Handyman in Lake Las Vegas

Lake Las Vegas took decades to come together. J. Carlton Adair began acquiring the land in 1965, ownership changed hands several times, and in 1991, after the state engineer's final inspection of the dam, water from Lake Mead began flowing in through a pipeline from the World War II era. The lake covers about 320 acres, with roughly 3,600 acres of development around it. Working as a handyman in Lake Las Vegas means working in a resort setting where builders are still adding homes.

The developer, Lake at Las Vegas Joint Venture, filed for Chapter 11 in July 2008, and the property emerged in July 2010. Today the community includes the Tuscan-inspired MonteLago Village, the Hilton Lake Las Vegas resort, Reflection Bay Golf Club, a Jack Nicklaus design, and SouthShore Country Club. Builders listed by the community include Lennar, Toll Brothers, Del Webb, Taylor Morrison, Richmond and Beazer.

If your house has stone tile, natural-stone counters or smooth plaster-look walls, small repairs take more care than in a standard tract home. Stone needs the right setting materials and sealer, cracked pieces have to come out without damaging their neighbors, and a patch on a smooth wall has to be feathered wide so it does not show in raking light.

Very hard water is as tough here as anywhere in the valley, and frameless glass shows every spot. Fresh caulk, sealed grout and new faucet cartridges keep an upscale bathroom from aging early. When the room needs more, we take on the full shower or bathroom remodel.

If you spend part of the year away, small problems can sit for weeks. Call before you are back and we can work through the list: a sticking slider, a dripping valve, a dead light fixture, a wobbling fan.

Check with the Lake Las Vegas Master Association and any neighborhood association before changing exterior paint, doors or lighting. In gated neighborhoods, put our names on the visitor list.