Home repair and carpentry
Repairs and carpentry: the jobs that need a carpenter, not a company
Rotted porch posts, a door that drags, a wall that needs trim, a built-in bookcase, a soft spot in the floor. These are not jobs for a handyman app or a company with a sales team. They are carpentry, and Josh does them between the bigger jobs.
In short
A lot of what keeps a house in good shape is small: the rotted bottom of a door jamb, the window sill that needs rebuilding, the baseboard that was never finished after the floor went in, the closet that needs shelves, the railing that is loose. Fox Gables takes these jobs, usually grouped by area so a morning in Lititz covers three of them.
Josh is a carpenter first. The trim work, custom woodwork and repairs are the part of the business he came up doing, and they are the reason the bigger jobs come out looking finished.
Repairs
The repair calls Josh takes most often.
- Rot repair: door jambs, window sills, porch posts and columns, rim joists, deck ledgers, fascia
- Doors that drag, will not latch, or have a broken jamb
- Drywall and plaster repair, including water-damaged ceilings after a roof leak is fixed
- Floor repair: soft spots, squeaks, subfloor replacement, transitions
- Stair repair: treads, risers, railings and balusters to code
- Siding, soffit and trim repair after wind or impact
- Screen and storm door repair, weatherstripping, thresholds
- Small structural repairs: sistered joists, posts, headers
Trim and molding
New trim is the finishing touch most remodels skip and most houses from the 1960s to 1990s never had. Josh installs baseboard, door and window casing, crown molding, chair rail, wainscoting and window stools in poplar, pine or MDF, coped at the inside corners, nailed and filled, ready for paint. The hallway on the Reading project shows new casing and baseboard through the house.
Custom carpentry and built-ins
Bookcases, window seats, mudroom benches with cubbies, closet systems, mantels, built-in cabinets around a fireplace, laundry room counters. Josh builds these in the shop or on site from plywood and hardwood, sized to the space, finished or paint-ready. They are the kind of job where the measurement matters more than anything and where a carpenter beats a catalog.
| Job | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Service call for small repairs, half day | $350 to $550 |
| Door jamb or sill rot repair, each | $300 to $900 |
| Porch post or column replacement, each | $450 to $1,200 |
| Ceiling drywall repair after a leak | $400 to $1,200 |
| Baseboard and casing, per room | $600 to $1,500 |
| Crown molding, per room | $700 to $1,800 |
| Built-in bookcase or window seat | $1,800 to $6,000 |
| Mudroom bench with cubbies and hooks | $1,500 to $4,500 |
On the job
New casing and baseboard 
Staircase railing rebuilt to code 
Measured twice
How a job goes
From the first call to the walkthrough
- 1
Call or send the form
Josh calls back the same day, usually within a couple of hours. Tell him what is going on and he will ask a few questions.
- 2
Josh comes out and looks
On the roof, in the attic, under the deck. He measures, takes photos, and brings samples in the truck. No sales presentation.
- 3
You get a written estimate
Materials named by brand, the scope spelled out, a price that does not expire at midnight. Over $500 it is a written contract, as Pennsylvania requires.
- 4
The work gets done
Materials delivered, the job done by Josh with help as the job needs, the site cleaned every day, permits and inspections handled.
- 5
Walkthrough, then you pay
Josh walks the finished job with you. Anything on the list gets done. Final payment when you are satisfied.
Related projects
This work, on real houses
Reading · Berks County
Whole-house interior remodel in Reading
New drywall throughout, a new kitchen, new flooring, lighting, trim and a rebuilt staircase railing in a Reading home.
Ephrata area · Lancaster County
Entry doors, a patio door and a bulkhead door
Decorative glass entry doors with sidelights, a sliding patio door in a brick wall, and a steel bulkhead cellar door.
Questions people ask
Do you really take small jobs?
Yes. Josh groups them by area and schedules them between larger jobs. A half day of small repairs is a normal entry on the calendar.
Is there a minimum?
A half-day service call is the practical minimum. Josh will tell you on the phone if a job is better suited to a handyman service.
Can you fix the ceiling after you fix the roof leak?
Yes. Roof repair and the drywall repair under it are often done as one job.
Do you paint?
Josh leaves work paint-ready, filled and caulked. He can recommend painters.
Do you build custom cabinets?
Built-ins, benches, bookcases and simple cabinets, yes. For a full kitchen of custom cabinets Josh works with local cabinet shops.
Free estimate
Get a number, not a pitch.
Tell Josh what the house needs. He will call back, come out, measure, and give you a written estimate with the materials named.
(717) 598-7728Calls and texts answered seven days a week. Estimates by appointment, Monday to Saturday.
PA HIC #PA125031 · Insured