Lead Carpenter

Lead Carpenter Rowe Carpentry LLC Philadelphia, PA Job Details Full-time $32 - $48 an hour 1 hour ago Qualifications Driver's License Delegation Full Job Description Most renovation companies take every job they can get. Rowe Carpentry has a three-month waitlist — built on reputation, no ads. We built it by taking the jobs most crews won't touch: complex additions, gut renovations in 100-year-old houses, projects where the drawings don't match the structure, and someone has to figure it out on the fly. Clients who go through it once become permanent references. We're hiring a Lead Carpenter — someone who can run a jobsite the way David runs it when he's there. What the Work Actually Looks Like You'll be in old houses. Hundred-year-old framing that was never quite level to begin with, antique flooring that can't be matched, and structural discoveries mid-job that require a real decision. Nobody tells you how to handle it. You figure it out and keep the job moving. You'll lead a crew — set the pace, assign tasks, hold people accountable, and make sure the work going up meets Rowe's standards before anyone calls it done. No one checks behind you every hour. That's the point. The jobsite is clean at the end of every day. Tools put away, materials accounted for, rig squared away. Clients drop by unannounced — they happen to own the house. The crew they see needs to be one they're proud to introduce to their neighbors. The best people here never waited to be told what to do next. If that's not you, this isn't the role. Who Belongs Here When you walk onto a Rowe job, that house belongs to you for the duration. You treat it the way you'd treat your own family's home — the materials, the space, the people living in it. That's not a value statement on a wall. It's how Matt runs the site every day. When Alex and Matt hit a difficult roof framing detail they'd never seen before, they went home and watched videos. Came in the next morning with a plan. Nobody asked them to. That's the bar — you don't wait for direction on things you can figure out yourself. If something turns up mid-job — a hidden structural issue, a rotted sill plate, flooring that can't be matched — it gets surfaced immediately. The client hears about it before any work proceeds. Cost, time, and what it means for the rest of the job. We don't cover things up, and we don't add them quietly to the invoice. You earn your place here by what you produce, not how many years you've been in the trade. The question at the end of the day isn't "Am I done?" It's "Is it done?" If you see a better way to do something, say so. David stops and listens — even mid-project. If it's a better solution, that's what gets used. But you have to be the kind of person who speaks up and can back it up. What You Need 5+ years of field carpentry experience — framing, finish, complex renovations Experience leading a crew or working as a senior carpenter with accountability for quality Valid driver's license and reliable transportation Ability to pass a background check Authorized to work in the United States You do NOT need: No college degree required No specific certifications required — we value trade knowledge over credentials No experience with our specific project types required — if you can build, we can align on methods Pay & Path Starting pay: $32-$35/hr based on experience — that's $66,560-$72,800/yr full-time.

At full performance:

$36-$40/hr. Senior leads David trusts with the hardest jobs: $42-$48/hr. Rowe is building toward a 10 to 12-person crew by 2029. David's goal is to step back from daily field work. The people running jobs now are the ones who'll be asked to take on more when the team grows — not someone hired later. Why Rowe Carpentry The work is genuinely difficult. Complex custom renovations in old houses — not track housing, not the same thing twice. You'll solve real problems. The crew thinks. When someone has a better way to do something, David stops and listens. The best idea wins. The pipeline stays full. Three-month waitlist, no ads. The work is there. Clients write thank-you notes. That's not an exaggeration — it's in Team IV. The work leaves people talking. Room to grow. This is a company in the middle of scaling. The people here now are the ones who'll move up as it does. The Hiring Process You apply (5 minutes). 15-minute phone call if your application passes screening. 7 written questions — email reply, no forms, takes about 15 minutes. 45-minute face-to-face interview about your actual work history. Site visit — a few hours on an active job. You'll see exactly what we do. We'll see how you move. Offer, if it's a fit on both sides.

Compensation:

$32 - $48 hourly

Responsibilities:

Lead the on-site crew through daily execution — assign tasks, set pace, and keep work moving from setup to final sweep. Own quality control at the trade level — walk through every detail before the PM, or the client sees it. Execute high-level carpentry work on complex additions and custom renovations, including old-home challenges. Manage materials and flag needs before the site runs short — no crew stands around waiting. Maintain a clean, organized jobsite at the end of every day — tools put away, materials sorted, rig squared away. Communicate proactively — surface problems, unexpected discoveries, or schedule risks before they become client issues.

Qualifications:

Required:

5+ years of hands-on carpentry experience. Valid driver's license and reliable transportation. Ability to pass a background check. US work authorization.

You do NOT need:

No college degree or formal certifications required. No prior experience with Rowe's specific project types — if you can build at a high level, we can align on methods. About Company Rowe Carpentry LLC takes the jobs most companies won't touch — complex additions and custom renovations in the Philadelphia metro area, where the drawings don't always match the house, and getting it wrong means getting it done twice. We specialize in old homes, precision work, and clients who want it done right the first time. The work requires real judgment, not just labor. Our reputation has built a three-month waitlist without a single ad. If you want to build things worth building, with a crew that actually thinks, this is where you work.