How far will an Auckland business actually travel?
Most work a patch rather than the region. Plenty of North Shore businesses will not cross the bridge for a two-hour job, and nobody in Pukekohe is driving to Warkworth for one. NovaPay asks businesses near you first, and any travel or call-out fee is stated in the quote rather than found on the invoice.
Can I get someone the same week in Auckland?
Usually, for the smaller jobs. How urgent it is goes out with the request, so a business with nothing free that week can say so instead of leaving you waiting on a callback.
Carpenter or builder?
A carpenter is the right call for defined joinery and finishing work. Once the job is structural, involves weathertightness or needs consent, it is building work and may need a Licensed Building Practitioner. Describe the job and the replies will tell you which it is.
Can they make something to fit?
That is the advantage over flat pack. An alcove that is not square, a sloping ceiling, an awkward corner: those are exactly where built-in beats bought-in.
Who supplies the timber?
Usually the carpenter, and it is worth having it stated. Some will happily fit materials you have bought, though most prefer to supply so they can stand behind the result.
Is a small job worth calling someone for?
Most carpenters have a minimum of a few hours, so a single door is expensive on its own. Save the small jobs up and ask for them together, the same way you would with a handyman.