The first thing to settle on any small repair is the price, so start there. For a handyman in Lauderdale Lakes, One Call Home Pros asks for the list and a few photos, gives you a clear price for the job before anyone picks up a tool, and matches the work with a vetted, insured local pro. You pay One Call, and One Call pays the pro, so there is one bill and one number to call. The pro does the repairs. One Call arranges the visit and stays with the list until it is done.
Why Lauderdale Lakes homes need small repairs done well
The city is small and dense, and most of it went up in the 1960s and 1970s. A high proportion of the housing is multifamily: garden apartments, two-storey condo buildings, duplexes and small rental blocks, with older single-family streets between them.
Buildings of that age have been repaired many times over. Doors have been rehung, walls patched, cabinets reworked and hardware swapped, often with whatever was to hand. That leaves a lot of small faults sitting on top of earlier fixes, and a good handyman spends part of each visit undoing a previous shortcut before doing the job properly.
Because so much of the stock is multifamily, the owner’s part of a repair is usually inside the unit. Shared walls, roofs, stairs and common plumbing usually belong to the building or the association, so it is worth knowing which is which before you pay for anything.
What you can book a handyman for
Drywall patches
Holes, cracks, dents and openings left by other trades, patched and sanded smooth for paint.
Doors and hardware
Sticking or sagging doors adjusted, worn hinges, handles, deadbolts and strikes replaced.
Trim and small carpentry
Loose baseboards, split casings, closet shelving and cabinet repairs.
Mounting
Televisions, shelves, mirrors, curtain rods and blinds fixed securely into block or framing.
Punch lists
Several small jobs grouped into one visit, which is usually the cheapest way to get them done.
Small fixes a trade will not take
A loose rail, a torn screen, a broken closet track, a gate latch that will not catch.
What decides the price of a handyman visit
There is no single figure for handyman work, because every list is different. What drives the price is simple enough to understand:
- How many items are on the list. Each item takes time, and setting up and packing away happens once per visit, not once per item.
- How long each one takes. Rehanging a door takes longer than tightening a hinge. A large drywall patch takes more coats and drying than a small one.
- Materials. A new door, new hinges, a lockset or a sheet of drywall all add to the cost. Supplying your own fixtures can help.
- Finish. A patch left primed is a smaller job than one painted to match.
- Access. A second-floor unit with no lift, or parking a long walk away, adds time.
Before the work starts, ask what the price covers: which items, whether materials are included, and whether painting is part of it. When you know that, there are no surprises at the end.
Ways to keep the cost down
You have more control over the price than it may seem. A few habits make a visit go further:
- Group the jobs. One visit for a handful of small items is far better value than a separate visit for each one. Keep a running list on your phone and book when it is worth it.
- Photograph everything. Clear photos let the pro bring the right parts, so the visit does not stall for a trip to the store.
- Buy your own fixtures. If you want a particular handle, mirror or shelf, buy it in advance. Keep the box and receipt in case it does not fit.
- Decide repair or replace up front. A hollow-core door that is split through is usually cheaper to replace than to patch. A door that only sticks is cheaper to adjust.
- Clear the space. Furniture moved away from walls and doors means the pro spends the time on the repair.
- Do the painting yourself, if you are comfortable. Ask the pro to leave patches primed and ready for paint.
If the list grows into something larger, such as new doors and trim through a whole unit, financing is available. Ask about it when you call.
Drywall in buildings of this age
In older apartment and condo buildings, the walls between units and the outer walls are often block, with drywall or plaster finishes. Interior partitions are usually drywall on wood or metal studs. Both crack where the building has moved over the years, especially above doors and at the corners of windows.
Hairline cracks are opened slightly, taped and finished so they do not come straight back. Holes from anchors, door handles and old fixings are filled. Larger holes are cut out and replaced with new board. On a block wall, a crack running through the block itself is worth reporting to the association, because it may be a building issue rather than a finish one.
Stains are a different matter. A brown patch on the ceiling under another unit, or a damp section low on a wall, means water is coming from somewhere. In a multifamily building that is often a shared pipe or a neighbour’s bathroom. That needs the association or a licensed plumber before the drywall is touched.
Cheap now, or cheap for longer
The lowest price for a single repair is not always the cheapest outcome. A door rehung on the same stripped screw holes will drop again. A drywall patch skimmed once and painted will show a ridge. A towel bar refitted with the same failed anchors will be on the floor again in a month.
When you compare, look at what is actually being done:
- are stripped holes plugged and redrilled, or just reused
- is the drywall patch taped and finished in several coats
- are the fixings rated for the weight and the wall
- will the pro check the item works before leaving
A repair that is done properly once costs less than paying for the same item twice. When you ask what the price covers, these are fair questions, and the answers tell you what you are getting.
Doors that have been patched before
Doors in older units have usually had several lives. Hinges have been moved, strikes filled and recut, and handles changed to different sizes, leaving holes in the face or the edge.
A handyman in Lauderdale Lakes will often find:
- hinge screws spinning in holes that have been reused too many times
- a strike plate moved so often the jamb is chewed away
- a lockset bore that no longer matches any standard handle
- a door trimmed so short at the bottom that it gaps
- a frame knocked out of square
The fix depends on how far gone it is. Stripped holes can be plugged and redrilled. A chewed jamb can be repaired with a wood insert and a new strike. A door that has been butchered beyond repair is usually best replaced, cut and drilled to fit the existing hinges so the frame does not have to change.
For the front door of a unit, the pro can fit a new deadbolt and lockset, adjust the door so it latches cleanly and replace the weatherstripping. Replacing the front door itself, or the frame, is permitted work for a licensed contractor, and some associations control it as well.
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Inside the unit, not the building
In a multifamily building, the most useful thing to know before paying for a repair is whose it is. Your condo documents or lease set it out, but in general:
- Usually the unit owner’s: interior doors, interior walls and ceilings, cabinets, trim, closet fittings, blinds and anything mounted inside.
- Usually the association’s: outer walls, roofs, stairways and walkways, shared railings, common pipes and anything in the walls between units.
If water is coming through from a shared pipe, the association usually arranges the plumbing, and you may then arrange the drywall and paint inside your unit. Ask the manager before you book. Where an association needs proof of insurance for a pro working inside the building, One Call can send the pro’s insurance certificate and the approval paperwork to them for you.
Mounting on block and on drywall
Many units here have block outer walls and drywall partitions, and the fixing changes with the wall. A television bracket on block needs masonry anchors set in solid block, not in the hollow core or a mortar joint. On drywall, the bracket goes into studs, or heavy-duty anchors rated for the weight where the studs do not line up.
Before drilling, the pro checks for pipes and cables. In older buildings, wiring and plumbing do not always run where you would expect. If you want the cables hidden in the wall and that needs a new outlet behind the screen, the outlet is work for a licensed electrician. The handyman can mount the bracket and fit a cable cover on the surface instead, which is quicker and avoids the electrical work.
Closets, kitchens and storage
Closets in older units tend to have one shelf, one rod and doors that have come off their track. Kitchen cabinets have soft particleboard, loose hinges and drawers that drop. Space is tight in a small apartment, so every shelf matters.
A pro can rebuild a closet shelf and rod on cleats screwed into the studs, add a second rod or extra shelves, replace bifold or sliding door tracks and guides, and tune cabinet doors and drawers. A pantry or utility shelf fixed to block will carry a lot more than one hung on drywall alone.
These are small jobs, which is why they belong on a grouped list rather than a visit of their own.
Bathroom fittings and seals
Older bathrooms are small and hard-working. Towel bars and paper holders pull out of the wall. Medicine cabinets hang crooked. The seal between tub and tile goes grey and lifts, and the grout lines crack in the corners.
These are cheap repairs if they are done early. A handyman can refix accessories into solid backing, rehang or replace a surface-mounted cabinet, strip and redo the caulk, and regrout tired joints. Leaving a split seal for another year lets water into the wall, and then the bill includes drywall, tile and possibly a plumber.
If the tub or shower drains slowly, a valve drips or the toilet rocks, those go to a licensed plumber. A toilet that rocks may have a failing seal underneath, and that is plumbing, not a shim job.
Blinds, curtain rods and window coverings
Window coverings are one of the most common small items in a unit. Blinds lose slats, cords snap, and brackets pull out of the soft edge of a block opening. Curtain rods sag in the middle because only two brackets were used.
A pro can replace broken blinds with new ones cut to the opening, refix brackets with the right masonry fixing, and add a centre support to a long rod. It takes little time per window, which makes it ideal to add to a grouped list.
Windows themselves, including their glass, frames and locks set into the frame, may need a window contractor, and replacement windows need a permit.
Screens, patios and small outdoor areas
Ground-floor units and small houses usually have a patio, a screened porch or a little yard. Screens tear, screen door closers fail, gate latches rust and fence boards work loose.
Rescreening a frame, replacing a closer or a latch and refixing a few fence boards are quick handyman items to add to an indoor list. A screen enclosure with a bent aluminium frame or a failing anchor into the slab is a job for an enclosure contractor. Railings on an upper walkway belong to the building and go to the association.
A sliding patio door that grinds along its track is another common item. Often the rollers underneath have worn flat or the track is packed with grit. Cleaning the track, adjusting the rollers and replacing a worn handle or latch costs far less than a new door, which in any case would need a permit and a licensed contractor.
Getting a unit ready to sell or let
Before a unit goes on the market or to a new tenant, the small faults are the first thing a visitor sees. Scuffed walls, doors that do not latch, a closet door off its track and a missing cabinet handle all suggest a home that has not been looked after.
A single handyman in Lauderdale Lakes visit can usually clear that list: walls patched and primed, doors adjusted, hardware matched, blinds replaced, fittings tightened and caulk renewed. Keep the list to what will be noticed, and get a price for it in advance so the work fits the budget for the sale or the let.
When the job needs a licensed trade
Florida has no state handyman licence, and a handyman’s work is minor and non-structural. Some jobs look small but must go to a licensed trade:
- Outlets, switches, light fixtures and fans: a licensed electrician.
- Faucets, toilets, valves and pipes: a licensed plumber.
- AC, thermostats and ducts: a licensed HVAC professional.
- Any roof leak: a licensed roofer.
- Exterior doors, windows and shutters that need a permit: a licensed contractor.
- Cracked block, sagging lintels or anything structural: a licensed contractor, and in a multifamily building usually the association first.
Put them on the list anyway, and ask One Call for a price on each. One Call matches each item with the right licensed pro, so you still make one call.
From the first call to the last item
Call or use the quote page. Say whether it is an apartment, a condo or a house, what floor it is on and what is on the list. Send photos. One Call works out what is handyman work and what needs a licensed trade, and matches each part with a vetted pro.
Before the visit, you know what the price covers. The pro works through the list, checks it with you at the end, and you pay One Call. If anything does not hold, call One Call and it is followed up.
Questions from Lauderdale Lakes
How much does a handyman in Lauderdale Lakes cost?
It depends on the list: the number of items, the time each takes, materials and whether painting is included. Send the list with photos, and ask what the price covers before work starts.
Is it cheaper to group small jobs into one visit?
Usually, yes. Setting up and travelling happen once per visit, so a grouped list is better value than several separate calls.
Who pays for drywall damage from a leak in the unit above?
That depends on your condo documents and the cause of the leak. Ask the association first. Once the leak is fixed, the handyman can repair the drywall inside your unit.
Can a handyman fix an outlet or a dripping faucet?
No. Outlets go to a licensed electrician and faucets to a licensed plumber. One Call can arrange both from the same call.
Start with the price
Send the list with photos, ask what the price covers and decide from there. One Call matches the handyman items with a vetted, insured local pro and the trade items with licensed professionals. The same service runs for handyman work in Lauderhill and handyman service in North Lauderdale, and the handyman service page describes the trade in general. When you are ready, booking a handyman in Lauderdale Lakes starts on the quote page.