Assembly, light plumbing, electrical, plumbing, drywall repair, appliance/electronics troubleshooting, fixture replacement... nearly any sort of repair or replacement, I can help you-
(for new installations, remodeling or any major construction, you should use a licensed contractor - I am a general handyman, not a licensed contractor.).

I have picked up my skills through experience, first taking things apart as a child, to fixing things for myself, family, friends, employers, and now customers, over the years. If it involves wrenches, screwdrivers, drills, voltmeters, or the like, I enjoy working with it. My specialty is in improvising $10 solutions to problems which the factory dealer said would require a specialized $500 part. My solution might not look pretty, but it will work.

Some of the more common things I do range from assembling furniture and putting up blinds and pictures to clearing drains, patching drywall, replacing light switches, and installing ceiling fans to replace a ceiling lamp.
For more examples of the sort of work I can do, this is the job list for one recent customer: To Do List
I've installed custom closet shelving, repaired an automatic sliding minivan door, and repaired refrigerators and electronics. I have a full complement of hand and power tools, 5 years of professional experience, and 31 years of informal experience working with repairs of all kinds.

Following are pictures of a few of the many projects I have done:

Installed ceiling lamp above table and wall switch to control it


Replaced ceiling lamp with a fan (controlled by wall switch)


 

Antenna/cable jack had broken off, and TV was about to be scrapped.  I soldered the jack back on, reassembled TV, and it has been going strong ever since


 

Built this gate (and frame) entirely from scratch, using just lumber, wire mesh, and brackets from Urban Ore, screws and a metal post stake (no concrete pour required)




Constructing a custom bed frame out of reclaimed lumber
(which I had from a previous deconstruction job)




After some small earthquakes, the concrete had cracked and shifted, eventfully blocking the door from opening.  Using a rented jack-hammer, I took out a section of the original floor, and poured in new concrete (the lower left square)


Designed a worm compost box for a school using reclaimed wood from a previous hauling job - but left it in several sections so that the schools gardening students could have the experience of "helping" with the final stage assembly. 
Once it was completed, all of the school cafeterias left-over food scraps were disposed of in this box, and the compost produced is used in the school garden.


Problem: client's dryer sticks out too far, and gets in the way of the back door opening.  Solution: hinge the door in the middle!
Door still closes and locks securely.
 

Installed brackets for television and mantel into solid brick fireplace

 

 

Installed mesh wall around stairs, door frame, and door (which required moving a light switch to a new location) as well as replacing the door knob, repairing holes in the drywall and repainting all the walls in the room


Wired up a 10 component (TV, digital box, DVR, DVD, VCR, CD changer, tape deck, 2 video game systems, receiver) surround sound entertainment center, with speaker selector switch (movie surround and/or built-in ceiling speakers throughout the house...
followed by subsequent visits to re-teach the customer how to record and use other features of their complex system


After finishing the gate, I dug out and laid in a brick path using bricks the customer had lying around.  It curves 90 degrees, and also raises up about 5 inches to meet the concrete path flush, while still allowing the gate to swing fully open


Finished bed, complete with a headboard made from driftwood


After new concrete floor section was finished, door opens again!
I also patched the drywall and painted the interior.



This was the first time the girl with the scarf had operated a power drill.



My former bicycle repair stand at the Berkeley Farmer's Market
I could do about 80% of what a full service bicycle shop could do, while you shop for local produce. 
(The stand was unfortunately discontinued when the bikeshop I worked at was taken over by new management)

To give you a wider idea of what sort of repairs I do, the following was a list for just one job, for a client who was getting a rental property ready for a new tenant. 
I completed everything listed below in 3 days, all for under $1000 total.

INDOORS

Door/Locks
Remove all deadbolts and key-lock doorknobs for re-keying
Install 3 new deadbolt locks in front door, security screen, & backyard door.
Install 2 old deadbolt locks in garage/kitchen & garage/bonus room doors.
Replace lock on wooden cabinet in garage
Adjust front and back door strike plate
Replace front door weather stripping
Re-connect kitchen/garage threshold and door jamb

Electrical
Test to see which outlets are grounded
Replace outlets that are not to be grounded
Replace 4 outlets in kitchen, bath & garage with GFCI protected outlets
Cover doorbell wires
Check if living room heater works / re-light pilot
Install cord & plug with UL clamp at motor housing of garbage disposal

Patching/caulking
Patch cracks & holes in walls and ceilings, re-tape where necessary
Build drywall covering around exposed wires and pipes in garage
Caulk/seal tub

Pipes and plumbing
Re-secure toilet on a new wax seal. Check that herco ring is not damaged.
Solder new copper pipes to extend water heater TPR valve to outside
Convert heater vent to B-vent before penetrating ceiling.
Patch hole in ceiling around water heater vent
Move dryer vent to outside wall (redirect out from under house)
Clean bath fan

Miscellaneous
Hang new blinds
Put cover on smoke alarm and test it with new battery
Repair hinges on small closet door above mirror
Install closet rod
Install spring latch to keep bedroom closet door closed
Cut wood to size and attach insulation to cover access to attic (in closet)
Sand and repaint areas where paint chipped (kitchen cabinets, doorways)
Break or bend old pipe in garage


 

OUTDOORS

Roof
Caulk/seal roof jacks/vents
Clean out and inspect gutters for rust or holes; clean off rust and patch holes
Clean all eaves, doorway roofs, etc.
Clean off metal roof of backyard structure (“trellis”)
Remove wood extensions from backyard structure (“trellis” top)

Yard
Cut trees 2 feet back from roof
Trim all plants back 6” or more from house
Reattach gate to fence
Attach/fix crawl space door
Repair vents screens to keep critters out of crawl space

Miscellaneous
Wash all window screens, replace damaged screens (build new ones)
Detach metal cart from garage stairs

HAULING / MOVING

Haul away
old sofa, fiberglass, metal cart, and chunks of concrete

Move to house (for staging):
Single airbed
Small green futon (from living room)
Camping air-mattress & pump
Night-stand (from garage)
Dresser (from cottage)
Rocking chair, 2 tray tables, 2 chairs
Backless chair from garage (for TV to sit on)
TV from bedroom, Radio from red room