Carpenter

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With the do-it-yourself craze in full swing many homeowners are taking it upon themselves to do their own renovations. This includes large ones as well as small jobs like installing a door. However, in the wrong hands hanging a door might not be the greatest experience. What started out as an enjoyable way to spend a Sunday might lead to a security or energy problem for the home. Besides, there is also a safety concern when it comes to novices handling power tools and standing on scaffolds.

The carpentry trade is a profession that deals with the assembly, construction, installation, repair, restoration and remodeling of structures and part of structures using wood, metal or wood substitutes. The main attribute of a skilled carpenter is the training he or she receives during a long-term apprenticeship program. In most cases this training takes four (4) years including classroom hours and a mixture of a written exam and experiential knowledge. By this time the carpenter has worked on many dozens of projects that encompasses a wide scope of experience.

At HandyCanadian.com we want you, the homeowner, to experience the joys of seeing your project completed by a talented professional.

Why Should I Hire a Carpenter?

Quite simply answered, it’s because a carpenter can complete all the aspects of job correctly. And although each job a carpenter does is different most of them involve similar basic steps. This involves working from drawn plans, blueprints or detailed instructions from other contractors. While following these directions carpenters employ their experience in choosing building materials and constructing while following local building codes.

Carpenters are Knowledgeable

Most carpenters in Canada are required to complete an approved apprenticeship with formal classroom training plus actual experience on a variety of projects. For example, In British Columbia the carpentry apprentice process includes the completion of a Carpentry Entry Level Training from a school like the British Columbia Institute of Technology (B.C.I.T.). In total a carpentry apprentice going through B.C.I.T. must complete a four (4) -year program that includes 5,000 hours on the job and 720 hours of classroom training during four (4) levels of training. Each classroom stint is six (6) weeks. When the apprentice has successfully completed this program he or she receive the B.C. Certificate of Apprenticeship, the B.C. Certificate of Qualification and the Interprovincial Standard Endorsement also known as Red Seal. This last one entitles the new journeyman carpenter to practice the trade in all parts of Canada.

The course subjects include:

• Safety
• Building Codes
• Blueprint Reading
• The Science of Building
• Power and hand Tools
• Concrete Foundations
• Framing Techniques
• Stairs and Floors
• Cabinet Construction and Installation
• Masonry
• Project Estimation

Types of Carpenters

Like any other trade, including being a doctor, there are general practices and specialties. After learning the basics of carpentry many provincial schools a allow the trainee to branch out into areas where specified skills are required:

These are the carpenters that build homes or do large renovations including structural wood and metal framing, sheathing, the installation of metal and wood roof trusses plus both exterior and interior wall and floor components. This type of carpentry is usually allowed for projects three (3) stories or less which takes in most residential building. They do not usually do drywall or finished flooring.

The framing contractor usually has his or her carpenters on site until the home is “roof tight,” meaning that the interior of the home has been protected from the elements. In some larger developments special framing crews may only build the skeleton, sheathing the roof and exterior walls and roof, and then move on to the next foundation. Installing windows, doors or finishing the roof may e left for specialty contractors. However, most contractors have the rough carpenters seal up the home.

Finish carpenters are the ones who give the home definition. They install the moldings, put in countertops, hang cabinets and build shelves. In addition they put in stair rails and, in some cases, do hardwood flooring. They usually come in after the walls are painted and the electricians and plumbers have put in their respective fittings. They also do fancy work like install crown moldings.

A carpenter who becomes a cabinetmaker is like a doctor who becomes a surgeon. The detail is so fine and many of the furnishings are made from scratch. They build the cabinets in shops and then transfer them to the home although for built-in cabinets they will do them on-site.

An all-around carpenter is usually one with many years of experience doing many different jobs. They do smaller jobs like hanging doors, building a deck or even a garage. They are much more skilled than a handyman but independents can usually be hired for not much more.