Who is a carpenter and what do they do?

Carpenters are skilled craftsmen who build things out of wood. Depending on what the carpenter builds, they may be referred to by various names. A framer is a carpenter who puts up the framing on a house. A trim or finish carpenter installs the finishing touches of prefabricated or custom trim and detail work once a house has been built and the walls are up. A furniture maker or woodworker builds furniture — such as tables, beds and dressers — out of wood. A cabinetmaker is a carpenter who builds custom and semi-custom wood cabinets. If you’re having a home built or remodeled, your general contractor will either provide or subcontract the carpentry work for the framing, cabinets and trim. You can hire a carpenter directly to update the trim in your home, build you a piece of custom furniture, or repair or replace your wood cabinets.

Do carpenters build houses?

Carpenters are trained to work with wood. That means that any part of your home that is built of wood is very likely to involve a carpenter. Framing carpenters will put up the wood that makes up the bones of your home. If you’re having a wood floor installed, it may be done by a carpenter — although being a carpenter is not a requirement to install flooring. Trim, baseboards, wainscoting and any other detail work is typically installed by a finish carpenter. The wood boxes of custom cabinets will be built and installed by a carpenter.

Although all of these components in your new or remodeled home are built by carpenters who specialize in building things with wood, a general contractor typically oversees construction of the entire house. If the general contractor is also a carpenter skilled in all these areas, they may well construct your entire home. More often, the general contractor subcontracts out the various building stages to different individuals, including carpenters.

Paul F.

Verified review

I needed someone experienced with light switches and wiring to help me figure out how to connect a porch light switch. The wires were in the wall, but I wasn't sure which ones they were. Someone had instead installed a pair of switches for a fan/overhead light. He figured it out, which was great. He even went to the hardware store and picked up a switch. However, it didn't match the color of the other switch next to it, and he didn't seem willing to go again and get one to match. Communication seemed to be the issue, not his knowledge. So, four stars for doing the most important part of the job I needed, but one star off because, for the amount I paid, I'd really have liked it if he'd realized they should match, gotten two switches of the same color, and hooked them up. I had to make two trips to the hardware store to get the right switches, a time consuming process.

Pam C.

Christian pricing very competitive. Extremely easy & competent to work with. Arrived on time with everything to do the job. Very professional and my home looks brand new. Had entire house including balcony, patio, fencing and front porch pressure washed. Was a big job and done beautifully. Would hire again in a heartbeat.

Lynn H.

We hired A & C Innovative Contractors to take down an old fence, haul it away, and build a new fence for us. It was a small run of fence, less than 30 feet, but on a part of our yard that was uneven, with a somewhat uncertain property line. We picked a fence design we liked from the internet; John Chambers of A & C came out, and talked about our project with us, and got back to us with a quote. He also quoted on replacing some porch railing for us, and we hired the company to do both. It was a two day project. Day one, John came out with his team and went over the details with them. At that time, and when he came out initially, what impressed us about John was he had good suggestions for our project, he listened to us, and we felt we were in good hands. His employees did a nice job on what was essentially a custom fence job, and were careful to check with us on such things as the property line. The end result is we have a very nice new run of fencing, and were quite satisfied with the service we received. John was on time, followed through, helped us when there were a couple of small issues to resolve, and we can recommend the services of A & C.

Alison C.

I posted on Thumbtack about a light fixture I needed hung and a switch installed on my front porch. Dan got back to me immediately and was at my house literally two days later. He arrived 25 minutes EARLY and did a clean and seamless installation of the switch, along with hanging the fixture perfectly. He also picked up some bulbs from the local store to test the fixture for us. I am so used to people never calling back, showing up late or not at all and charging for wasted time that someone like Dan is an anomaly! I am going to hire him for all of our future electrical needs and definitely recommend him!!

Kelly M.

Richard and crew got our porch fixed in no time. They came out less than a week after we got the bid and were really flexible with our work schedules. The porch roof no longer leaks and our deck has been cleaned and treated - driveway got cleaned, too. We'll be working with them again soon, I'm sure!

Amy H.

Lino did an excellent job power washing and painting my front porch. He was very responsive, communicated with me about when he would be there, and did a thorough job. I would definitely hire him again.

Michelle B.

Victor repaired our porch, and it's amazing! He was easy to work with, fast, and reasonably priced. He was responsive and professional, and I've already recommended his company to friends.

Randy P.

ABC built a very large covered porch for us. Travis suggested stamping and coloring the concrete and we couldn't be happier! We now enjoy a patio that looks like a marbled color of slate. It's gorgeous and we thank ABC for a great job and competitive price.

Mark K.

We hired John to remodel our kitchen, porch, master bed & bath. Our experience was great, everything went according to plan and we stayed within our budget. We absolutely love our new home, thanks again!

Cydney F.

Awesome guys. They gave me a quick quote, tore down my old dangerous porch stairs, and built the new ones. Came in slightly under what I thought it would cost, and were gracious, communicative, and professional. Looking forward to hiring them for future clients.

Eric S.

Tim and his guys replaced our front stairs and small front porch, sanded and stained the handrails, power washed the back deck and back stairs and applied penetrating oil to all the stairs and both decks. We are very happy with the workmanship, and Tim is a pleasure to deal with. All of the work was performed per the agreed-upon schedule, at the agreed price. He and his crew are punctual and neat. When they were done, the only thing they left behind was a fine job.

Kate G.

Geoff was great. Estimates were accurate and honest. The work was finished in a timely manner. Easy to communicate with when there were options to consider about my porch. Very knowledgeable and when we found surprises (wood rot!!), provided several alternatives for a range of prices. Flexible and accommodated my reuse/repurpose ethic. I will work with Geoff and his team again for sure and on bigger projects as well.

Jenn C.

Sector 5 Pro did a great job raising up and stabilizing the sinking end of our 107 y/o home's enclosed back porch. It only took them two half-days to complete, the cost was reasonable, they answered my questions professionally, and the crew was nice and didn't leave any trash or debris around. The porch looks great, is back to its intended form, and it's not sinking anymore I'd hire them again certainly.

David F.

AQB did a small master bath remodel project for me. They did a great job on this project and I will certainly look to AQB for any future work I have on my house. As well, I would recommend AQB to others.

Deane M.

I hired Upwards Construction to rebuild my front porch. David and his team are professional and easy to communicate with. He provided me with several choices in his bid and built exactly what I wanted. My new porch is beautiful.

Wanda C.

Jim and Paul Meyers are brothers and it is a family business. They do all the work themselves and their craftsmanship is excellent. The wood they used was top quality. Jim and Paul were great at listening to my idea and making it happen. They will give you suggestions but never try to force you into anything. I was really nervous about hiring someone. A large deck and front porch is an expensive project. I had 6 different contractors come out, including a family friend. So glad I chose Jim and Paul. I will be using them again for a project this summer.

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