Raleigh-Durham CarpentersHire a Raleigh-Durham Carpenter: Hitting the Nail on the HeadPlease read this quick guide to hiring a Raleigh-Durham Carpenter (it will help, we promise!) Or click here to simply see our suggestions and contact information for 7 of the top Raleigh-Durham carpenters. Hiring a professional Raleigh–Durham carpenter is not always an easy task. Sometimes this process can cause problems for the homeowner. This is due to several factors. First, there are many people out there who call themselves carpenters. Look under "Carpenter” in the Raleigh, Durham, Cary, or Chapel Hill phone books and you will see what we mean…there are tons of carpenters listed in each area. Also, there are often ‘underground’ carpenters that are out dropping business cards and trying to get customers. Many times these are individuals who work for other large Raleigh-Durham companies, but offer their services as carpenters on the side. Second, the barriers to calling oneself a professional carpenter are small. People don’t necessarily need a lot of assets to start a small carpenter business. Therefore, individuals that have hammered a few nails before can try to trick you into believing they are a highly skilled and experienced carpenter. Don’t be fooled by imposters! Finally, there is the fact that the term ‘carpenter’ is a broad heading. Some carpenters are great at framing houses, some build cabinets, some focus on installing wood trim, and some may be able to build an entire house. However, not all carpenters are experts at all things. Who can do the job you request? So, what do you do when looking for a carpenter in the Raleigh-Durham and surrounding areas? We recommend: • Asking your friends and neighbors to see if they have had good or bad experiences with a Raleigh-Durham carpenter. Simply knowing that another person has had a good experience with a carpenter prior to calling them lessens your chance of hiring a problem. The Super 7 can help you locate top Raleigh-Durham contractors. • If you have the time, call a few carpenters to look at your job. You may find a wide range of estimates this way. This does not mean you should always go with the lowest price, you should go with the carpenter you feel most comfortable with and who you feel will do the best job. If an individual is offering a real low price you should ask yourself "why?". • If you don’t have the time we suggest using The Super 7 to locate the one company you choose. We have a list of carpenters that appear to meet our standards to be considered quality professionals. In fact, our "Certified Super” listed companies have proven that they do! We also require customers to voice their experience about their Raleigh-Durham carpenter to help ensure that they meet your needs. • Call to make sure that the carpenter handles the specific job you require. Make sure they have experience with the job you want completed. Just because a carpenter is highly recommended to replace siding doesn’t mean they will be experienced in installing crown molding. • Make sure the company or individual has insurance. Most carpenter services usually involve power tools and plenty of opportunities for injury. As mentioned above there are many fly-by-night carpenters that may not be insured. Ask them for their insurance company’s phone number and call them to prove they are insured. If you skip this part you could be held liable for an uninsured carpenter’s injury while working on your house. They should also have liability insurance. If they do something that ruins a major area of your house they should be insured to pay for their mistakes. • Ask the carpenter what his suggestion is in order to fix your problem or complete your job. If you are looking for an extremely low price, the carpenter may offer a solution that is really only temporary or is shoddy. It is worth the extra money to make sure that your job is done right…otherwise you will pay more money in the long run. • In NC carpenters do not take an exam to be officially licensed. However, carpenters may have a general business license or privilege license for the city they are based. • Always get a statement of work performed in writing. Keep this filed away. Make sure the statement clearly describes what work is to be performed. • Ask if the carpenter's work comes with guarantees. Make sure you get these things in writing. These are all factors to weigh when looking at the total estimates left by different Raleigh-Durham carpenters. • Some carpenters require an upfront payment. If you have hired a smaller carpenter service and they require money upfront to help pay for materials, make sure you have a refund policy stated in your agreement if they end up not working out. Also, this upfront amount should never be over 30% of the total cost of your project. • Check in on the carpenter’s progress regularly…try to catch potential problems or misunderstandings before it is too late. • If the carpenter does a great job tell them you will recommend them on The Super 7. • If they don’t do a good job ask them to fix the issue or you will let other Raleigh-Durham residents know about their poor performance on The Super 7 website!
Good luck with your carpenter needs! The Super 7 provides 7 quality carpenters in the Raleigh, Durham, Cary, Chapel Hill and surrounding areas. Click here for The Super 7 Carpenters!
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