Handyman and Property Care on San Juan Island
This is home. Friday Harbor, Roche Harbor, the west side, the south end, and every gravel road between them, all at the same standard rate.
- Licensed & bonded
- WA L&I #SANJUJI741OT
- Insured
- Locally owned in Friday Harbor
One rate, the whole island
I live in Friday Harbor and San Juan Island is where most of my work is. There's no separate charge for the north end or the south end. A job at Roche Harbor costs the same as a job on Spring Street: the $250 minimum visit, which covers up to two hours, and $85/hour after that.
The island isn't one kind of place, though, and the houses aren't one kind of house. In town it's older wood-frame homes on small lots, many on the town water system. Around Roche Harbor and Westcott Bay it's newer homes, many of them second homes, a lot of them used for a few weeks a year. The west side has big glass facing the strait and takes the weather straight on. The south end around False Bay, Cattle Point, and Cape San Juan is open, windy, and dry by August. San Juan Valley is farms and long driveways.
Each of those fails in its own way, and after enough years of working here I know roughly what I'm going to find before I open the truck.
What breaks where
Friday Harbor. Older houses with original windows, doors that have moved with eighty years of settling, plaster and drywall patched by several owners, and decks and stairs built before anyone thought much about flashing. Most of this is handyman repair and rot repair.
Roche Harbor, Westcott Bay, and the north end. Newer construction, lots of cedar and big decks, and a lot of homes empty for long stretches. The biggest risks are the slow ones: a gutter that overflowed all winter, a door left unlatched, a mouse in the crawlspace. This is where property care earns its keep.
The west side. Full exposure to weather off the strait. Fasteners rust, finish fails on the weather side years before the lee side, and screens, sliders, and exterior hardware take a beating. Resealing and deck care go further here than anywhere else.
False Bay, Cattle Point, and Cape San Juan. Wind and sun. Deer fencing gets pushed over, grass gets tinder dry, and anything loose ends up in the next lot after a southeaster. Deer fencing, storm prep, and brush clearing are the regular calls.
A lot of the island is empty in winter
About 28% of the housing on San Juan Island was counted as seasonal or occasional use, according to county housing figures compiled by Orcas Island Community Foundation research. That's lower than the other islands, but it's still more than one house in four sitting empty for a good part of the year.
For those owners, the useful thing isn't a repair service. It's someone who comes by every month, walks the place inside and out, fixes small things on the spot, and sends photos. That's property care, from $300 a visit. It pairs with winter projects: the repair list gets done while the house is empty, so it's finished before you come back.
If you rent your place, note that vacation rental permits aren't available for properties on the Town of Friday Harbor water system, and some subdivisions restrict them, according to this local neighborhood guide. For rentals elsewhere on the island, see vacation rental maintenance.
Questions I get about San Juan
Do you charge more for Roche Harbor or the south end?
No. Every address on San Juan Island is on the same rate card: $250 minimum visit covering two hours, then $85/hour.
How soon can you get here?
Usually within the week. Summer runs longer. Property care clients get priority.
Do you work inside Friday Harbor town limits?
Yes. Sales tax is a little higher inside town limits than in the rest of the county, and that's the only difference.
Next step
Work waiting on San Juan?
Call (360) 317-0203 or send the list and I’ll tell you what it takes.
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