The trade that decides how finished a house feels
Carpentry is the thread running through almost every renovation. It goes in early, before the plasterer, and again at the end once the walls are painted. When it's done well nobody comments on it. They just say the house feels finished. When it's done badly, it's the first thing anyone notices: doors that catch, skirting with gaps, an architrave that isn't quite square to the frame.
First fix and second fix
If you haven't renovated before, these two terms come up constantly and nobody explains them.
First fix
Everything structural that happens before the walls are closed up: studwork and partitions, door linings, floor joists, noggins, and the framing that plumbers and electricians need to run services through. Get this wrong and every trade after you inherits the problem.
Second fix
Everything that goes on once the plastering and painting are done: hanging doors, skirting and architrave, ironmongery, stairs parts, shelving and trims. This is the visible work, and it's where a careful carpenter earns their money.
What we take on
- Internal doors. Supplied and hung, or hung from doors you've sourced. Correct clearances, no catching, latches that land first time.
- Timber and engineered floors. Laid, with proper expansion gaps, underlay and thresholds. We'll flag subfloor problems before they become your problem.
- Skirting and architrave. Mitred and scribed to the walls you actually have, not the ones the drawing assumed.
- Stairs. New stairs, replacement treads, painted risers, new handrails and balustrades. A tired staircase drags down a whole hallway.
- Studwork and partitions. Splitting a room, forming an en suite, or closing off an open-plan space that never quite worked.
- Attic and garage conversions. The carpentry side: floor structure, partitions, linings and access.
- Renovation carpentry. First and second fix across a whole-house refurbishment, working to your builder's programme.
Working around you
Most of our indoor work happens in houses people are still living in. That shapes how we work: dust sheets down, doors closed, cuts made outside or with extraction wherever we can, and the place swept before we leave each evening. We'll tell you honestly which days will be noisy and which won't, so you can plan around calls and school runs.
How an indoor job runs
- Site visit. We look at what's there, what's coming out and how it ties into the rest of the work.
- Written quote. Itemised and fixed, with a clear order of works if other trades are involved.
- The work. We agree dates and stick to them. If a delivery slips or something behind a wall isn't what anyone expected, you hear it from us that day.
- Snagging. We walk the job with you, sort the small things properly, and take the offcuts away.
Indoor carpentry across Dublin and Leinster
We work throughout Dublin city and county and across Kildare, Meath and Wicklow, in period houses and new builds alike. Indoor carpentry often runs alongside fitted furniture and alcove units. Doing both together means one team, one price and one set of consistent details right through the house.
Not sure whether your job is one visit or a three-week programme? Send us a few photos and we'll tell you straight.
Why choose ABM Carpentry for indoor carpentry
- First fix and second fix from the same team, so nothing gets lost between trades.
- Profiles matched or machined to suit what's already in the house.
- Dust barriers, extraction and a swept floor every evening.
- Honest warning about which days will be noisy.
Indoor carpentry is what people notice without being able to name it. Doors that close with a click rather than a shove, skirting that meets the floor along its whole length, an architrave square to its frame. None of it gets commented on when it's right, and all of it gets commented on when it isn't.
Get a quote for indoor carpentry
Tell us what you have in mind and we'll come back within one working day. Quotes and call-outs are free, and there's no obligation. We cover Swords, Malahide, Portmarnock, Donabate, Blanchardstown, Clontarf, Raheny, Santry and Glasnevin, along with Kildare, Meath and Wicklow. See every area we serve.
Ring 089 458 5501, or send us a few photos. They often tell us more than a description can.