North Woods Handyman

Lavern Hershberger • 920-578-0011
W5366 Willow Ln., Shawano

If there is a need he believes he can do, Lavern Hershberger is adding to the offerings of his company, North Woods Handyman.
Since he began in mid-March, he has expanded offerings from interior and exterior remodeling and patio roofs to include concrete work to brush and tree removal and is adding more as he meets with customers and assesses their needs. His main jobs are remodels, decks, repairs and custom building. On a recent afternoon he was enclosing a loafing shed on his parents’ property, adding windows and preparing to put on new metal siding.
“My first jobs were indoor trim jobs and it kind of went from there. Now I’m doing deck remodels and enclosing structures and putting roofs over a lot of patios,” Hershberger said.
He also creates cedar pergolas with black hardware.
This is his second business. He used to live in southern Wisconsin, where he started out remodeling and then switched to building houses.
He prefers the smaller projects he is doing now. He does not limit himself, however.
“I’m starting to do concrete sidewalks. I do roofing, siding, trimming and indoor trim work,” Hershberger said.
Kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom remodels are also on the list along with window replacements, but he is always thinking of new offerings.
“I also want to get into yard fencing, like pet fencing and privacy fencing,” he said.
Right now, his most requested projects are decks.
“I just finished a deck over in Pulcifer. It was a 14×22 deck. That was done with a special stain,” he said, adding that he built a special lattice for it.
He can also be called on for outdoor and indoor painting.
“I specialize in two-man crew jobs,” he said. His brother Adrian will be working with him until he returns to school in the fall, and then Lavern will have another person helping.
He’s also available for brushwork and tree-clearing. Landscaping is also an option.
In late June, he was pretty booked with decks and patio roofs.
He still builds homes.
“I still do new construction, but on a smaller scale,” Hershberger said.
He gets the word out using Market Messenger ads and business cards. Depending on the project, he needs about a month to two months of lead time.
“I’m booked out six weeks in advance. July’s full and part of August. I’m hoping to fill up my winter with indoor remodels,” he said during a interview in late June.
When calls come for work, he meets with the customer to review the project and learn more about them as a person.
“I always do that with every job. I meet up with the customer to get to know them and talk about what they want done,” he said.
He likes to map out project ideas before starting.
“That way I can toss them around in my head to see the best way to do it,” he said.
Distance for work is not an issue. Recent projects have been in Suamico and Mountain, and he was looking forward to a job in Wabeno.
Starting out, he worked for his dad at Lakeshore Mini-Barns for six years and then did some concrete work and then moved south to work on houses. When he decided to come back, he sold that business.
He is pleased with the response he has received in his first three months.
Hershberger will be adding some new products, including a roof coating.
“You can save the old roof. I can go over the old roof, and they can still keep the old roof they have, but have a new look,” he said.
The roof can be about 20 years old.
He picked his company name North Woods Handyman, in recognition of being in “up north” Wisconsin.
He enjoys the variety of his work, which focuses on residential customers.
“I really hate trying to stick to one thing yet. I want to cover the basics, just get everything that the people want. I don’t care if it’s a small job or a big job; I’ll be more than happy to tackle it for them.”