A design-build tradesperson does the framing, carpentry and layout on home additions, renovations and new houses that their own firm designed. They build from the firm's drawings with little oversight, check their work before the field supervisor sees it, and raise a question with the design team when the house doesn't match the plans.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Perform specialized skilled trade tasks including carpentry, framing, and other construction duties with a strong emphasis on quality and efficiency. Contribute to the design-build process by executing work with minimal oversight, ensuring projects are completed on time and to high standards.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Execute carpentry, framing, and laydown tasks on design-build projects with precision and adherence to safety standards.
Read and interpret blueprints, schematics, and technical drawings to accurately translate designs into physical structures.
Collaborate with project teams to ensure materials, tools, and timelines are efficiently managed.
Maintain high-quality workmanship while complying with building codes and regulations.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Set up and prepare work sites, ensuring all tools and materials are organized and accessible.
Perform detailed measurements, cuts, and assembly of structural components throughout the workday.
Inspect completed work for quality and adherence to project specifications before sign-off.
Communicate with supervisors and team members regarding project updates and any required adjustments.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Quality Score: Achieve a defect rate of <3% on completed work.
Project Completion Rate: 95% of tasks completed on schedule.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: >4.8 stars on post-project surveys.
Safety Compliance: Maintain a zero-incident record per quarter.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
High school diploma or equivalent with relevant technical training.
Minimum of 3 years’ experience in carpentry, framing, or a related skilled trade.
Ability to read and interpret blueprints, technical drawings, and design plans.
Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail with a commitment to quality workmanship.
6. Preferred Experience
Previous experience working with design-build firms on residential or commercial projects.
Familiarity with modern construction techniques and sustainable building practices.
Proven track record of working independently with minimal supervision.
Experience collaborating in team-oriented project environments.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift and carry up to 50 lbs.
Experience working in variable weather conditions, including hot, cold, and outdoor environments.
Capability to perform physically demanding tasks including prolonged standing, bending, and manual labor.
Comfortable working in confined spaces and at heights as required by the project.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard work hours typically from 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM, Monday to Friday.
Flexibility to work extended hours and weekends during project deadlines.
Minimal travel between job sites within the local area.
Occasional on-call duty for urgent project needs after standard hours.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Hourly rate: $25.00 - $35.00 per hour, based on experience and qualifications.
Eligibility for performance bonuses tied to project completion and quality metrics.
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance coverage.
Participation in a 401(k) retirement plan with company matching contributions.
Additional fringe benefits such as paid time off, professional development programs, and employee discounts.
10. Company Culture and Overview
A dynamic and growth-oriented environment where innovation and excellence are celebrated.
Commitment to fostering a supportive, collaborative workplace that values every team member's contribution.
Dedicated to empowering employees through continuous training and career advancement opportunities.
Focused on delivering premium quality and exceptional customer satisfaction across every project.
11. How to Apply
If you meet the above criteria and want to be part of a growth-oriented company focused on customer satisfaction, please send your resume to [INSERT EMAIL HERE] or apply online at [INSERT WEBSITE LINK HERE].
Need help filling this role? HireBus posts the ad, Iris interviews every applicant by phone before you do, and you decide who to hire. Start hiring now
The carpenter at a design-build firm builds the firm's own design for a homeowner who signed with a single firm. A lot of the framing happens on existing houses, where new drawings meet walls nobody has opened in decades.
Fall protection on second-story framing
Additions and second-floor framing put carpenters on open floors and wall tops. Under OSHA's residential rule, a carpenter 6 feet or more over the floor or ground below must be protected by guardrails, a safety net or personal fall arrest gear. OSHA treats the job as residential when the building will be a home and is built with traditional wood-frame materials and methods. If the employer can prove those systems aren't feasible or add hazard, it must follow a fall protection plan, in writing and specific to that site. Source: OSHA: Compliance guidance for residential construction (STD 03-11-002).
Engineered lumber follows the maker's instructions
Additions and custom homes often use I-joists and LVL beams, and each brand's installation guide sets the rules. Roseburg's, for one, says never to cut, drill or notch an I-joist flange except to cut it to length, and to brace each joist as it goes in. It warns that joists aren't stable until fully installed and carry no load until braced and sheathed. Its hole chart shows where web holes may go, so carpenters check the guide before a plumber asks for one. Source: Roseburg: Framing and installation guide for I-joists and LVL (Form 1008, January 2023).
Old framing rarely matches the drawing
Tying an addition into an older house means finding floors out of level, lumber in sizes no yard sells now, and walls that aren't quite where the measured drawing put them. A good tradesperson measures before cutting, tells the supervisor what doesn't match, and waits for an answer from the designers instead of guessing at a bearing wall.
Layout comes straight from the firm's sheets
Layout falls to this person too. They snap wall lines, set openings and check for square from the firm's drawings. A wall laid out a few inches off can push a stair or a cabinet run out of the space the homeowner approved, and the designers then have to redraw it.
How much design-build tradespersons make
The closest BLS group for design-build tradespersons is carpenters. Carpenters who work for building contractors earned a median of $29.60 an hour ($61,570 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s about the same as the $60,580 median for carpenters in all industries. About 312,950 of the 670,090 carpenters in that survey work for building contractors.
Hourly wages come with bonuses in the template, tied to finishing on schedule and to quality. BLS groups this job with all carpenters, from house framers to trim carpenters.
Building contractors
$61,570$61,570 median Middle half $49,380–$77,150 10th–90th $44,250–$97,960
All industries
$60,580$60,580 median Middle half $48,510–$76,830 10th–90th $40,410–$99,910
$30k$40k$50k$60k$70k$80k$90k$100k$110k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Building contractors
$44,250
$49,380
$61,570
$77,150
$97,960
All industries
$40,410
$48,510
$60,580
$76,830
$99,910
BLS doesn’t publish pay for design-build firms on their own. These figures cover construction of buildings, which include them. Post a real range for your market in the ad.
The pay line in the template above is an example from our Role Blueprint. Set yours from these figures and what local companies pay.
Skills to hire for, and what you can teach
Hire for these
Frames walls, floors and roofs from plans without being walked through each step
Lays out walls and openings to the drawings with a tape and laser
Reads structural callouts for beams, headers and hold-downs
Checks their own work for plumb, level and square before calling it done
Speaks up when the house doesn't match the drawing
Teach these on the job
Your firm's standard details and preferred products
The engineered lumber brands you buy
Your daily photo and time entry app
Fall protection setups for your typical jobs
Trim and finish carpentry on high-end remodels
Carpenters here use framing nailers, a circular saw, a miter saw, a rotary or line laser, and levels from torpedo to six-foot. The posting should make clear which tools the worker brings and which the firm supplies.
Design-build tradesperson interview questions
Two of the 6 questions we'd ask, and what a strong answer sounds like. Ask every candidate the same questions, and rate each answer on your own before you compare notes.
Situational · Dimension conflicts
A dimension on the drawings doesn't add up on site by a couple of inches. What do you do?
A strong answer: Stops, rechecks, tells the supervisor and designer, and waits for direction.
Behavioral · Quality without supervision
Tell me about a time you built something with little supervision and it passed inspection or review the first time.
A strong answer: Explains how they checked their own work (measured, followed the plans, checked level and square) and the result.
Should a design-build carpenter read structural drawings?
Yes, at least the parts that touch framing: beam and header sizes, hold-downs, shear wall nailing and point loads that need blocking down to the foundation. The engineer's sheet sometimes differs from the architectural one, and the carpenter is often first to notice. Test it by handing a candidate one structural sheet in the interview and asking what it tells them to build.
How much does a design-build tradesperson make?
Carpenters who work for building contractors earned a median of $29.60 an hour ($61,570 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $49,380 and $77,150 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
Can a framer handle finish carpentry too?
Some can, and many prefer one or the other. Framing rewards speed and accurate layout; trim rewards patience and tight joints. A small design-build crew often needs both, so find out which of the two filled most of a candidate's past year and give them a small task in the weaker one.
What should a tradesperson do when the drawings don't work?
Stop and ask before building it. Take a photo, mark up the sheet and send the question to the supervisor, who takes it to the designers. A carpenter who quietly fixes a design in the field can leave a beam undersized or a window off the plan the homeowner approved.
Is there steady work for carpenters through the winter?
Design-build firms often fill cold months with interior remodels while additions wait for spring. Tell candidates how hours ran last winter and whether the firm moves people between jobs to keep them busy. Steady hours are a reason good carpenters stay.
Why does the template count customer ratings for a carpenter?
Because on a remodel the homeowner watches the work. A floor swept before the crew leaves, tools out of the hallway and a straight answer to "what's that for?" all show up on the survey. Bonuses in the template depend on quality, so explain to new hires how ratings count toward theirs.
