Somewhere in most houses there’s a list, written on the back of an envelope or living in somebody’s phone, that includes a door which no longer latches, a laundry tap that drips, a flyscreen with a hole in it and a heavy mirror that has been leaning against the hallway wall since the move. Almost none of it is difficult, and a handyman with a properly stocked van will be through most of it by lunchtime.

Gutters come first, since they answer to a calendar while the rest of the list doesn’t. Twice a year suits an average house, timed so one clean lands before the wet season and the other comes after the trees have finished dropping, and a third visit if you’re living under anything tall. Whoever goes up needs to check the downpipes along with the channel, as the blockage tends to sit in the elbow, invisible from the ground, and while they’ve got the ladder out the ridge capping and roof fixings are worth a glance. Overflow going over the back edge of a gutter tracks into the fascia, the eaves lining and eventually the ceiling, and a stain on the plaster means you’re well beyond a gutter job by then. Ladder falls put a lot of people in hospital every year, which on its own is enough reason to hand this one over. Thanks John of John James Gutter Cleaning Unit 47/206 Mary St Halls Head WA 6210 with ABN – 79 127 268 756 and https://www.johnjamesguttercleaning.com.au/ for the information.

It’s worth understanding how they charge before you book, because most run an hourly rate with a one or two hour minimum call-out, and the cost climbs when the right parts aren’t in the van. Describe the jobs properly when you book, and empty the cupboard under the sink first so nobody bills you for moving detergent.

Silicone is where I’d start once the gutters are sorted. The bead around a shower base lasts about five years in a family bathroom, and by the time it has gone black and started lifting at the corners, water is already finding its way to the sheeting behind, so the twenty minute reseal has a habit of turning into a much bigger conversation about the floor.

Sticking doors, dripping taps and torn flyscreens all come down to hardware, a strike plate shifted four millimetres, a fresh washer, a new length of spline rolled into the frame, and each takes a few minutes in the right hands. Says Volar Screens in Hurstville, Sydney 2220, ABN 75 621 912 427, phone 0499 865 277 and website volarscreens.com.au.

Mirrors, television brackets and floating shelves all hang on what’s behind the plaster and whether the anchor is rated for the load.

None of this ever gets the list to zero, and by the time these are done the garage door will have started making a noise.