Property Maintenance

There's always a list. The back step that's gone spongy, the gate that won't latch, a deck board lifting at the corner, the laundry door that's swollen shut again. None of it's urgent on its own, so it sits there for months until you finally get sick of looking at it.

That's the bread and butter of what I do. I'm Dave, and All Round Carpentry is a local, owner-run outfit covering Wollongong and the whole Illawarra, Helensburgh down to Nowra. One carpenter you can actually get hold of, who'll work through the running list properly instead of doing the easy bits and leaving the rest for next time.

Rot, soft timber and the stuff that's gone past patching

Salt air and the wet do a number on timber down here. West and south-facing weatherboards, the bottom of a doorframe, the edge of a deck, anywhere water sits and can't dry out. Often you'll spot it before I do: paint bubbling, a board that flexes underfoot, or a screwdriver that sinks into what should be solid timber.

Caught early, a lot of it's a cut-out-and-splice job. I dig out the rotten section, scarf in a new length of treated pine or matching hardwood, prime and paint, and you've saved replacing the whole lot. Left too long it spreads. A soft weatherboard that could've been a quick fix turns into a run of three and the framing behind it. I'll tell you straight which one you're looking at.

Common ones around the Gong:

• Rotten or split weatherboards spliced or replaced and repainted to match
• Soft, bouncy deck boards, joists and bearers swapped out
• Door frames, sills and architraves rebuilt where the bottoms have gone
• Bathroom and laundry timber that's copped years of steam and splashing

Steps, handrails and decks that've seen better days

Steps and handrails are the ones I push people to deal with first. They're the ones that hurt someone. A handrail you can wobble, a tread that's rotted at the nosing, a riser that's worked loose, that's how a relative ends up at the bottom of the stairs. On the sloping blocks all through the escarpment suburbs you get plenty of timber stairs and landings out the back, and they cop the weather from every angle.

I'll firm up rails, replace dodgy treads, rebuild a set of timber steps from scratch, or sort a landing that's pulling away from the house. Decks too. Merbau and spotted gum age beautifully if they're looked after, but neglect them and they grey off, the boards cup, and the fixings rust and pop. Depending on the state of it I'll re-fix and swap the bad boards, replace a section, or rebuild the frame underneath if the bearers have gone. Sick of oiling it every year? Composite's worth a chat.

One bloke for the running list, landlords included

The point of all this is you stop juggling tradies. Instead of one bloke for the deck, another for the doors and a third who never calls back, it's just me working down your list in a visit or two. Bundle it up and it's cheaper, because I'm not driving out five separate times.

That setup suits landlords down to the ground. Got a rental somewhere from Shellharbour to Kiama or down the Shoalhaven? I can deal with the tenant, do the repairs, and send you photos and the invoice without you having to be there. A few property managers use me the same way for ongoing wear-and-tear.

Everything's fully licensed and insured, and you deal with me from the first call to the last. No call centre, no subbie you've never met turning up in the driveway.

So if there's a list building up around your place, give me a ring on 0414 007 351 or grab a free quote. Read it all out, the small stuff included, and I'll let you know what's a quick fix and what needs a proper look.