Handyman in NW Calgary: Tuscany, Varsity, Brentwood, Edgemont and more

Northwest Calgary covers a lot of ground and a lot of eras. Close to the core, Hillhurst and Sunnyside have older homes on narrow lots. Around the University of Calgary, Varsity, Brentwood and Charleswood are full of 1960s and 1970s bungalows and split-levels. Further out, Edgemont, Hawkwood and Ranchlands came in the 1980s, and Tuscany, Royal Oak, Rocky Ridge and Arbour Lake filled in toward Stoney Trail and the edge of the city in the 1990s and 2000s. Sage Hill, Nolan Hill and Evanston are newer still.

Kaur Handyman works across the northwest. This page covers what we see by area and housing era, and how to get a quote by text.

Housing in NW Calgary, by era

Mid-century: Varsity, Brentwood, Charleswood, Collingwood

Built largely in the 1960s and 1970s, these communities near the University of Calgary, Market Mall and the Brentwood and Dalhousie LRT stations are full of bungalows and split-levels on generous lots with mature trees. Many have been updated in stages. Common jobs:

• Doors and windows that have settled out of square over the decades
• Older bathrooms with failing tub caulking, worn fixtures and loose accessories
• Dated light fixtures to swap on existing boxes
• Fences and gates along back lanes, often long past their prime
• Drywall and plaster patches after updates and renovations
• Textured ceilings, which should be tested for asbestos before any work

Homes of this age may also have aluminium wiring or older electrical panels, which need a licensed electrician.

1970s and 1980s: Edgemont, Hawkwood, Ranchlands, Dalhousie

Edgemont is known for its ravines and hillside streets on either side of Shaganappi Trail. Many homes here are two-storeys and split-levels with walkout basements onto the ravines. Common jobs:

• Decks, often high off the ground on walkout lots, with railings and stairs that need attention
• Weatherstripping and caulking on original or older windows and doors
• Interior paint and drywall refreshes
• Kitchen and bathroom fixes in original or 1990s-era kitchens

1990s to 2000s: Tuscany, Royal Oak, Rocky Ridge, Arbour Lake, Citadel, Hamptons

These communities line Crowchild Trail and Stoney Trail toward the western edge of the city, with views of the mountains on clear days. Tuscany and Rocky Ridge have their own CTrain station at the end of the Red Line. Arbour Lake and Royal Oak sit near Crowfoot Crossing. Many homes have vaulted ceilings, open-to-above foyers and decks facing west. Common jobs:

• High light fixtures in great rooms and front entries
• Deck repairs and staining on decks exposed to west wind and afternoon sun
• Fence repairs on fences installed when the communities were built
• Drywall cracks and nail pops on high walls and ceilings
• Door adjustments where doors have shifted
• Original builder fixtures ready for an update

Newer: Sage Hill, Nolan Hill, Evanston, Kincora, Sherwood

Homes in the newest northwest communities often have builder deficiencies from the first years: nail pops, settling cracks, doors that need adjusting and caulking that shrinks in the first winter. Warranty items are usually handled with the builder first. See new-build deficiencies.

Northwest-specific issues

Wind

Western communities like Tuscany, Rocky Ridge and Royal Oak are exposed to strong westerly winds, including chinook winds. That loosens fences, rattles gates and wears out exterior caulking on west-facing walls. See fence repair in Calgary.

Hills and walkouts

The northwest has many slopes and walkout lots: Edgemont, Hamptons, Tuscany and parts of Varsity. Elevated decks and long exterior stairs are common, and they need regular checks on railings, stairs and posts.

Drywall in tall rooms

Open-to-above foyers and vaulted living rooms show seasonal drywall cracks and nail pops in places that are hard to reach. Repairs need tall ladders or scaffold. See drywall repair in Calgary.

Light fixtures out of reach

Tall foyers mean chandeliers and pendants that are hard to change. Swapping a fixture on an existing box is handyman work. See light fixture installation in Calgary.

Inner northwest: Hillhurst, Sunnyside, West Hillhurst, Mount Pleasant

Closer to downtown, the inner northwest has older character homes and many infills. Older houses need door adjustments, plaster and trim repairs and window work. See character homes in inner-city Calgary.

Bowness and Montgomery

Bowness and Montgomery sit along the Bow River in the far west of the inner northwest. Bowness has its own main street and a long history as a separate town before joining Calgary. Many homes are older bungalows on large lots with detached garages off the lane, now mixed with infills. Older garages, back-lane fences and gates, and bathroom and door repairs in older homes are common. Parts of both communities sit close to the river, and many basements were redone after the 2013 flood.

Condos and townhomes in the northwest

The northwest has many townhome complexes and condo buildings, from older complexes near Market Mall, Crowfoot and Dalhousie to newer buildings in University District and around Brentwood station. In these, exterior items like fences, decks and windows may belong to the condo corporation, while interior repairs are usually the owner's.

Seasonal notes for the northwest

West-facing walls in Tuscany, Rocky Ridge and Royal Oak get the full afternoon sun and the chinook wind, so exterior caulking and stain wear fastest there. Homes on the hills of Edgemont and Hamptons often have long driveways and exterior stairs that heave with frost. In older communities near the university, mature trees fill eavestroughs every fall, which is worth clearing before winter to avoid ice build-up in spring.

How to get a quote in the northwest

Text a photo of the job to 647-806-8070 with:

• Your neighbourhood, or the nearest main road such as Crowchild Trail, Sarcee Trail, Shaganappi Trail, John Laurie Boulevard or Country Hills Boulevard
• A wide photo and a close-up of the job
• Ceiling height for light fixtures in tall rooms
• The days that suit you

You get a price before anything is booked. Materials are agreed in the quote: you supply them or we pick them up.

Neighbourhoods we cover in NW Calgary

Arbour Lake, Bowness, Brentwood, Charleswood, Citadel, Collingwood, Dalhousie, Edgemont, Evanston, Hamptons, Hawkwood, Hillhurst, Hounsfield Heights, Kincora, Montgomery, Mount Pleasant, Nolan Hill, Ranchlands, Rocky Ridge, Royal Oak, Sage Hill, Scenic Acres, Sherwood, Silver Springs, Sunnyside, Tuscany, Varsity, West Hillhurst and the rest of the northwest. If you do not see yours, ask.

Bowness and Montgomery, along the Bow River, have a mix of older homes and newer infills, with many back-lane fences and older garages.

See the full list of services.

Free quote by text

In the northwest? Text a photo

Send a photo of the job, your neighbourhood and the days that suit you. You get a price back before anything is booked. Materials are agreed in the quote, and you can pay by Interac e-Transfer, cash or bank draft.

647‑806‑8070

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Calgary NW, NE, SW and SE, plus Airdrie and Chestermere.

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