Guide
How to find a good carpenter
Where to look, what to check, and the four warning signs that are worth walking away from.
Start with the job, not the search
Write down what you want in two or three sentences before you contact anybody, including the finish and any deadline. Carpenters quote very differently against a vague brief, and three quotes for three slightly different jobs cannot be compared. It also tells you quickly which carpenters ask good questions back.
Where to look
Personal recommendation still outperforms everything else, particularly for smaller jobs where nobody bothers to advertise. Beyond that: a directory like this one, the accreditation schemes' own member searches, and local trade groups.
A carpenter working two streets away is worth more than a slightly better one twenty miles off, because they will come back to adjust a door. Travel time is real and it is in your price whether it is itemised or not.
What to check, in order
Insurance certificate, current and in the right name. Any membership number, checked on the scheme's own site rather than taken from a logo. Photographs of the same kind of work you want. One or two recent customers you can actually speak to. Then the quote, against the seven points in the quote guide.
Four warning signs
Pressure to decide today, or a discount that expires. Good carpenters are usually booked weeks out and have no reason to rush you. A large deposit before anything is ordered. Materials, yes; most of the labour, no. Cash only, no paperwork. No invoice means no proof and no recourse. A quote that arrives with no questions asked. Nobody can price a wardrobe or a kitchen without seeing the room.
After you have chosen
Confirm the scope, price and dates in writing, even in a message. Agree how variations get priced. Keep the quote. And when the work is finished, walk it with them before the final payment rather than after: snagging happens easily on the day and awkwardly a week later.
Common questions
How far ahead should I book?
Four to eight weeks for a good local carpenter on a defined job, longer in spring and summer. Emergency and repair work is different and usually same week.
Is a carpenter with a website better?
No. Plenty of excellent carpenters work entirely on recommendation and have no site at all. A website tells you about their marketing, not their joints.
What if the work is not right?
Raise it immediately and in writing, and give them the chance to put it right. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 work must be done with reasonable care and skill, and a repeat visit is the normal remedy.