01/11/2025
On numerous occasions I have had folks ask me what services I provide as The Roaring Fork Handyman. I finally took an hour to write a rambling yet fun response to such an inquiry:
Well ... I have been a tradesman since 1982. These days, as a handyman, I offer furniture & bunk bed assy, design / provide and install kitchen cabinetry, shelving, moldings, etc. I do light drywall repairs & patchwork. I do some finish carpentry and install (LVP) luxury vinyl plank flooring.
I remove & replace / install faucets & shower heads. I often install handicap bars in bathroom showers. I do fence & deck work, hang coat racks, artwork, photos & interior decore ... I provide some garage cabinetry installation & I occasionally will do a closet conversion. I provide & install pull-out shelves as well as convenience hardware in kitchens, bathrooms, and garages.
If it leaks or drips, I'll stop that. I can fix almost anything, but if I cant fix it, we will replace it with a new one, whatever it is.
Last week, I replaced some door k***s and entry locks. I removed and repaired a storm door, then installed it properly because the original installation of the prior worker wasn't great. A few weeks ago, I re-upholstered a set of 4 kitchen table chair seat cushions.
I fix toilets that won't stop running. I replace entry door peripheral seals, replace broken electrical outlets, switches, lights, and ceiling fans. I install the brackets for wall-hung televisions and then mount the TVs. I change lightbulbs in vaulted ceilings. I clean dryer vents so they don't catch on fire which is a common cause of house fires. I replace smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in rental units and repair damage left by outgoing tenants.
I have installed game cameras, replaced entry door threshholds and replaced door sweeps. I rebuild busted cabinet doors and drawers, and /or replace cabinet hinges and drawer guides.
I've assembled outdoor Bar-B-Q's, hung window blinds, delivered & assembled a foosball table, even repaired broken crank mechanisms on on 2nd-floor crank windows.
I have rebuilt a destroyed futon to work as new. I've replaced numerous garbage disposals, dishwashers & bathroom fans. I've installed doggie doors, laid garden pavers, built front entry steps and railings. I have installed numerous brand new washers, dryers, dishwashers and under-counter refrigerators, and hauled the old appliances to the recyclers in Silt. I have repaired or replaced a dozen or more kitchen cooktop exhaust fans.
About 3 weeks ago I coaxed an inoperable boiler ignightor to work once again which restored the heat in their home and saved them hundreds of dollars in a service call, parts and labor.
In summertime I repair window screens, and patio door screens. I also de-winterize swamp coolers and get them up and running again. In the fall I winterize them, wrap them up & tuck them in to bed to hibernate.
A couple weeks back I replaced broken rollers on mirrored closet doors and tightened fittings on their faucet to stop leaks.
In my career I owned a custom cabinet shop for 25 years until the 2008-2010 recession hit. Then I worked as a racecar mechanic for four years at my friend's racecar prep shop. After he closed down his shop I got trained as a composite technician and worked in aerospace for 10 years before moving to the Roaring Fork Valley when I returned to custom cabinet building.
For a while there, I was a kitchen designer in Aspen, but then covid hit and shut down Pitkin County, at which time I started The Roaring Fork Handyman business.
In the winter, when handyman work slows down, I work at Sunlight Mountain Ski Resort as a part-time lift operator.
I guess I'm pretty diverse after 40 years working with my hands.
- Jeff Holladay
The Roaring Fork Handyman
