Handyman work at the Beaches, where salt gets into everything.

Salt reaches the fixings years before the wood goes

A fence east of the Intracoastal fails at the screws and hinges long before the boards give up. Same for gate latches, deck fasteners and screen frames. Replacing the hardware is usually a repair, not a rebuild, if you catch it in time.

• Screen enclosures and lanaisRe-screening, frame corners and door rollers, the first things the wind finds.
• Storm panels, labelled onceWe number them by opening the first time, so every season after is quick.
• Decks and boardwalksBoards and railings that have gone soft where sand and water sit.
• Exterior hardwareHinges, latches and fasteners swapped for something that survives the air.