Overview: Carpenters
Carpentry covers two trades. Rough carpenters build what gets hidden, like wall framing, floor joists, headers over new doorways and deck frames. Finish carpenters do what you look at every day: doors, trim, stairs and built-ins. In a Canadian house, plenty of the work starts with the weather. Frost lifts a deck post, a wet spring rots a basement window sill, and a dry heating season opens gaps in the trim.
Structural work comes with paperwork. Ontario's guide says the owner is responsible for getting building permits before renovating or adding on, and inspectors check the work against the approved plans. If you pay someone to draw permit plans in Ontario, look them up first on the province's QuARTS registry, unless they're an architect or engineer. Elsewhere, call your municipality's building department before a wall comes out.
Contracts matter as much as skill. In Quebec, a carpenter doing paid construction work on your home generally needs a licence from the Régie du bâtiment. In Ontario, a renovation contract above a trivial amount has to be in writing, and the final price can't run more than a small margin over the estimate unless you agreed to more work.
Our listings show what each carpenter states on its own website. Choose your province, then your city, to find carpenters who frame, trim and repair houses there.
Carpentry costs in Canada
Compare labour-only and supplied-and-installed quotes separately. Small repairs can be dominated by the minimum visit charge.
| Service | Planning budget | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Carpentry labour | C$65–C$150per carpenter-hour | One carpenter’s approved work time, excluding any separate call-out or minimum booking charge.A one-hour job may cost more than one hourly rate. Ask for the minimum visit total and the rate for additional time.What this estimate coversIncludes in this budget: Labour; Ordinary hand tools Budget separately or confirm: Materials; Specialist equipment |
| Pre-hung interior door installation labour | C$125–C$400per door, labour only | Fit a customer-supplied pre-hung interior door in an existing suitable opening.Confirm the whole visit total if installing only one door; per-door pricing may assume several doors in one booking.What this estimate coversIncludes in this budget: Setting, shimming and levelling; Basic installation consumables Budget separately or confirm: Door, hardware, casing and paint; Opening alterations and minimum-booking surcharges |
| Standard MDF baseboard supplied and fitted | C$4–C$8per linear foot installed | A standard paint-grade MDF profile, about 3.5–4 inches high, supplied and fitted along measured wall length.Small rooms can carry a minimum charge. Confirm caulking, nail-hole filling and painting in the written scope.What this estimate coversIncludes in this budget: Standard MDF baseboard; Cutting, fitting and fastening Budget separately or confirm: Old-trim removal and wall repairs; Finish painting |
| New non-load-bearing partition framing | Scope-based quoteper measured wall | Wood framing for an interior partition, with its dimensions, openings and blocking specified.Quote the wall dimensions and openings. Drywall, doors, electrical work and any structural design are separate from framing. Provide the wall length, height and any door opening. Ask for framing materials, site setup and finishing as separate lines, after confirming the wall is non-load-bearing.What this estimate coversIncludes in this budget: Agreed framing material and carpentry; Specified openings and blocking Budget separately or confirm: Drywall, insulation, paint and electrical work; Structural engineering or load-bearing alterations |
| Wood window-sill replacement | C$250–C$1,500per sill supplied and fitted | Replace one wood sill where surrounding window framing remains serviceable; width and profile affect the price.Confirm priming and painting in the total; finishing may be charged separately. Bay windows and custom profiles cost more than a short standard sill.What this estimate coversIncludes in this budget: Replacement wood sill; Carpentry fitting and installation Budget separately or confirm: Complete window replacement; Widespread rot and adjacent-frame reconstruction |
What changes the price
- Material species, profile and finish requirements
- Existing surfaces, access and concealed damage
- Minimum booking and whether several tasks share one visit
Ask before accepting a quote
- What is the minimum visit total, and is the first hour included before additional hourly billing starts?
- Are doors, trim, hardware, removal, filling and painting included or separate from the labour price?
- For new framing or rot repair, what dimensions and hidden-condition assumptions make this a fixed quote?
Compare the total for your actual job
- Per-door and per-foot rates can assume several items in one booking. Ask for the total for your quantity.
- Group small tasks only when the contractor confirms the same visit and material scope; do not add an hourly charge to an all-in task price.
Canadian context
For structural changes, confirm the local design and permit requirements before treating the work as ordinary carpentry.
Planning amounts in Canadian dollars. Published tax treatment varies; confirm applicable taxes and the final total in your written quote. Rows can be different services, alternative packages or separately priced extras. Add only work that is needed and not already included in your quote.
Frequently asked questions
How deep do deck footings have to go here?
Below the frost line, which changes a lot across the country. Frozen soil swells and pushes up anything sitting in it, so a post set too shallow lifts every winter and settles unevenly every spring. Your municipality's building department can tell you the depth required where you live. A carpenter who wants to set posts on patio blocks against the house is saving time, not your deck.
Why does a new opening need a beam?
Because that wall may be holding up the floor or roof above. Pull the studs and the load needs a new path: a beam sized for the span, with posts down to solid bearing. Get the permit before the wall opens. In Ontario, a designer you hire to draw the plans should appear on the province's QuARTS registry of building practitioners, unless it's an architect or engineer, and the inspector wants to see the framing before drywall goes up.
Does a carpenter in Quebec need a licence?
Usually, yes, for paid construction work on your home. Quebec's Régie du bâtiment licenses contractors by subclass, and carpentry falls under ones such as wood and plastic work or interior finishing. Search the RBQ's online register for the business name on your quote. The licence number should also be printed on the estimate, the contract and the invoice.
Can I cancel a carpentry contract I signed at home?
In Ontario, yes. A renovation or repair contract signed in your home gives you a ten-day cooling-off period to cancel. If work already started, you'll owe fair pay for the labour and materials. Alberta gives a ten-day window on prepaid contracts, counted from when you receive your copy. Put any cancellation in writing and keep proof of when you sent it.
Why does new trim crack open by midwinter?
Because the furnace dries the house out and the wood shrinks. Trim installed in humid summer air loses moisture over the heating season, and a mitred inside corner opens into a dark line. Good carpenters let the boards sit in the house for a while before cutting, cope inside corners, and glue outside mitres. A humidifier helps, though it won't save a joint that was cut badly.
