Handyman in Clayton

Growth on one side, history on the other

Clayton has grown as fast as anywhere in North Carolina over the past two decades, and the housing shows it. The large developments east and south of town — Flowers Plantation being the biggest — are almost entirely new, and the calls from them are new-construction calls.

That means installation rather than repair. Blinds, TV walls with the wiring buried, shelving and garage storage, feature walls in rooms handed over as blank drywall, and the snag list the builder closed out on paper.

Downtown Clayton and the older streets around it are a different job entirely: houses old enough that trim, doors and plaster need matching, and porches that have been repaired before.

Deck season

Johnston County lots tend to be larger and more open than the wooded lots further west, which means decks here dry out properly but take more direct sun. The failure mode is different — less rot, more splitting, cupping and fastener movement. Either way the fix starts with boards and screws.

Getting a price

Photos and the full list. At forty minutes out, one visit with six items beats three visits with two.