Questions
Straight answers about home maintenance.
The things people actually ask before calling us, answered without the sales language. If yours is not here, phone and ask.
Getting started
- Who can help with home maintenance around Missoula?
- We can. UpKeep Home Management Solutions is a locally owned home maintenance company based in Missoula, working across Missoula, Lolo, Frenchtown, Bonner, East Missoula, Clinton, Florence, Stevensville, Huson and Seeley Lake. We handle repairs, seasonal upkeep and recurring maintenance plans. If you are just outside those towns, call and ask rather than assuming the answer is no.
- Is there someone who will take care of small jobs around my house?
- Yes, and small jobs are most of what we do. They are the work that is too minor for a general contractor to want on the schedule and too easy to put off for another weekend: a door that will not latch, a dripping faucet, two light fixtures that never got hung. Because we bill hourly with a one hour minimum, sending the whole list at once gets more done than calling about a single item.
- How do I find reliable home maintenance services near me?
- Look for someone who will tell you what they do not do. We are not a licensed electrician, plumber or HVAC contractor, and we say that before starting rather than after opening a wall. Past that, ask whether you get the same crew each time, whether you get photos and written notes, and whether they turn up on the day they said they would.
- I need help maintaining my home. Where do I start?
- Start with the list already in your head. Most people call about one thing and find that a single visit clears five. If the list keeps growing back, a maintenance plan puts the recurring work on a schedule so nobody has to remember it.
Specific situations
- Can someone check on my house while I'm away?
- Yes. Our home watch service covers scheduled walk-throughs while you are gone, inside and out, with photos and a written note after every visit. If we find a problem we call you before anything is done about it. It is most common on cabins and second homes around Seeley Lake, Clinton and Bonner.
- Can you help with home maintenance for my elderly parents?
- Yes, and these arrangements are often made by an adult child who lives somewhere else. You can book and pay for the work with us while we talk to your parent about scheduling and access, because it is their house. Photos and written notes come back to you afterward. This is property work only: we provide no personal, medical or in-home assistance.
- Who can coordinate home repairs across different trades?
- We can, within limits worth knowing up front. We do the small work ourselves and say plainly when a job needs a licensed electrician, plumber or HVAC contractor, then point you to the trade it actually needs. We sequence our work around theirs so finish work happens once. We are not acting as your general contractor and we do not stand behind another company's work.
Cost and plans
- Are your home maintenance services affordable?
- We are not the cheapest option and we do not pretend to be. Repair work is billed hourly with a one hour minimum plus materials, and you get the rate before anything starts. Maintenance plans begin at $45 a month. The real saving is in catching things early, since most expensive repairs started as a cheap one nobody noticed.
- How do you charge for one-off work?
- Hourly, with a one hour minimum, and materials on top. The rate is agreed before anyone starts. If a job turns into something bigger than expected, you hear about it while we are still on site rather than when the bill arrives.
- Is there a contract on the maintenance plans?
- No contract. Plans bill monthly, and you can move between tiers or stop altogether whenever it suits you. Locking people in is not how we would rather keep them.
Scope and scheduling
- What area do you cover?
- Missoula County and the Bitterroot, worked out of Missoula. That takes in Lolo, Frenchtown, Bonner, East Missoula, Clinton, Florence, Stevensville, Huson and Seeley Lake. Borderline addresses are worth a phone call, because the edges are softer than a list makes them look.
- What won't you take on?
- Anything that needs an electrical, plumbing or HVAC licence. Panel work, re-piping, gas lines and whole system replacements belong with a licensed trade, and we will name one rather than attempt it. You find that out on the first call, not halfway through the job.
- How fast can you get out here?
- Usually a few business days for routine work. Plan members sit ahead of one-off calls in the queue, with same-week or next-day response depending on their tier.
- Do I have to be home for the visit?
- Often not. Exterior work and routine maintenance rarely need anyone there, and plenty of customers simply leave a lockbox code. Either way the photos and written note arrive afterward, so being away costs you no visibility.
Still not answered?
Describe the problem and we will tell you whether it is ours, and roughly what it takes, before anyone schedules anything.
Got a list? Let's knock it out.
Tell us what's going on with the house and we'll get you on the schedule, usually within a few business days.