Join the team!

Current Job Openings

Updated 11/13/24

We are currently ONLY able to hire experienced carpenters or historic restoration craftspeople who are available full time. However, that might change at any time. Please fil out the form at the bottom of this page if you are interested in a career with Karnage.

Karnage Job Application Form

Assistant and Lead Carpenter position description

Karnage Construction is hiring skilled carpenters and historic preservation trades people to join our motley crew of construction workers.

Karnage Construction is a disruptive force in the residential and historic preservation construction industry, a growing business with a solid track record of quality historic preservation and residential construction work across the state. Karnage is dedicated to growing their in house workforce of skilled tradespeople who are offered a living wage, in house training, and continuing education in the historic preservation and construction fields.

Karnage Construction has been in business since 2014, and is a Class A Licensed Residential Contractor. We are experienced working with the Richmond Citywide Architectural Review Board as well as the State Department of Historic Resources on historic properties, working on buildings in historic districts, and historic tax credit projects. We are able to assist homeowners in navigating the various hurdles and challenges that come with the joys of owning historic property. We are also experienced working as a subcontractor on larger projects for Commercial Contractors throughout Virginia.

Karnage Construction is actively involved in the local and national historic preservation world. Founder and owner Mo Karnage sits on the Junior Board of Historic Richmond as well as the board for the national Preservation Trades Network.

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Perks of employment

  • LGBTQIA+ friendly - all co workers are respectful of all sexual and gender identities. This includes proper use of pronouns.

  • PTO including vacation, sick days, and federal holidays.

  • Access to vision and dental coverage after 6 months of FT employment.

  • Access to short term disability after 12 months of FT employment.

  • A living wage, not minimum wage.

  • Direct deposit

  • Can easily request days off ahead of time for doctor appointments, etc through our shared Google calendar.

  • Most tools provided including proper PPE.

  • Opportunity for approved over time

  • ADA compliance

  • Access to educational workshops

  • Meeting some really cool clients

  • No one will be turned away from a job offer due to past incarceration.

  • Company pays for occasional group outings, communal snacks, and meals.

Pay

  • $20/hour starting

  • Higher pay available based on experience

  • After 30 days, there will be a review where a raise can be given.

Minimum skill requirements

  • Read a tape measure

  • Cut and install trim

  • Cut and install stain grade trim

  • Mortise joints

  • Use a router

  • Install/hang a door

  • Understanding of Google Drive

  • Ability to use a smartphone

  • Must have your own transportation

  • Be able to lift 50 pounds or more

  • Be able to be on your feet for extended periods of time

Preferred Skill Requirements

  • Experience with painting

  • Ability to cut a line

  • Sheetrock repair/mudding

  • Cabinet installation

  • Tool Requirements:

  • Basic Hand Tools

  • Power Tools appreciated but not required

  • Occasional out of town work so if you have a valid drivers license that is very helpful. Not required though.

Apprenticeships

We are working on getting signed up with the State of Virginia in order to be able to offer a few official registered apprenticeship positions for carpenters! Stay tuned for more details! Email careers@karnageconstruction.com for more apprenticeship info.

Equal Opportunity Affirmative Action Statement

Equal Opportunity Affirmative Action Statement:

Karnage Construction LLC is an equal opportunity workplace. It is the policy of Karnage Construction to obtain the best-qualified and best-fit applicants available for each vacancy, without regard to sex, race, color, religion, creed, national origin, political affiliation, age, disability, gender identity or expression, bad musical taste, marital status, pregnancy, family medical or genetic information, sexual identity, or other non-merit, or non-job-related factors.

Karnage Construction will take measures to emphasize the recruitment of qualified BIPOC, LGBTQIA+,  women, persons with disabilities, older persons, and previously incarcerated individuals.

Karnage Construction will also take into consideration an individual’s status as a favorably discharged veteran of the armed forces of the United States provided that such veteran meets all of the knowledge, skills and eligibility requirements for the available position.

Karnage Construction will not discriminate against employees or applicants who inquire about, discuss, or disclose their compensation or the compensation of other employees or applicants, or on any other basis protected by law.

Karnage Construction will make all decisions regarding recruitment, hiring, promotions, reassignments, training and other terms and conditions of employment without unlawful discrimination.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

At Karnage Construction we are anarchists, we love individuality, and are part of building a more accepting, inclusive future. Karnage Construction strives to include the values of diversity, equity and inclusion in everything we do. We encourage our employees to be authentic both at work and outside of work.

Karnage Construction is big and loud about who we are. We do this intentionally to make room for the next trans or queer person who wants to work in construction and maybe is just not as loud yet. We are making room in the industry for necessary change towards a more diverse and honestly very different construction world.

We hire and specifically seek out people with identities which have been historically underrepresented in the construction industry - which includes women, LGBTQIA+ folks, BIPOC, felons, veterans, nonbinary and trans people.

We offer in house training and continuing education opportunities, which allow us to hire amazing people who have not previously had the opportunity to learn how to do what Karnage does.

We recruit, support and employ felons and previously incarcerated individuals, including working with probation/parole and work release situations. We believe that no one is disposable and strive to counteract some of the damage done to people from the prison industrial complex. We are working to formalize a relationship with the VA DOC and other advocacy organizations so we can recruit previously incarcerated individuals on reentry and do more to engage with that populace.

We are also developing an apprenticeship program - both in talks with the State to participate in their program, but also working to have our own curriculum officially approved so we can essentially have an in house trade school.

We participate in the Richmond LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce as well as the National LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC). We sponsor events by various LGBTQ organizations.

We participate in supporting local affordable housing efforts through donations as well as volunteering. Mo was with Richmond Habitat for Humanity for about 3 years, and since then Karnage Construction has supported affordable housing in multiple ways. Mo volunteered as a site supervisor with Fauquier County Habitat for their Women Build house over several weekends in 2022. Karnage Construction was a financial sponsor of the first ever Richmond Habitat Pride Build house in 2023 and the crew spent a day on site as volunteers. Karnage Construction was also a sponsor of the 2024 Powhatan Habitat first ever Women Build house, with Mo working as the site supervisor throughout the project. .

Karnage Construction engages in community outreach through workshops, tabling at events like career day at local elementary schools, and more in efforts to show more people that there is  future in construction for folks who are not just straight cis men.

Karnage Construction also supports the DEI values through how we treat our employees. We pay a living wage, we are constantly working to improve our benefit packages, we are flexible about time off. We want people to stay here, to make careers with Karnage, and to be able to support themselves comfortably while doing s