A lead remodeling carpenter runs a kitchen, bath, basement or whole-home remodel on site and installs the hardest parts, from beams to cabinets and custom trim. They guide the carpenters, check deliveries and subcontractors' work, and keep the homeowner posted while the family lives around the job.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, residential builders and remodelers · BLS, May 2025
Annual pay: 10th percentile $40,700, middle half $48,190 to $75,740, 90th percentile $92,230. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Reports to
Project Manager
Department
Operations
Schedule
40 hours, overtime at busy stages · A 40-hour week in the template, with overtime and on-call time at critical stages and driving between jobs in the region
Also called
Lead carpenter · Lead installer · Remodel lead · Site lead carpenter
Lead remodeling carpenter job description template
This is our Role Blueprint, word for word. Replace the highlighted fields and adjust the example targets and pay to fit your company.
Serve as the lead technical expert in advanced carpentry and remodeling installations. Mentor and guide a team of carpenters to ensure the highest quality standards in remodeling projects. Play a key role in upholding the company’s commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Oversee and execute advanced carpentry tasks on remodeling projects with precision.
Mentor and train team members in proper installation techniques and safety procedures.
Ensure adherence to established remodeling standards and quality benchmarks.
Collaborate with project managers and supervisory staff to align project objectives with client expectations.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Conduct daily inspections of job sites to monitor quality, safety, and progress.
Provide on-site guidance and technical support to the carpentry team.
Read and interpret blueprints, technical drawings, and project specifications.
Coordinate material deliveries and inventory, ensuring timely project continuation.
Communicate progress and potential issues to management and clients as needed.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Project completion rate: 95% or above on schedule.
Customer satisfaction rating: >4.8 stars based on client feedback surveys.
Quality rework rate: <5% of projects requiring reinstallation or corrections.
Team productivity efficiency: Achieve a minimum of 90% utilization on billable hours.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
High school diploma or equivalent, with additional technical training preferred.
Minimum of 5 years’ experience in advanced carpentry and remodeling projects.
Proficient in interpreting blueprints and technical drawings.
Strong leadership, communication, and mentoring skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience working in the remodeling or home services industry on both residential and commercial projects.
Prior supervisory or lead role in carpentry or related construction fields.
Background in specialty installations and custom remodeling projects.
Familiarity with modern carpentry tools, techniques, and safety compliances.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift and carry materials up to 50 lbs.
Capability to work in various weather conditions, including hot, cold, and windy environments.
Extended periods of standing, walking, bending, and climbing ladders.
Competence in operating power tools and heavy equipment safely.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard work schedule of 40 hours per week with occasional overtime during peak project periods.
Frequent travel between job sites within the region is expected.
Opportunities for on-call duties during critical project phases.
Work conducted in active construction environments with variable noise and weather conditions.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Hourly rate typically ranges from $30 to $40 per hour based on experience and project complexity.
Performance bonuses available based on project milestones and customer satisfaction metrics.
Health, Dental, and Vision insurance coverage provided.
Retirement benefits with a 401(k) plan and company match.
Additional fringe benefits such as paid time off, professional development opportunities, and safety incentives.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we pride ourselves on a collaborative, supportive culture that emphasizes continuous growth and excellence.
We believe in empowering our team members with the tools, training, and mentorship necessary to excel in their careers.
Our firm is committed to innovation in remodeling and quality craftsmanship, maintaining a strong focus on customer satisfaction and community impact.
Join us to be part of a forward-thinking team that values skill, leadership, and the pursuit of excellence.
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
On a remodel, the lead carpenter is the company's person in the house every day. Besides the hardest installs, the lead owns the lead-safe paperwork and setup, the dust plan, the permit card and the delivery schedule.
Lead-safe paperwork starts before demolition
For pre-1978 homes, the lead rule has the firm give the owner EPA's lead hazard pamphlet no more than 60 days before work starts. The owner signs for it, or the firm mails it at least 7 days ahead and keeps the certificate of mailing. The firm keeps job records for 3 years. They show that a certified renovator trained the crew and did the cleaning check. On many remodels, the lead carries that binder. Source: 40 CFR 745.84: Information distribution before renovation (Cornell LII).
Window swaps and demolition always count
EPA's rule skips small jobs. Inside, that means disturbing a painted patch no bigger than 6 square feet per room. Outside, the limit is 20 square feet. That exemption never covers window replacement or demolition of painted surfaces, which EPA says are covered whatever the size. Tearing out one painted closet wall or swapping two old windows still needs the full lead-safe setup. Source: EPA: Renovation, Repair and Painting Program for contractors.
Two kinds of dust, one plan
Remodels raise old paint dust and, from tile, stone and fiber-cement cuts, silica. The lead decides where the plastic goes, how the ducts in the work area get sealed, where an air scrubber runs and how the crew gets in and out without tracking dust down the hall. For silica, OSHA's rule bars dry sweeping and compressed-air cleanup where they could add to exposure, unless wet sweeping, a HEPA vacuum or similar methods aren't feasible. So the push broom and blow gun stay on the truck. Source: OSHA: Silica in construction, frequently asked questions.
Permit rules differ from one town to the next
Whether a remodel needs a permit is a local call, and two examples show the range. Wheeling, Illinois, requires one for kitchen and bath remodels, cabinet replacement included, and wants signed and sealed structural calculations when a bearing wall comes out. Capitola, California, exempts cabinets, countertops and similar finish work. The lead confirms the permit covers the work before a wall is opened and keeps the job ready for each inspection. Source: Village of Wheeling, Illinois: Kitchen and bath remodel permits.
One damaged delivery can stall the job
The template has the lead coordinate deliveries. Custom cabinets, tile and special-order doors can take weeks to replace. So the lead checks each one against the order the day it arrives, before the driver leaves if possible, and reports damage to the project manager right away. A cracked vanity top found on install day can idle the plumber, the tile setter and the countertop crew.
How much lead remodeling carpenters make
Carpenters who work for residential builders and remodelers earned a median of $29.13 an hour ($60,600 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 204,290 of the 670,090 carpenters in that survey work for residential builders and remodelers.
Hourly in the template, above the crew's rate, with bonuses for milestones, customer ratings and safety. This chart covers every carpenter at home builders and remodelers, from new journeymen to leads, so check what nearby remodelers offer their leads before you set a rate.
Residential builders and remodelers
$60,600$60,600 median Middle half $48,190–$75,740 10th–90th $40,700–$92,230
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
Residential builders and remodelers
$40,700
$48,190
$60,600
$75,740
$92,230
All industries
$40,410
$48,510
$60,580
$76,830
$99,910
BLS reports remodelers and home builders together. 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
Has run remodels as the company's daily contact in a home the family still lived in
Installs cabinets, doors, windows and custom trim to a finish standard
Sets up lead-safe containment and holds the crew to it
Books plumbers, electricians and tile setters so each room is ready when they arrive
Gives homeowners straight news about delays and hidden damage
Teach these on the job
EPA's certified renovator course, for a lead without the certificate
Your permit files and how each town books inspections
Your billable-hour tracking and job codes
Your delivery check-in steps and supplier contacts
What a lead may approve on site and what goes to the project manager
Leads carry a finish kit for the hardest installs, such as a track saw, a cabinet lift, scribing tools and a laser, plus a moisture meter for subfloors and framing found behind old walls. Most also keep an air scrubber and a HEPA vacuum on the job. Tell candidates which app holds your plans, photos and schedule.
Lead remodeling carpenter 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 · Change orders and scope control
Halfway through a kitchen remodel, the homeowner asks you to move the island and add an outlet in it. What do you do?
A strong answer: Doesn't agree on the spot. Checks what the change affects (plumbing, electrical, flooring, permit), writes it up with the homeowner, and gets a priced change order approved before doing the work.
Behavioral · Mentoring carpenters
Tell me about a time you taught a less experienced carpenter a skill on the job. How did you know they had learned it?
A strong answer: Showed the task, then watched them do it, gave specific feedback, checked their later work, and let them do it alone once it was right.
Track these for each remodel this lead runs and review them every quarter. Set your bars from your own jobs before using the template's figures.
Project completion rate
Of the remodels this lead closed out, the ones done on or before their planned finish. Mark backorders, inspection waits and late homeowner selections apart, so the lead is judged on the crew's work.
Customer satisfaction rating
Survey scores from the family after closeout. Read what they said about living with the job: dust in other rooms, the end-of-day cleanup, and whether they knew what was coming next.
Quality rework rate
Jobs where installed work had to be torn out or redone, out of all closed, with the cause noted: measuring, product damage, a sub's work or the lead's own crew.
Team productivity efficiency
Hours the crew spent on billable job tasks, divided by hours paid. Count supply runs and waiting on subs as non-billable so the lead sees where time goes.
No, but it's the simplest setup. EPA's rule gives each covered job a certified renovator, who must be at the house in person while warning signs are posted, while the work area is closed off with plastic, and during cleaning. Between those steps, they must be on site or reachable by phone. Since the lead is there every day, a certified lead covers all of that with no extra trips.
How much does a lead remodeling carpenter make?
Carpenters who work for residential builders and remodelers earned a median of $29.13 an hour ($60,600 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $48,190 and $75,740 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
What does "installer" mean in this title?
It points to the specialty installs a remodeler keeps in-house: cabinets, vanities, doors, windows, built-ins and sometimes shower doors. Ask which ones a candidate has done, and have them describe leveling a cabinet run on a sloping floor. A lead who can only frame will hand off the parts homeowners notice most.
Can one lead remodeling carpenter run two remodels at once?
Rarely well. One remodel at a time, plus a short punch list elsewhere, is the usual load. A lead who splits days between two jobs misses deliveries and leaves carpenters waiting for answers. If you need more coverage, pair the lead with a strong carpenter who can run punch work and small repairs alone.
How should the physical demands read in a lead remodeling carpenter ad?
Turn the template's "extended periods of standing, walking, bending, and climbing ladders" into the work itself: carrying cabinets and doors into the house, climbing ladders to set crown and range hoods, and moving loads up to 50 pounds. Ask every applicant the same question about doing those tasks. Wording about endurance can turn away people who could do the job.
What should you check before hiring a lead remodeling carpenter?
Ask for photos of remodels they ran, before and after, and call a homeowner if they'll share one as a reference. Ask how they kept dust from reaching other rooms and what they did about a cabinet that arrived damaged. If they hold an EPA renovator certificate, ask to see it and the date of their last refresher.
