Small Carpentry near you

Most requests are either repairs to existing woodwork or small additions. Each takes little time on its own, which is why they're usually grouped into a single visit.

Rot is fungal decay that develops where wood stays damp for long periods, so where it appears tells you as much as how much there is. Soft, dark or crumbly wood at the foot of a door frame, on an exterior sill, at a fence post's ground line or where a deck board sits on a joist all point to water that isn't draining away.

Small, isolated rot in trim, sills or boards can be cut out and replaced with new wood. Where the piece is hard to replace, such as a moulded sill or an old door frame, the soft wood can be dug out, the sound wood around it consolidated, and the cavity rebuilt with epoxy filler, then primed and painted. Either repair lasts only if the water is stopped too, by recaulking a joint, redirecting a downspout or pulling soil and mulch back from the wood.

A shelf is only as strong as what it's fastened to. On drywall, a loaded shelf belongs on studs or on anchors rated for the load and the wall type, while plaster and masonry each need their own anchors. Shelves also sag between supports when the span is long or the board is thin, so a long closet or pantry shelf may need a centre support or a stiffening strip along its front edge.

Tall shelving units and bookcases are a different risk, because young children climb them. Health Canada recommends anchoring furniture such as bookshelves and dressers to the wall with anti-tip devices like angle braces or safety straps, fastened to a stud or with heavy-duty drywall anchors made for the purpose. Assembling furniture and anchoring it are good tasks to add to the same visit.

Most small carpentry is repair or like-for-like replacement and doesn't need a building permit. Toronto, for example, lists the installation of cabinetry and millwork, and an uncovered platform such as a deck no more than 60 centimetres above ground, among work that doesn't need one.

A permit can come into play when a small job grows. Toronto requires one for a deck more than 60 centimetres above ground and for new or enlarged window and door openings, and rebuilding exterior stairs, guards or deck framing can also trigger one depending on the municipality. Fences are usually governed by a municipal fence bylaw, so check local height and placement rules before rebuilding a whole run. In Quebec, the RBQ's licensing rules apply to construction work done for others, small jobs included; the handyman page explains what that means for hiring.

Carpentry repairs combine well because they share tools and often the same finishing step. A few carpentry-specific habits make a combined visit go further:

A small repair makes sense when the problem is local and the material around it is sound. When the same fault shows up everywhere, the money and effort are better spent on replacing the whole item.