Average hourly pay for a lead carpenter nationwide is $24.63, according to our sampling of 646 remodelers with payrolls. Average production manager pay is $27.81 an hour. You'll make more in the West, but less in the Southwest, for almost every position surveyed.

Just over half the remodelers polled pay overtime; 66% pay a bonus.

When it comes to benefits, however, remodelers seem less generous, although 77% say they put more than 5% of payroll toward benefits annually. Yet only 60% of remodelers offer vacation pay and paid holidays. Some 37% offer medical benefits, and fewer still, 17%, offer dental benefits.

What Really Keeps Employees?

"The total package and atmosphere."

"Employee ownership."

"Frequent surprise bonuses."

"Higher-than-average salaries."

"I pay every Friday, guaranteed."

"Paying more to those who perform their job well."

"Respect and fairness."

"Young people want cash now!"

"Working on the cool projects that we build with the cool people who work for us."

Payroll Facts
21% use a payroll service
52% pay overtime; for 60%, overtime made up 5% or less of payroll in 2001
66% pay a bonus
Remodelers Increase Pay
Once a year 56%
Less than once a year 22%
Twice a year 9%
More than twice a year 2%
Other 11%
(Other includes performance or productivity-based; as profits permit; as prices increase; at duty changes.)
Average Hourly Pay Increases
$1 or more 39%
76 cents to $1 21%
51 to 75 cents 16%
26 to 50 cents 19%
25 cents or less 5%

Employee Salaries - Converted to Hourly Rates

POSITION
Laborer
Carpenter's Helper
Novice Carpenter
Bookkeeper
Office Manager
Skilled Carpenter
Estimator
Lead Carpenter
PM/Superintendent
Production Manager
Rates for Hawaii, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico nearly always average the highest of the 10 regions surveyed, by as much as 10% more than the Pacific region, but because of the small sample reporting from this region, they weren't included.

Snapshot of Participants

COMPANY REVENUES
less than $1M
$1M-$2M
$2M-$5M
$5M+
EMPLOYEES
5 or fewer
6 to 10
11 or more
TYPICAL JOB SIZE
$5K-$20K
$75K-plus
$20K-$35K
less than $5K
$35K-$50K
$50K-$75K

A nationwide sampling of 646 remodelers with payrolls offers insight into pay, benefits, and bonuses.

Employee Salaries - Average Hourly Wages by Company Size Size of Company by number of employees

POSITION
Laborer
Carpenter's Helper
Novice Carpenter
Bookkeeper
Office Manager
Skilled Carpenter
Estimator
Lead Carpenter
PM/Superintendent
Production Manager
How Remodelers Pay Bonuses
OF THOSE WHO PAY BONUSES:
73%
27%
OF THOSE WHO PAY FIXED AMOUNTS:
35%
33%
29%
3%
OF THOSE WHO PAY A PERCENTAGE OF PAY OR PROFIT:
21%
40%
38%
1%
Benefits Brigade
WHAT BENEFITS DOES YOUR COMPANY OFFER?
Vacation pay 59%
Paid holidays 58%
Cell phone 58%
Tool allowance 40%
Medical 37%
Continuing ed. 36%
Sick pay 30%
Company vehicle 30%
401(k) 25%
Family leave 17%
Dental 17%
Disability 17%
Other 12%
Annual Benefit Costs
% OF PAYROLL THAT GOES TOWARD BENEFIT
1% to 5% 23%
6% to 10% 26%
11% to 15% 15%
16% to 20% 13%
21% or more 23%

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