Kingston is the oldest and most densely populated suburb in Canberra, and at the 2021 census 90.5% of its homes were apartments. We handle the work that comes with that: sliders and locks, shelving and TV mounts that hold, patching and painting, and end-of-lease repairs. Free quote. Fixed price. No surprises on the invoice.
Kingston was established in 1922 and gazetted on 20 September 1928, named after Charles Cameron Kingston. It started as workers' housing near the Kingston Powerhouse, which went up in 1915 as the first permanent public building in Canberra, and the heritage precinct from 1926 and 1927 is still standing. Around that core the suburb has been rebuilt hard, first as medium-density townhouses and units, then as the Foreshore apartments along the lake.
The result is a suburb of 6,579 people at the 2021 census packed in at about 5,022 residents per square kilometre, where 90.5% of homes are apartments and only 3.0% are separate houses. That changes the work. Instead of gutters and fences, most jobs here are inside a lot: fixings into walls that vary from solid masonry to plasterboard, sliding doors on worn rollers, patching and repainting between tenants, and storage fitted into rooms with no spare space.
There is a rule that catches people out. Inside your own lot you can generally get on with it. The balcony, the external walls, the windows in many schemes and anything shared are common property, and the body corporate decides. Our team will tell you which side of that line your job sits on before we start, not after.
The jobs we handle for apartments, townhouses and the older houses in Kingston. If yours is not listed, call and ask.
Nine out of ten homes in Kingston are apartments, so this is the bulk of our work here. Shelving and brackets fixed into something that will actually hold, blinds and curtain rails, cupboard doors realigned, hardware swapped, silicone redone. Work inside your own lot is straightforward, and we say so early if a job crosses onto common property.
Balcony sliders in the Foreshore buildings run hard after a few years of grit in the track, and internal doors drop on their hinges. We clean and replace rollers, realign tracks, adjust hinges, and fit handles, strikers and deadbolts on the doors you are allowed to change.
Small rooms show every bad edge, so preparation matters more here than on a big open plan. We fill anchor holes and dents, sand back, cut in properly and leave the floor protection down until the job is finished.
Apartment walls run from solid masonry to stud and plasterboard, sometimes in the same room. We check what is behind the lining before drilling, use the right anchor for it, and assemble and level wardrobes, beds, desks and storage. Packaging leaves with us.
Kingston turns over tenants steadily. Anchor holes filled, scuffs patched, doors that will not latch adjusted, loose fittings tightened, exit-report items cleared in one visit so the bond is not held up over a list of small things.
A lot of Kingston stock is owned by people who do not live in it. Send us the condition report or the agent list and we quote the whole thing, attend once, and send one invoice with the work photographed.
Built-in shelving, cupboard carcasses, skirting and architraves, and repairs to the original joinery in the older heritage flats around the powerhouse end of the suburb. Handyman carpentry, done to match what is already there.
A dripping tap washer, a fly screen with a tear, a light fitting swap, a sticking window, a mirror that needs hanging straight. Tell us the whole list when you call and our team knocks it over in one go.
Kingston sits between the lake and Griffith, with Manuka a few minutes west, Narrabundah to the south and Forrest across Canberra Avenue. We cover the whole of Inner South Canberra and out to Deakin, so if you are in a neighbouring street we are already working nearby.
Kingston runs from the heritage streets near the old powerhouse down to the Foreshore apartments on the lake, with Manuka and Griffith immediately west. Our Torrens base is a short run across the Woden Valley.
More about the area: Kingston on Wikipedia
Real jobs across Canberra's inner south and the Woden Valley.
"I had my doors broken and kitchen drawers malfunctioning. From start to finish, the service was professional, reliable, and genuinely friendly. He was on time, understood exactly what needed to be done, and completed the job with great attention to detail."
"The handyman (Steve) knows very well his job and can do it in no time, he saved me a lot of money, his my number one call if i need anything to fix"
"I can't say enough about the outstanding service from Steve, he did a great job with the wall patching all the holes and painting it."
"I was impressed with the quick and efficient service provided by Polytechnitis, Steve the handyman was very good and completed the job to a high standard and I would highly recommend his services, good price as well and on time."
"Steve flattened my yard and placed pavers on top he also gave me a recommendation for good and affordable electricians"
"My roof was leaking Steve fixed the leak in no time and he didnt charge much"
Yes, and it is most of what we do here. At the 2021 census 90.5% of Kingston homes were flats, units or apartments and only 3.0% were separate houses. Shelving, TV mounting, blinds, doors, cupboards, patching and painting inside your own lot are all standard jobs for us.
That is a body corporate decision, not ours or yours alone. Balconies, external walls, windows in some schemes, corridors and anything structural usually need strata approval before a tradesperson touches them. We will tell you when a job falls into that category so you can get it approved first rather than have it stopped halfway.
Usually yes. Most stiff sliders are worn rollers, a track packed with grit, or an adjustment that has dropped out of square, all of which we handle. If the frame itself has failed or the door is part of the building fabric under strata control, we will say so and tell you who needs to be involved.
Most jobs in the Canberra metro area, including Kingston and the Foreshore, are priced between $150 and $180 depending on scope and complexity. We quote a fixed price before booking anything in. Tell us what you need and we'll give you a number, no obligation.
Yes, for both. Filling anchor holes, patching scuffs, adjusting doors and clearing the exit-report list is routine work in a suburb with this much rental stock. Book it before the final inspection rather than after.
It is tight, particularly around the Foreshore and near the Old Bus Depot Markets on a Sunday. It does not change your price. If your building has a visitor bay or a loading zone we can use, let us know when you book and it makes the visit quicker.
Yes. Public liability cover on every job, and we hold an ACT Working with Vulnerable People registration. Many buildings ask for a certificate of currency before work starts, and we can send ours through.
Apartment, townhouse or house. We're insured, we quote fixed prices, and we tell you upfront if strata needs to sign off.
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