Winter Projects While You’re Away

Most island owners have the same problem with their repair list: the only time they're here to deal with it is the only time they want to be enjoying the place. Nobody wants to spend a July week living around drop cloths, sawdust, and a guy on a ladder. So the list grows every summer and nothing on it gets done.

Winter flips that. From October through April a lot of houses on this island are empty, the furniture can move without anyone tripping over it, paint can cure for days without a family breathing it, and I can work a project straight through instead of fitting it between guest stays. You leave in the fall with a list. You come back in spring and it's done.

The work that fits best is inside work, because the weather doesn't decide the schedule: interior painting, drywall, trim and doors, floor repairs, cabinets, shelving and storage, and the long tail of small fixes on a punch list. Outside work like rot repair and deck repair happens in the dry stretches, and there are more of those in a San Juan winter than people expect.

How it works: we walk the house in September or October, in person or over a video call. I write up the list with a price or an hourly estimate for each item, and you pick what you want done. I order materials early, because a lot of what an island house needs isn't stocked on-island and it's easier to wait on a shipment in November than in June.

While the work is going you get photos at each stage, not just at the end. If I open a wall and find something that changes the job, you get a call and options before I go further. Nothing gets added to the bill without your say-so.

If you already have property care with me, winter projects fit around your monthly visits and you get the plan discount on the hourly work. If you don't, this is a good way to find out how I work before you sign up for anything ongoing.