Good carpenters are not necessarily, good renovation contractors

Contractor problems can be avoided

The reality of today's commercial renovation industry is much different than it was 10 or 20 years ago. Many years of growth and economic expansion were not properly planned for by our educators. Instead of training skilled carpenters, we encouraged students to get an MBA! Now we have a desperate shortage of skilled carpenters.

Every new renovation project is competing for the services of competent workers. The days of get three quotes are over. Good contractors choose the projects they want and turn down the rest. They don't need to compete for your project, you need to compete for them!

Why is it so hard to find good carpenters?

All carpenters are not capable of being contractors! Don't hire a carpenter and expect them to handle all the sub-trades coordination. If they don't have EXTENSIVE self-employment or project management experience, they simply don't know how to plan and manage your project! (cost-effectively)

How did we get here?

There are many reasons and no simple explanation is possible. However, there are some striking observations that all conspired to bring us to the mess we now have. First, for nearly 50 years our education system convinced everyone who was capable of spelling their name correctly, that they needed to get a university degree. Trades workers were seen as some how less important than educated workers. We now have the ridiculous irony of people with Master's degrees working in warehouses and 100,000 skilled trades positions... vacant! Intelligent people that could have been earning great incomes are working in dead end positions because their skills are not in high demand. Starting over, to get trades skills training would involve financial hardship.

Second, for decades most of our highly skilled trades people were most often European immigrants. With changes in our immigration preferences, we closed the doors to all these skilled and highly trained workers. These people were responsible for training our best apprentices and in turn creating locally trained quality trades people. Our skilled trades training programs were touted as the answer to all the shortages. The politically correct criteria for acceptance and training will eventually prove that this band-aid program, will not even replace the skilled workers that retire! Turning out semi-skilled workers with little more than how to use the tools knowledge may help fill the gap for new construction workers, but it won't begin to create skilled commercial renovators. We help you avoid hiring the home renovation carpenter that wants some practice on a commercial renovation.

Carpenters are not all the same

Like most things in life, all carpenters are not the same, they were never intended to be! Just because someone says they're a carpenter, doesn't mean that they have a clue about how to complete your project! ..... Why?

Carpenters can be divided into (4) groups:

Heavy form work carpenters

The people who build everything from dams to high-rise office towers, need carpenters to place concrete forms around all the steel. Many carpenters work their entire careers doing only this type of construction. You wouldn't want to let them hang your doors!

What they can do for you:

Probably nothing. But they still might try to get the job!

Framing Carpenters

Wood frame (single family houses to (3) storey apartment complexes) buildings are generally built by framing carpenters. These skilled carpenters are the ones who can use a skill-saw and nailing gun quickly and (reasonably) accurately. However, the better they do their job, the more accurately and easily the finishing carpenter and millwork people can do theirs. This group would also include the people who install the steel studs for drywall partitions in concrete buildings. Framers generally believe precision woodworking can most quickly be accomplished, with a chain-saw!

What they can do for you:

They will do all the foundation form work and framing to the lock-up (windows and doors installed) stage. Pay close attention to the squareness, level and fastening of both the foundation (form work) and framing. The window and door installation should also be checked for proper fastening and sealing procedures.

Note:

Let your contractor provide all the materials. Since a project consists of both labor and materials, any cost savings you might get from a labor only contract, can be quickly lost by the additional waste or stolen materials (if your delivery schedules are not absolutely accurate.)

Finishing Carpenters

Most tradesmen with any carpentry skills, claim to be finishing carpenters! The truth is, the skills and experience required to be truly competent, don't come easily to most carpenters. Since these are the people who hang the interior doors, install all the trim (baseboards, widow and door casings, crown moldings, chair rails) and all non-electrical or plumbing finish hardware, you really don't want an amateur doing the finishing on your commercial project!

What they can do for you:

The work they do has already been covered. However, the good ones are capable of correcting some of the problems created by the framing carpenters. It is not always possible to make a door fit properly in a poorly framed opening, only the good finishers try! You should question both their experience and the types of projects that they trained on.

Millwork Fabricators

The people who produce the cabinetry and architectural millwork. They usually do the installation of what they produce. Having your finishing carpenter install the millwork would not be prudent, unless they have extensive millwork experience. It all shows!

What they can do for you:

Any custom cabinetry or special features. This would include kitchen and bathroom cabinets, built-in entertainment centers, columns, exposed stairs and railing, etc. In short, any finished exposed wood or laminate covered interior features.

Good project planning, project management and quality control inspections are more critical than ever.

Contractor Watchdog Services was formed because the current system simply doesn't protect commercial tenants and Landlords from:

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We provide commercial tenant improvements renovation project planning and design services to lease space clients in Vancouver, North Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Delta, Richmond, Surrey, White Rock, Langley, Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows, BC.

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