Littlerock, CA

Littlerock sits east of us along the Pearblossom Highway, in what is still recognisably orchard country. The fruit stands on the highway are not a nostalgia act; this was and partly still is agricultural land, and the properties reflect that.

More buildings than house

A parcel out here often carries more than a home. Detached garages, workshops, barns, tack rooms, pump houses and the shed that was put up thirty years ago and never quite finished. Those buildings are where a lot of the actual work is, and they are the part a general contractor is least interested in and a handyman is most useful for.

They also age differently from a house. Outbuildings tend to have simpler construction, less insulation and doors that take a beating, so hardware, framing repairs, siding and paint come round more often than they would indoors.

What rural changes

Larger parcels mean fixtures and lines that run further, more exposed timber, and gates and fencing that see real use. Where a property is on a well and a septic system rather than town services, some of what needs doing sits with a specialist rather than with us, and we would rather say so at the point of the phone call than after driving out.

It is a longer run from Palmdale than the towns nearer the freeway, which is worth knowing when you are deciding whether to wait and gather up a few jobs into one visit.