Handyman in Ardmore, Winston-Salem
Ardmore is Winston-Salem's largest neighborhood, a National Register historic district spreading across roughly 600 acres southwest of downtown, just south of Salem Parkway. It grew in a burst between about 1910 and the mid-1920s, when at least ten separate developments were platted as the city boomed on tobacco and textiles, and its National Register listing counts more than two thousand historic buildings. Most are houses: Craftsman bungalows with deep front porches and tapered columns, foursquares, modest Queen Anne cottages, and a mix of later Colonial Revival homes, with a few apartment buildings added after the Second World War. Streets like Elizabeth Avenue, Gales Avenue, Watson Avenue and Queen Street are lined with mature oaks, and many houses still have original plaster walls, heart pine and oak floors, wood windows and five-panel doors. That age is the charm, and it's also why Ardmore homes keep a steady list of small repairs: plaster cracks, doors out of square, porch boards that soften, old faucets and wiring that predate modern fixtures.
Ardmore's daily life orbits a few landmarks. Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center sits along its northern side off Hawthorne Road, and Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center is a short drive west on Silas Creek Parkway, so the neighborhood is home to many doctors, nurses, residents and students who rent or buy within walking or biking distance of work. Miller Park, one of the city's largest parks, gives the neighborhood ball fields, tennis courts, trails and a playground, and the shops and restaurants along Stratford Road and in the Thruway area are close by. Sidewalks, porches and a grid of side streets make Ardmore one of the most walkable parts of the city, and you'll see neighbors out in the evenings. Parking is mostly on the street and in narrow driveways, so we plan our stops to avoid blocking anyone and keep tools and materials staged neatly on your property.
ZIP codes we cover in Ardmore: 27103, 27104
What Ardmore neighbors book most
- Drywall Repair
- Door Repair & Adjustment
- Ceiling Fan Installation
- Light Fixture Installation
- Interior Painting & Touch-Ups
- Gutter Cleaning & Repair
Jobs we handle a lot around Ardmore
In Ardmore we see a lot of old-house work: plaster cracks over doors and along stairs, doors that stick in summer and rattle in winter, sagging gates and fence posts rotted in the clay, wood porch floors and railings that need boards replaced, ceiling fans and new fixtures in rooms that only had a single bulb, worn two-handle faucets and seized shut-off valves, and gutters overflowing under big oaks. Rentals near the medical center bring a steady flow of move-in and move-out punch lists, too: patching anchor holes, touching up paint, fixing loose towel bars and replacing worn blinds.
Questions we hear in Ardmore
My Ardmore bungalow has plaster walls with cracks everywhere. Can they be saved?
Almost always. Cracks in old plaster usually come from decades of small movement, not a single failure. We re-attach loose plaster to the lath with plaster washers, fill cracks with materials that bond to old plaster, and skim the surface so the repair blends with the wall. Only sections that have crumbled or fallen get patched with board shimmed to the same thickness. Saving the plaster keeps the house's character and is often less disruptive than tearing out walls.
Can I add a ceiling fan to a bedroom that only has a pull-chain light or no fixture?
Yes. Many Ardmore houses were built before ceiling fans and central air, so bedrooms often have a light on a small box or no box at all. Our licensed electricians install a fan-rated brace, update or run the wiring, and add a wall switch so you don't need the pull chain. We route through the attic whenever possible so the plaster ceiling needs as little patching as possible.
Can you fix my porch floor and railings?
Yes. Front porches are central to Ardmore houses, and the floorboards and railings take the worst of the weather. We replace soft or split boards with matching tongue-and-groove lumber, prime all sides so new boards resist moisture, tighten or rebuild railings so they're solid, and repaint. If the porch joists or beams are rotted, we'll show you and talk through the repair before going further.
Do you work on rental houses near the hospital?
Yes, often. Many Ardmore homes are rented to medical staff and students, and we help owners and managers with turnovers and repairs between tenants. Tell us the move-in date and we'll plan the work to finish in time.
Everything we offer in Ardmore
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