Handyman in San Clemente, CA

The housing stock here is a mix that keeps a craftsman honest: Spanish-style homes with stucco and tile, mid-century places on the ocean side that have been added to more than once, and newer builds up in Talega and Sea Summit. They do not fail the same way, and they do not get fixed the same way either.

Then there is the salt. Anything metal within a mile of the water — gate hinges, stair railings, patio hardware, garage tracks — gives up years earlier than it would inland. Dan welds and fabricates on site, so a rusted-through railing post or a gate that has dropped out of square gets cut out and replaced properly instead of being patched until next season.

The rest is upkeep that beach-close houses need on a rhythm: exterior paint that has gone chalky on the weather side, stucco cracks, salt film on the windows and hardscape, doors that swell and stick in the marine layer. Bring him the whole list at once — that is the cheapest way to have it done.

Neighborhoods he covers

San Clemente and the areas around it, including Talega, Sea Summit & Marblehead, Rancho San Clemente, Forster Ranch and the Pier Bowl and Southwest. If you are just outside, ask — he is usually nearby anyway.