The summer services

Saint‑Hippolyte 450‑821‑9042

Every service with its own photos, taken on Joe's job sites.

Summer · Handyman

The thirteen services, one by one.

Not finding what you are after in the list? Call anyway: the answer is usually yes.

Painting and staining

Painting and staining are the same job, often on the same building. What changes is the product: paint covers the wood, stain soaks into it.

Cottages, houses, sheds, porches and fences
Scraping, primer, and as many coats as it takes: usually two
Staining for staircases, decks and docks

Long new wooden staircase down a slope, still unstained, with hemp rope handrails — A hillside staircase stained cognac red, rope handrails and landing included.

The same staircase stained a cognac red, seen looking up from the bottom of the slope — A hillside staircase stained cognac red, rope handrails and landing included.

The same corner repainted bright blue with white frames and pale parging below — The siding goes back to bright blue and the frames to white, above the pale parging.

Upper part of a home before painting: dull siding, peeling window frames, ladder against the porch — The siding goes back to bright blue and the frames to white, above the pale parging.

Bare wood fence on a corner lot, horizontal boards and a slatted gate, in spring — A fence repainted white, seen from the yard: the corner first, then the full length.

The same fence painted white, seen from the yard, with the wooden steps of the house — A fence repainted white, seen from the yard: the corner first, then the full length.

See one more job

Close-up of a porch: wavy cut-out wood balusters freshly stained, golden logs, wood ceiling — A log home, porch and cut-out balusters stained: the close-up, the front, the overall view.

Log front, the stained porch wrapping the home, grey steps — A log home, porch and cut-out balusters stained: the close-up, the front, the overall view.

Renovation and construction

The grey on an old deck is only the surface of the wood. Underneath it is still good, unless it has gone soft. Pool decks are included here: he builds new ones as often as he brings old ones back.

Decks, porches, verandas and wooden stairs, built or rebuilt
Sanding and washing grey wood, stain or oil as you like
Damaged boards replaced, structure rebuilt if it is done

The same front, the new grey deck built low to the ground up to the door, edged with a strip of stone — A deck built from nothing, from bare dirt right up to the door.

In front of a grey house with orange trim and a blue door, the bare dirt where the deck will be built, Joe crouched at the base of the wall — A deck built from nothing, from bare dirt right up to the door.

Old brown wood deck in front of a patio door, boards rotted and holed, hammer and pry bar lying on it — Once the old boards were off, the joists sat bare while the black tape went on.

The same deck stripped of its boards: the joists bare, capped with black protective tape — Once the old boards were off, the joists sat bare while the black tape went on.

Old steep narrow wooden steps in front of a white house, yard covered in fall leaves — The new stairs are as wide as the whole doorway, on a black steel frame. The old ones were steep and narrow.

The deck going up: the first new boards laid on the frame, lumber stacked on the ground and the saw table set up — The new stairs are as wide as the whole doorway, on a black steel frame. The old ones were steep and narrow.

See one more job

Wide view under the porch toward the lake, the sanded posts brightened and the flagstone patio — The wood was not done for, it was just hidden under an old brown-grey coating.

Porch post: the wide grey face still flaking, and a strip of fresh wood showing along the edge where the sanding went — The wood was not done for, it was just hidden under an old brown-grey coating.

Parging and foundations

New parging will not hold on old parging that is letting go. Anything loose comes off with the scraper before the new coat goes on.

Foundations and concrete walls
Parging redone in full, or cracks repaired

The other side of the house, already parged an even grey down to the bottom of the wall, the basement window clear — One side of the house is already parged an even grey. The other, still flaking in patches, is next.

One side of the house before the work: the old foundation parging letting go in patches, a black plastic drain pipe on the ground — One side of the house is already parged an even grey. The other, still flaking in patches, is next.

The same foundation covered in an even dark grey parging, right around the white pipes — The bare concrete and its stains go under an even grey. In the middle, the basement window now shows up clean.

Bare stained concrete foundation under pale yellow siding, two white pipes coming up out of the stone bed — The bare concrete and its stains go under an even grey. In the middle, the basement window now shows up clean.

The same wall covered in smooth grey parging, in front of the same cedar hedge — The blocks and their hollowed joints are gone under one smooth surface, from one end of the wall to the other.

Old grey stone block wall, damaged, along a cedar hedge, buckets and a bag of cement sitting on the lawn — The blocks and their hollowed joints are gone under one smooth surface, from one end of the wall to the other.

See one more job

The same foundation redone in even grey-brown parging, behind the same row of hostas — The old parging was coming off in patches, right down to the concrete. The new coat runs unbroken, behind the hostas.

Old pale yellow parging flaking off the foundation in patches, a row of hostas at the foot of the wall — The old parging was coming off in patches, right down to the concrete. The new coat runs unbroken, behind the hostas.

Dock

He works with both feet in the water when he has to.

Building and repair
Spring launch, fall haul-out
Dock stained while he is at it

The dock stained deep brown out to the end posts, the bucket and the stain can with its brush still sitting on the boards at the edge — The dock soaked by the rain, the wood still pale. Once stained, it is deep brown right out to the end posts.

The same dock wet in the rain, the wood still golden before staining, running out into the lake to the posts — The dock soaked by the rain, the wood still pale. Once stained, it is deep brown right out to the end posts.

Pressure washing

Water under pressure takes off what no soap will.

Vinyl walls, sheds and outbuildings
Interlock and driveways
Plastic roofs on request, but never pressure on shingles

Pressure washer sitting in the middle of a big wet wood deck, hoses uncoiled across the boards, the black-and-stone house behind

The same shed seen at an angle, the walls pressure-washed and back to white, the moss still on the roof — The shed walls are back to white. The roof does not get the jet: pressure damages shingles.

Vinyl shed wall, dulled and dirty, in low raking sunlight — The shed walls are back to white. The roof does not get the jet: pressure damages shingles.

The same interlock pressure-washed, the joints clean and the stone noticeably paler — Weeds were growing in every joint. Not one is left, and the stone is pale again.

Interlock driveway with weeds growing through all the joints — Weeds were growing in every joint. Not one is left, and the stone is pale again.

Concrete and stone

Concrete gets poured in one go. Stone goes down by hand, one piece at a time.

Slabs poured: formwork, packed gravel, finish
Flagstone paths, joints filled
Walls for slopes, flower beds and shorelines

The same slab from the other end, the concrete poured and floated smooth in its formwork — The formwork follows the wall of a black house at the water's edge. The concrete stops right at the edge of the board.

Wooden formwork, membrane and packed gravel along a black lakeside home, before the pour — The formwork follows the wall of a black house at the water's edge. The concrete stops right at the edge of the board.

Side of the house in bare dirt, big boulders and stone steps, before the path — The side path, along the big boulders: bare ground, crushed stone, then the big grey slabs.

The same side path in crushed stone, before the slabs went down, up to the glass door — The side path, along the big boulders: bare ground, crushed stone, then the big grey slabs.

The lower path at the foot of a tree: broken slabs, sunk and half hidden in the grass — A stone path redone in two stretches: the lower part at the foot of the tree, the upper part between the lawn and the plants. The bag of mortar and the hammer are still sitting on the stones.

The same lower path redone: slabs re-jointed in pale parging, stone steps, cedar hedge behind — A stone path redone in two stretches: the lower part at the foot of the tree, the upper part between the lawn and the plants. The bag of mortar and the hammer are still sitting on the stones.

See 2 more jobs

Flagstone patio washed down, the joints being redone, two garden hoses uncoiled on the ground — The stone is washed and the joints are being redone: two hoses lying about and the patio still wet.

The same flagstone patio before the work: joints dirty and full of pine needles, at the foot of the stone steps by the door — The stone is washed and the joints are being redone: two hoses lying about and the patio still wet.

The same front, the slab entrance finished up to the door, boulders and flower bed — The slabs were waiting on their pallet, next to the blue wheelbarrow. Now they make up the whole entrance.

In front of the black-brick house's glass door: crushed stone ground, the slabs stacked on their pallet, the blue wheelbarrow — The slabs were waiting on their pallet, next to the blue wheelbarrow. Now they make up the whole entrance.

Yard opening and closing

In spring, you fix what winter left behind. In fall, you get the yard ready for the next one.

Spring: tarps taken off, leaves blown out, road gravel raked up
Fall: leaves blown out, tarps laid down and weighted
Road gravel brought back to the roadside for the city to collect

The same strip raked out, the gravel removed, the lawn showing again at the foot of the bin enclosure — The plough had thrown its gravel all along the strip by the bin enclosure. The lawn came back underneath.

Strip of ground along a wooden garbage-bin enclosure, buried under the gravel thrown by the snowplough — The plough had thrown its gravel all along the strip by the bin enclosure. The lawn came back underneath.

The same slope cleared, the rock wall and the strip of river stones along the lawn — The rocks of the wall barely showed through the leaves. You can see the whole slope again, river stones and all.

The foot of the slope buried under fallen leaves, the rocks of the wall barely showing, the blower tube in the foreground — The rocks of the wall barely showed through the leaves. You can see the whole slope again, river stones and all.

The same wooded slope completely cleared, the forest floor and the gravel visible again — Below the white house, the slope was buried in leaves down to the gravel. The grass and the rock are cleared right down to the bottom.

Wooded slope below the white house, gone under a carpet of dead leaves down to the gravel — Below the white house, the slope was buried in leaves down to the gravel. The grass and the rock are cleared right down to the bottom.

See 2 more jobs

The foot of the same building fully cleared, the stone border and bare soil showing again — Once the leaves are gone, the big pale stone block and the stone border are in plain sight.

The foot of a reddish-brown building buried under dead leaves, a large pale stone block beside it — Once the leaves are gone, the big pale stone block and the stone border are in plain sight.

The edge of the same driveway raked out in spring, the sand pushed back to the sides, a cedar hedge along the street — The bins stayed at the curb. The winter sand is pushed back to the sides and the asphalt shows again.

Edge of an asphalt driveway covered in winter road gravel, bins at the curb — The bins stayed at the curb. The winter sand is pushed back to the sides and the asphalt shows again.

Landscaping

Tall cedars get cut from the ground with a pole trimmer. The rest is done by hand, up close.

Hedges and cedars trimmed
Flower beds redone
Corners of the yard rebuilt

Hedge trimmed square along an asphalt driveway, brown house and stone edging — The trimmer up in the air on one side, a hedge cut to one height along the driveway on the other.

Joe trimming a tall cedar hedge with a pole trimmer — The trimmer up in the air on one side, a hedge cut to one height along the driveway on the other.

Gutters

Pine needles, leaves, moss: what clogs a gutter under big trees.

Gutters emptied and rinsed
Downspouts checked
He tells you straight what needs changing

The same gutter emptied, aluminium bottom showing, same gravel strip and same white wall — Pine needles filled the gutter right to the edge. Once emptied, the aluminium bottom and its rivets show.

White aluminium gutter packed with pine needles, the top of the ladder against the edge, satellite dish on the roof — Pine needles filled the gutter right to the edge. Once emptied, the aluminium bottom and its rivets show.

Firewood

A cord dumped loose blocks the driveway until someone moves it. He shows up with his wheelbarrow and clears the pile.

Carried in and up by hand
Stacked straight, ready to last the winter
Mostly in the fall, but whenever you ask

Long row of firewood stacked straight on the ground along a cedar hedge, trailer and wheelbarrow beside it

The wood stacked in its rack against the white parged wall of the house, on the stone patio — A full wood rack against the white parged wall, on the stone patio.

Front of a Canadian-style house under snow, the wood stacked neatly on both sides of the door — A second cord, stacked on both sides of the door.

Loose pile of logs on the snow in front of a snow-covered cedar hedge — A second cord, stacked on both sides of the door.

Tempo shelter

Putting up a Tempo is something he knows by heart. The ladder rides in the truck.

Around twenty shelters put up every fall
Up in the fall, down in the spring
Tarp stretched without a wrinkle

Galvanised steel frame of a Tempo car shelter assembled on the gravel, the tarp still folded on the ground

Sheds assembled or built from scratch

A shed that leans or that is rotting at the bottom cannot always be fixed. At that point, taking it down costs less than fighting with it.

Shed bought in a box, fully assembled
Old shed torn down, a new one built in the same spot
Wood frame, siding and shingles, set level on its skids

The same shed finished, double doors and two windows, sitting on its skids — A shed caught mid-assembly, then finished with its doors and its two windows.

Vinyl shed part-way through assembly: floor and walls up, no roof and no doors yet — A shed caught mid-assembly, then finished with its doors and its two windows.

Trenching

A spa to hook up, a wire that has to cross the yard: that takes a trench, and someone to dig it without tearing up the whole lawn.

Dug by hand, with a shovel
Spa trenches, trenches for an electrical wire
He digs and puts the ground back; the wire is the electrician's job

Long trench dug in a straight line across the yard up to a house with orange siding, grey cable run alongside

Trench dug through the lawn along a grey house with red trim, black conduit running to the wall — The trench runs along the house, then two deck boards come up to pass underneath, over to the panel.

Two deck boards lifted to pass underneath, below the grey electrical panel — The trench runs along the house, then two deck boards come up to pass underneath, over to the panel.

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