Are you looking for a carpenter in Lausanne for doors, timber windows, a staircase or made-to-measure fitted furniture? The Vaud capital brings together city flats, older buildings and villas on the hillsides, which makes for very different jobs from one district to the next. This page explains what the location changes for a Lausanne carpenter and how to prepare a request for a quote.
What a carpenter in Lausanne does, from Ouchy to the upper town
Carpentry covers the inside as well as the outside: front doors and interior doors, timber windows, wardrobes, bookcases, made-to-measure kitchens and dressing rooms, stairs, floors, and many repairs (hinges, warped frames, damaged steps, shutters). The trade is learned through a CFC (the Swiss federal vocational certificate) as a carpenter or cabinetmaker.
In Lausanne, the city is built on a slope between Lake Geneva, on the Ouchy side, and the upper town. This geography shows up in the requests: an upper-floor home with a view, a narrow stairwell, a villa on a hillside with a terrace, a rental building whose shared areas need upkeep. Each of these cases raises its own questions of dimensions, delivery and installation.
The Cité old town: original joinery and heritage requirements
Around the cathedral, the Cité old town has a concentration of older buildings whose doors, windows, panelling and stairs are often original. For an owner, the question is not always “replace or not”, but “what can be kept, repaired or reproduced”.
In this area, heritage requirements may apply to façades and openings: type of timber, proportions, frame profile, colour. What is permitted varies from building to building. Before ordering anything, contact the Lausanne municipality, which issues building permits, and ask whether your building is covered by protection rules. A carpenter used to older buildings will be able to describe what can be restored and what must be remade.
Timber windows and doors between the lake and the hillsides
By Lake Geneva the climate is mild, and the hillsides are exposed according to their orientation. For a timber window or exterior door, this translates into very practical choices: type of timber, treatment, finish, protection of the parts most exposed to rain and sun. Poorly protected timber deteriorates, and a finish needs renewing from time to time; ask the professional what they plan in this respect.
If your project involves insulation, the question overlaps with other trades. Replacing glazing falls under windows and double glazing in Lausanne, and the canton of Vaud has its own energy law, applied by the cantonal energy directorate, which also runs a subsidy programme. The conditions for obtaining a grant should be checked directly with the competent cantonal service, before the work starts.
Fitted furniture: flats, student housing and villas
Lausanne is a university city, with UNIL and EPFL nearby, and it is home to the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee. This results in a varied housing stock: studios and small flats where every metre counts, shared flats, family flats, villas. Made-to-measure work naturally has its place here.
Typical requests:
- Small spaces: mezzanine bed, storage under a sloping ceiling or under the stairs, built-in desk, compact kitchen.
- Older flats: built-in wardrobes adapted to walls or ceilings that are not square, which a standard unit handles poorly.
- Villas and houses: interior staircase, dressing room, bookcase, flooring in several rooms, sliding doors.
- Work on existing items: sanding and varnishing an old floor, replacing a few boards, adjusting doors.
On sloping streets, do not underestimate access. A carpenter sometimes has to carry panels, a worktop or a staircase up in several pieces through a narrow stairwell. Mention the floor, whether there is a lift and the width of the passages: the carpenter will then be able to plan a suitable assembly.
Permits, the municipality and CAMAC: what concerns carpentry in Lausanne
Most interior carpentry work (wardrobes, floors, interior doors) does not affect the exterior appearance or the structure. But as soon as a façade is altered, the size of an opening is changed or work is done on a protected building, the question of authorisation arises.
In Vaud, the building permit is issued by the municipality of the commune. When cantonal services have to give an opinion, the file goes through the cantonal permits office, the CAMAC. You do not have to guess whether your project falls under it: put the question to the city’s competent service, describing precisely what you want to change, before signing a quote or placing an order.
The canton also has protected sites, including its old towns and the Lavaux vineyards, a World Heritage site. Even though Lavaux lies outside the city, it is a reminder that heritage protection is a reality in Vaud: any doubt about your building is settled by a request, not by an assumption.
Tenants and co-owners in Lausanne: agreement before the work
A large share of Lausanne residents live in rental buildings or in co-ownership. This changes how you go about it.
- Tenant: a fixed wardrobe, a floor, a replaced door or a timber partition require the consent of the landlord or the managing agent, preferably in writing. Specify what will remain at the end of the lease.
- Owner of a co-owned flat: the inside of your unit belongs to you in principle, but the windows, the entrance door or the façades may be common parts. Consult the co-ownership regulations and, if necessary, the meeting of co-owners.
- Villa owner: the decision is yours, subject to the building and heritage protection rules mentioned above.
A carpenter does not replace these agreements: they are settled before the work, not after.
Requesting and comparing carpentry quotes in Lausanne
The more precise your description, the more comparable the quotes. For a useful request, state:
- The type of work: window, door, staircase, fitted furniture, floor, repair.
- The location and access: district, floor, lift, width of the stairwell, access from the street.
- The condition of the existing work: to be kept, repaired or replaced, with photos if possible.
- Your preferences for material and finish: type of timber, shade, varnish or paint.
- Your status: owner, co-owner or tenant, and whether the consent of the landlord or the co-ownership has already been obtained.
A good quote itemises supply, manufacture, removal of the old work, installation, finishes, waste disposal and what is not included. The cost depends mainly on the type of timber, the complexity of the made-to-measure work, the finish, the condition of the substrate, the access and the installation time. This is why no reliable figure can be given without seeing the project.
To get started, you can request a quote: you describe your work, your request is passed on to tradespeople and companies in the region, who contact you to prepare a free, no-obligation quote.
Useful pages for your work in Lausanne
- The trade: carpenter
- The city: work in Lausanne
- The canton: canton of Vaud
- Other work in Lausanne: masonry in Lausanne, windows and double glazing in Lausanne, heat pump in Lausanne
Updated 29 October 2026