General Contractor - Finish Carpenter - Wood Experience
Hello,
I’m looking for a General Contactor to renovate a 2 bedroom apartment with great Carpenters. (Wood Experience).
Molding, wainscoting, coffered ceiling, breadboard, shiplap.
Please only responded if you have the skills needed or know of somebody that does.
Thanks
rynrmgche
in General Discussion 5 years and 2 months ago
25
Please log in, in order to post replies!
25 replies
Guest User | 5 years and 1 month ago
Hello ,
Finish carpentry is our specialty.
Feel free to give us a call at 347.424.3553
Best
Vlad
@vladfinecraft
@geowoodshop
stevecym | 5 years and 2 months ago
hey bill, nice seeing you on here. i was not aware you posted here. you should stop by and see me sometime. i have been clearing my rental space out post covid and have been getting rid of things.
so i finally read the link you had posted to the homeowners reference with the city – how to proceed with projects and what they can do and can’t do. basically, what that says is what i have been saying all along – that a homeowner can do interior work so long as they do not touch a load bearing (or fire containment) wall and do not move fixtures. a licensed plumber, which a homeowner can hire without a GC, can move fixtures up to 10′ without pulling a permit (this is a more permissive rule than i was stating; i thought a permit was needed). i am not sure about the electric but years ago i had heard that even changing outlets needed a permit and as a matter of course, a licensed elec is needed to touch any fixture or outlet. this is pretty much where this has sat for something like twenty years now. i don’t think they are making changes to what we can do, only enforcing the rules in place (gas lines; in light of a few deaths, you touch one of those and they prosecute).
you keep putting forth the HIC test without mentioning that a GC takes NO test (this is a joke on the city, but as a business owner, i get it; the insurance a GC has to carry pretty much regulates them and squeezes the incompetent people out).
we still do not know the full extent of the OP’s work. no mention of moving walls. just mention of a lot of woodwork that a homeowner (and that means HIC who is a woodworker) could do with no permits. probably a lot of painting on top of that. usually with those jobs comes minor electric or adding outlets around cabinets – but if that were the case, if I were the OP, i would contact an electrician and see what he says about filing. the same with a plumber. those trades are licensed pros and us homeowners should be able to trust what they are saying (and that is why we use licensed people; they put their license on the line). If OP is talking about a full gut on this apt, i would agree that he or she needs a GC.
I run into a lot of GC’s while working and i am not sure if that is what you are, but most GC’s i see are on full guts where all of the trades are doing things that had to be filed. of course this means walls have been moved and removed, headers put in, egress changed, new systems such as HVAC are being installed. and they are reading off plans drawn and filed by architect and engineers. Unless OP has that kind of job, i can imagine that a lot of GC’s might not want to get involved; it may be too downmarket for them to cover their insurance overhead. perhaps that is why the OP is having trouble finding people. i have the name of a couple of good GC’s but have held them back as i think the job might be too small. the successful GC’s in Brooklyn are serious construction managers.
if the OP wished to come on here and describe more about the job, it might become clearer to some of us who and what is needed. also, i have met Bill posting has restoration contractor and know he works in the city, with old buildings and is well involved with these kind of projects; he put his hat in the ring and i would talk to him. i am going to learn more about what he does as i have people asking about jobs larger than what i am willing to do all the time.
restorationcontractor | 5 years and 2 months ago
Stevecym, how are you? (I’m Bill, the guy who bought all those big iron lights from you!)
I am sure we could discuss all of this for hours, but here are a few points;
I took a quick look, it does not seem like homeowners can do much anymore;
https://www1.nyc.gov/site/buildings/homeowner/project-requirements-owner-residential.page
While the OP may not need a contractor to legally do the work, it seems he needs one to actually build it. If he is in a co-op or condo however they will require a licensed, insured contractor.
As far as the H.I.C. exam, here is the correct link, these are not sure why the other did not work. I did not clarify, but the questions given on the exam are taken directly from the material in the exam guide and NOTHING else! If you read the guide you will pass.
https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/dca/downloads/pdf/businesses/Home-Improvement-Business-Exam-Guide.pdf
There is very little opportunity space wise (or desire on my part) to build 1-3 family homes from scratch so the DOB GC registration really is pointless. Most construction work is residentia l renovation, or commercial work in residential buildings.
Most commercial work does not require any contractor licensing.
Homeowners should definitely check on the contractors insurance and can ask to see a sample certificate.
For contractors, I made the mistake of sending a certificate made out to an owner years ago before the contract was signed, long story, but I learned not to do that again.
stevecym | 5 years and 2 months ago
so i took a look on the DOB website this evening. basically, anyone who has a pulse, 25k in the bank for at least 3 months, and gets the full whack of insurance, including disability, can be a GC. no skills test and not even a test such as those that the HIC takes. It appears the only added advantage to having a GC is that the GC can hire the subs, pay them and if a sub makes it on the site without insurance, he is responsible. oh, one other thing, a GC’s insurance has to list the city as additional insured and if that insurance gets canceled, it raises a flag. same background check as an HIC and proof of address.. Does not really offer the homeowner a lot over and above and HIC and there is no guarantee that the GC has any particular skill. if someone has a knack for spotting talent and side stepping bs and can manage money, they can become a successful GC. a 90 year old woman with no trade experience could become a GC on Monday afternoon if she wished.
GC is required to build one, two and three family homes. its all on the DOB website.
here is so mething for the OP to consider: most GC’s are carpenters. that is where they come from and it makes sense. they are on the job to frame the walls and are there when the finish is put on the walls which means it makes more sense for them to run the job and monitor the work of the plumber and electrician and tile or floor guys. often on a job, the GC’s own crew are hanging the cabinets and installing trim. and they will paint.
stevecym | 5 years and 2 months ago
@restoration contractor: this may have changed as there has been tightening of the laws in the city, but legally it was, as late as 15 years ago, possible for a homeowner to GC a job on his/her property. i watched a guy to it, he pulled the permits for gas and electric and when he went the DOB to do so they gave him push back but he pulled some city pamphlets out that stated he could pull the permits and he got them (the lic. trades had to sign off). i still recall him complaining about the stupidity of the of the people at the DOB for not knowing what was written in their own pamphlets. the job did not require moving walls or changing access, so no architect was involved but it included moving cabinets and plumbing fixtures a few feet and electric and he had the trades do the work and had them sign off on them to close it. This was all done in a coop with the knowledge and consent of the building (and we know how coops are about making unit owners hire the right people). LEGALLY he did not need a GC and since he himself was a HIC (as a carpenter) he fel t comfortable directing the trades and ensuring they were doing things to standard. again, this may have changed.
in so far as OP is concerned, because this kind of work is probably not his thing, i would say yes, he NEEDs a GC. but it still might not be a legal requirement. if he is demoing a wall, that might cross the threshold (and load bearing would need an architect) but if he is hanging cabinets and maybe moving some electric and a plumbing fixture, it may be LEGAL for him to do this himself (i do not mean the physical work, i mean contracting it). if this were in my house, i would GC it myself (and by that, i don’t mean i would pick up and tools or swing a hammer; we did our bathroom and i stayed away from the people doing the work), hiring the properly licensed trades and checking insurance and letting the licensed trades know they will have to sign off and close their portion of the work with the DOB..
as late as three years ago, i consulted with an engineer about a steel deck for the back of my house. we did not move forward, but that job would have had to have been filed and would have meant moving egress and electric and heating pipes. the engineer was going to draw and file and i was going to GC and build (myself) to his drawings with the trades doing their bit and signing off and the engineer closing the job and being on hand for the final inspection. all legal.
you do point out that HIC’s are not tested on anything about what they are doing in the field. you are correct. but what kind of test do GC’s have to take? i really don’t know myself, so i am not being a smart ass by asking. i know they have to carry insurance specific to what they do (GC; in most jurisdictions GC is an insurance term). i think i also read that they have to have cash on hand. but do they take a test to check their knowledge? we like to think they would yes, but i don’t know. (i will look later today; i read about this in NYC years ago and decided it was not worth the trouble for what i do which is limited).
if lack of testing is a joke, here is another joke about this city. if you go to any other jurisdiction, they require licensed HIC contractors to carry liability insurance and the jurisdiction requires they be listed as additionally insured. if NYC required that HIC’s carry liability i bet they would scare off so many people who just are not committed to what they are doing and could not bother to lay out a few grand for insrance. they could really stop this nonsense that the OP is facing if they just put their foot down a little and made it harder for some of these people to operate.
all this brings up something else that can help OP: before you even invite someone to your house, ask if they have insurance. if they do not, do not talk to them; this will weed out a lot of miscreants. also, since i suspect you will want a GC, ask if they carry GC insurance (read about what a General Contractor is and check the DOB website; i will later to be sure what i am saying here is true and if it is not, i will come back on here and correct myself) and even ask who the policy is written by and see if that company writes GC insurance and when you meet him, as to see his certificate and read it. see what his limits are; on top of carrying specific insurance, his limits will be higher than an HIC’s. like 5 or 10 mill. and finally, the city probably maintains a list of licensed GC’s on the web. i know they maintain a list of HIC’s (i am on it). Before you invite contractors over, ask if they are a licensed GC, if they say they are, look them up on the DOB site. if they do not appear, call them and ask what name they hold the license in (it could be under their own name or the business or a trade name). if they cannot give you an answer put the phone down. keep in mind, people who do this day in and day out learn how to sidestep these people; i don’t wast a minute talking to them.
and op, be aware of another thing; a lot of people work under other people’s licenses. i would never let anyone use any of my licenses, but be aware, it happens a lot among bottom feeders. so check out that people are who they say they are.
restorationcontractor | 5 years and 2 months ago
O.P. needs exactly what he asked for, a general contractor with carpentry subs, although the more preferable terms would be woodworkers and cabinetmakers (he said he needs a kitchen as well).
You need a licensed GC to pull permits, carry insurance, manage the project and other subcontractors such as plumbers and electricians for his kitchen.
You will need other tradespeople as well such as plasterers, etc. A woodworker is also most certainly not going to do any demo. and you certainly wouldn’t want to pay him to anyway, hence the need for the GC.
I don’t know exactly how things got this way with “glorified handymen” calling themselves contractors, but the closing of many vocational and apprenticeship programs in the past probably has had something to do with it.
Here is the DCA exam guide, the city department that licenses contractors. They only want to ascertain that you can function as a contractor, IE one that is able to write contracts, there is not any test of skills that you are capable to perform any work.
https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/dca/downloads/pdf/busine sses/Home-Improvement-Business-Exam-Guide.pdf
There are plenty of excellent tradespeople out there, quality work is actually quite routine on higher end jobs. Some of the things I saw discussed here like custom molding profiles, level 5 finish, etc. are run of the mill everyday work.
I am not sure why finding tradespeople would be difficult unless there are budget constraints. (The work as you described will require a healthy budget.)
Word of mouth and seeing other peoples work is probably the best way to go. We never advertise and are always busy.
I hire other general contractors to work on my properties upstate and have always found them by asking around or seeing someone doing good work. It is interesting being the client for a change though.
If you want to discuss this in more detail send me an email to Larconst@aol.com and I will get back to you.
stevecym | 5 years and 2 months ago
OP, if you try to do this on your own, you need to check everyone’s insurance. liability and if they have a crew, worker’s comp. hire licensed people. the more a contractor has in so far as license and insurance and even owning his own home, the more he has to risk and the more careful he will be to protect you and himself. don’t talk to people who are uninsured. in commercial, we were not allowed to bring uninsured people on the site. period. we’d be fired. very serious.
stevecym | 5 years and 2 months ago
thank you jane. this GC thing, in some cases it is needed. the insurance is different (and pricier). the GC should also make sure the subs carry insurance and my guess is, if they bring someone in who is uninsured, it is on them, not the homeowner.
when i was first out of college in NC, i relied on GC’s as i did not know the order of operations on full guts. when i got to NYC and was working in a commercial building, we did entire floor renovations and my boss (as an in house manager) GC’d all the jobs. he brought in the demo guys, hired the waste carter and had them there every evening, the trades and the wall guys and the wall guys did the drop ceiling as well and we already had a contract HVAC person and they HVAC folks told us when they had to get in; it all comes together and the painter was last along with the carpeting. it was just knowing the coordination. Even really patient tradesman (which is why i put Tom Munetzes name forward) might guide the OP if they know he is new to this (or tempers could flare; could go either way). if the OP were t o try something like this on their own, they would also have to know when to yield. for instance, i am a contractor but if i were working around someone like chris lombardi or when i have him work in my house, i defer to him. even though i might know, he calls the shot. but you have to have someone really good to be able to do that. trust and communication.
there are a score of people on here who GC there own jobs in there own houses. not sure where they are now, but some of them could offer some really good input that i am overlooking.
Guest User | 5 years and 2 months ago
Steve this is sound advice and thanks for taking the time to write thoughtful responses to OP. I am not as knowledgeable as some of you here….Based on years of dealing with this, I’ve come to a similar conclusion that some things are easier managed without a GC. A majority of GCs/trades don’t have an eye for finish and details – they just want to come in work quickly and get out. i.e function is the priority more than aesthetics. This is a disconnect I see over and over.
stevecym | 5 years and 2 months ago
and op, the reason i am suggesting that you speak to some people who are carpenters is, you might not need a GC. if you have to file with the DOB, a GC might be preferred but even and HIC can get a number to file with the DOB. a contractor who puts up drywall and hangs cabinets and doors and molding does not need to be a GC but that person cannot contract the trades you might need such as plumbing and electricity. so this is the way around that – if you call a highly functioning HIC contractor like Chris Lombardi above, you tell him that you as the homeowner will contract the electric and plumbing and HE will coordinate with them. if you like what you see and hear from a contractor like lombardi, you might give me some more responsibility for the site, like making sure the trades have access and locking up after they leave and taking care of other things that come up but YOU as the homeowner have become the GC and will make any decisions beyond day to day affairs and you will make the payments to the trades. (you will see what i mean when you talk to a guy l ike him, you will trust him with the keys to your property and money the second you meet him).
there is nothing wrong with a homeowner GC’ing a job and if you have a highly competent Home Improvement Contractor on the site as your rep; you should be able to get through this if the two of you understand each other and work together.
the problem with those other guys you are calling is, they do not know when to say they don’t know something or can’t do something. they do not have the confidence to admit they do not know something. If you tell them you need a rocket ship to go to the moon and wave money in front of their faces, they will tell you they can build a rocket ship and by the time you find out it does not fly, they are paid and gone. i have told people in the past how to check the integrity of a contractor – ask him if he will do something you know he is not licensed to do. it has to be something egregious (something that can kill someone if something goes wrong) like move a gas line or run a 220 line for a dryer (not install switching out a gas stove or changing an outlet). if he says yes to that and you know he is not licensed for it, throw him out of your house.
the thing is, when you have done this for a long time, you learn to side step it. i have my suppliers and sometimes i have to source a new one. BEFORE i even meet them, during the first phone call, i determine what they are about but to do that comes with time and knowing what questions to ask.
and here is the name of a good electrician. tom munetz. 718-416-2686. lic and insured, the full whack and easy to work with. would be good for a newbie.
stevecym | 5 years and 2 months ago
and by the way, it is rare to cope trim anymore.
stevecym | 5 years and 2 months ago
You are correct in what you are saying. the reason you are having trouble is because these people are not GC’s but the glorified handymen. ever hear the phrase “jack of all trades, master of none.” some of them may also know how to do the work but cannot express themselves. but it is risky as things can go wrong later.
if you wish to talk to a guy who IS NOT a GC but can talk to you about wood work and perhaps opening or moving a NON LOAD BEARING wall and will also NOT touch or want to talk to you about electric or plumbing, you can try tom staggs, handikraft llc, 646-247-3593. He is a woodworker who has done full house renos with one or two other people at his side and perhaps a trade or two. he might be able to pull a small job together.
also, another guy who is a former union cabinet maker/woodworker but does larger projects but is NOT a GC (AND DOES NOT CALL HIMSELF A GC) is Chris Lombardi. he did my bath room and did a lot of work for a customer of mine who usually posts here and also moved a kitchen for another customer last summer. he sub s out electric. in my bathroom he did the plumbing and he does tile. he subbed the electric. I’ve seen his woodwork. and you will know when you talk to him that he is competent. he runs a very tight ship but still NOT a GC. 516-327-9060.
out of the two names above, call chris lombardi first. Tom was talking about taking time off to reno his own house.
Guest User | 5 years and 2 months ago
I am so sorry you are going through this. I’ve been through and dealing with a similar scenario and will say it’s extremely frustrating. Some GCs lie and say they can do everything and then you slowly find out that have no clue. My GC complained about nto having plans but barely looked at anything he did have nor did he read any instructions. Example: his worker slapped 4 circles of thinset then placed 24 by 24″ tile on the wall and then the tile fell off and shattered. Of course when I questioned “his technique” I was dismissed. This happened multiple times but everyone told me not to fire and try to finish but that was the stupidest advice. Best to cut quickly and move on. I’ve have a lawyer too. Have met with five GCs so far, 7 HVAC people, 3 plumbers. Humbly going to suggest in case like this it’s better off hiring the finish trades- that’s what I’ve slowly been doing to fix some of the work.
rynrmgche | 5 years and 2 months ago
Hello Brownstoner,
Just wanted to say thank you for all the great comments above. I’m just hitting a brick wall in my search.
I have interviewed nearly 17 general contractors from the top reviewed sites and nearly all of them with the exception of 2, seemed to be all “handyman.”
I thought a GC was supposed to be a general and place his/her duties to their subcontractors; not take the job on the whole themselves.
They don’t know how to cope wood, do a bevelled edge, or do clean miter joints. Seems to be an excuse after excuse. Don’t tell me that sheetrock is never prefect or don’t shine a light on it.
If I’m going to be paying you for a level 5, don’t tell me otherwise. Doesn’t anybody have any skills? Or maybe everybody is retired?
Sorry for venting but I’m taking my previous contractor to court for breach of contract and negligence; and everybody seems to be just as bad.
cate | 5 years and 2 months ago
Agree Steve Adriatic can make anything if you give them a sample and don’t mind paying a bit for it. When we had a knife made (many years ago now) we sent the sample to a machine shop in the midwest.
Guest User | 5 years and 2 months ago
Yes. Can’t do that for plaster though if one is trying to use wood in places to match the plaster. If you try to cut a sample from plater it may crumble. There are local shops – there’s one in queens and another one that I emailed at some point.
stevecym | 5 years and 2 months ago
Cate & Jane: all the carpenter has to do is run a piece of old molding to a place like adriatic and have them make the knife and trim or they can have a knife made at a place like CG Schmidt in NJ. Cate, i would like to know if there are local machine shops that can do this; years ago i made a knife and could not get it cleaned up right (freehand on a grinder) and i had a machine shop in maspeth clean it up for me and i never tried that again. i still have the knife steel here. there are dozens of custom router bit places out there. i have never had anything made off a drawing; i let them make the drawing from the old trim and then i approve.
the reason some of us push back when people ask for custom trim (and keep in mind, this is often to replace something small and missing) is because we get push back when we get to the price. if it is small, we can order a custom router bit and make it for a reasonable price and perhaps i can have a knife made at CG Schimdt and do it on my shaper.. if it is large, it is a $600 knife making and machine set up charge. then the wood. so even for a small job, it goes over 600. there is nothing in it for us for what is a fair bit of responsibility..
really, the only time i have watched people smile when i say i can have custom mahogany trim made to match and it will be only $850 for 80 feet is when there has been a fire and an insurance company is paying for it. outside of that, this is something that is given a lot of consideration.
Guest User | 5 years and 2 months ago
Hi Cate, I understand that any finish carpenter can install. I was only pointing out that some are not willing to match it or draw the profile for you. So it’s not a simple process for custom or matching as one might think. I am familiar with the knife process.
cate | 5 years and 2 months ago
Janedrew, in my experience, any finish carpenter can install off the shelf molding from Dyke’s or Adriatic. If you want custom molding, you need to have a knife cut (if given a sample, a machine shop can create the knife) and then someone with a wood shop can fabricate the molding. Then the carpenter/GC can install.