Handyman and Home Maintenance in Ridgewood, New Jersey
A village of large pre-war homes under a heavy tree canopy, where most of the maintenance list comes from the age of the house rather than neglect.
The houses in Ridgewood
Ridgewood is one of the oldest housing stocks in Bergen County. Large Victorians, center-hall Colonials and Tudors, a great many of them built before 1940, with plaster walls rather than drywall, original wood sash windows, deep trim profiles and radiator heat. Newer construction exists on the edges, but the character of the work here is set by houses that predate the materials most handymen carry.
The village sits under a mature canopy of oak and maple that shades most of the older streets, and the Ho-Ho-Kus Brook runs through the low ground on the east side. Shade keeps north-facing siding damp, and the leaf load in October and November is genuinely heavy.
What we see most in Ridgewood
Plaster, not drywall
A pre-war Ridgewood wall is lath and plaster. It cracks along stress lines rather than denting, and a patch that is compounded like drywall shrinks and telegraphs within a season. Repairs here get keyed and feathered wide so the wall reads flat under the low winter light that comes through tall old windows.
Windows painted shut
Original wood sash that has been repainted a dozen times stops moving. Freeing a stuck sash without cracking a hundred-year-old muntin is patient work, and it is one of the most common things we are asked to handle on a first visit here.
The canopy fills everything
The same oaks that make the village worth living in fill gutters, valleys and window wells twice a year, and drop enough small debris in between to keep exterior sills and porch corners damp. Seasonal clearing is not optional on a shaded lot this size.
Ceilings you cannot reach
Nine and ten foot ceilings, stair-hall fixtures over open flights, and picture rails at height. Bulbs, smoke detector batteries and dusting all turn into a ladder job that most homeowners put off, which is exactly the kind of item a monthly visit is for.
Settled doors
A house that has moved gently for ninety years has doors that no longer match their frames. Most are a hinge shim and a strike plate adjustment rather than a new door, but they are the kind of small annoyance that lives on a list for years.
Where we work in Ridgewood
We cover the whole of Ridgewood, including the Village center, Willard, Somerville, Travell and Ridge. Service runs Monday-Friday, 8:30am-4:30pm. We do not offer same-day or emergency work, which is what lets us keep scheduled appointments for the people who are on a plan.
Most requested here
- Drywall repairs
- Sticky doors and windows
- Light bulb replacement
- High and hard-to-reach dusting
- Paint and caulk touch-ups
Everything on the full service list is available in Ridgewood, covered by your plan hours.
Plans for Ridgewood homeowners
Basic Maintenance at $249/month, Premium Maintenance at $399/month, Quarterly Maintenance at $499/quarter, or a single visit at $549. Pick your first visit while you sign up, on a live calendar, with the same pro each time.
Questions? Call 866-394-4443. NJ HIC Registration #13VH14016000.
Nearby towns we serve
See the full service area , every town we cover.