General Contractor - Finish Carpenter - Wood Experience
Hello ,
Finish carpentry is our specialty.
Feel free to give us a call at 347.424.3553
Best
Vlad
@vladfinecraft
@geowoodshop
Guest User | 5 years and 1 month ago
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rynrmgche | 5 years and 2 months ago
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
RobertGMarvin
in General Discussion 5 years and 2 months ago
Why would you look for a general contractor, rather than a finish carpenter?
rynrmgche | 5 years and 2 months ago
I need a general contractor that subcontracts out to good Carpenters.
I need demo work and a new kitchen also. I need a general contractor that has renovation experience, trade people with him/her.
I’m not looking for a general contractor that wears many hats like putting up a roof or paving stones. And then claims they do home renovations.
Thanks
cate | 5 years and 2 months ago
Maybe someone could respond who has experience with general contractors who specialize in interior work, bathrooms, kitchens and finish carpentry.
Guest User | 5 years and 2 months ago
Hi Cate, This has been tricky one to navigate for me as well. Some GCs do cabinetry but won’t do molding. Recreating traditional molding does require some expertise. Most of the molding trades want someone to make profile. Which means getting a gauge, tracing the profile and either matching it at Dykes or getting it made at one of the other shops. That being said I am sure there are people but hard to find.
stevecym | 5 years and 2 months ago
the OP has the problem down to a t. people misuse the term GC all the time now. they call themselves General Contractors when in reality they are glorified handymen. in NYC the term General Contractor is not only a specific insurance term, as it is in other jurisdictions, but it is also a DOB issued license. to hold that license, i think one has to maintain a bank account with a minimum of 25k in it in case something goes wrong. talk about skin in the game.
to Jane Drews comment. A really good GC should have a really good woodworker he/she can sub to. since i do this work (and no, i am not putting my hat in the ring here) and since i often order custom knife profiles, i know the issues. really good woodworkers are pricey enough (because of the incongruity of the wages in this market, due to other issues i have touched on in the past, they appear to be outlandishly expensive when they just want to pay the bills and taxes and insurance and retire one day) and producing custom moldings is expensive with little mark up left over to go to the wood worker and the GC. most people today are installers. that is because people get sticker shock when they see what it cost to hire real craftsman. even though we think we have a big market, when we get down to it, the people who really spend money on top end custom work are few and far between and that means the true wood workers (and installing crown? i won’t even touch it anymore as i classify it in with installation, like hanging cabinets) have to move up to become GC’s or leave the market. we have brought this on ourselves.
The OP should be able to find a GC willing to take the entire job and because of demo work and since we are no sure if they will be touch load bearing walls, using a GC is a wise move. the insurance is much better than what us HIC’s carry. one option the op has is to hire the GC to demo and build it out and finish the walls and then bring a wood worker in behind and work directly with him/her. the way to do that would be to have a woodworker lined up and talk to that person about how they want the walls left by the GC. in essence, the OP becomes the GC. if OP decides to do this, they can come back on here and i am sure we can post names. i have someone in mind already (this is the kind of stuff i used to do, not real construction but the wood details).
i used to go in on the back end of jobs and do this and i used to think it was because the customer did not want to pay for the GC’s markup. now i am thinking, perhaps the GC did not want the added responsibility.
.
stevecym | 5 years and 2 months ago
there is a guy who post on here called Restoration Contractor. if i were the OP, i would want to know more about that person.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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
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.