Experienced Carpenter – Historic Restoration

Renaissance Historic Exteriors; Belvidere (IL); On-site; USD 34,440 - 61,992; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, Dental & Vision after 90 days

PTO

Paid holidays

Travel per diem

Job summary

Renaissance Historic Exteriors in Belvidere, Illinois, is seeking a skilled carpenter to join their team specializing in historic restoration. You'll handle complex projects restoring landmark structures, ensuring high-quality craftsmanship on woodwork and architectural details.

Expect competitive compensation ranging from $25 to $45 per hour, along with robust benefits, including health coverage following 90 days and PTO. This is a long-term career opportunity with a company recognized nationally for its excellence in preservation.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of carpentry experience with strong finish and exterior skills.
• Demonstrated capacity to produce high-quality work on complex projects.
• Preferred experience in historic restoration, window restoration, or cabinetry.

Responsibilities

• Restore historic windows, wood siding, and architectural millwork.
• Replicate period-appropriate details from original profiles.
• Apply mortise & tenon and wooden peg joinery methods.

Skills

Carpentry expertise

Finish carpentry skills

Exterior carpentry skills

Traditional joinery methods

Assessing wood deterioration

Job description

Historic restoration carpentry is a different discipline — and a dying art. We're keeping it alive.

The details that define a 19th-century building — the bracketed cornices, the six-over-six windows, the mortised sill plates, the hand-fit trim profiles — require a level of carpentry skill that the modern production market has no use for. We do. Our clients own buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, and they expect the work to honor the original builders.

This role is for a carpenter who has not only mastered the trade but takes genuine satisfaction in the craft. You'll have access to complex, rewarding work on landmark structures, backed by a team with the tools, materials, and expertise to execute at the highest level.

What You'll Do

• Restore historic windows, wood siding, exterior trim, structural framing, and architectural millwork.
• Replicate period-appropriate details from original profiles, drawings, or measured examples.
• Apply traditional joinery methods — mortise & tenon, scarf joints, wooden pegs — where specifications require.
• Assess wood deterioration and determine the appropriate repair or replacement approach.
• Work alongside other specialty trades on multi-discipline historic restoration projects throughout the Midwest.

What You Bring

• 5+ years of carpentry experience; strong finish and exterior carpentry skills are essential.
• Capacity to produce consistent, high-quality work on complex and detailed scopes.
• Preferred: direct historic restoration, window restoration, millwork, cabinetry, or timber framing experience.
• A portfolio of work that reflects your standard — bring it.

Why Renaissance

• $25–$45/hr — rate reflects the rarity and value of your skills.
• Health, Dental & Vision after 90 days. PTO. Paid holidays.
• Travel per diem for project assignments.
• Long-term career with a nationally recognized restoration company.
• Your work will stand on landmark buildings for the next 100 years.

About Renaissance Historic Exteriors

Renaissance is a nationally recognized commercial and residential historical restoration company, specializing in traditional exterior historical building systems. Our craftsman work on roofing systems, structural and finish carpentry, masonry, architectural sheet metal and other historical systems not commonly found in current construction methods. Our clients include State Capitols, Churches, Universities, Libraries, Private Estates and properties of all types on the National Register of Historical Places. We have been awarded numerous local and national awards for our efforts. We have an industry leading safety program to protect our team members.