Thinking about giving your home a facelift? Haines & Haines, Inc., specializes in remodeling, as well as custom building cabinets.

Based in Kirkville in the town of Manlius, Jeff Haines began his own business in 1997. He graduated in 1991 from SUNY Delhi with a degree in carpentry, and then worked as an employee for two reputable area contractors to gain experience. Haines’ wife Tina acts as legal partner at Haines & Haines.

“We have a great deal of client base in Skaneateles, Manlius and Fayetteville, as well as Brewerton and Cazenovia,” he said, adding most of his work comes through word of mouth. “I advertised a couple times when I first started. Since then, all my business has been referral.” With the exception of 2009, when the economy took a sharp fall, Haines has never had to look for work.

The general contractor offers a wide range of services, and at one time built a brand new house. Ideally, however, Haines said his passion is building up a kitchen or bathroom to his clients’ wishes.

“A lot of times, when I meet a customer, say, for a kitchen, they already have an idea of what they want it to look like but they need guidance on coordinating the materials to come together,” he said. “What I think is neat is we can sit at someone’s table in their old, outdated kitchen and make sketches on a piece of paper … take it from the very beginning idea stage and help them all the way through the project until the day we put the last knob on the last cabinet door.”

Popular features today include granite and solid surface countertops, he said, as well as tile backsplash, stained wood and painted cabinets. “We help coordinate the cabinetry and the countertops, the sinks and the faucets to get the whole job done,” Haines said.

Haines & Haines projects vary in size and can take up to three weeks or two months to complete. On average, he contracts about five major projects and numerous smaller jobs on a yearly basis.

“People have scaled back their projects [since the economic downturn],” he said. “They’re still improving their homes but they’re being much more budget conscious now, ‘Will they get that investment back if they sell? Can they take the money out of investments and not affect their retirement?'” Haines said he often consults with his clients about their potential concerns.

In addition to his full-time career in carpentry, Haines is an active member of the Fayetteville United Methodist Church on East Genesee Street. Through his church involvement, he’s traveled twice to Haiti as a skilled tradesman to help build an addition onto a rural school about 60 miles from Port au Prince.

“I visited cabinet shops that work with no electricity and was in awe of the workmanship, the carving and the work they do – all with handtools,” he said. “It takes lots of time.”

He plans to return to Haiti again.

Back home, Haines’ workshop located on his home property is equipped with a table saw, two shapers, a surface planer, a surface sander and a finishing room. He has one other contractor he works with on major accounts. “I feel like skilled trades is not a job you do, it’s who you are,” Haines said. “I feel I’ve come as far as I have because I’ve done this since day one. It’s something that’s in me to be a skilled tradesman.”

To see photos of finished cabinets, go to eaglebulletin.com.