A List of Small Jobs, Done in One Visit, in Lafayette, LA

This is the running list stuck to your fridge. A leaky faucet, a door that won't latch, a ceiling fan to hang, blinds to mount, a towel bar that pulled out of the wall. You book a half day or a full day, and one person works through as many items as the time allows.

Doing this in Acadiana

Old houses around Lafayette move a lot, and the humidity is the reason. Wood doors and drawers swell in the summer and stick, then shrink and rattle when the heat runs in winter, so a door that latched fine in March binds in July. Interior trim and caulk lines pull apart as things expand and contract, and screws in the wall lose their bite over time in the damp. A lot of fridge-list jobs in Acadiana are these small seasonal complaints piling up, and knocking several out in one visit usually makes more sense than calling somebody out for each one.

How to tell where you stand

• Walk the house with your phone and photograph every item, so nothing gets forgotten and the person quoting can see it in advance.
• Note which jobs need a part you do not have yet, like a specific faucet cartridge, a light fixture, or the right size blinds.
• Check whether any item is really two jobs hiding as one, for example a wobbly toilet that turns out to be a bad flange under the floor.
• See if several small things are near each other, like three loose cabinet doors in one kitchen, since those go fast once someone is set up.
• Flag anything that involves water, gas, or the electrical panel, because those can grow past a quick fix.

What makes the job bigger or smaller

• How many separate items are on the list, and how spread out they are through the house.
• Whether the parts and materials are already on hand or have to be bought first.
• How many jobs are simple swaps versus ones that open up a wall, floor, or ceiling.
• Access, meaning high ceilings, tight crawlspaces, or heavy furniture that has to be moved to reach the work.
• Whether anything found mid-job needs a specialist, like a licensed electrician or plumber for work beyond a basic fix.

Yourself, or a pro

Plenty of a fridge list is fair game for a homeowner with a drill and an afternoon: mounting blinds, swapping a faucet, hanging pictures, tightening cabinet hinges, replacing a toilet flapper. What you hand off is anything where a mistake gets expensive or dangerous. Wiring inside the panel, gas lines, and plumbing behind a finished wall are not learn-as-you-go jobs, and mounting something heavy like a TV or a grab bar into the wrong part of the wall can fail when you need it most. A good rule is to do the reversible, visible stuff yourself and call someone for the things hidden behind drywall or tied to water, gas, or electricity.

What to ask anybody quoting this, us included

• Do you book by the half day or full day, and roughly how many items like mine fit in that time?
• Do I buy the parts ahead, or do you pick them up, and how is that handled?
• If you finish my list early, can you start on other things around the house?
• What happens if one job turns out to be bigger than it looked once you open it up?
• Are there items on my list you would not take on, and who should I call for those instead?