Repairs
Light Carpentry from San Francisco to San Jose
Light carpentry is the hourly rate with materials at cost. We repair and install trim, baseboards, and molding, builds and installs closet shelving, and handles small wood repairs and builds in homes from San Francisco to San Jose.
- Minimum
- 1 hour
- Typical single job
- 2–3 hours
- Bay Area typical price
- $250–600
- Hours
- Mon–Sun 8–8
What's included
- Baseboard, casing, and crown molding repair and installation
- Closet shelving and rod systems, built or installed
- Custom shelves, alcove built-ins, and mudroom hooks
- Repairing damaged wood trim, sills, and thresholds
- Fence and gate board replacement
- Small built-to-fit projects like a bench or a cover panel
What's referred out
- Structural framing and deck construction
- Cabinet building from scratch
- Hardwood floor installation or refinishing
If a job turns out to need a licensed trade or a permit, you'll hear that at the door — not after the hour has started.
Typical jobs and time
Time ranges are what these jobs usually take; you're billed for the actual hours worked, and the price is confirmed before work starts. See pricing.
| Job | Typical time |
|---|---|
| Replace baseboard in one room | 2–3 hours |
| Install a closet shelf-and-rod system | 2–3 hours |
| Repair a rotted window sill or threshold | 1.5–2 hours |
| Build and install a simple alcove shelf set | 3–4 hours |
How it goes
Measure and plan
Dimensions are taken, materials are agreed, and anything custom is sketched before cutting.
Cut and fit
Pieces are cut on site with clean miters and scribed to walls that aren't square.
Fasten and fill
Trim is nailed and glued, holes are filled, and joints are caulked.
Finish
Raw wood is primed and painted or stained to match, or left ready for you to finish.
Light Carpentry in Bay Area homes
Nothing in an old Peninsula house is square. Trim work in San Francisco flats and 1920s Burlingame homes is mostly about scribing to walls and floors that have moved. That takes longer than new construction but the result sits flat.
Closet systems are a frequent request after a move-in across the whole corridor, especially in apartments near Caltrain where closets are small and every inch counts.
Related services
Light Carpentry: questions people ask
What counts as light carpentry?
Trim, molding, shelving, closet systems, and small wood repairs — anything that doesn't involve structural framing or building furniture from scratch.
Do you install crown molding?
Yes, in standard-height rooms. Long runs and complex coffered ceilings are quoted first.
Can you build custom shelves?
Yes. Alcove shelves, floating shelves cut to size, and simple built-ins are common jobs.
Do you replace rotted wood outside?
Small sections — sills, thresholds, fence boards, trim — are cut out and replaced. Large rot is referred out.
Will the trim be painted?
Trim is primed and painted to match if the color is available, or left ready for finishing.
Light Carpentry across the corridor
Available in all 14 cities. City pages cover the local housing and what comes up most there.
Request a quote for light carpentry
Reply within 24 hours. Same-day requests are fastest by phone: (628) 277-4131.