Handyman in MacDonald Ranch

MacDonald Ranch is less a single neighborhood than a cluster of communities in the foothills of south-central Henderson. The city's master plan map lists Sun City MacDonald Ranch, Sunridge at MacDonald Ranch, The Canyons at MacDonald Ranch and MacDonald Highlands as separate plans. A handyman in MacDonald Ranch can go from a 55-plus villa to a custom home in the same afternoon.

Sun City MacDonald Ranch is Del Webb's 55-plus community here, built from 1996 to 2001, with 2,513 homes: 2,131 single-family houses and 382 duplexes. It has its own par-60 Desert Willow golf course and clubhouse. MacDonald Highlands, developed by Rich MacDonald from the late 1990s, is guard-gated and built around DragonRidge Country Club, whose course opened in 2000.

These homes are now about 25 to 30 years old. In a 55-plus community that age shows up two ways. Fixtures, flooring and paint are due for replacement, and bathrooms and hallways often need to work better for the people living in them now.

A shower remodel that swaps a tub for a low-entry shower with a bench and grab bars is the bigger project. Smaller steps help too: lever faucets, a comfort-height toilet, brighter lighting in halls and closets, and doors rehung to swing clear of a walker. Each of those can be done on its own, without opening up the whole bathroom.

Highlands homes are custom designs on elevated lots, and finishes vary from house to house. Fixing one usually starts with finding a match: the same tile or stone, the same fixture finish, or a drywall patch blended into a smooth or specialty wall so it vanishes under paint. Where a house has a double-height entry or great room, scaffolding comes along when a chandelier or fan needs work.

Because the Highlands is guard-gated, add us and any delivery to the gate list for the day. Exterior changes answer to the community's design standards, so get approval before paint, doors or outdoor lighting. The Foothills at MacDonald Ranch has its own master association too.