How to find a good carpenter

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 are hard to compare. It also tells you quickly which carpenters ask good questions back.

Where to look

Personal recommendation is still the strongest lead, particularly for smaller jobs, where many carpenters work on recommendation alone. Beyond that: a directory like this one, the accreditation schemes' own member searches, and local trade groups.

A carpenter working close by can easily come back to adjust a door, and travel time is part of every 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 things to think twice about

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.