Cedar Mill Property Repair does repairs and home improvement in Maplewood and Vermont Hills, in Southwest Portland, about 11-16 minutes from our base. Roughly two in three homes in the middle of Maplewood went up in 1979 or earlier, so expect us to ask its build year first.
Slava does the work, with 7 years on the tools behind him.
Where are Maplewood and Vermont Hills, and how far are they from us?
Maplewood runs west from SW 45th Avenue out to the city line, with SW Vermont Street as its top edge and SW Multnomah Boulevard along the bottom. Vermont Hills is the hilly strip along Vermont Street, where Maplewood meets Hayhurst . Depending on traffic, the drive takes us about 11-16 minutes.
April Hill Park sits inside the neighborhood, and Gabriel Park with the Southwest Community Center is just across 45th. Over the city line to the west sits Garden Home, on our Raleigh Hills page.
What are the houses like in Maplewood and Vermont Hills?
Census Bureau figures (American Community Survey 2020-2024, the tract at the centre of Maplewood) count 1,330 homes with a median build year of 1974. The 1970s built the most, 346 homes, about a quarter. The 1950s added 217, and 142 date from 1939 or before. Close to three in four are detached houses, and about four in five are lived in by their owners.
Maplewood is knolls and rolling hills, Woods Creek and Vermont Creek cut through it, and the streets wander off Portland's grid into dead ends. On a lot like that, a back deck often stands on tall posts, a fence has to step down the grade, and every downspout needs somewhere to send water other than the downhill side of the foundation .
Why do we ask what year your house was built?
In that centre tract, 65 % of homes were built in 1979 or earlier. Before quoting anything that sands, scrapes or cuts paint, we want that year. Jobs that would disturb lead paint on an older house are ones we pass on; they're listed under services we skip, and the lead paint guide explains why .
Plenty of jobs leave old paint alone: bolting from underneath, new decks and fences, gutters, mounting and small fixes .
Which services do people in Maplewood and Vermont Hills ask for?
Seismic retrofit. When a house sells, Oregon's disclosure form asks if it predates 1974 and, if so, whether it's bolted to its foundation. With 1974 as the median here, about half the homes in that tract will face the question when they sell. Seismic retrofit bolting and bracing happen from below, in the crawl space or basement . Costs are broken down in our seismic cost guide.
Decks and stairs on a slope. Rolling ground plus mostly detached houses means a lot of raised decks with long stair runs. Our wet months go after treads, stair stringers and post bases first. See deck repair, or deck building once the frame is too far gone .
Fences on uneven ground. A fence on a hill gets either stepped panels or panels racked to follow the slope, with each post set for its own height of grade. That's fence installation work; loose boards or rails can often just be repaired.
Bathrooms. A 1970s house that never had its bathroom redone has a bathroom close to 50 years old. People usually ask for a bathroom remodel or for swapping the tub for a shower; plumbing scope follows that page.
Doors and windows. Doors that swell and stick through the rainy season are a common call. Door repair usually means planing, shimming or re-hanging. Window replacement on pre-1978 houses follows the build-year rule above.
Water heater straps. Strapping a tank suits a house of any age; see water heater replacement. We replace like-for-like; new gas lines go to a gas fitter .
Gutters, rot and small jobs. On a sloped lot, a gutter that overflows dumps water toward the low side of the house. Gutter cleaning handles that, wood rot repair covers soft fascia and sills, and shelves, TV mounts and fixture swaps fall under small jobs.
What do these jobs cost in Maplewood and Vermont Hills?
Most Portland-area jobs of this kind run in these ranges (market data, November 2026). Check the last column to see if materials are included.
| Job | Range | Typical | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seismic foundation bolting, per house | $2,800-$10,000 | $5,000 | with materials |
| Earthquake preparedness bundle, per house | $400-$1,500 | $800 | labour only |
| Deck repair: joists, stairs, railings | $949-$3,605 | $2,251 | with materials |
| New deck | $10,000-$30,000 | $16,000 | with materials |
| New wood fence, about 150 ft | $1,700-$7,500 | $3,200 | with materials |
| Bathroom remodel | $7,700-$35,000 | $15,100 | with materials |
| Sticking door fixed | $150-$400 | $250 | labour only |
| Gutter cleaning | $175-$450 | $285 | labour only |
For a fair hourly figure, see our pricing, which lists the rate and minimum visit , and the hourly cost guide for the wider market. Jobs over $2,000 get a written contract; the contract guide has the details.
What should I check before hiring a handyman in Southwest Portland?
Have scope and price written down before anyone starts. Ask who handles any electrical or plumbing piece, and request pictures of similar finished jobs. Our guide on what a handyman can take on explains where the trades split.
Maplewood and Vermont Hills are inside Portland city limits, so City of Portland permit rules apply, not Washington County's. Common cases are in the permit guide.