Handyman in The Rims, Billings
The Rimrocks are the defining feature of Billings, a wall of tan Eagle Sandstone cliffs that rises several hundred feet above the city and runs for miles along its northern edge. The neighborhoods we call the Rims are the ones that live right against that wall: the residential streets between the base of the cliffs and Rimrock Road, the curving hillside lanes near Rocky Mountain College and Poly Drive, and the scattered homes up on top along the plateau near the airport. Many of the houses below the cliffs date from the 1950s through the 1970s, built for families who wanted the view and the quiet, and they range from brick ranches with walk-out basements to rambling split-levels and custom homes set into the slope. Newer houses have filled in sites closer to the west end of the cliffs and up on top. What they share is terrain. Lots slope, driveways climb, retaining walls hold the yards in place, and the cliff face shades some houses for part of the winter while sending wind and runoff down onto them in other seasons.
Rimrock Road runs along the foot of the cliffs and serves as the main artery for these neighborhoods, with Zimmerman Trail switchbacking up the face of the Rims at the west end and North 27th Street climbing to Billings Logan International Airport in the middle. The Billings Bench Water Association canal, known locally as the Big Ditch, curves along the base of the cliffs, and the walking paths beside it are a favorite for neighbors. Rocky Mountain College sits close by, and up on top, Swords Park and the Black Otter Trail look out across the whole Yellowstone Valley to the Beartooths and the Pryors on a clear day. Rockfall is a real part of living here; sections of the cliff shed boulders after freeze-thaw cycles, and Zimmerman Trail has been closed at times for rockfall work. Deer wander yards from the cliff base, and the sunsets reflecting off the sandstone are why many people chose these streets in the first place.
ZIP codes we cover in The Rims: 59102, 59106
What The Rims neighbors book most
- Gutter Cleaning & Repair
- Door Repair & Adjustment
- Drywall Repair
- Pressure Washing
- Light Fixture Installation
- Seasonal Home Maintenance
Jobs we handle a lot around The Rims
Along the Rims, we spend a lot of time on water and wind. Gutters overflow during summer downpours off the cliffs and fill with pine needles and leaves from mature yard trees, so we clean them, re-hang sagging runs and add extensions that carry water down the slope. Decks and stairs on walk-out lower levels get re-secured railings, replaced boards and a pressure wash before resealing. Inside, the shifting of hillside houses shows up as cracked drywall along stair walls and over sliding doors, and as doors that drift out of plumb; we repair both so they stay put. View homes often have tall windows and vaulted rooms where we hang fans and fixtures from tall ladders, with our licensed electricians handling the connections. Storm cleanup after hail is also common up here, since the cliff edge sits right where many thunderstorms first build.
Questions we hear in The Rims
My house below the Rims gets a lot of water coming down the hill. What can you do?
Snowmelt and summer cloudbursts run straight off the sandstone and down the slope, and houses at the base of the cliffs feel it first. We clean and re-pitch gutters so they can carry heavy bursts, add or upgrade downspout extensions and splash blocks, and point out where the grading or a clogged swale is steering water toward your foundation. For bigger drainage changes like a French drain or regrading, we'll tell you plainly so you can bring in an excavation pro.
Can you work on a steep or terraced lot?
Yes. Sloped lots along the Rims are routine for us. We use ladder levelers and stabilizers on uneven ground, set up planks on terraced yards, and carry tools by hand where a truck can't reach. For two-story walls on the downhill side of a walk-out, we use taller ladders with proper standoffs so we're never leaning against gutters or siding.
Can you hang a ceiling fan in a vaulted living room with a big view window?
Yes. Vaulted ceilings are common in Rims homes built for the view. We use a sloped-ceiling adapter or a longer downrod so the fan hangs level and clears the blades from the slope, confirm the box is anchored to framing that can handle a fan's movement, and work from tall ladders or scaffold planks when the peak is high. Our licensed electricians make the connections and can add a remote or wall control if the old switch only ran a light.
A small rock rolled into my yard from the cliff. Should I worry?
Small rocks loosened by freeze-thaw are a fact of life right at the base of the Rims, but anything larger, or any rock that hit a fence, deck or wall, is worth reporting. We can repair fence sections, deck boards and gutters that took a hit, and photograph the damage for your insurance. For questions about the stability of the cliff itself, the city and county have engineers who assess rockfall risk, and they're the right people to call.
Everything we offer in The Rims
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