Most homes have a list of small jobs that never seem big enough to call anyone about: a light fixture you want changed, a TV that needs to go on the wall, a door that sticks, a patch in the drywall. Our handyman services in Nashville are for exactly that list. We come out, work through the jobs in one visit, and leave the house the way we found it, only with the list done.
Salt and Cedar Home Remodeling is a locally owned remodeling company in Nashville. Kitchens are the core of what we do, and the same care goes into the small jobs. You have one point of contact from the first visit to the final walkthrough, whether the job is a full kitchen or an afternoon of repairs.
This page covers how a handyman visit is billed, the jobs we are asked to do most often, and what to know about each one before we arrive.
Handyman Visits, Billed Hourly or by the Half Day
Small jobs are billed by the hour or by the half day, not as a fixed project price. We tell you how your visit will be billed before we book it, so there are no surprises when the work is done.
Send the list ahead
The most useful thing you can do is send us your list before the visit. Write down each job and where it is in the house. Photos help a lot. A picture of the light fixture, the door that sticks or the wall where the TV is going tells us what tools and parts to bring, so time on site goes into the work rather than a trip to the store.
Materials
Decide ahead who is buying the materials. If you already have the new fixture, the ceiling fan or the mount, have it on site and still in the box so we can check that the parts are all there. If you want us to pick something up, we talk through what you want before the visit.
Group jobs into one visit
Several small jobs in one visit make better use of the time than several separate trips. If you have a few things in different rooms, put them on the same list. When the list starts to grow into a whole room, it may be worth planning it as one project instead. Our kitchen updates and bathroom updates pages cover the bigger versions of these jobs.
Light Fixture and Ceiling Fan Swaps
Swapping a light fixture or ceiling fan is one of the most common jobs on a handyman list. A swap means the new fixture goes where the old one was, on the electrical box and wiring that are already there. The power is shut off at the breaker first, the old fixture comes down, and the new one is mounted and connected.
A ceiling fan needs a fan-rated box
A ceiling fan is heavier than most light fixtures, and it moves. The box it hangs from has to be rated to carry a fan. Many boxes installed for a light are not, and a fan hung from one can loosen and wobble over time. If the existing box is not fan-rated, it is replaced with one that is, fastened to the framing or to a brace between the joists, before the fan goes up.
When it needs an electrician
Swaps use the wiring that is already in place. When the job needs new wiring or a new circuit, a licensed electrician does that part. That includes adding a fixture where there was none, adding a switch, or running power to a new spot.
TV Mounting and Shelving
TV mounting is simple to describe and easy to get wrong. The mount has to hold the weight of the TV, plus the extra force on the wall when an arm mount is pulled out and turned.
Studs or anchors
A TV mount should be fastened into the wall studs wherever the mount allows. Drywall anchors alone are not a good match for a heavy TV, and they are a poor match for an articulating arm. Brick, stone and plaster walls each need their own fasteners. Floating shelves follow the same rule: what holds them up is what they are fastened into.
Mount ratings and height
Every mount is rated for a weight and a range of screen sizes. Check that your TV fits within both. Height is the other big decision. A TV hung too high, often over a fireplace, means looking up at the screen. Holding the TV up against the wall, or taping its outline on the wall, before anything is drilled helps you see where it will sit.
Hiding the cables
Cables can run in a cover on the wall or inside the wall. Running them inside the wall takes the right kit. The TV's power cord itself should not be run inside the wall. In-wall kits use a rated recessed outlet behind the TV that connects to a power inlet lower on the wall, so the power cord stays outside the wall.
Punch Lists to Get a Home Ready to Sell
Selling a home usually produces a punch list: the small things you want fixed before photos and showings, or the repair list that comes back after the buyer's inspection. These are handyman jobs, and they go faster when they are handled together.
- Inspection repair lists. Send us the list as written, and we go through which items we handle and which need another trade.
- Touch-ups. Scuffed walls, chipped trim and nail holes from pictures. For more than touch-ups, see interior painting.
- Doors that stick or do not latch. Usually loose hinges, a strike plate out of line, or a door that needs a light trim.
- Caulk. Old, cracked or stained caulk around tubs, showers, sinks and trim, cut out and replaced.
- Small drywall patches. Holes from doorknobs, anchors and old mounts, patched and blended. Bigger damage is covered on our drywall repair page.
Repairs Between Tenants for Landlords
When a tenant moves out, there is usually a turnover list before the next one moves in. The window between move-out and move-in is often short, so the list needs to be ready to go the day the unit is empty.
Common turnover jobs are wall patching, light fixtures and bulbs, door hardware and doors that no longer close well, cabinet and drawer pulls, blinds, caulk in the kitchen and bath, and touch-up paint. Walk the unit after move-out, write the list with photos, and send it to us. We schedule the visit around the move-out date and work through the list in one trip where we can. Trim, doors and shelving that need more than a repair are covered on our interior carpentry page.
Plumbing is the one line to draw on a turnover list. Swapping a fixture on lines that are already there is one kind of job. When plumbing lines have to be added or moved, a plumber we bring in does it.
Why homeowners call us for handyman work
- One point of contact. You deal with us from the first visit to the final walkthrough, so you are not passed between people.
- Clear billing. We tell you whether the visit is billed by the hour or by the half day before we book it.
- Honest about limits. New wiring goes to a licensed electrician and new plumbing lines to a plumber we bring in, and we tell you which items those are up front.
- Locally owned in Nashville. We serve Nashville, Brentwood, Franklin, Hendersonville, Mt. Juliet, Nolensville, Hermitage and Bellevue.
When your list is ready, send it to us and we will set up a visit. Estimates are free.