Entry Level Carpentry Jobs in Detroit, MI (NOW HIRING)

Hicks Enterprise is seeking an experienced Skilled Carpenter to join our Manufactured Home Installation (MHI) team.

This is not an entry-level carpentry position. Candidates should have strong residential construction experience, sound field judgment, and the ability to perform skilled carpentry work with limited supervision. The position involves hands-on manufactured-home installation and completion work while learning Hicks Enterprise procedures, quality standards, equipment practices, and installation requirements. Manufactured-home experience is preferred but not required for an accomplished carpenter with strong residential construction fundamentals.

This position also offers advancement potential for an individual who demonstrates the workmanship, initiative, communication, accountability, and leadership ability necessary to develop into an MHI Crew Lead.

Primary Responsibilities

• Perform skilled structural, rough, general, exterior, and finish carpentry.
• Participate in the setup, joining, installation, and completion of manufactured homes.
• Perform roofing, siding, exterior trim, interior finish, and related completion work.
• Construct and install decks, porches, stairs, landings, skirting, and related structures.
• Read and interpret drawings, layouts, measurements, elevations, specifications, and manufacturer documentation.
• Evaluate jobsite conditions and identify potential construction, safety, quality, or scheduling concerns.
• Troubleshoot field problems and develop practical solutions.
• Plan and organize work to support efficient project sequencing and minimize delays or rework.
• Assist with coordinating tools, materials, equipment, and jobsite requirements.
• Maintain safe, clean, organized, and professional jobsites.
• Protect customer property, materials, completed work, company vehicles, tools, and equipment.
• Follow company safety procedures, workmanship standards, manufacturer requirements, and applicable construction requirements.

Required Experience & Qualifications

• Significant professional carpentry or residential construction experience.
• Strong proficiency in rough, structural, and general carpentry.
• Ability to perform skilled work independently with limited supervision.
• Broad knowledge of residential construction methods and multiple phases of construction.
• Ability to read construction drawings, layouts, measurements, elevations, and specifications.
• Strong field problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Ability to recognize poor workmanship, improper conditions, and developing problems.
• Ability to organize work, materials, tools, equipment, and workflow.
• Professional communication skills and the ability to work effectively as part of a crew.
• Safe and competent use of construction tools and equipment.

Preferred Experience

Experience in one or more of the following is strongly preferred:

• Residential framing and structural carpentry
• Roofing and shingle installation
• Exterior siding and trim
• Deck, porch, stair, and landing construction
• Remodeling or multi-trade residential construction
• Structural leveling and alignment
• Foundation-related construction
• Manufactured or modular home installation
• Trucks, trailers, machinery, and construction equipment
• Crew-lead, lead-person, foreman, or informal construction leadership

Leadership & Advancement

Previous formal leadership experience is not required.

Candidates interested in advancement should demonstrate the ability to:

• Take increasing responsibility for portions of installation projects.
• Organize work and anticipate upcoming labor, material, and equipment needs.
• Communicate clearly with coworkers, supervisors, inspectors, suppliers, customers, and other project participants.
• Guide and assist less-experienced employees appropriately.
• Identify workmanship, safety, productivity, or jobsite concerns early.
• Maintain productivity without sacrificing workmanship or safety.
• Demonstrate accountability for project quality, company resources, equipment, and jobsite conditions.

Advancement is based on demonstrated ability, judgment, dependability, communication, workmanship, accountability, and leadership performance and is not automatic based solely on length of employment.

Company Vehicles, Equipment & Property

Employees are expected to operate and care for company trucks, trailers, machinery, heavy equipment, tools, and materials responsibly. This includes completing or assisting with routine inspections, properly securing equipment and loads, reporting damage or mechanical concerns promptly, maintaining reasonable cleanliness and organization, and following company procedures for operation, transportation, fueling, and maintenance.

Physical & Field Requirements

Candidates must be able to perform physically demanding construction work, including lifting and carrying materials, climbing ladders, working on roofs, bending, kneeling, crawling, reaching, and working around foundations, vehicles, trailers, machinery, and heavy equipment. Work is performed outdoors on active job sites and uneven terrain in varying Michigan weather conditions.

Reporting Location & Work Schedule

This position begins and ends at the company's Trenton, Michigan-area reporting location. Employees report to the shop before traveling to jobsites in company vehicles and return to the shop at the conclusion of field operations. Because jobsite travel may be substantial, candidates should generally live within approximately 15 minutes of the Trenton reporting location under normal driving conditions and must be able to report reliably and promptly.

Applicants should also understand that this is not a conventional eight-hour construction position. Typical workdays are approximately 12 hours, including travel to and from jobsites. Early morning starts and variable end times are common, and hours may vary based on jobsite location, weather, inspections, transportation schedules, and project requirements.

What Success Looks Like

A successful Skilled Carpenter at Hicks Enterprise is someone whose workmanship and judgment can be trusted—someone who recognizes what needs to happen next, solves problems, supports the crew, protects company resources, and takes pride in the finished project.

For the right individual, this position provides an opportunity to grow from Skilled Carpenter to MHI Crew Lead and assume progressively greater responsibility within the Manufactured Home Installation operation.