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Thank you for your visiting at firstcarpentry.com. If you have any
questions for your project, please send me an e-mail with brief
information(dimensions, painting or stain, etc.) and/or some pictures for your project as well as
your name & area of your house. My working area is
limited depending on distance. I can answer most of your questions
including a rough estimate by mail. Your e-mail will be answered in the
evening on the same day in most of cases after I work. During daytime I
am at the job site, please call my cell at
972-849-1751. To send me e-mail, please copy & paste my e-mail address,
lee@firstcarpentry.com and use your own e-mail.
My name is M.H. Lee. Please call me Lee (I
am Korean). Since 1986, I have been working as a professional carpenter
in Dallas, TX.
Note:
Please feel free to contact me without any obligation. After I send you
an estimate by e-mail, I don't contact you until you reply. This website
does not contain any harmful virus & spyware and it's ISP is AT&T. If
your project is kind of urgent, please call me to check my schedule.
Sometimes are very busy, sometimes no job. Same day service is available
if I don't have any schedule. I do most of estimates on Saturday or
after work (late afternoon) during weekdays. Please feel free to contact
me on weekends or evening time.
Special Note about Custom Built-Ins:
Recently, I have been receiving many inquiries about custom built-ins
for bookshelf, TV entertainment center, etc. Before you ask me for an
estimate, please read the following:
1. Any custom built-ins are very time consuming projects
regardless of the size. It means very expensive. For example, bookshelf,
size 8'L x 12"D x 8'H, all open shelves, very simple design, the cost of
carpentry only, unfinished, would be more than minimum $2500 including
installation and it will take 3 to 4 days. Finish (stain or painting)
will be another minimum $1500. It also takes another 3 to 4 days
(sanding, stain or prime, sanding again & 2 finish coats). So total cost
(carpentry & finish) would be more than $4000 min. It is about $500 min.
per lf. If you add doors, drawers, decorative design, etc., it will add
to more of the cost.
2. Built-in is only 1 piece built for you, not mass
production.
3. Most of pre-made ones are less than the cost of
material and good quality.
4. Advantage of custom built-in is size. It fits into
your space, wall to wall & floor to ceiling per your specifications.
5. It should be much better to buy pre-made ones instead
of custom built if possible.
6. If you need custom built-ins, please let me know with
some information (size, stain or painting, cabinet doors, drawers,
special features and couple of pictures of the space). If you already
have painters, you can use them for finish.
7. I am a mobile carpenter. I set up all carpentry tools
and build everything at the job site. If you want to change the design
or something, it is very easy and convenience. You will see all
progress from start to finish. Before starting, I protect your floors
and stuffs.
The jobs I do: Most of Carpentry &
Painting, Home Repairs & Remodeling, Interior & Exterior Trim, Windows &
Doors, Decks, Railing, Siding, Built-In Cabinetry, Tile, Kitchen & Bath
Remodeling/Repair, Etc.
- I will show up on time as promised
unless I inform you in advance.
- I will not skip any working days
until I finish your project without prior notice.
- I will follow all of basic procedure
with my best knowledge and manufacturer's instruction.
- I use top quality material, i.e.,
straight lumber, quality paint, caulk/over 35 years, etc., unless
otherwise stated.
- If you don't have a specific idea
for your project, I will perform with my best knowledge.
- Please understand that
repair/remodeling cost more and take longer than new construction.
- I usually work from 8:00 am to 6:00
pm. In case of 1 or 2 days job, if I am allowed to extend hours, I
would like to work until I finish instead of coming back on next
day.
- I try to work more hours to shorten
the number of working days. Construction is messy and bothers all of
your family.
- I will protect your property from
dust and scratches on floor as much as possible.
- I will keep job site as clean as
possible.
- I am very well equipped with quality
tools.
- I am a professional carpenter with
common sense. If you are not satisfied with my personality and/or
job performance, please let me know. I will correct it immediately.
- I used to be a mechanical engineer
for Dong-Ah Engineering & Construction in Seoul, Korea. Dong-Ah is
one of world leading construction companies, which has built US$ 8
billion in the Middle East.
- Terms of Payment: 50% down and 50%
upon completion or as agreed.
- I don't take any inside pictures of the
occupied homes for the protection of my clients. So most of pictures
in my website are exterior. I do lots of interior remodeling &
repairs (50% interior & 50% exterior).
1. Exterior Carpentry Repair & Painting
(Walnut Hill & Bodecker, Dallas)
-
Job start: 10/2011
-
Scope of Works: Repair/replace all
rotten fascia board & soffit, protection, sanding,
clean, caulking, spot prime on bare wood, painting
-
Kitchen cabinet painting: Sanding
entire surface, replaced all hinges
-
This job took about 4 weeks (1 week
for kitchen cabinet painting and 3 weeks for ext.
carpentry repair & painting).
2. Radius Windows Trim Replacement with PVC &
Flexible Radius Molding (Stonebriar, Frisco, TX)
- Start 08/02/2011
- Windows trim & bottom sills are
rotten by the water.
- Replaced windows all wood trim (brick
mold) & sills with PVC (straight pieces) & polymer
molding (flexible molding for top radius trim), and
bottom sills with pressure treated lumber.
- Radius trim (flexible molding) is
special order made, which will take about 2 weeks. It is
life time guarantee material (polymer) and stronger &
more durable than PVC & composite. Radius molding is not
mass production. It is made individually per order,
radius & length. So it is expensive, $12.00 per ft
(about $96 for 8' long).
3. Exterior Windows Trim Replacement (Coit &
Hedgecoxe, Plano)
- 7/26/11 to 7/28/11, 3 days
- Replaced windows wood trim with
Hardie cement trim (water damage), Total 7 windows. Half
circle trim (1 piece): Made with 2 layers of 5/16"thick
Hardie cement sheet
- Scope of Works: Removal of old trim,
Installation of Hardie trim, Water seal (heavy/nice bead
of caulking with Sherwin Williams A950, 55 years) &
Painting
- Applied heavy caulking before
installation of trim on the back, then caulking again
after installation (very time consuming). This method
will last very long without separation of caulking.
- Total cost of material & labor:
$2,230.00
- I forgot taking pictures of
painting.
- Painting: Repaired area only (touch
up) and paint was provided by home owner.
- Even touch up paint is same as
original left over from the previous painting job (2
years ago), at the edge of siding and trim, there is
very little color difference showing because of color
fading and dirt on the siding. It will take sometime to
be the same.
- Any touch up painting: We need to
understand very little color variations between old and
new painting due to aging even though it is same paint.
Interior does not show much than the exterior.
4. Exterior Carpentry Repair for Door &
Window (Mockingbird & Greenville area, Dallas)
-
4/05/11 to 4/07/11
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Repair/replace all rotten frame of
door & window, water seal, then touch up painting
-
This job took 3 days (approx. 30
hours). Cost: $2,100.00
-
All of damages have been caused by
water penetration and aging.
-
This kind of job requires a lot of
heavy duty carpentry tools.
5. Built-in Cabinetry: Master Closet (Frisco)
-
Job started: 3/22/11 and finished
4/01/11
-
Some pictures are on the top, right
side. I started from the vacant room, but I took the
pictures in the middle of job.
-
My job was to do "Build all cabinet,
face frame, some drawers (boxes only), some adjustable
shelves & crown molding. It was helping a friend of
mine, who is a contractor for this project.
-
Room size: Approx. 16' x 16', 3 side
walls with cabinets
-
Total 16 cabinets (approx. 3'w x 7'h
x 16" & 24"d each piece) including island.
-
Material: Furniture grade 3/4"
plywood (formaldehyde free material), solid oak for face
frame & crown molding for stain later.
-
This is the same procedure & material
for built-in bookcases or any built-ins
-
Any type of built-ins are very
expensive because of material & very time consuming
labor. The prices of furniture and cabinets in the
stores are mostly less than the cost of material. These
are mass production & bulk material purchasing. You
would better buy if there is something in the stores you
can use instead of custom built-ins. But if you need
custom built-ins for your house, please let me know. I
will visit your house very quickly and discuss with you.
Or if you send a brief information & rough plan (type of
finish: painting or stain, width, height, depth,
drawers, doors, etc.) as much as you can, It does not
need to be detailed yet. I can give you a ball park
estimate by the email very quickly (1 or 2 days) unless
they need any special order hardware or material. I
reply most of emails on the same day (evening & night
time) after work. As I am a mobile carpenter, I set up
all the carpentry tools at the job site and build
everything. So you can see all the progress,
workmanship, material and you can change or add anytime
with ease. I keep my job site clean as much as possible.
6. Replace Front Door, Siding & Framing (Royal Ln
& Greenville Area): Top Pictures
-
Job started: 3/22/10 (Monday),
Scheduled finish: 4/09/10 (3 weeks). This job is being
delayed due to the job of concrete re-finish of front
steps. This job is finished completely on 4/14/10.
-
Scope of works: Replace whole front
(in & out), 8' x 26'H, siding, drywall, framing, doors &
finish (in & out)
-
The weight of new front door is about
520 lbs, special order made, walnut, 42"w x 96'h x
2-1/4"t & side, factory pre-finished (Standard front
door is 36"w x 80"h x 1-3/4"t.)
-
In order to install a very heavy,
tall & wide front door, first I had to build very strong
framing. All 2x6 studs & 2x12 header were fastened all
together with 5" lag screws (3 studs at each side) and
leveled & plumbed almost perfectly. This kind of jobs
should be done in one time because adjustment or fine
tuning of heavy door is very difficult. In general, most
of painting grade or unfinished doors are fairly easy to
install because I don't need to worry about scratches
too much during the installation. During this door
installation, we (3 carpenters) could not wear the tool
belt and we wrapped our pants belt buckles with thick
rags to prevent them from any scratches. If the surface
is once scratched accidently, it is almost impossible to
fix until whole door set is refinished. This door jambs
were pre-finished with stain. So to secure the jambs
into the house frame, 4 of 1/2" dia. x 5/16" deep holes
on each side jamb were to be made on outside jamb to
place 3" screws because there are no invisible spots to
secure the jamb in the frame. There is some space at
door hinge side to hide screws, where is behind weather
strip, but none at fixed side lite. Also the space
behind weather strip at door side is not enough to
withstand the weight of door. These holes will be
plugged with the same walnut. All of holes are equally
spaced on both jambs.
-
A door set was delivered on 4/09
(Friday) morning, 8:30 and installed successfully around
5:00pm.
-
Built solid framing (3'H) above the
door for anchoring the large size of metal awning (11' x
5'). So awning company can use any surface for anchoring
the heavy and large awning.
-
From Monday (4/12/10), siding, trim &
painting will start. Then I will place some more
pictures.
-
The cost of this job is about $9,500
without a door set.
7. Outdoor Upstairs Deck Railing (Royal Ln &
Greenville Area)
-
Job started: 2/15/10 (Monday),
Scheduled finish: 2/27/10 (2 weeks)
-
This job is finished as scheduled on
2/26/10. Sometime in April, I will paint this rail and
then I will place some more pictures.
-
It is about $8,000.00.
-
Basic concept: Matching house siding
(Cedar siding, rustic looking, painting same color of
house, not much fancy)
-
Strongest posts as much as possible
from the given situation, half lap joints with glue &
screws instead of miter for stronger jointing between
boards
-
All posts were bolted into the house
frame ledger board (2x12) with glue, not into roof
decking. See one of pictures inside garage.
-
Material: Pressure treated lumber
with cement trim board (Hardie) for wrapping 4x4 posts.
I tried to use Trex Decking railing material (composite)
instead of pressure treated, but unfortunately, I don't
have a confidence about painting whether composite
material takes paint well or not. PVC takes paint very
well, but composite may not. They are supposed to be
used "As Is" pre-finished. It needs to be painted same
as house color.
-
I will place more pictures as job
goes.
-
On 4/16/10, all painting was
completed (last picture in the group).
-
I am doing this job with one
of the best carpenters (Philip) from England who I've
met for more than my 20 years carpentry (See one of
pictures of this project.). He is a fine furniture wood
working carpenter and he has an associate degree of
carpentry from England. He is a very valuable asset for
our community and not an ordinary carpenter we can find
around us. I wish every body likes his hardworking and
talent. He has very good common sense and personality.
Now he is working for me, but sooner or later, he will
be a carpentry contractor in Dallas like me.
8. Bay Window Trim & Siding Replacement
- It was 2 days job.
- Removed all of cedar trim and siding (rot).
- Replaced w/Hardie cement trim and siding.
- Painting (Home owner provided paint.)
- Total Material & Labor: $1,280.00
9. Exterior Siding Replacement, White Rock Lake
area, Dallas, TX
-
Started on 2/19/08 and
to be finished by 2/29/08.
-
Job is being delayed
because more damage in framing was found. It should be completed by
3/07/08.
-
This job (carpentry
only) was completed on 3/08/09.
-
Old siding (composite
material), sheathing & framing was damaged by termite & water.
-
New siding: Cement
Fiberboard
-
Some pictures are on
the right in this page and in the "Project".
Project:
Greentree Apt. Garland, TX
- Greentree Apartments, Jupiter Rd.
Garland, TX
- Started on 1/22/07
- Finished on 8/02/07
- Scope of Works: Exterior Carpentry
Repairs & Painting
- 200 Units(17 buildings)
- Please click "Project"
for some pictures.
Charleston Square: Sep. 2006 -
Dec. 2006
- Charleston Square/4121 McKinney Ave,
Dallas, TX
- Started on 9/11/06
- Scope of Works: Exterior Carpentry
Repair (Trim Repair & Replacement)
- 54 Units of 3 Story Condominiums
- Please See "Project" for Current
Progress & Pictures.
The Jobs I finished(1997 -1999)
- 511 Akard, Downtown, Dallas (Model
house for high rise condos)
- 60 units of condos(5100 Martel,
Dallas))
- 48 units of luxury condos(4040
Avondale, Dallas)
- 20 units of condos (University
crossing, Dallas)
References
- BPMI: Management company for Turtle Creek area
condos
- Lakewood Country Club (Gaston &
Abrams), Dallas
- Owens or Kathy Litz (Spring Park,
Garland)
- Jill Honeyman, Inwood & N.W. Hwy,
Dallas
- General Electric, Euless, TX
- Mr. Tom Hicks, Walnut Hill & Toll
Way, Dallas
- Mr. Bruno, Willow Bend, Plano
- Mr. Charles Crocker
- Dallas Zoo Gift Shop
- Oklahoma Aquarium Gift Shop, Tulsa,
OK
- Extreme Pizza, 6112 Luther St.
Dallas (Preston & N.W. Hwy)
Quality Work!
Your Satisfaction Guaranteed!
Certificate Of
Liability Insurance(11/30/2013 - 11/30/2014)
Please
click to see
JOB REFERENCES (Please click to see.)
    
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Please click to see a
larger picture.
Windows Installation at brick wall, Plano (10/12)
1. Day 1(Mon): Set up
dust barrier and protect floor and others as much as possible.
Remove sheetrock and framing.
2. Day 2(Tue): Build new
headers and framing. Cut the brick larger than the sizes
3. Day 3(Wed): Install 2
windows (64"x69", white aluminum, tempered, double insulated glass,
low-e) water proofing around windows frame, brick work, sheetrocking
4. Day 4(Thu): Brick
repair, install metal lintel, sheetrock tape, bed & texture
5. Day 5(Fri): Brick
repair, prime & painting, trim, clean up and all finished
6. It took 5 days (7:30
to 6:30 everyday) and
cost about $7000 (material & labor).
   
             
Built In Bookshelf, Plano
Following pictures are built-in bookshelf that
I recently built in Plano (09/12). The size is 6'w x 8'h x 20"d.
Material is 3/4" Oak plywood for main body & shelves, 1/2"t for
backing and solid oak for face frame. It took 6 days (3.5 days for
carpentry & 2.5 days for stain & clear coat). Shelves are adjustable
except middle one at each box. These are fixed to make them very
strong. Joining methods are dado, rabbet, pocket screws with glue.
This is very typical way of quality carpentry joinery, nothing special. One
of critical things during the job in the occupied homes is dust
during the sanding. Before sanding, sealed everywhere with plastic,
then a sander attached automatic 10 gal. DeWalt vacuum was used to
minimize the dust. Protective clear coat was lacquer on all shelves
(top & bottom, 3 coats) and face frame & main body was Minwax
Wipe-On polyurethane (2 coats). It cost $4200 including material
(2700 for carpentry including material 1000 and 1500 for finish).
Pictures don't show all details because of small space.
      
Crown Molding Installation, Preston & Frankford, Dallas, Start 3/19/12 - in progress, 2 pieces
running (4-1/2" tall each). After painting, more pictures will be
placed here. I do not take any inside pictures during the job for
privacy protection, but this case was permitted by home owner. I
really appreciate home owner for kindness and jobs. My crew and I
will do our best. On 4/03, painting of all of crown molding was
finished and some spots of ceiling were repaired. Some more pictures
were added. This job is to install crown molding (2 pieces running,
about 300lf & 4-1/2"tall each) and whole ceiling painting(downstairs
& upstairs). Painting
of all lower ceiling has been finished. Remains are high ceiling
areas (20'H). From Monday (4/09/12), I will set up scaffold,
extension ladders, work board, etc. to start painting. On 4/10
(Tue.), all ceiling painting was done. It took about 3 weeks without
any skipping work days. Thank you.
Have a wonderful day. Lee
1. Exterior Carpentry & Painting
(10/2011)
               
Built In Cabinet,
Lower Greenville, Dallas. Home
owner wanted to build a built-in at the corner of the kitchen to
accommodate a built-in Sub-Zero refrigerator & wine cooler. They
tried to buy & install the pre-made cabinet at the store, but they
could not find the right sizes and matching doors. Two corner walls
were extended and built base & wall cabinet as well as cabinet
doors. All new doors were duplicated almost same as the others. It
took about 2 weeks (2 days for demo & wall repair, 6 days for
carpentry, 3 days for painting & 1 day for tile. It cost about
$9,000 for labor & material except tile. Tile was supplied by home
owner.
2. Windows Trim Replacement with
PVC Molding (8/02/11)
3. Windows Trim Replacement with Hardie Cement Trim
Board (7/26/11 to 7/28/11)
         
4. Exterior Door & Window Repair
4/05/11 to 4/07/11
             
5. Built-In Cabinet (Master Closet)
3/22/11 to 4/01/11
             
6. New Front Door, Framing & Siding 3/22/10
to 4/14/10
                       
7. Outdoor Upstairs Deck Railing
                      
Window & Trim Repair
8. Bay Window Trim & Siding Replacement w/Hardie
Cement Board
   _small.JPG) 
9.Siding Replacement w/Hardie Cement Siding
                 
         
       
                   
       
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