Fantastic Handyman Steve

That's what I think Steve Yocum's business cards should read. But for some reason, that's not the way he went.


Some of the work he's done around here:

Removed and replaced the trim on two sides of the garage doors and beneath the kitchen bay window. This was John's favorite project. I think because the rotten wood out front was visible to passers by. Didn't get a photo of it (boring) but stop by and we can play "which side is the original?" Another little repair involving the whacked-by-friends'-kid-seven-years-ago stairway spindle was John's second favorite.

Laundry room overhaul. This involved manufacturing a double door to fit in the space where the dysfunctional laundry room door used to be -- the one that opened into the room, so you had to shimmy around it to go out the garage door, which it hit if you didn't catch in time -- and finding an acceptable way to install handles never meant for that purpose. I'd say he MacGyver-ed it, but that implies a lack of finesse. See how pretty?


Next, he hung a closet rod for drying clothes in the random air space next to the cabinet above the washer and dryer and installed wood rails with coat and backpack hooks. Fabulous! Functional! This was my favorite project.





The Big One: ripping out the hurts-my-eyes-in-more-ways-than-one flourescent lighting box above the kitchen island and replacing it with can lights.


The Twister board on the ceiling was to help me visualize where I wanted the lights to go. I rearranged them several times. Fantastic Handyman Steve did not get annoyed. Ugly old lights came out, stuff got wired, gaping hole was filled in, new holes were added, then mudding and texturing and retexturing and painting until the ceiling looks like it's always been that way.

LOVE the new look, but not gonna lie: even with ET plastic sheeting dust kept settling for days.




So worth it.



Now check out this beauty. This is where John was rocked as a baby. And where I rocked my babies, if only symbolically (antique = beautiful and small).

The left arm had split and broken off. Several of the spindles beneath the arm had broken off, and the whole thing was creaky and coming apart. Steve carefully dismantled the arms, built up the spindle ends, drilled out holes for the newly improved spindles, repaired the arm (not sure exactly how, but it involved about 11 clamps of various shapes and sizes) and put it all together again. All the kings horses and men couldn't have done a better job.

He also fixed the garden gate (boring, no picture) put up the garage organizer system (come see it) and fixed two of my kitchen desk drawers held together with duct tape. He is coming back this week to replace worn and stripped doornobs with functional new levers.

So my projects are just about done and this is my report. If you've got projects around your house, give Steve a call. Just don't call him MacGyver.