Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with Carpenter

Recommendations for Toronto home and garden workers?

orange swan — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 07:41:50 -0800

Looking for recommendations for Toronto-area tree service (to severely prune back an old maple tree), and handy people who can replace my front door and attic/rooftop terrace door (some frame repair and possibly brickwork involved). I’ve gotten one estimate each for all three jobs, but they seem a little high (i.e., Home Depot wants $2300 to replace my front door alone) so it seems prudent to take some more bids. Can any Torontonians recommend reliable workers/companies with reasonable rates for these jobs?

Handy(wo)man recommendations in Brooklyn?

Dr. Wu — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 18:38:31 -0800

Can anyone recommend a reliable, affordable handy(wo)man in Brooklyn / NYC? We have a chiffarobe/wardrobe thingy that we'd like to convert into an "entertainment center," which means the following things need to be done:

- side walls reinforced (they're thin);
- 3-4 shelves added;
- new panel cut into the front of the wardrobe;
- holes cut in shelves and back wall for the cords.

Nothing gigantic for someone with a little woodworking know-how and a reciprocating saw, but outside of my do-it-yerself abilities. (And outside the limits of my modest toolkit.)

I've found plenty of listings for handy(wo)men (at craigslist, e.g.), but it's very difficult to tell how reliable any of them are. I would love to know about a handy(wo)man whom you trust, who has good woodworking skills, and whose prices are reasonable.

We've gotten estimates from a few people, but the figures vary widely, and (the key point) we have no way of knowing whether any of these folks is reliable. Anyone you'd recommend?

How can I get rid of carpenter ants?

mithiirym — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 23:37:24 -0800

My apartment is being overrun by carpenter ants that won't go away. How can I get rid of them? First, understand that I'm from Los Angeles and I never saw a single carpenter ant for thirty years until I moved to New York state. When I first saw one of these monstrous mutants ants (oh, and freakish centipedes as well), I freaked out. I thought they were coming from the window sills at first, so I sealed them with tape and I thought it was working. Well, they're back and in larger numbers. They often play dead, they carry off their dead brethren, they keep growing larger, and they crawl all over me! I've tried little bait stations but they had no effect. My girlfriend decided to use ground pepper to control them, but I highly doubt that will do anything. So, what's the secret to eradicating these large, hideous beasts?

If I had a hammer... where would I use it in London?

Happy Dave — Thu, 10 May 2007 01:22:16 -0800

I'd like to learn carpentry in London - How do I go about that? I found this question, but it's US-specific. Basically, I have a dream one day of building my own house, or at least participating in the building of it. I'd like to combine my interest in learning about timber framing and carpentry work with perhaps volunteering. I know Habitat for Humanity has a British offshoot, but from their website it doesn't look like there's much going on in the London area, although I wouldn't be averse to going up to Liverpool to work on something for a weekend. But I don't want to pitch up without knowing some solid basics. I nailed together scenery in my teens for a youth theatre group, but that's slightly different I feel. Where can I get started?

Salient facts - I work a regular day job (which is a professional, bit-more-than-9-to-5 deal, but rarely weekend work, occasional evening work, but rarely much past 8pm).

Help me find a carpenter in NY

walla — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 15:12:35 -0800

Anyone know of a reliable carpenter to make two built-in cabinets for a New York (Upper West Side) apartment? Thanks!

help me hire a handyman!

crush-onastick — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 14:55:01 -0800

i need a carpenter and electrician to do a very small job in a condo (lakeview/boys town ish) in Chicago. everyone i've asked says they don't know anyone who will take so small a job. [described inside] i need to replace louvered doors (which take up the whole wall between my kitchen and living room) with a wall (which needs a junction box in the middle because i'd like to put the fridge on that wall). i'd also like to move the door of my bedroom closet from the east wall to the north wall (thus requiring a second doorway to be replaced with a wall). also, i have french doors (between the dining room and living room) which need to be planed and rehung. i would also like the electrician to put in two GFCI outlets (bathroom and kitchen) and add a fuse to my circuit breaker.

can anyone recommend someone reliable who will take such a small job? one contractor for both or one of each is fine.

What is this carpenter building?

skallas — Mon, 10 Jan 2005 17:56:19 -0800

Carpenterfilter: What is being built here ? I've been tuning into this unprotected surveillance cam lately (dont ask me why) and have asked a few people but no one I know knows anything about carpentry. Some say a boat, but that seems crazy as there's no way they are getting that thing out of there when they are done.

Planning a Deck

sharksandwich — Wed, 21 Jul 2004 14:21:52 -0800

I would like to build a deck in the space between my home and garage. A buddy of mine is a rough carpenter who could do all of the physical labor, but he's really poor at design and organization. How should I go about getting a set of plans/drawings/materials list for him to follow? Are their architects that do this sort of thing? Any idea on cost?

Ants ants everywhere!

jdroth — Sun, 11 Apr 2004 19:00:59 -0800

Carpenter ants. My wife and I are finally winning the war against sugar ants (thanks to a wonderful product called Terro which works better than our $300 exterminator did), but now we have a carpenter ant infestation. The nest (main nest? will there be multiple nests?) is located in some rotten 2x6 boards framing our raised beds in the garden. However, their current ant highway leads to a vent under the house. Any of you Mefites have carpenter ant experience? What worked? What didn't? Do we need a professional? If they're foraging under the house, does that mean they've probably already set up a colony there? I hate ants. I hate them, I hate them, I hate them, I hate them, I hate them.