Category Archive: Carpentry and Woodwork

1. Hiring a Carpenter

   July 23, 2013 11:45 am Comments Off on Hiring a Carpenter

   Handyman or Carpenter?

   There are many different jobs a carpenter can do – they don’t only build furniture and fit kitchens, an experienced and talented carpenter can offer you a multitude of tasks that can really help enhance the look and style of the interior and exterior of your home. A handyman may be able to put together furniture, sheds and fencing yet a carpenter is a skilled individual who can not only put flat pack furniture together but can offer a few more unique services using their own skill in creating structures, frames and mouldings from timber.

   Here are just a few tasks that a skilled carpenter can carry out:

   • Constructing a Garden Shed (Customer Supplied)
   • Laying Oak / Solid & Hardwood Wood Flooring
   • Building Custom Made Furniture
   • Constructing Bedroom Wardrobe
   • Boarding Loft Space
   • Creating Wooden Sash Window Frames
   • Putting Together Garden Fencing
   • Fitting Skirting Boards
   • Constructing Door Frames & Hanging Doors

   And a highly qualified carpenter can make the very best of your home by giving you a beautiful finish.

    Hiring

   The most important thing to consider when hiring your carpenter is not the price; it’s their ability to create exactly what you want them to. Your tradesperson should be able to connect with your own ideas when it comes to making bespoke furniture and they will be able to vary their skills if you need a variety of services from them.

   Experience & Skill

   In cases of new homes and extensions or garden layouts, a carpenter with experience and the right tools will be able to put together differing parts of the finish you require. So if you need a completely bespoke kitchen that is constructed and designed to your tastes, or if you need wood flooring to be supplied and laid in a perfect manner then a great carpenter will be able to do those jobs for you so that you can rely on just one person or a team of carpenters under just one umbrella.

   A team of carpenters who are experienced in working together with flooring, stair balustrades, skirting boards and more is a great asset for any company. Whilst a specialist carpenter who can concentrate on one project, such as building custom made furniture for your home, is an attractive resource too.

   Time & Prices

   There are varying times to complete certain projects, of course, and this can be different at every single project. If you require skirting boards to be professionally fitted this could take half to full day and may cost in the region of £150 to £280. This figure would be based on whether skirting was supplied or not as well as the room size.

   Other projects could be assembling garden sheds which could cost a day for one person. This may be anything up to £100 which is a great price for a qualified carpenter.

   A larger project may be hanging new doors in a large house where old gaps need to be filled and the new door fittings need to be attached as well as the door itself working smoothly and fitting flush with the frame. In a large home where interior doors are required for, say, the downstairs rooms and four bedrooms, bathrooms and extra spaces it could take 4 days at between £400 to £780 with certain carpenters.

   Summary

   Summarising hiring a carpenter is quite simple for us – don’t choose the cheapest but opt for the skilled tradesman who has the experience and the motivation to commit themselves to your project. And, don’t always select the most expensive because it fits with your budget – you will not always get the very best value for money.

   Choose to hire a carpenter who can work with you to meet your requirements, who listens, and who has the ability to create one-off furniture pieces, fit floors or carry out whole-house refurbishments.

2. Expert Carpentry – Choosing the Right Tradesman

   January 6, 2013 9:08 pm Comments Off on Expert Carpentry – Choosing the Right Tradesman

   If you are adding any type of woodwork to your home or property whether you intend to include it in the structure of your building or are opting for decorative woodwork, it can be essential to find the best carpenter. The woodwork should be long lasting and completed to a superb finish, yet it’s difficult to choose a carpenter simply by looking online.

    

   Carpenters are specialists in wood. They should be able to ensure you that the work they complete is sturdy enough for everyday use and looks stunning. We have put together a few tips and advice on choosing the right tradesman or company so that you pick the very best that you can afford.

    

   What Type of Carpenter Will You Need?

   All types of carpenter work with wood yet each individual carpenter may specialise in a certain style of woodwork. There are rough carpenters, finish carpenters and repair carpenters. Each covers a different area of their trade so it’s vital to know what type of work you are planning, whether it’s structural, decorative, inside or outside.

    

   Rough Carpenters

   A rough carpenter will carry out framework and structural projects. They will tackle framing and covering buildings for the construction industry. Building wooden structures they will take care of the blueprint, will use architectural drawings, CAD (Computer Aided Design) and sketches to plan their work, and will take instructions orally.

    

   Finish Carpenters

   Also known as Trim carpenters or Joiners, Finish carpenters concentrate on the aesthetics of woodworking. Including things like trims, decking projects and mouldings that can be seen (as opposed to working on structures inside walls that will later be covered over.) This type of carpenter will finish jobs such as kitchens with crown mouldings, they will build wooden stairways, hand doors or create bespoke items such as cabinets and bookcases.

    

   Repair Carpenters

   Carpenters working in the maintenance industry may also be Repair Carpenters. They will generally be able to attend in emergencies or for scheduled repairs and will help with property renovations, fix doors and window frames and can help following a burglary or accidental damage.

    

   Credentials

    

   It doesn’t matter how polished a website is or that you have found what appears to be a reasonably priced carpenter. As there are many different types of carpentry, you will need to be sure that you firstly are selecting a carpenter who is experienced in completing projects that you are looking to hire them for. Whether you need a structural specialist, a joiner for building furniture, or one who can maintain or repair woodwork it is vital to check their credentials.

    

   Does the company you are checking out have an existing or previous client they can refer you to? Alternatively, have you spotted work in a neighbouring home or property that is completed to an excellent finish? Do you know of a carpenter that has worked on structure in a new home or added stunning decking work to a neighbour’s garden?

    

   Home owners are more than happy to recommend carpenters and tradesmen if they feel that the work was done to suit their needs, they communicated well with the carpenter, and that the project was completed to a high standard.

    

   What Will it Cost?

   Obtaining quotes from at least three carpenters and ensuring they are given the same specification and requirements will make sure you get accurate quotes and can compare each one equally.

    

   Choosing a carpenter, much like any other tradesman and getting it right first time will help you to avoid costs associated with poor workmanship. It will also mean you get to speak to those about your exact needs and you will get a good feel for the company or individual who will potentially work with you.

    

   Gaining a quote upfront

   Make sure you get a breakdown of labour costs, materials (try to make sure you know the quality of those materials), and any other costs involved.

    

   Choosing a carpenter just because the quote is cheap isn’t always best. Yes, it’s a competitive industry but you will want the job completed to a high specification. It will need to be sturdy and long lasting too. It can be cheaper in the long term to choose a higher quote where work doesn’t have to be re-done later on down the line.

    

   What Timeframe Suits?

   Availability is key. If you would like the work completing in a reasonable timeframe, check that your quotations include the availability. If you need the project doing within just a few weeks and your carpenter is booked up for the next 2 months it may not work for you.

    

   Also, it’s essential to make sure that your carpenter can work within a good timescale especially if you are expecting other tradesmen before or after your carpenter. Any work completed in your home, whether its kitchen carpentry, stair work, structural or woodwork repairs will cause interruption and a little dust. So organising the tradesmen to attend with as little delay as possible is important.

    

   Summary

   

   We are Essex Property Maintenance and we work very hard to go that little bit above and beyond what other maintenance firms may promise. We will quote for any type of carpentry work and will ensure that a tradesman with the right skill set attends your property promptly and on time.

    

   We’ll try to work within your budget as much as possible and will provide a no obligation quotation with a complete breakdown of the costs involved. Our expert team will talk you through all of the options available and will work to your schedule (where we have not previously been booked up) and will work accurately with your requirements.

    

   Call our Essex based carpentry team today or contact us using the form for a rapid response

3. Carpentry and It’s Importance

   November 19, 2012 1:38 pm Comments Off on Carpentry and It’s Importance

   A carpenter is almost indispensable as far as the construction industry goes. Their expertise and talents cover a multitude of different areas including setting foundations, laying new stairs, installing beams and installing trims, decorations and much more.

   Carpentry covers many different areas and with an open canvas, be it commercial or residential, a carpenter can manage lots of different parts of a new build, extension or refurbishment. They can cover kitchens, bathrooms, doorways, floors, roofs, framework, panelling, moulding, ceilings – basically put, a carpenter carries a variety of skills putting them perfectly in your sights if you are looking to change an area in your home or property.

   Carpenters can repair or remodel existing structures of all kinds and any certified carpenter can:

   •       Rework & Remodel
   •       Install Stairs
   •       Create Banisters
   •       Install & Create Kitchens
   •       Create Framework
   •       Install Doorways
   •       Carry Out Woodwork of All Kinds
   •       Lay Floors
   •       Apply Wall Coverings
   •       Work on Interiors & Exteriors
   •       Install Beams

   In fact, the carpentry craft is a talented one and anyone that can work well with their hands may become a carpenter, but having the experience to carry out any intended work is essential. Carpentry requires modern and traditional skills that can be carried out manually. It also requires that any individual carrying out carpentry can read designs, be it from an individual home or property owner or an architect. It also requires that they can understand building plans and work from them accurately.

   Another skill a carpenter must have is the ability to communicate precisely to the people involved in any new build or any type of construction. This means that any plans can be transformed perfectly to meet the requirements of the person in charge – be it a home or property owner, a project manager, architect or site manager. Things can change very easily during any type of project that a carpenter is involved with.

   What this means for you is that you should ensure that you always take on a carpenter who can work really well with you. They should be confident that they can incorporate your ideas and your chosen tradesman should always understand the importance of getting the work completed to a perfect finish.

   Conclusion

   We are experts in a range of fields and our carpenters work to ensure that your finished project is completed to perfection, is appealing, and that the work when done is intended to work well within your home or property.