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Handyman Cochrane Cochrane, Ontario

Cochrane, Ontario · Camps & vacant property

Opened in spring.
Closed in fall.
Checked on in between.

Most camps around here sit empty ten or eleven months of the year. The damage that ruins them — a line that let go, a window somebody put through in November, snow load on a weak roof — almost never happens while anybody is watching. We are the people who go look.

Call 249-475-5754 Text us

Why it matters

The expensive part is
not knowing

A supply line splits in January. Nobody is there. It thaws in April and runs until somebody notices in May. By then the floor is gone, the walls are gone, and what would have been a $200 fitting is a rebuild.

Same story with a broken window that lets snow and animals in for four months, a shingle section that lifts in a November wind, a chimney a squirrel decides to move into, or a bit of roof that was already tired before it took four feet of snow.

None of that is dramatic. It is all quiet, slow and cheap to catch early. It only becomes expensive because there is nobody within five hours to walk in and look.

What a check catches early

  • Frozen or split water lines before spring thaw runs them
  • Break-ins, forced doors and broken windows
  • Snow load sitting on a roof that should not be holding it
  • Ice damming and water coming in at the eaves
  • Wind and storm damage to shingles, soffit and outbuildings
  • Trees and limbs down on the roof or across the access road
  • Mice, squirrels, martens and anything else that has moved in
  • Fuel or propane levels lower than they should be

Service one

Spring opening

We go in ahead of you, get the camp running, and find out what the winter did — while there is still time to deal with it before your first trip up. You show up to a place that works instead of spending your first weekend fixing it.

Water back on

  • •Pump primed and pressure tank checked
  • •Lines charged slowly and watched for splits
  • •Traps and toilet flushed clear of antifreeze
  • •Water heater refilled before it is powered
  • •Well shock-chlorinated and flushed on request

Building checked over

  • •Full walk-around for winter damage
  • •Roof, shingles, soffit and chimney looked at
  • •Doors, windows, screens and shutters
  • •Signs of animal or rodent entry, and cleanup
  • •Deck, stairs and railings after frost movement

Ready to use

  • •Shutters, boards and covers off and stored
  • •Appliances and fridge back in service
  • •Woodstove and chimney visually checked
  • •Dock, boat and outdoor gear back out
  • •Grass, brush and access road cut back

Anything on the propane side we check visually and hand to a licensed gas fitter. We are handy, not licensed for gas, and we will always say so rather than take a run at it.

Service two

Fall closing & winterizing

The visit that saves the most money. Water is what destroys camps up here, and it destroys them in the two weeks after the last person leaves and before the first hard freeze. Done in the right order, the camp comes back in spring exactly as you left it.

Plumbing shut down

  • •Pump off, lines drained and blown out with air
  • •Water heater drained down
  • •Antifreeze in every trap and the toilet bowl
  • •Pressure tank and filters drained
  • •Outside taps and hoses cleared and stored

Buttoned up

  • •Shutters, boards and window covers on
  • •Doors, locks and hardware checked and secured
  • •Rodent entry points sealed
  • •Eaves cleared before freeze-up
  • •Fridge emptied, cleaned and propped open

Outside squared away

  • •Dock, boat, motor and gear stored
  • •Fuel stabilized and batteries pulled and stored
  • •Furniture and equipment in and covered
  • •Loose limbs and hazard trees dealt with
  • •Roof and vent check before the snow

Book it early

Everybody wants their camp closed the same three weekends. If you know roughly when your last trip is, tell us in August and we will hold the window. Closings that get squeezed in after the first freeze are the ones that go wrong.

Service three — the one people actually sleep better for

Vacant camp & property checks

Scheduled visits between your trips. We drive in, walk the property, go through the same list every time, and send you photos and a written note the same day. It is not complicated. It is just the thing nobody is there to do.

Monthly

The common one. Enough to catch a break-in, a freeze or storm damage while it is still small.

Every two weeks

For heated camps, camps holding equipment or sleds, or anywhere that has been hit before.

After a storm

One-off visits after a big wind, a heavy dump of snow or a deep cold snap. Call and we will go look.

Small things we fix on the spot. A door that will not latch, a loose board, a bit of soffit, a trap that has dried out. We note it on the report and carry on.

Bigger things, you decide. You get the photos and a plain description of what we found the same day, and nothing else happens until you say so. We are not going to run up a bill on a building you cannot see.

What you get

A report after
every single visit

Same list, every time, so you can compare one month to the next and see what is changing. Photos of the building, the roof, the access, and anything we flagged.

It arrives the same day by text or email, whichever you prefer. If something is wrong you get a phone call first, not a report.

Camp check report Sample

Property: ______________

Date: ______________

Visit type: ______________

Conditions: ______________

  • Access road and driveway passable
  • Doors, windows and locks intact
  • No sign of forced entry
  • No sign of animal or rodent entry
  • Roof, soffit and snow load checked
  • No water where water should not be
  • Heat source and fuel level as expected
  • Interior dry, no smell, nothing disturbed
  • Outbuildings and stored equipment checked
  • Photos taken and sent

Found / fixed / needs a decision

Written in plain language, with photos attached. Anything urgent gets a phone call before this arrives.

Who this is for

If you own something here
and live somewhere else

Hunt camp owners

You are up for a few weeks a year and the rest of the time it sits. The gear inside is worth more than the building.

Seasonal residents

Summer here, somewhere else the rest of the year. You want the place opened before you arrive and shut down properly after.

Out-of-town owners

You inherited it, you are keeping it, or you are deciding what to do with it. Either way it needs to not fall apart in the meantime.

Landlords & estates

A vacant unit or property that needs eyes on it, and an insurer who would like to hear that somebody is checking.

Worth a phone call to your insurer, too — some policies have conditions about how often a vacant or seasonal building is checked, and a scheduled check with a written record can matter if you ever have to claim.

Questions we get

Camp services, answered

How often do you check a camp over the winter? +

Most owners book monthly through the winter. Some go every two weeks if the camp is heated or holds anything worth stealing, others do a single mid-winter look-in. We will tell you honestly what your building needs rather than selling you the biggest package.

What happens if you find something wrong? +

You get called the same day, with photos. Small things we can fix on the spot we fix and note on the report. Anything bigger, you decide before we do the work — we do not run up a bill on a building you cannot see.

Can you get to a camp on a bush road in winter? +

Often, yes. Tell us where it is and how you normally get in. One of us is set up for off-road access, and if it is a sled-in or the road is not maintained past a point, we will tell you before you book rather than after.

Do you winterize the plumbing? +

Yes. Draining and blowing out the lines, the pump and the water heater, antifreeze in the traps and toilet, and shutting things down in an order that means it all comes back the following spring. This is the single most expensive thing to get wrong at a camp.

Do you hold keys? +

We can, with a written arrangement about who has access and when. Some owners prefer a lockbox or a code instead. Whatever you are comfortable with — it is your building.

What does it cost? +

It depends on the building, how far out it is, and how often you want it checked. Call or text us with the location and what is there and we will give you a straight number.

Get a price

Tell us about
your camp

Where it is, how you get in, what is there, and what you want done. The more detail the closer the number.

If it is easier to just talk it through, call 249-475-5754.

Have photos? Text them to 249-475-5754. This form cannot take attachments, and a photo usually saves a trip.

Goes straight to info@handymancochrane.ca. We answer the same day where we can. In a hurry? Call 249-475-5754.

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