Carpentry and joinery businesses for sale

Carpentry firms do everything from small repairs for homeowners to roof replacements, extensions and recurring work for housing associations and property managers. Ask for revenue split by client type. Many small private jobs give good margins but need someone constantly winning and pricing new work. Regular commercial clients and service agreements give stability, often at lower rates. Ask too how much is subcontract work for larger contractors, and whether the firm depends on one main contractor.

A joinery workshop with machinery can be a large part of the value — or a large cost if the machines are worn. Ask for a list of machines, tools, vans and trailers with age and condition, and check what is leased. Review the workshop lease: term, rent, and whether the landlord accepts a new tenant. Ask whether the firm holds its own stock of materials, and how it is counted at handover.

Employees transfer with the business on their existing terms. Find out who can run a site, price a job and speak to clients if the owner steps back. Go through the order book job by job, and agree who carries liability for defects in work completed before the handover.

• Revenue by client type and the ten largest clients.
• Machinery, vehicle and tool list with leases.
• Lease for the workshop and storage.
• Order book, jobs in progress and open complaints.
• Staff list with length of service and apprenticeships.

Read the general advice on buying a trade business, and use the price estimate to compare the asking price with the firm’s figures.