Handyman Questions and Answers for Honolulu

Send the list through the contact page or call, with a photo of each item and whether it is a house or a condo. We reply with questions or a written quote, then agree a date.

A single fixture swap is a short visit, a full list can fill most of a day, and the written quote gives you an estimate either way.

All at once. A full list lets us bring the right parts and tools in one trip, and the visit minimum covers more work. Number the items by priority, so if time runs short the ones that matter most are done first.

On Sundays, yes; Saturday is closed. In a condo, the building's own work hours decide which days and times are allowed.

We stop and tell you before going further. A door that sticks may turn out to sit in a frame that has moved; a drywall stain may keep coming back because of a leak above it that a plumber has to find first. You get the options and a revised quote, and nothing extra happens without your yes.

Either by the hour with a visit minimum, or as a flat price for well-known tasks; the handyman pricing page explains both and what moves the total.

Yes. Every quote is written before work starts, item by item, and says whether each one is hourly or flat.

Because the visit minimum and the drive are the same whether there is one item or five, so the cost per item drops as the list grows. That is why the national pricing guides all give the same advice: batch the small jobs.

Labor, parts and travel all cost more here. Federal price data puts the Urban Honolulu area above the national price level, and nearly everything on a hardware shelf arrived by ship.

Often, if the existing box is rated for a fan or can be swapped for one that is. Fan boxes are listed and marked for fan support, and the electrical code caps them at 70 pounds. A fan where no wiring exists at all needs an electrician. Details on ceiling fan installation.

Adding an outlet or running new wiring in the wall is a job for an electrician. The electrical code also bars a TV's flexible cord from being hidden inside the wall, so the clean setup is a recessed outlet put in by an electrician, then the screen goes up on a TV mounting visit.

Leaks at a faucet, a supply connection or a disposal flange are handyman work, covered under faucet and toilet repair and garbage disposals; a leak inside the wall, or a drain that has to be rerouted, goes to a plumber.

No, a dishwasher, fridge or dryer that has quit needs an appliance technician, but we do hook up new units on existing connections through appliance installation.

No. We fix jalousie hardware, swap cracked louvers and replace worn operators through jalousie window repair, but whole-window replacement is outside our work. In homes built before 1978, replacing a window also falls under the federal lead paint rule, whatever its size.

Sometimes. Under HRS 514B-140(c), and subject to your declaration, a nonmaterial change inside a unit needs only board approval, which the board may not unreasonably withhold. A grab bar, a new fixture or a mounted TV may fall there; a material alteration also needs owner consent. Check the declaration and house rules, ask the manager, and we schedule once you have the answer.

Under HRS 514B-35(4), lanais and the exterior doors and windows serving one unit are usually that unit's limited common elements, unless the declaration says otherwise. In practice the owner often arranges the repair with board sign-off, so check your building's documents before booking door repair on a lanai slider.

If you know the exact model, yes, and keep it on site in the box. For anything that has to match old hardware, such as a louver clip or a cabinet hinge, send a photo first. Louver glass in particular is thicker than ordinary window glass, with polished edges, and is ordered to the size of the old piece.

Because most hardware comes in by sea. State harbor officials say more than 80 percent of the goods used in Hawaii are imported, nearly all through commercial harbors, so a common part is easy and an odd size can mean a wait.

Yes. Windward lowlands typically run about 70 to 80 percent relative humidity against 60 to 70 on the leeward side, so doors swell, screws loosen in soft wood and bathroom joints mildew faster. That is why caulking there gets bathroom-rated silicone, and why a planed door edge gets sealed before it is rehung.

Yes, by fastening shelves, TVs and grab bars into the boards or the girt instead of drywall anchors, with any wiring kept on the surface.