Spider Lake Property Services LLC

Local, insured, and hands-on

Spider Lake Property Services LLC is a one-person, fully insured business based in Spider Lake township in Sawyer County, Wisconsin. My family has vacationed in the Hayward area for generations and I have lived and worked here since 2013. I care for homes and cabins across northern Sawyer County, mainly the township of Spider Lake and bordering townships but extending further as indicated on the map on the homepage. When you choose me, I'm the one who gives the estimate, answers your questions, and does the work.

Service offerings

• Painting & staining

  Interior and exterior painting and staining for homes and businesses. A lasting finish starts with proper preparation: washing, scraping/sanding/grinding, and basic epoxy and/or carpentry repairs before any primer, paint or stain goes on.

  • Houses, decks, barns, garages, and outbuildings
  • Walls, ceilings, and trim, done carefully in lived-in homes
  • Finishing new windows before installation
  • Repairing and protecting interior windows damaged by winter frost

• Log home care

  Log homes need regular attention to stay protected from sun and weather. I catch problems early and take care of them before they turn into rot or damaged wood fibers.

  • Rot inspections and crack sealing where appropriate
  • Chinking and caulking
  • Restaining and spot repairs
  • Clear maintenance coats
  • Maintenance scheduling
  • Assistance with coordinating log replacement contractors

• Property monitoring & assistance

  An extra set of eyes and hands while you're away, whether for a month or the whole winter, so small problems get caught before they become big ones.

  • Regular house checks, with photos of every visit (see below)
  • Seasonal cabin opening and closing
  • Snow removal where the plow doesn't drive: the ridge the plow leaves in front of your garage door, roofs, decks, and walkways. Keeping snow off a painted or stained deck helps the finish last.
  • Mesh Wi-Fi setup for reliable connectivity through the whole house or cabin, including cameras, thermostats, and other devices you check remotely. You'd be shocked how many frustrating issues this simple setup can solve.
  • Coordinating local contract work in your absence

• General handyman work

  Basic carpentry repairs and the small jobs that tend to pile up around a home or cabin.

  • Small repairs and fixes
  • Basic carpentry
  • Faucet and toilet replacements
  • Odd jobs: if you're not sure, just ask

• Helping Hand

  Sometimes you wish to minimize cost but you're just not comfortable doing it all yourself. I enjoy advising and working alongside tentative do-it-yourselfers.

  • Boat lift canopies
  • Launching and loading boats
  • Docks
  • Just about anything else: just ask

Photos when you can't be here

If you're away while I work, photos come standard with any job, in any season. I post them to a private online gallery that only you can open. For house checks, every visit gets added, so you build a dated record of your property over time. If you'd rather not have photos, just say so.

How I work

• Attention to detail. I treat every home as if it were my own.
• The right product for the job. My background in biology and chemistry shapes how I choose products. I check that a product is compatible with the existing finish, still within its shelf life, and used the way the manufacturer specifies. I am mostly familiar with Benjamin Moore, Sashco, Sikkens (now ProLuxe), Sansin and Cabot products but can learn anything. I'm happy to apply your preferred product or consult with you on something different.
• Fitting the building, not just the label. Very porous logs may need an extra clear coat, for example. If there is any uncertainty, I test colors and finishes before I commit.
• Honest advice, even when it means less work for me. For example, I usually advise against painting overhead garage doors, because paint fails in the moving joints.
• Respect for your property. I mask carefully, watch for overspray, protect landscaping and gutters, and rent a lift only when necessary.
• Fully insured.

How I charge

I typically charge for time and materials: $70 per hour for the time I spend working, plus the materials your job needs, plus a trip fee for each visit. I'll give you an estimate before I start, so you know what to expect. Here's why I think this is the fairest and most transparent way to work:

• You pay for the work, not a padded guess. A fixed bid has to include a cushion for surprises, and you pay that cushion whether or not anything goes wrong. With time and materials, when a job goes smoothly, you keep the savings.
• No reason to cut corners. I don't make more by quietly using cheaper materials than I bid, or by rushing to finish early. I use good products and take the time the job needs.
• Problems get dealt with, not hidden. If I find rot, a failing finish, or something else that needs attention, I tell you and we decide together. A fixed price can tempt a contractor to overlook problems to protect their margin.
• I only get paid when I'm working. No markup for overhead or downtime hidden in a bid. You see the hours and the materials.
• A trip fee that's simple and fair. It covers my driving time at my hourly rate, plus the round-trip miles at the current IRS business mileage rate.

Have a project in mind, or need someone to keep an eye on your place while you're gone? Maybe just a quick question?