Salt-tested. Chalk-tuned.5% off for pensioners07763 100 477 · hello@doverhandyman.co.uk
Dover HandymanTown · Cliffs · Downland

Dover · Cliffs · Downland · CT14–CT17

Small building jobs, done properly, around Dover.

Ten services under one roof: general repairs, guttering, timber, small roof jobs, painting, fencing, small plumbing and small electrical, flat-pack and property maintenance. Salt-tested, chalk-tuned. When it turns out to be a specialist job (rewire, structural roof, gas), we tell you and step back.

What we do

Ten jobs we do. No upselling on the rest.

Specified for Dover’s conditions: coastal salt on fixings, chalk-driven timber rot on unprotected sills, ash-dieback tree-fall on rural boundaries, and the Georgian and Victorian housing stock that dominates the town. If a job isn’t on this list, ask - the answer will be a straight yes, no, or ‘here’s who to call’.

Handyman repairs

General fix-it work - jammed doors, swollen frames, failing catches. The bread-and-butter of a post-war Dover terrace.

Pricing & scope

Guttering & downpipes

Clearing, resealing and section swaps. The easterlies dump ash-leaf and salt-corroded fixings do the rest.

Pricing & scope

Timber repairs

Sills, frames, fascias, soffits. Chalk-and-sea combination rots exposed timber in cycles.

Pricing & scope

Small roof jobs

Slipped slate, ridge pointing, small flashing repairs. If the job is a strip-and-recover, we tell you and step back.

Pricing & scope

Painting & decorating

Interior, exterior and trim. Salt-primer on exposed timber is not optional this close to the water.

Pricing & scope

Fence & gate repair

Panel swaps, post concrete, rehang, hinge replace. Marine-grade fixings as standard.

Pricing & scope

Small plumbing

Taps, isolators, silicone reseals, radiator bleeds. No gas, no boilers, no bathroom rip-outs.

Pricing & scope

Small electrical

Like-for-like socket, switch, fitting and extractor swaps. New circuits go to a Part-P electrician.

Pricing & scope

Flat-pack & home fitting

IKEA, Argos, curtain poles, blinds, TV mounts, shelving. Right fixing for lath-and-plaster.

Pricing & scope

Property maintenance

Second-home and landlord visits. Empty-property winter checks for absentee owners.

Pricing & scope

Our promise

Three things you can hold us to.

No fix, no fee.

No fix, no fee - if we can’t put it right, you don’t pay. We don’t ask for payment until you’ve looked at the finished work and you’re happy. No deposits, no upfront, no chasing.

£

5% off for pensioners.

Anyone on a state pension, automatically. No card, no proof of anything - just mention it when you book. Honour system; we trust people.

Why local matters

Dover eats fixings and rots timber differently.

The town centre sits on the Seaford Chalk. Above that, the cliff-top belt catches salt-laden easterlies straight off the Channel. Together, that combination corrodes galvanised fixings within a few years and drives a timber-rot cycle on any unprotected sill, fascia or door frame.

We work to that reality. Marine-grade (A4) stainless as the default fixing on anything external. Salt-primer on exposed timber before topcoat. Ash-dieback awareness on rural-boundary work - East Kent hedgerows are heavily hit and post-fall property damage is a running risk. And the honest conversation about what needs a specialist rather than a handyman.

Read the local guides  →

Coastal-grade by default

A4 stainless. Not ‘stainless’.

Most trade suppliers sell A2 stainless as if it were one thing. On the Dover cliff-top belt, A2 rusts inside three to four years. A4 - marine grade - doesn’t. It costs a couple of pounds more per hinge or fixing. We use it as standard on any external job within a kilometre of the water or up on the cliff.

How salt eats hinges  →

Recent work

Where we’ve been this month.

A running log of jobs around Dover and the surrounding villages. Updated as we finish them.

See the full jobs log  →

Common questions

Five things people ask before booking.

Do you cover St Margaret’s-at-Cliffe?

Yes. Full CT15 cliff-top belt - St Margaret’s, Kingsdown, West Cliffe, and the exposed properties along the Deal Road. Higher salt-and-easterly load, factored into the quote.

What are your rates?

£45 per hour, flat. No day rate, no hidden charges - you’re billed for the time the job actually takes.

Do you do gas or boiler work?

No. Anything gas is a Gas Safe engineer’s job by law. We’ll do the surrounding non-gas work; the gas itself we tell you and step back.

Salt-corroded external hinges - can you fix?

Yes. A4 marine-grade stainless as replacement standard for anything on the cliff belt or within a kilometre of the water. A2 rusts in three years here; A4 doesn’t.

Georgian sash windows - do I need a specialist?

Full box-frame rebuild on a listed property, yes - heritage joiner. Weatherproofing, staff/parting bead, sash-cord replacement on a non-listed property, silicone-free putty on Georgian glazing - we’re comfortable.

Want a quote?

Send a couple of photos and a postcode. We’ll come back same-day with a fixed price and the next available date.