CHAPTER 1 Getting Started Jerry Smith sits down with a cup of coffee to look over his to-do list for the day He has worked as a self-employed carpenter for the last 12 years Today he is working on redoing a customer’s bathroom He plans to lay tile Each job is very different Jerry explains This is why it is especially important for me to collect my thoughts every morning Jerry has to go to the hardware store to pick up some materials before he heads over to his job He also has to make sure he has what he needs in his toolbox and tool belt After he picks up the supplies Jerry arrives at the customer’s home and spends some time talking with the homeowner They carefully go over the work schedule together They had already 4 21st century skills library
Photo Caption Carpenters work with more than just wood C O O L V O C AT I O N A L C A R E E R S 5 5
Before a renovation the carpenter gives the homeowner an estimate of the cost agreed on how much the renovation would cost But they go over some of the pricing again Jerry doesn’t want the homeowner to be surprised by anything Jerry soon goes to work At the end of the day he carefully inspects the bathroom to make sure nothing was overlooked Then he sweeps the floor and hauls away the old tile materials The bathroom is starting to look brand new Each day Jerry tells the homeowner what will come next Sometimes he might be ahead of schedule Other times he might be a little behind He makes sure 6 21st century skills library
the owner knows exactly how far along the bathroom is People remodel bathrooms kitchens and other rooms for many different reasons Sometimes water pipes leak and cause damage to walls or floors Often people just want to give an old room a new look Carpenters can help them do all this and more Stores and restaurants also go through renovations sometimes Some teams of carpenters specialize in these commercial buildings Since these buildings are bigger they usually take much longer to remodel than a house 21st Century Content According to the Construction Materials Recycling Associ ation construction waste is the largest source of trash in the United States The association reports that 325 million tons of recoverable construction debris is generated in the United States each year Materials such as wood metal and asphalt all end up in landfills But more and more carpenters are starting to recycle their own material instead They have learned new ways to reuse wood steel roofing materials and even old windows C O O L V O C AT I O N A L C A R E E R S 7
