You need a good car mechanic. Someone you can trust. I have Mark Finley with Finley’s Exxon. Bingo. You also need a good plumber. Again, somebody you can rely on for good service and fair prices. I have Mr. Faucet, Pat Crowley. Two for two.
And if you’re like me, a complete Klutz around the house, incapable of distinguishing which side of the hammer does nails, you really need a good handyman for things that crop up. Like removing and replacing a rotting fence.
It turns out I have one of those, too, a good guy with a hammer and a nail. I’d like to introduce you to my handyman, who also happens to be my landscape and tree guardian. He is Richard McKaige, Jr. from Madison, a really nice fellow and an excellent worker with reasonable fees.
I first met Richard two years ago, we had a dogwood tree on its last leg. Almost weekly, a tree guy would stop by and offer to take it down. We got estimates but held off as long as we could. That dogwood had been with us for 50 years.
Finally, one Saturday, I had a ring on the doorbell. It was Richard and I was impressed at what a fine gentlemen he seemed to be. He gave me a bid on the removal, and it was much less expensive than others. He took the tree down quickly and efficiently and cleaned up every whisker of wood shavings. I asked for his card because we also had an old maple in the front yard that would soon need removal. Once again, Richard did the work and an outstanding job. I told him I wanted him to advise me on all my further tree and landscape work. Richard said he would be happy to do that and that he was also a good handyman if I needed anything.
It turns out that the 20-year old fence in our back yard was now being propped up with 2×4’s, so I asked for a price. Again, he beat the competition, did the job quickly and for a fair price. Richard can handle mulching, retaining walls, decks, sheds, fencing, fence repair, painting, roofing, removal and trimming of trees and shrubs
If you need a tree guy, some landscape work or most any handyman project, give Richard a call at 540-718-4609 or 540-216-1600. He returns calls promptly and gives free estimates. He is now my go-to guy for all the projects in the yard or the house.