What's the Cost of Carpentry?

Here is a step-wise guide that will help you to reach fair carpentry rates and ensure smooth execution at site

Pooja Khanna Tyagi 10 December 2018

Houzz India Contributor. An Architect , Interior Designer, Valuer, a Marathon Runner, and love Writing Poetry and Creative Stories on Building Design. Have been practicing since the year 2000 with specialization in the field of Corporate Interiors with projects extensively published in journals of national repute. Recently honoured with the reputed A3 Foundation award for Journalism for the year 2016. Currently practicing and residing in Delhi. Website: www.khannaenterprise.com, Email: poojakhanna224@gmail.com, M:9891993392

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Once you’re ready to get some carpentry work done at your residence, the next step is to select your carpenter. Additionally, it is essential to finalise the carpentry rates as per market standards, without having to compromise on the quality and workmanship of the carpentry. Here are some essential steps that you must not skip while finalising carpentry rates. They will not only help you to work in an organised way but will also ensure value for money.

This article will give you an idea about how to go about working with the carpenter, and the labour and material costs involved in carpentry.

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1. Identify the scope of work
It is important to identify the scope of work with your carpenter. There are three ways to work with your carpenter:

You can give the whole contract for the custom carpentry to the carpenter, which includes the procurement of raw materials such as plywood, nails, screws, adhesive and so on, as well as the fabrication of furniture and other woodwork items, as per the proposed design. If it is a very big project and you have chosen high-quality wood, it might be better to buy it yourself after the carpenter gives his estimate of how much is needed. For small quantities it is less trouble to let the carpenter buy it with the other materials.

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Another way to work with the carpenter is on only a labour contract, where the homeowner procures all the raw materials. Keep in mind that this way of working will require a lot of your personal time and energy, because the workers might require raw materials at odd times of the day, which you might not be able to provide. This can result in unnecessary delay of the project.

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Some carpenters also work as contractors, as they have their personal team of electricians, false-ceiling fabricators, flooring team and others. You can consider hiring the entire team for the interior work of your home. This mode of working shall make coordination between different agencies much easier. Make sure to take separate quotations for each job and cross-check the rates before finalisation

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2. Take an additional quotation
It is recommended to take parallel quotations or the cost of carpentry work from at least two or three other carpenters before you finalise the rates with the carpenter of your choice.

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3. Break down the carpentry work item-wise
Here is how you can segregate the carpentry work item-wise.

Fabrication of the kitchen cabinetry, wardrobes and other other cabinets will be quoted on the basis of square feet of frontage (height x breadth). Note that the carpentry costs per square foot for laminate-finish cabinets range between ₹1200 to ₹1500 and the carpentry rates for veneer finish cabinets range between ₹2000 to ₹2500 per square foot (prices per year 2018).
Standalone furniture items like beds, sofas, tables and chairs will be quoted on a lump-sum basis, according to individual designs and detailing. Hand-carved furniture with elaborate details will cost much more, because only skilled carpenters and craftsmen can create those designs.
Wall panelling is billed on a per-square-foot basis. The carpentry rates for laminate- and veneer-finish panelling ranges between ₹350 to ₹500 per square foot in the year 2018 but may vary as per the design.
Wooden items like wooden skirting or wooden cornice will be quoted on the basis of running feet.

Tip: Calculate for a budget that is higher than the estimate by 15–25 per cent, for contingencies or unexpected expenses at site.

Shamanth Patil Photography

4. Specify the materials clearly
Do not assume that if you pay the price for best-quality furniture, the carpenter will purchase premium raw materials from branded companies for the woodwork. It is essential to specify and check each and every material that comes to site.

Specify the brand for plywood, veneers and laminates, and their thickness.
Go for a reputed brand for the hardware. Alternatively, you can select a nearby store that will provide basic hardware materials such as nails, hinges and handles that will not rust.
Only go for reputed adhesive brands.
Specify the type of interior and exterior polish for veneer-finish woodwork.
Do not not forget to ask for the application of an anti-termite chemical before finishing the furniture or woodwork with veneer or laminate in the scope of work.

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5. Finalise the design
It is important to completely finalise the woodwork design by the interior designer or the homeowner before the carpenter starts execution of work. This will help both the homeowner and the carpenter to work smoothly and efficiently with a good workflow.

Keep in mind that if there are constant changes during fabrication of furniture at site, it will not only delay the project but also increase the carpentry costs, cause wastage of raw materials and result in unnecessary disagreements (or fights) between the homeowner and the carpenter, which we need to avoid.

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6. Mode of payment
The schedule of payment can be made to the carpenter in the following ways:

Ask for the time target or the number of weeks that will be required by the carpenter to complete the job. Divide the payment into the number of weeks and pay accordingly week-wise.
You can also follow a target-oriented way to pay the carpenter. The steps may include small part-payments which are to be paid on procurement of raw material, completion of basic fabrication of furniture, pasting of laminates or veneer, followed by polishing and final handover.
Note that some big projects hold back a payment of 5 per cent after completion of the carpentry work for one month so that the carpenters are available to resolve minor issues at site. For the smaller projects, one must make the final payment only after completion of work.

Tip: You must make adequate payments so that the carpenter can pay the workers comfortably and ensure the smooth execution of work at site.

Read more:
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9 Unusual Materials For Custom High-End Interiors

Tell us:
What problems did you face while working with your carpenter? Share in Comments below.