Find a carpenter that has a history of flexibility. You can generally find out things like this by talking with people who have hired the carpenter in the past. These people will be able to tell you what they hired the carpenter for and if he or she did a good job. If you have information like this, then you are much less likely to spend money on the wrong contractor.

It is essential that you get an estimate from a number of carpenters before you hire anyone. Getting a lot of estimates will help you find the lowest price for the best work. The greater level of choice inherently provides you with the opportunity for better pricing. It also gives you a reference point to help keep the contractor on track in terms of costs. If costs start getting out of hand, you can reference the estimate to give you greater leverage.

Most contractors will ask that you pay a certain percentage of the estimated costs upfront. This type of deposit request is very common among "for contract" workers. After all, they need to protect themselves from unscrupulous clients as much as you need to protect yourself from unscrupulous contractors. However, you should never be willing to pay more than 25 per cent of the total estimated cost of the project.