Builders, carpenters, joiners: who actually does what

In NSW, the labels matter because the licences do. Here's a plain-English guide.

A licensed builder holds a NSW Home Building Licence and can contract for any residential building work over $5,000. They're the principal contractor on a build, responsible to the homeowner under the Home Building Act. They subcontract everything they don't do themselves.

A carpenter is a trade qualification (Certificate III). A carpenter can do carpentry work as a subcontractor under a builder, or they can hold their own restricted licence (NSW: "specialist" licence in carpentry) that lets them contract directly for carpentry-only work up to certain limits.

A joiner is also a trade qualification, traditionally the shop-based maker of doors, windows, cabinetry, stairs. In modern practice the line between carpenter and joiner has blurred, but a strict joiner does shop work, a strict carpenter does site work.

Who you want depends on the job. New deck: you want a carpenter with structural experience (or a builder if it ties into other work). Built-in library that fits into an existing room: you want a joiner or a carpenter who does joinery. Whole house: you want a builder who subcontracts the trades.

We hold the carpentry licence (specialist) which means we can contract directly for any carpentry / joinery work without going through a builder. For jobs that need other trades (electrics, plumbing) we either coordinate them as subcontractors under us, or we work as a subcontractor to your builder.