Carpentry vancover to pemberton
 

Hi

I am a carpenter / builder / brickie moving to whsitler/pemberton. Not interested in squamish. I have a uk and canadian passport.

What is the main bulk of work in those areas? Big comercial projects, extensions / conversions, bew builds, renovation? Or will I be commuting to vancover each week? How much does the building trade quiten down over winter?

At the moment i have had my own buisness for 8years and do anything from new builds to loft conversions.

What rate of pay can I expect? I need to earn well as I have a family coming with.

Using uk power tools in canada? Plain silly?

Re: Carpentry vancover to pemberton
 

Hello and welcome to BE!

jobbank.gc.ca may give you an idea of jobs in the area.

As to the seasonal nature, I'll leave others to help with that question - all I can tell you is that my son has a friend who is a carpenter in Kelowna and he works all year.

:)

Re: Carpentry vancover to pemberton
 

Check whether you'll need Red Seal/certificate of qualification.

http://www.welcomebc.ca/welcome_bc/m...carpenters.pdf

Re: Carpentry vancover to pemberton
 

What? After all the nice things said about Squamish on here?

I am not aware of any big commercial projects up there. Most of the work is in new custom homes and, to a lesser extent, renovations.

110v tools will work, at least for a while, and you can use 220v tools with a transformer at home. On site you have to use tools with a CSA or UT (the US certification body) stamp. You could try to argue that BSI is just as good but that is not a very productive conversation for your fist day on the job. Bring good hand tools as professional quality ones tend to be expensive. Power tools are relatively cheap. Also, don't forget that you can be charged tax and duty when importing tools to use in commercial activities.

A decent carpenter can earn $40 - $50 an hour working as a subcontractor. Less as an employee. Say $25 - $35. The GC will be charging you out for more.

Sites generally work year round but expect a few snow days.

Re: Carpentry vancover to pemberton
 

Its all residential new builds and some renovations. There are no commercial builds what so ever in Whistler and Pemby. There is alot of Strata maintenance work if you can get the contract. Pay for Carpenters like every other job up here is lower than the going rate elsewhere, Id say 20 - 35 per hour. You will want to work for Yourself if you can

Re: Carpentry vancover to pemberton
 

Set on Whistler at the moment would I be silly to expect to work here without having to commute to other towns for work?

Squamish - rains all the time? Not the biggest fan of rain.

New homes building is great and perfect for me and renovations.

All my power tools will be going apart from a few petrol ones. All hand tools will be coming.

Ideally I would like to work as a sub contractor but this won't happen to quickly so $30+ an hour will be fine to start with. Any pointers where to look for work?

I will get red seal approved before coming out as I belive I can do this before hand.

All year work sounds great too and snow days sound even better.

Thanks for the replies!

Re: Carpentry vancover to pemberton
 

I commuted all winter Squamish to Whistler and if was raining in Squamish it was raining in Whistler most days at the village level.

Not much in Squamish except residential. Mostly single family and town houses. How long the building will last who knows it's boom and stop for years here.

One small commercial building going up but mostly done now.

Probably more work in Squamish then Pemberton which is a pretty small town .

Re: Carpentry vancover to pemberton
 

General Contractors in Whistler BC | YellowPages.ca™

It is basically a numbers game. If you contact enough employers there will be one that has just lost an employee or is just about to start a new project.

Re: Carpentry vancover to pemberton
 

[QUOTE=Lozmate;11751453]All my power tools will be going apart from a few petrol ones. All hand tools will be coming. [QUOTE]

Tools of your trade are taxable on import, to BC it is 12%, plus any duties depending where they were made. Employers on job sites should require power tools to be CSA/UL approved, this can be done on imported tools, but it is cheaper to buy new tools. OHS regs.

https://www2.worksafebc.com/i/constr..._and_cords.pdf

Regulation Part 12 Tools, Machinery and Equipment - Thu Sep 17, 2015

and 12.58 to 12.67
You can only sit the exam from within Canada. To challenge the exam you will need to prove your 9000 hours experience, so bring that with you, unless it has been sent and accepted in advance.

Contact ITABC to organise this. You can do this as a visitor or once you have arrived to reside in Canada.

Re: Carpentry vancover to pemberton
 

Hi

Yes I have contacted the people behind red seal about proving my hours in carpentry and bricklaying and neither will be a problem.

Shame about tax on import... Do they take into account old and battered tools?

I don't have any experince in form work, but do have alot in concrete and re enforcing it. I am going to make sure I do have a good understanding before I head over, is it worth the effort?

Re: Carpentry vancover to pemberton
 

If your into the things the place offers and have a decent income, it's not that bad of a place, for anyone else, probably be bored, and less then happy living here....;)

Re: Carpentry vancover to pemberton
 

[QUOTE=Aviator;11751564][QUOTE=Lozmate;11751453]All my power tools will be going apart from a few petrol ones. All hand tools will be coming. Lol

Ive not had my power tools checked once on any of the sites I have worked on in Vancouver and the lower mainland.

They may do the checks up north, say St Johns or Fort McMurray etc etc. But sites in Vancouver and the lower mainland are pretty useless for health and safety. Get along checking someone's power tools.

Re: Carpentry vancover to pemberton
 

[QUOTE=MrHyperPants;11752603][QUOTE=Aviator;11751564]In the event of an accident, the employer has a liability issue though. Self employed contractors face the same liability issue because it is in the OHS regulations.

Re: Carpentry vancover to pemberton
 

[QUOTE=Aviator;11751564][QUOTE=Lozmate;11751453]All my power tools will be going apart from a few petrol ones. All hand tools will be coming. 12% on all tools and duties from where they we made sounds expensive. Is this likely to happen? They are not going to any nice shiney new tools is this taken into account?

Re: Carpentry vancover to pemberton
 

[QUOTE=Lozmate;11752663][QUOTE=Aviator;11751564]If you declare them as tools of your trade, almost certainly. If CBSA officer sees you coming in as a carpenter with woodworking tools they make their own mind up on that. Value is a realistic value of the tools, not new price. Failure to declare can result in penalties, fines and possibly fofeiture.

You may want to research this further before embarking on your journey.

End of the day risk is a personal choice.