Resource Centre
Everything we know, written down
Working dimensions, cost breakdowns and planning checklists — the same information we use ourselves. Written to be genuinely useful whether or not you ever hire us.
8 guides
Cost & Budget Guides
Carpentry pricing is opaque because the same wall can be built five different ways. These guides explain the variables that move a quote so you can compare proposals on the same terms — and spot the ones that are cheap for a reason.
Custom Cabinet Cost Guide
The seven variables that actually move a cabinetry quote.
Read the guideKitchen Cabinet Cost Guide
Where a kitchen cabinetry budget actually goes, line by line.
Read the guideBasement Development Cost Guide
What drives basement cost, and which surprises are predictable.
Read the guideTrim Carpentry Cost Guide
Why removal costs more than people expect, and what a linear foot includes.
Read the guideCloset System Cost Guide
What moves closet pricing, and the highest-return components.
Read the guideHow to Compare Carpentry Quotes
The questions that turn three incomparable quotes into a real comparison.
Read the guideMillwork Budget Guide
Allocating a fixed budget across a whole house for maximum effect.
Read the guideKitchen Renovation Cost Guide
The complete cost breakdown for a kitchen renovation in Calgary — every line item, every variable.
Read the guide
17 guides
Planning & Checklists
Every project goes better when the decisions are made before fabrication starts, because changing a drawing costs nothing and changing built cabinetry costs a great deal. These checklists cover what to settle first.
Built-in Planning Checklist
Every decision to settle before fabrication starts.
Read the guideKitchen Planning Guide
Layout, clearances and the sequence that keeps a kitchen on schedule.
Read the guideBasement Planning Guide
Permits, constraints and sequencing for a Calgary basement development.
Read the guideCloset Measurement Worksheet
Measure your closet and wardrobe properly before designing.
Read the guideMudroom Planning Guide
Sizing, materials and detailing for a mudroom that survives a Calgary winter.
Read the guideWalk-in Closet Planning Guide
Minimum widths, island clearances and dressing-room layout.
Read the guideLaundry Room Planning Guide
Layout, clearances and the storage that makes laundry finish in the laundry room.
Read the guideDeck Planning Guide
Layout, materials, sizing, permits and the decisions that come before construction.
Read the guideRenovation Sequence Guide
What order to do things, and what it costs to get it wrong.
Read the guideStaircase Planning Checklist
The dimensions, clearances and design decisions that must be made before fabrication.
Read the guidePermits Guide (Calgary & Area)
When carpentry needs a permit, and who issues it where you live.
Read the guideHome Office Planning Guide
Desk sizing, storage, lighting, ergonomics and the built-in specifications that make a workspace work.
Read the guideGarage Storage Planning
Storage built for an unheated Alberta garage.
Read the guideOutdoor Structure Planning Guide
Pergolas, gazebos, privacy screens and shade structures — planning before building.
Read the guideWorkshop Setup Guide
Designing a functional home workshop — space, tools, dust collection and layout.
Read the guideCalgary Building Codes for Carpentry
What the code requires for stairs, railings, egress and structural work in Calgary.
Read the guideHow to Prepare for Carpentry Work
The preparation that makes installation day smoother, faster and less disruptive.
Read the guide
11 guides
Materials & Finishes
Material choice is a durability decision as much as an aesthetic one, and Calgary’s dry winters make it more consequential than it would be elsewhere. These guides explain what to use where, and why.
Wood Species Guide
How each species looks, wears and behaves in Alberta’s dry air.
Read the guideCabinet Hardware Guide
Hinges, slides and what the specifications actually mean.
Read the guideCommercial Millwork Spec Guide
Materials, hardware and drawings for commercial casework.
Read the guideCabinet Door Styles Guide
Every door style, what it costs and what it commits you to.
Read the guideCountertop Material Guide
How each surface behaves in daily use, honestly.
Read the guidePlywood & Sheet Goods Guide
Grades, cores and faces — what the specification actually means.
Read the guideFinishes & Sheens Guide
Why cabinet paint is not wall paint, and which sheen to choose.
Read the guideEdge Treatment Guide
The detail that quietly separates made from manufactured.
Read the guideSustainable Wood Guide
What the certifications mean, and the choices that matter more.
Read the guideJoinery Methods Guide
How wood joints work, which to use where, and what holds a project together.
Read the guideWood Fasteners & Adhesives Guide
Screws, nails, biscuits, dominoes and glue — what belongs where.
Read the guide
15 guides
Design Guides
Most of what separates millwork that looks designed from millwork that looks applied is proportion and setting-out. These guides give the working dimensions professionals use.
Trim Selection Guide
Choosing profiles and scaling trim to your ceiling height.
Read the guideMedia Wall Planning Guide
Screen height, ventilation and cable planning before you build.
Read the guideFireplace Design Guide
Clearances, mantel proportions and surround materials.
Read the guideCloset Design Guide
Zones, hanging heights and how to roughly double your capacity.
Read the guideHome Office Design Guide
Ergonomics, layout and lighting for a workspace used all day.
Read the guideWall Panelling Guide
Styles, heights and the setting-out that makes panelling look designed.
Read the guideFeature Wall Design Guide
Treatments, lighting and choosing the right wall.
Read the guideStaircase Renovation Guide
Options, code requirements and what is really under the carpet.
Read the guideShelf Spacing & Load Guide
Spans, thicknesses and the sag nobody plans for.
Read the guideMillwork Lighting Guide
Integrated lighting must be designed in — it cannot be added later.
Read the guideProportion & Scale Guide
Why undersized trim is the most common millwork mistake.
Read the guideSmall Space Storage Guide
Finding storage where there appears to be none.
Read the guideCeiling Height Design Guide
Designing millwork for the height you actually have.
Read the guideColour & Finish Coordination
Making millwork, floors, counters and hardware agree.
Read the guidePantry Design Guide
Depths, shelf spacing and the appliance height everyone forgets.
Read the guide
10 guides
Comparisons
Fair comparisons of the choices that come up repeatedly — including the cases where the cheaper or simpler option is genuinely the right one.
Paint vs Stain Guide
An honest comparison of painted and stained millwork.
Read the guideInterior Door Buying Guide
Slab vs pre-hung, hollow vs solid core, and what to spend on.
Read the guideMDF vs Plywood
Which belongs where, and why MDF wins more often than people expect.
Read the guideCustom vs Stock Cabinets
Including the rooms where stock is genuinely the smarter choice.
Read the guideRefacing vs Replacing
How to tell which one your kitchen actually needs.
Read the guideFramed vs Frameless
Two legitimate construction styles, and what each one costs you.
Read the guideBuilt-ins vs Furniture
When fixed cabinetry is the wrong answer.
Read the guideSolid Wood vs Veneer
Why veneer is often the better engineering choice, not the cheaper one.
Read the guidePaint Grade vs Stain Grade
Two different lumber specifications, and why paying for the wrong one wastes money.
Read the guideCrown vs Cove Moulding
Which ceiling profile suits your room, and why height decides it.
Read the guide
10 guides
Care & Maintenance
Wood moves, finishes wear and hardware drifts out of alignment. These guides cover the maintenance that keeps cabinetry and trim performing, most of which takes minutes.
Millwork Care Guide
Cleaning, humidity and the ten-minute maintenance that prevents most problems.
Read the guideHumidity Control Guide
The single most useful thing you can do for wood in a Calgary home.
Read the guideRepair & Touch-Up Guide
What you can fix yourself, and what needs a finisher.
Read the guideStaining & Refinishing Guide
When to refinish, how to prepare, and the technique that prevents blotching.
Read the guideSanding & Surface Preparation Guide
The preparation that determines whether a finish succeeds or fails.
Read the guideSeasonal Maintenance Calendar
A month-by-month maintenance schedule for Calgary homes with carpentry.
Read the guideWood Damage Repair Guide
Scratches, dents, burns, water marks and gouges — the repair method for every type of damage.
Read the guideCabinet Hardware Maintenance Guide
Keeping slides smooth, hinges quiet, and handles tight — the maintenance routine for cabinet hardware.
Read the guideExterior Wood Maintenance Guide
Protecting decks, fences, pergolas and trim from Calgary's sun, wind and freeze-thaw.
Read the guideHardwood Floor Maintenance Guide
The cleaning, protection and refinishing routine that keeps hardwood floors looking new for decades.
Read the guide
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