a stair rail with a loose newel post. Interior doors that were never quite right and got worse.
In the newer sections on the edge of town it's the things builders do fast. Drywall cracked at the corner of a door frame where the frame settled. Caulk gone at the tub surround. A toilet rocking because it was set on an uneven flange. Gutters that overshoot a corner every heavy rain. Deck boards gone soft at the step. A garage door opener that gave up.
On the properties out in the valley it's the outbuildings — a shed door off its track, fence rails down after a storm, a gate that won't latch since the post heaved.
What the fix involves
We work a list in one visit rather than one item at a time. Send photos of what you've got, we'll come back with a written price, and the whole lot gets done in one trip. That's the only thing that makes small repairs affordable: the drive and the setup get paid for once.
Typical work is:
- Drywall patching and repair
- Doors planed and rehung
- Locks and deadbolts
- Trim and baseboard
- Caulking and sealing
- Toilets reset or replaced
- Faucets and shutoff valves
- Light fixtures and switches swapped on existing circuits
- Shelving and mounting
- Fence and gate repairs
- Deck boards and railings
- Gutter cleaning
- Pressure washing
- Hauling away whatever comes off the house while we're there
Pressure washing and drywall repair are regular work for us, not favors tacked on the end.
We clean up behind us. There's always dust and there's always a pile, and neither is your problem.
What we won't take on
Roof replacement, HVAC installation or repair, panel work and anything else that needs an electrician, and tree removal. We'll tell you that on the phone rather than after we've looked. If a job needs a permit, the property owner pulls it — most small repairs don't.
What affects the quote
The number of items first, then what each one actually needs underneath. A door that's binding might be a hinge screw or it might be a jamb that has to come off and be reset — we'll say which before we start, not after. Access matters: second-story gutter work, or anything else that lives on a ladder, takes longer than the same job at ground level. Materials matter if a part has to be matched to something discontinued.
Quotes are free, depend on the size of the job, and usually come back the same day. They're good for 30 days. There's a $100 minimum on any job, which is worth knowing before you call about one loose hinge — bundle it with the other four things and it's better value. Payment by cash, check, card or any payment app.
How long it takes
Most punch lists are a half day. A list of eight or ten small items is usually a full day. Anything involving a wall opening up — a leak chased back to its source, a section of rotten trim — can turn into a second visit once we see what is behind it, and we'll tell you that the moment we know rather than at the end.
Weekend jobs are available, and phones are answered Monday to Friday, 9 to 5. You don't need to be at the property while we work if there's a lockbox or a code lock. That comes up a lot with rentals and with owners who live somewhere else.
Towns served
Middletown, Frederick, Brunswick, Walkersville and Thurmont, plus Jefferson, Urbana, New Market and Mount Airy. We're based on Jefferson Pike in Frederick and work about 25 miles out from there, further for the right job. James (Jay) King is the owner and is on every job.
Get a written price
Text a few photos and your address to 240-315-7030, call, or use the quote form. The quote is free, in writing and good for 30 days, and it usually comes back the same day. Every job has a $100 minimum, and you pay when it's done: cash, check, card or any payment app.
Jay's Property Management LLC, 5738 Jefferson Pike, Frederick, MD 21703. Mon–Fri 9 AM–5 PM. info@jayspropertymanagement.com