House Calls Home Services

House Calls Home Services We're a registered, licensed and insured handyman service business that helps people complete their home to-do list and errands. We Free Your Time!

12/23/2025

I want to wish all my customers a Happy Holiday. Your support over these years has been awesome. Thank you so much and stay safe as this year comes to an end. God Bless!

When diagnosing a dryer problem with the timer switch be sure to check the k**b first! I found a crack in mine and it'll...
06/02/2024

When diagnosing a dryer problem with the timer switch be sure to check the k**b first! I found a crack in mine and it'll cost me $25.00 with shipping versus $110.00 for a new timer. In other words check the simple things that might break first before taking things apart. I've been fixing stuff for a long time and still can forget this good point. It can save you time and money $$

11/29/2023

It's been awhile but I'm healthy and still providing Handyman services. I'm reaching out to mention that I was emailed about a class action suite against a company that helps people find contractors. I'm not sure what's happening with the suite but it made me concerned about web based service providers who say they'll find you a handyman, plumber, roofer, or other construction services trades contractor without any cost to you. There's a cost to everything, so before you use a web service for finding someone to help you with anything, first consider calling local contractors directly who have a good reputation. Yes, if they're good they'll be busy which is why you want to go direct.

Transform your old ugly bathroom vanity with a new beautiful bathroom vanity
03/06/2023

Transform your old ugly bathroom vanity with a new beautiful bathroom vanity

This rather bland stairs and porch was transformed to a beautiful white and Jet Setter color from Benjamin Moore.
10/02/2022

This rather bland stairs and porch was transformed to a beautiful white and Jet Setter color from Benjamin Moore.

Recently shingled a bow window from wood to asphalt. Plus resided the gable of an outdoor porch. If you can, try to resi...
05/10/2022

Recently shingled a bow window from wood to asphalt. Plus resided the gable of an outdoor porch. If you can, try to reside everything in PVC or a thicker vinyl to reduce long term maintenance cost. This siding was white interlocking clapboards from Azek.

A recent customer had water and mold damage in their attic. Prior to having me help they hired a mold remediation compan...
03/08/2021

A recent customer had water and mold damage in their attic. Prior to having me help they hired a mold remediation company to help. That company came and removed compromised insulation and cleaned mold in the attic. That's good.

However, they never fixed bathroom vent duct that likely was the root cause of the problem to begin with. Their bathroom vent tubing was crushed, broken, and unattached at both the bathroom fan and the roof exhaust exit vent hole. I was shocked when I first saw! The first three pictures of the vent tubing is what I found when I arrived. That's amazingly bad!

The last two pictures I took show properly installed insulated fan venting duct. So what's my point?

If you ever have water and mold issue in your attic make sure you learn and understand why it's happening in the first place. Then have any remediation company explain how they will remediate the water and mold damage including the solving the root cause of the problem.

A bathroom fan that is vented into the ceiling/attic/rafters, using non insulated ducts that are exposed to extreme cold and hot will create moisture within the duct work. If that condensed water doesn't have time to dry out it can create small pools of moldy water and could drip into the house via the ceiling/attic/rafters. Additionally, if the vent duct is broken and venting into locations inside the ceiling/attic/rafters then water and mold will develop and create expensive remediation problems.

Net-net, take the time to get into your ceiling/attic/rafters to see what's happening first. Or call someone like me who will try to provide sound advice and guidance on the issue. Then remediate the problem down to its root cause.

A good woodpecker deterrent! I've used a couple products from Bird-X that work. The first is their IRRITAPE with hangers...
12/26/2020

A good woodpecker deterrent! I've used a couple products from Bird-X that work. The first is their IRRITAPE with hangers and the second is the hanging Bird Eyes. Woodpeckers and birds in general don't like the flapping, noise, and reflection of these strands of tape. Just attach the hangers low enough using a 6' step ladder so you can replace the tape strands when they fray or rip. I've used this tape multiple times at several customers around their yard and house it does work. It's not full proof but it beats the cost of having to fill, sand and repaint the destruction cause by woodpeckers. It's also an easy DIY effort, but if you need help you can always have me do it.

When repairing something like a vent hole be sure to properly reinstall matching sheathing, weather shield, and clapboar...
03/06/2020

When repairing something like a vent hole be sure to properly reinstall matching sheathing, weather shield, and clapboard on the outside first. Caulk or wood seal any old lose nail holes before adding a primer and finish coat of stain or paint. Offset the new clapboard after taking care when removing the old clapboard. Complete the work with an attention to detail and your work will look awesome and match the existing siding. Think how to best solve the repair through first, get the correct materials, and get busy! Then work on the inside portion. If you get stuck call me.

Matching cabinets! I recently removed a trash compactor for a client who wanted it replaced with a recycling bin and dra...
12/19/2019

Matching cabinets!
I recently removed a trash compactor for a client who wanted it replaced with a recycling bin and drawer. The end result came out wonderful. Guess what was the hardest part of the job? Yes, finding a matching cabinet. With persistence, research, and some luck you can match older cabinets.

6 Steps To Replace A Hard Wired Smoke Detector & Alarm:Step 1: Always take a few minutes to read the directions. Test th...
12/19/2019

6 Steps To Replace A Hard Wired Smoke Detector & Alarm:

Step 1: Always take a few minutes to read the directions. Test the old unit to see if the wiring still works. Then turn the old detector counterclockwise until it unclips from its mounting plate. Sometimes you may have to release a tab or lift it slightly while turning. Just take your time and it'll come off. Turn off the power.
Step 2: Unplug the connection which usually has a little overlap clip that keeps it in the plug socket. After it's unplugged check the unit and write down the mfg make, model and its mfg release date. If it's older than what your state allows you need to replace the unit. As of 2018, in Mass, this is every 7 years. If it's less then your State fire alarm expiration date put it back together, but first, make a note of the change date with a Sharpie on the inside cover. Retest the unit and move onto the next one.
Step 3: Remove the old mounting plate from the electrical outlet socket. Lightly screw the screws back into the electrical outlet screw receptacle so you don't have to find them later. Check that the wiring has is well connected to its electrical wire tie caps and that the box is clear of debris.
Step 4: Using the old unit lookup the current model from the same mfg and purchase the same unit in its current form. This will usually allow for easier and faster replacement because the base plate and connections should be the same or very similar.
Step 5: Recheck the wiring and align the new mounting plate from the new smoke detector and alarm so that it aligns with the electrical outlets' screw mounts. Remove the screws you lightly screwed into the electrical outlet for safekeeping. Then place the mounting plate over the aligned holes and screw in the new mounting plate so it is snug tight but not overly tight.
Step 6: Take the new smoke detector and plug in the power connector from the electrical outlet into the unit. Lightly ensure all wires are neatly tucked behind the mounting plate. Screw clockwise the new unit to the mounting plate so it is snug and held firmly. There's a track slot that you need to find which allows the unit to slide easily into the track for holding the unit to the mounting plate. Take your time here to locate it and don't force it in. Test the unit and if it sounds as noted in the directions you are finished!

What The Caulk Man!When you caulk a bathroom tub shower take care and do these steps to make it look great, and keep moi...
11/19/2019

What The Caulk Man!

When you caulk a bathroom tub shower take care and do these steps to make it look great, and keep moisture and mold out.
1. Remove the old caulk using a straight edge and a painters multi-tool. This may sound obvious, but a lot of people add caulk on top of old caulk which is bad. Get deep inside the seam to remove as much off the old caulk as possible. Gently scrape away any excess on the tub or shower surface. Wipe and clean up the the debris.
2. Using a cleaning agent like Ajax or similar scrub the seams and area that you're going to caulk. Add just enough water to wet and wash the surface. Use an old tooth brush and handle brissle brush and scrub deeply into the seams. Then wipe it out using towels and the painter multi-tool. Add a little more water and continue cleaning with the rags and equipment until it's completely clean. When all the excess old caulk, dirt, mold and grime are removed and the surface is smooth you're then ready for the next step.
3. Using a sprayer filled with a mixture of water, vinegar, and bleach spray the seams to kill off any excess mold. Repeat the disinfecting cleaning effort as you cleaned in step #2. Completely dry the surface and seams with towels and possibly a blow dryer.
4. Using a caulk gun, good silicone caulk, paper towels, wet rags, and a caulking tool apply the new caulk into the seams one section at a time. It is critical that you only work a small section at a time. Only move on to the next section after completely applying, smoothing, and cleaning the caulked seams. I use rubber caulk wedges, that have various angles and curves, for smoothing out the caulk. I smooth out the caulk over a short distance wiping the excess cauk off the rubber wedge and onto a towel. Then I continue until the section is finished. I immediately scrape any excess caulk above, below, or next to the new caulked seams to remove any thin layer of caulk from the tub or tile. I then wipe the same area with a wet rag. Try your best to never touch the newly applied caulk when cleaning around it. If you screw up just start over again. When you do this step well the new caulked seem will look, smooth, clean and beautiful.
5. NEVER use you bare finger to apply the caulk. Your finger has oils and will leave marks where bacteria and mold can quickly develop. It's also very sloppy.
6. Move from section to section repeating #4 until you are finished. You are performing quality work when you use a bunch of towels to clean off excess caulk and the seams look smooth, aligned, and consistent. When finished wipe the area one last time with a damp clean rag to remove and excess streaks or spots you didn't catch. Let it cure (dry) for the recommended time on the caulk tube.

With the little patience and care you applied to re-caulk your tub and shower you will be rewarded with awesome results. As a bonus, keep it dry by leaving the fan on for about 15-20 minutes after your shower and it should stay mold free for a long time!

Address

82 Central Street, Apt 2
Ipswich, MA
01938

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+19788083495

Website

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