Texas Carpentry wages? (Austin, New Braunfels, San Marcos: how much, new home, construction)

[jlund14]

I've been thinking about moving to San marcos, little college town about 30 mins south of Austin. I like everything about the place and it seems affordable. My only concern is that I've heard construction workers make less in areas like Texas and socal due to the high amount of foreign born labor.

I'm new to carpentry (about 6 months in), I currently make 18/hr in Illinois, I'm wondering what this will translate to in the Austin area.

Do any of you have a general idea what wage an apprentice carpenter would start at in Austin? google seems to say ~$14-16 but i wanted to hear what you guys had to say



also is there a decent amount of new home construction going on in the south Austin/ New Braunfels area? would it be hard for me to find work? Thanks.

[ashbeeigh]

Have you searched online to see what jobs are paying? And yes, lots of construction.

[Trainwreck20]

Would it be hard to find work

[blakely]

Originally Posted by ashbeeigh

Have you searched online to see what jobs are paying? And yes, lots of construction.

Yes, he said he his online search suggested $14-16/hour. I assume he came here to see if any local carpenters could comment with more accurate information, a very reasonable thing to use this forum for.

OP, I'm not a carpenter, but I've hired a couple different ones and I'd be really surprised if you couldn't match at least the $18/hour you're making now, possibly more. Heck, I pay $18-20/hour for leaf and yard clean up and would expect to pay at least that for carpentry skills.

You might try reaching out to a local carpenter to get better information. One of my favorite carpenters lives in Buda (near San Marcos) and the last time I hired him he was looking for a new assistant. There is a ton of new construction in Buda, Kyle, San Marcos, and the greater Austin metro. You shouldn't have any trouble finding work if you've got the skills. Good luck!

[austinnerd]

Don't forget that there are carpenters and then there are carpenters. The person who is framing houses isn't going to make the same as the one building custom cabinets or furniture.

[Need4Camaro]

Since you bring that up, that kinda perks my curiosity.. ..how much do people who frame homes make?

[ScoPro]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

Since you bring that up, that kinda perks my curiosity.. ..how much do people who frame homes make?

You might have to brush up on your Spanish to find that answer.

[Need4Camaro]

I was kinda figuring.. ..but I was assuming that would be a fairly labor intensive job.

[jlund14]

Originally Posted by austinnerd

Don't forget that there are carpenters and then there are carpenters. The person who is framing houses isn't going to make the same as the one building custom cabinets or furniture.

good point. I'm looking for framing jobs, but id love to learn cabinetry and more intricate woodworking

[jlund14]

Originally Posted by blakely

Yes, he said he his online search suggested $14-16/hour. I assume he came here to see if any local carpenters could comment with more accurate information, a very reasonable thing to use this forum for.

OP, I'm not a carpenter, but I've hired a couple different ones and I'd be really surprised if you couldn't match at least the $18/hour you're making now, possibly more. Heck, I pay $18-20/hour for leaf and yard clean up and would expect to pay at least that for carpentry skills.

You might try reaching out to a local carpenter to get better information. One of my favorite carpenters lives in Buda (near San Marcos) and the last time I hired him he was looking for a new assistant. There is a ton of new construction in Buda, Kyle, San Marcos, and the greater Austin metro. You shouldn't have any trouble finding work if you've got the skills. Good luck!

Thanks for the info. ill try to get ahold of some builders in that area