If you need any woodwork projects undertaken around your home, you’re going to be looking for a carpenter or a joiner.

Carpentery uses a mixture of traditional woodworking tools and techniques, along with more modern power tools.

Carpenters will building and fit wooden fixtures in residential and commercial properties, included in this are stairs, window frames, doors and roof structures. They can also produce items of furniture such as chests, cupboards, wardrobes and cabinets.

There are specific types of carpenter / joiners, and the whilst many will cover a wide range of woodwork needs, they may specialise in one of the following areas.

Rough Carpenter
Specialising in the rough work of building structures, such as framing and roofing.

Joisters
Joisters also deal in the basic structural elements of a building, laying floor ‘joists’- boards to give the floor extra support.

Trim Carpenter
Trim carpenters specialise in the more detailed jobs for carpenters, working mainly on mouldings and trims. They will cover mantelpieces, skirting boards, door trims, and other decorative features.

Joiner
Usually a master carpenter, a joiner will have spent many years gathering experience. Joiners take care of any woodwork projects that require high precision joins, often making furniture and other wooden fixtures.

Cabinet Maker
A cabinet maker performs similar work to a carpenter joiner, but primarily concentrates on making furniture.

There are a few important things you can do when hiring a carpenter to carry out work.

• Firstly, produce a detailed written specification of the work you want completed, and where possible, include detailed drawings

• It is always good to obtain more than one quote, so be sure to make enough copies to send a full set to each carpenter you ask to quote

• Make sure the received quotes cover everything you would like done, including supply of materials if required, the removal of rubbish and any ‘making good’ after the work is finished

• Ask for details of how and when the carpenter needs to be paid. This should be in instalments, as parts of the project are completed

• Ask whether any guarantee of the work will be supplied

• Make sure the carpenter has the appropriate level of public liability insurance for the work to be carried out at your property.

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