HANDYMAN · ESSEX · HANGING
Picture, Mirror, Curtain and Shelf Hanging across Essex
Whether something hangs safely in an Essex home is decided by the wall behind it: solid brick in the Southend and Colchester terraces, dot-and-dab plasterboard across the Beaulieu Park and Basildon estates, and lath-and-plaster in the cottages around Maldon and Saffron Walden all hold a fixing differently, and each needs a different anchor.
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- Since 2019
Why Essex customers book us
Wall read before the first hole
Brick, block, dot-and-dab, stud or lath is identified first, because the anchor that carries a heavy mirror on brick will pull straight out of plasterboard.
Cables and pipes detected
A detector goes over the fixing line before drilling. New-town wiring runs are rarely where you expect them and a drilled cable is an expensive afternoon.
Level checked, not eyeballed
Poles, shelves and picture groups are set with a level and measured off the ceiling as well as the floor, because Essex period floors rarely agree with the ceiling above them.
Load judged honestly
If we do not think the wall will safely hold what you want on it, we say so and suggest another position instead of fitting it and hoping.
What hanging includes
Pictures and mirrors
- Single pieces, heavy framed mirrors and multi-piece gallery walls set out before anything is fixed
- Hanging hardware matched to weight — from picture hooks to load-rated cavity anchors and masonry fixings
- Positions marked, checked with you, then drilled
- Frames levelled and, where useful, bumpered so they stop drifting
Curtain poles and blinds
- Poles and tracks fitted to brick, timber lintels or plasterboard with the correct fixing for each
- Roller, Venetian, vertical and Roman blinds fitted inside or outside the reveal
- Bay windows measured and set out so the runs meet properly at the corners
- Brackets spaced so long runs do not sag under lined curtains
Shelves
- Floating shelves, bracketed shelves and alcove runs fitted level and solid
- Alcove shelves scribed where old Essex plaster leans away from square
- Fixings chosen for the intended load — books and records need more than ornaments
- Everything tested with weight before we leave, and dust cleared up
Hanging prices in Essex
Every figure below is a fixed price for the whole job, confirmed in writing before you book — not an hourly rate and not an estimate.
| Job | From | What it covers | Typical duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Handyman hourly rate | £35 per hour | Min. 1 hr, then billed in 30-min blocks | 1–4 hours |
| Shelving & picture hanging | £45 | First hour, any wall type | 1–4 hours |
| Half day (up to 4 hrs) | £125 | Best value for a job list | 1–4 hours |
Hanging is charged by the hour with a one-hour minimum, then in 30-minute blocks; several rooms of pictures, poles and shelves in one visit are usually better value as a half day, and we say so when you book.
How booking works
- 1
Send a photo of the wall and the items
A picture of the wall and of what is going on it is usually enough to judge the wall type and the anchors needed before the visit.
- 2
Set out and agree positions
Everything is marked up and checked with you on the day. Gallery walls are laid out on the floor first so the arrangement is agreed before a hole exists.
- 3
Fix, level and test
Cables and pipes are detected, the anchors go in, everything is levelled and load-tested, and the dust is cleared before we go.
Reviews for Handyman Services across the UK
4.5 ★ from 3,131 Trustpilot reviewsBest Handy-Man Sulltan came over to assemble a library, took much less time then I had expected; he was polite and on time and I was really happy with the results. the shelves are really sturdy they're holding up alot of my university anthologies and research. So i am really impressed!
I have recently had a lot of work done in my small flat which has left it grubby and, following surgery, I haven't been able to clean up myself. I booked a deep clean and a carpet shampoo. The team arrived as scheduled and started work, room by room. They were friendly, efficient and considerate.… Read in full →
I booked online last minute, as I needed a handyman urgently for the next day. When I called Hello Services, I spoke to Michelle and she was extremely helpful and arranged everything within 15 mins. Adam the handy man then came to fix my wardrobe sliding door, which were jammed and came off the ledge… Read in full →
Read all 60 Handyman Services reviews →
Quoted verbatim from reviews customers left on our public Google and Trustpilot profiles. Nothing is edited, shortened beyond the link above, or written by us.
Towns we cover in Essex
Same fixed prices countywide. Towns with their own hanging page link straight to it; the rest link to the town hub, where every division we run is listed.
- ChelmsfordHanging page
- Southend-on-SeaHanging page
- ColchesterHanging page
- BasildonHanging page
- HarlowHanging page
- Benfleet & Canvey IslandHanging page
- GraysHanging page
- Clacton-on-SeaHanging page
- BrentwoodHanging page
- BraintreeHanging page
- Stanford-le-Hope & CorringhamHanging page
- WickfordHanging page
- LoughtonHanging page
- RayleighHanging page
- BillericayHanging page
- WithamHanging page
- Waltham AbbeyHanging page
- South OckendonHanging page
- Hockley & HawkwellHanging page
- South Woodham FerrersHanging page
- Harwich & DovercourtHanging page
- Saffron WaldenHanging page
- MaldonHanging page
- Frinton & WaltonHanging page
- ChigwellHanging page
- TilburyHanging page
- EppingHanging page
- HalsteadHanging page
- Buckhurst HillHanging page
- TiptreeHanging page
- Great DunmowHanging page
- RochfordHanging page
- BrightlingseaHanging page
- Burnham-on-CrouchHanging page
- WivenhoeHanging page
- West MerseaHanging page
- Stansted MountfitchetHanging page
- HullbridgeHanging page
- Chipping OngarHanging page
- DanburyHanging page
- Manningtree & LawfordHanging page
- Great WakeringHanging page
- North Weald BassettHanging page
- IngatestoneHanging page
- WrittleHanging page
- Hatfield PeverelHanging page
- CoggeshallHanging page
- Sible HedinghamHanging page
Hanging in Essex
Essex housing stock is unusually mixed for a single county, and hanging work feels it. The Victorian and Edwardian terraces of Southend-on-Sea, Colchester and Clacton are largely solid brick, which takes a heavy mirror or a loaded alcove shelf well once the right masonry plug is used. The newer estates around Chelmsford's Beaulieu Park, Basildon and Harlow are typically dot-and-dab plasterboard over blockwork, where there is a void behind the board — a standard plug spins uselessly in the cavity, so the fixing has to reach the block behind or use a load-rated cavity anchor sized for the weight.
The county's older cottages and converted farm buildings around Maldon, Saffron Walden, Coggeshall and the Dengie villages often have lath-and-plaster walls, which crack if drilled carelessly and hold very little on their own; there the honest answer is usually to find the timber behind. Coastal properties at Frinton, Walton and West Mersea add another wrinkle — salt-air damp in exterior-facing walls means stainless or coated fixings last where plain steel stains through the plaster within a year.
Other handyman services across Essex
- IKEA Furniture Assembly in Essex
- Flat-Pack Assembly in Essex
- TV Wall Mounting in Essex
- Bed Assembly in Essex
- Shelf Installation in Essex
- Blinds & Curtain Fitting in Essex
- Carpet Fitting in Essex
- Furniture Assembly in Essex
- TV Wall Mounting in Essex
Looking for a different division? See everything we do in Essex.
Hanging in Essex — your questions.
Can you hang a heavy mirror on a plasterboard wall?
Usually yes, but not with an ordinary plug. We find the stud or the block behind the dot-and-dab where we can, and use load-rated cavity anchors where we cannot. If the weight is beyond what the wall will safely take, we tell you rather than fit it.
Do you fit curtain poles in bay windows?
Yes. Bays are measured and set out so the runs meet cleanly at the angles, with brackets spaced to stop long lined curtains sagging in the middle.
Is this the same as TV wall mounting?
No — TV mounting is a separate service because it involves a weight-rated bracket, the TV's own fixing pattern and a cable route. Hanging covers pictures, mirrors, poles, blinds and shelves.
Will you make good the wall afterwards?
We clear the dust and leave the job tidy, and we can plug an old hole. Filling and repainting a wall is decorating work and is not part of this service.
Can several rooms be done in one visit?
That is the usual booking. A house full of pictures, a couple of poles and an alcove shelf run generally fits a half day, which works out better than stacking separate hourly visits.
Guides & read next
Practical reading before you book in Essex — costs, checklists and what a good job actually looks like.
- Handyman
Reliable handyman services: costs, jobs and how to hire
Hourly rates, half-day jobs and the questions worth asking before booking.
- Assembly
Flat-pack assembly: DIY or hire a pro?
Which builds are a two-hour job and which reliably eat a weekend.
- Assembly
IKEA assembly without the hassle
Wardrobes, beds and kitchen units built and levelled the same day.
Book hanging in Essex
Pick a slot online, or send us the details and we will come back with a fixed price.
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