How to hire a carpenter

The most important part of your home repair or construction project is to hire a professional carpenter. Working with the right team will make or break a project, and influence the budget's requirements. And how do you employ the right carpenter to make the refurbishment, build a deck or even a pergola? 

If you hire a carpenter you place a lot of trust in them. You can be sure they'll be on track. You trust them to complete the work. More importantly, you have faith in giving them your home. 

You are doing more than simply testing qualifications as you do your diligence and employ a top class carpenter. You are checking that your house is in safe hands.

What jobs does a carpenter do?

• Installing new skirts, or changing existing ones 
• Construction or maintenance of walls for retaining wood 
• Carrying out work on timber floors and roofing 
• Create wardrobes and other built-in / custom furniture
• Replace broken wooden furniture  
• Installation and restoration or removal of existing windows and doors 
• Building, construction or restoration of display cases, shelves, kitchen benches
• Construction or replacement of timber walls
• Building or renovation of a wooden roof, a pergola, a pool, or a carport 
• Construction or restoration of stairways, balustrades and handrails in timber
• Timber building frames to be erected

You can always hire a handyman to do the small odd jobs instead of a carpenter.

Here are a few questions that you should ask yourself before you hire your next service provider:

What to look at before hiring a carpenter?

Before settling on the best carpentry firm for your project, it is also prudent to get several quotations from a few carpenters, search their online feedback from past clients, and explicitly list your project priorities and convey them.

Why to hire a professional?

When choosing a professional carpenter, acquaint yourself with their qualifications. A successful candidate will be trained and have useful experience in their industry. The person you should also have references for you to check.

If you need a carpenter consider asking for a recommendation from your local builder. Take the same approach for other trades, suppliers and contractors do not want to be affiliated with carpenters or builders who are not doing well, so they generally recommend only those who can be counted on.

Do they have Licences?

Almost all Australian states or territories need a trade-specific license for carpenters, but others do so according to their local licencing authorities. For some states carpenters are also allowed to hold a builders licence.

Do they provide Insurance? 

Have an honest discussion about their insurance with the prospective carpenter. Be sure you both are informed about the procedure in case you are not happy with the outcome. 

The best carpenters should be straightforward with their insurance policies and the process for grievances. If this is not being discussed by the carpenter, they should be avoided.

Should you sign a Contract?

Make the contract before you hand out some cash. Ensure it is all covered – start and end time, detailed job description, and detailed content description. These factors are all really important for getting a precise quote and making sure you don't get ripped off. As a client, you are entitled to know exactly what the carpenter is undertaking, how long it will take and how much the job will cost. A good way to get an estimate of your jobs price is to get several quotes from different carpenters in your area. Indeed, you are not expected to learn about every detail of the process, however, it’s always good practice to be largely aware of what is to be undertaken. Above all, ensure if the carpenter agrees on all that is quoted.

Why you should get multiple quotes? 

The best business for the job is not always the one with the cheapest quote. It is wise to do some online research into several carpentry businesses before choosing the right one for you and your project. It is also recommended to check license, insurance and meet the carpenter in person before hiring them for the job. It is important to choose the right business for your needs.

Service.com.au provides thousands of users with various businesses from interior design to carpentry and plumbing. Simply search for tradesmen in your area and select the business that best suits your needs. 

Should you consider references or research yourself?

Never rely on virtual reviews completely. You should verify reviews before making a move. Some service providers have the freedom to post fake testimonies and reviews. Luckily, there are several ways to discover if a review is authentic or not. Go to their Facebook reviews or similar sites and check that the review is from a legitimate person. These sources will help you analyze the service professional better.

Service.com.au provides thousands of users with various businesses from interior design to carpentry and plumbing. Simply search for tradesmen in your area and select the business that best suits your needs. 

If you're needing help finding a carpenter for your latest project, click the link below to receive multiple quotes from professional service providers.