Handyman in Billings Heights, Billings
Billings Heights sits on the high, flat ground northeast of the Rimrocks, between the cliffs and the Yellowstone River, and for most of its history it wasn't really part of Billings at all. Locals called it the Billings Bench, a stretch of irrigated farms watered by canals that carried Yellowstone water out across the plain. After World War II, returning veterans and the families of a booming oil and refining economy found cheap land up here, and houses started replacing hay fields. The city annexed much of the Heights in the 1980s, by which point it had become one of the largest residential areas in the region. Its housing reflects that path: modest postwar ranches with full basements near Main Street, a huge number of 1970s bi-levels and split-entry homes on curving streets off Wicks Lane, Bench Boulevard and Lake Elmo Drive, mobile and manufactured home neighborhoods, and newer subdivisions filling in to the north and east. Many of these houses are now forty to sixty years old and on their second or third owner, which is exactly the age when doors, windows, fixtures and fences start asking for attention all at once.
Main Street, which is also US 87, is the spine of the Heights, carrying traffic down the hill past MetraPark toward downtown and out toward Roundup in the other direction. Bench Boulevard, Wicks Lane, Lake Elmo Drive, Aronson Avenue and Hilltop Road knit the neighborhoods together. Lake Elmo State Park, a small reservoir with a swimming beach and walking path, is the Heights' favorite summer spot, and Skyview High School and the Centennial Ice Arena are the big community hubs. To the west, Airport Road climbs the face of the Rims to Billings Logan International Airport, and Swords Park and the Black Otter Trail run along the cliff edge with views across the whole valley. On the northern fringe, Alkali Creek cuts a shallow valley where custom homes from the 1950s onward sit on larger lots. The new Billings Bypass is changing how the Heights connects to Lockwood across the river, which has added traffic on Five Mile Road and the eastern edge of the neighborhood.
ZIP codes we cover in Billings Heights: 59105
What Billings Heights neighbors book most
- Door Repair & Adjustment
- Drywall Repair
- Gutter Cleaning & Repair
- Fence & Gate Repair
- Faucet & Toilet Repair
- Seasonal Home Maintenance
Jobs we handle a lot around Billings Heights
Heights jobs tend to follow the age of the houses. In postwar ranches and 1970s bi-levels we adjust and re-hang interior doors, replace worn exterior door weatherstripping, patch drywall cracks along stairwells and over the split-entry landing, replace dated faucets and toilet internals, and add ceiling fans to bedrooms. Basement family rooms get new light fixtures, TV mounts and, in older homes, repairs to paneling and drop ceilings. Outside, we clean gutters filled with leaves from mature ash and elm trees, extend downspouts so spring snowmelt drains away from basement walls, replace rotted fence posts and boards, re-hang gates, and pressure wash driveways and siding. Wind and hail come across the open bench with nothing to slow them down, so storm cleanup is a regular part of the summer.
Questions we hear in Billings Heights
Why does the door at the bottom of my bi-level stairs stick every spring?
Bi-level homes put a lot of doors close to the lower floor, where the slab and foundation walls hold cold and moisture, and Heights soils move a little as they dry out and wet up through the year. That combination twists jambs just enough to make a door rub at the top corner or miss its latch. We tighten hinges with long screws into the framing, shim and plane where needed, adjust the strike plate and seal any bare edges we plane so the wood doesn't keep moving.
Can you replace the original light fixtures and fans in my 1970s Heights house?
Yes. Many Heights homes still have their original ceiling lights, and plenty of bedrooms never had a fan. We check that the ceiling box is rated for the weight and movement of a fan, replace it with a fan-rated box when it isn't, and hang the new fixture so it sits flush and runs quiet. Our licensed electricians handle the wiring connections, including adding a wall control where the old switch only ran a light.
My basement gets damp every spring when the snow melts. Is that something you can help with?
Often the cause is simpler than it looks. In the Heights, short or disconnected downspouts dump snowmelt right against the foundation, and flat or settled ground lets it sit there. We clean the gutters, add extensions or splash blocks to move water several feet out, and point out low spots where the grade slopes toward the house. If water is coming through cracks in the wall itself, we'll tell you so you can call a foundation or waterproofing specialist.
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