Whether you’re renovating your basement, bathroom, garage, or kitchen, you’ll need a reliable team of professionals.
These include general contractors, renovation contractors, interior designers, home builders, and of course, carpenters to help you do the job.
If it’s your first time hiring a carpenter in Calgary and don’t know what factors to consider, we got you covered. In this article, we listed some traits and things that you should look out for.
Table of Contents
1. Level of training and expertise
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Carpentry doesn’t really require a degree but carpenters usually learn through apprenticeships. Once a carpenter has completed his or her apprenticeship, he or she becomes a journeyman.
After extended experience as a journeyman, a carpenter becomes a master carpenter. Of course, these distinctions will affect the price.
These distinctions are differentiated by the years and level of experience. So make sure to assess what level of expertise your carpentry job requires.
Aside from this, you also must know exactly what kind of carpenter you’ll need. There are two common specializations which are rough carpentry and finish carpentry.
Rough carpentry, or frame carpentry, refers to the construction of structures and framework, while finish carpentry completes the work started by frame carpenters. They mostly do roofing, deck installation, and installation of sliding doors.
2. Insurance
It is ideal for the carpenter you’ll hire to have liability insurance and worker’s compensation insurance. So make sure to ask about this before hiring a carpenter.
3. License and certifications
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To ensure the quality of the work, hire a certified and licensed carpenter. This will tell you that they are well aware of standard procedures in carpentry and can do a good job.
The usual certifications that carpenters in Canada have are the following:
- Certified Lead Carpenter (CLC)
- OSHA Safety Certificate
- EPA Amusement Operators Safety Certification (EPA)
4. Referrals and recommendations
Maximize your network and ask for referrals and recommendations from family and friends. They most likely know of a carpenter who can assist you with the job at hand.
Instead of resorting to online job ads (which is a gamble), referrals can give you a better insight of how these carpenters are regarding the quality of their work, efficiency, communication skills, attitude, and professionalism.
5. Accessibility and availability
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Lastly, it’s important that the carpenters are reachable and accessible since you’ll be working with them a lot. Your project might be time-sensitive, so you should find a carpenter who’s available to complete the job within your schedule.
It’s best to have a written agreement at the start of a long-term project that includes the cost estimates and timelines.
Finding a carpenter can be hard, but knowing what to look for exactly can help make the process easier. We hope we were able to help you in your search.
Do you have any more factors to consider when hiring carpenters? Let us know in the comments below.
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