I got a call last month from a guy in Old Town Eureka who wanted a “quick, cheap patch job” on a hole in his hallway wall. Reasonable request. Except when I pulled back the loose drywall around the hole, I found water staining, a soft spot the size of a dinner plate, and enough […]
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Archive for Gary
Does Furniture Assembly Include Anchoring It to the Wall?
I had a customer in Eureka text me a picture last month of her toddler standing in an open dresser drawer like it was the bottom rung of a ladder, grinning like he’d just summited Everest. Her question underneath the photo was simple: “Matt, when you put this together, did you attach it to the […]
How Do You Fix a Hole in Drywall?
I’ve been patching walls in Humboldt County long enough to know that “how do you fix a hole in drywall” is one of those questions people only Google at 9 p.m., standing in front of the damage, phone in one hand and a very guilty-looking doorknob-shaped dent in the other. So let’s talk about it […]
Why Does My Electrical Breaker Keep Tripping?
I was out at a job in Eureka last month, fixing a sticky door, when the homeowner asked if I’d “take a quick look” at her breaker panel while I was there. Four trips to the garage and two rounds of flipping the same switch later, I finally got the real story: it happened every […]
When Should I Call a Handyman Instead of a Contractor?
I get this question at least once a week, usually from someone standing in their driveway holding a clipboard, three different phone numbers, and a look of pure decision fatigue. “Matt, do I need a contractor for this, or can you just fix it?” Fair question. Humboldt County homes don’t make it easy on people. […]
Does Peel-and-Stick Trim Actually Work on an Old Humboldt County House?
I had a client text me a TikTok video last month. No “hey Matt,” no “quick question” — just a link, and thirty seconds later, a follow-up: “can we do this??” The video showed a woman transforming a plain bedroom into what looked like a French chateau using nothing but scissors, a roll of foam […]
What Does Facility Maintenance Actually Cover?
I get this question more than you’d think: “Matt, is ‘facility maintenance’ just a fancy way of saying handyman with a bigger invoice?” Fair question. Half my clients picture a guy in a jumpsuit with a giant ring of mystery keys, wandering a building and occasionally tightening something. The other half picture an entire maintenance […]
Where Is Safety Glass Required? A Glass Contracting Guide
I’ve been a handyman in Humboldt County long enough to have a very specific nightmare: a homeowner walking barefoot through a shower door that just exploded into a thousand knife-shaped pieces. It happens more than you’d think, and it’s exactly why building codes don’t leave glass up to guesswork. There are actual legal rules about […]
Why Is IKEA Furniture So Hard to Assemble — And Should You Just Hire Someone?
Let me tell you about the weekend I watched a grown man cry in a parking lot over a bookshelf. It was a Saturday afternoon at the hardware store, and this guy — clearly a capable human being, dressed like someone who owns a drill — was sitting on the tailgate of his truck with […]
How do I Fix a Hole in Drywall ? A handyman’s honest take…
Let me tell you something about drywall that every homeowner eventually learns the hard way: it looks simple. It’s just a sheet of gypsum with paper on both sides, right? How hard can patching a hole possibly be? Famous last words. I’m Matt Jaques, the handyman behind Jaques of All Trades here in Eureka, California, […]
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The Handyman
