Handyman installs in Westwood

Concrete in the towers, plaster in the older homes

• Brick or concrete. A condo tower along Wilshire often has poured concrete on its outside walls and around its core.
• Metal studs. The walls between rooms in those towers, and in some newer apartment buildings, are often steel.
• Plaster. The older traditional and Spanish homes in Westholme often still have plaster.
• Drywall. Many of the apartment buildings near UCLA have drywall, as does any remodeled room.

The install board has the price for each one. If you cannot tell, pick the spot and knock on it. A hollow sound points to studs and a flat, solid sound points to concrete, and we check it again at your door before anything is drilled.

What goes up in a student apartment, a condo or a Spanish home

• A condo TV. On a concrete wall the bracket goes on sleeve anchors, and on steel it goes on toggles. Our TV mounting page goes through the brackets for each.
• Mirrors and art. A heavy mirror in a Spanish entry hall or a row of frames in a condo hallway comes under picture and mirror hanging.
• Shelves in a small apartment. Floating shelves save floor space, which a small apartment can use.
• Flat-pack for a new lease. Our furniture assembly price covers the desk and the bookcase, and we can strap the bookcase to the wall.
• Curtain rods in a tower. The wall above a window can be concrete, so tell us if you know, because that puts the rod in the highest column.