About
Carpenters are essential and critical to most renovation projects. They are skilled craftspersons who work primarily with timber but also do tasks such as metal framing. Carpenters are sometimes referred to as a "chippie".
Training, Qualifications and Licensing.
Carpentry is a three year trade course in NSW leading to a Certificate III in Carpentry from a TAFE. Details of the qualifications and licensing requirements in NSW are listed on the NSW Government Fair Trading website for Tradespeople here.
Specialisations
Like most trades and professions, it is now common for some carpenters to specialise in one or more areas of the trade. Some of the common specialisations include:
- residential, renovations
- decks and pergolas
- house framing
- roof trusses
- joiner and cabinetmaker
- formwork
Directories
Commercial websites that list carpenters in NSW include:
Plans
Carpenters work primarily from a set of plans.
Simple Repair or Renovation Specifications
If you are seeking to perform simple repairs, renovations or improvements, you have a range of options to specify the work that you would like to have done. Some of these are as follows:
- simple custom specification
- NATSPEC Simple Domestic Specification, available online at relatively low cost
Complete Professional Specifications
In Australia, most large renovation projects are specified using the NATSPEC system. NATSPEC is available on subscription and provides a comprehensive national specification system endorsed by government and professional bodies. There are ten NATSPEC specification packages available to suit any project type.
You should ask your architect, draftsman or building designer if they are going to use the NATSPEC system to specify your project.
Alternately, many professionals have their own form of specification, these can be very effective.
Key things to consider...
Some of the key considerations when employing a carpenter are as follows:
Best practices
The Strata Renovations best practice guide for carpenters and joiners