When you think of a carpenter the image of a man with a hammer and tool belt huddled over a work bench comes to mind. Carpenters today work on a variety of projects. If you are planning some home renovations or remodeling, finding a reputable carpenter is akin to finding gold. A carpenter can help with room additions, adding shelving and storage systems in your home, adding trim work for more elegance, enclosing a patio, replacing cabinets, and more. Carpentry is an art, and the more experienced carpenter will typically charge more than an apprentice. However, the work of an experienced carpenter can be breathtaking. When seeking a reputable carpenter also ask for references and be sure to follow up with them. Ask to see examples of previous work. The workmanship and quality will be obvious even to an inexperienced person. Remember that you usually get what you pay for. Hiring an inexperienced or inept carpet can cost you more money down the road when you have to hire someone else to repair the work. Deficient work can also be a hazard to you and your family, whether it be a room addition that caves in, or a shelf that falls down.
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Hiring the Right Carpenter for Your Remodeling Project
Many home remodeling projects require the services of a truly skilled carpenter. From re-facing an existing set of kitchen cabinets to framing an entire room extension, everything will run more smoothly and have a better outcome if you hire the right man (or woman) to do the woodworking.
Most home remodeling experts advise that the guiding rule of thumb for basic carpentry projects is to make price a major consideration when selecting a carpenter. Installing pre made cabinets or fixing a dilapidated old stair rail are jobs that most carpenters can do with ease, so there may be little difference in terms of skill level from one carpenter to another.
This is not to say that you should hire the teenager from down the block who took a few woodshop lessons this semester and is feeling adventurous (and short of money). You still need to ensure that the carpenter you hire is legitimate and experienced. In the U.S., there is no governing body for the carpentry trade, nor are there any licensing requirements. Most carpenters learn their trade by way of an apprenticeship with an experienced carpenter.
If you are the kind of person that likes to see an official piece of paper though, many carpenters belong to professional organizations such as the Associated Builders and Contractors, the Associated General Contractors or the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America but there is really no substitute for experience and reliability. Ask for references and check them out, as well as looking at samples of the carpenter’s work if possible.
For more advanced carpentry jobs, you really need to do a lot more homework. You are likely to be charged up to 40% more for a carpenter to undertake custom cabinetry or fine furniture reproduction so you need to ensure that the carpenter you choose has the stuff to get the job done in an exemplary fashion.
When your remodeling project calls for specialist carpentry like this consider utilizing the services of a referral company. These companies spend a lot of time and effort vetting the companies and contractors that they recommend to their clients, relieving them of a lot of the "legwork" involved in choosing the right carpenter for their particular remodeling project.
Once you have your list of recommended carpenters from the referral company request a personal interview with each one of them. Having a good rapport with the carpenter you choose to work on your project makes all the difference in the world, and the only way one can really determine if such a rapport will exist is to meet face to face.
Any reliable carpenter should be willing to offer you references, but do actually take the time to verify them for yourself. A simple phone call should suffice but if you can find someone willing to show you the results of the carpenter’s labor on their remodeling job, that opportunity should not be passed up. After all there is nothing quite like proof that your own eyes can see.
