Framing is one of the first trades on a new residential build after foundation. That means the window to get booked is tight. A GC who issues a building permit in March wants their framing crew confirmed before the ground thaws.
Contractors who wait for the GC to call are always behind. The ones who reach out the week after a permit is issued are having a different conversation.
What to look for
New residential construction permits are the main signal. In Canada, single-family homes, semi-detached, duplexes, and townhouses all need framing. The permit value gives you a rough sense of the build size: a $300,000 declared value is a smaller custom home, a $700,000 declared value is a larger one.
Multi-family residential up to six storeys is predominantly wood frame under the National Building Code. Stacked townhouses, row houses, and low-rise apartment buildings in this category all need framing contractors.
Addition permits are also relevant. An addition that expands the heated envelope requires framing. Additions over $75,000 typically have enough scope to be worth a call.
When to call
The window for framing sub selection is shorter than most trades. A GC who issues a permit in March wants their framing crew locked in before April. Call in the first two weeks after permit issuance. After that, the GC either has a crew or is scrambling for whoever’s available.
Framing is also seasonal in most Canadian markets. A crew available in November through February can pre-book spring starts in January and February if they know which permits are coming. Monitoring winter permit issuances and reaching out to GCs in January means your spring schedule fills before your competitors start looking.
Volume markets for framing
Surrey and the Fraser Valley. Surrey is one of the highest-volume residential permit markets in BC and a consistent source of new wood frame construction. Neighbouring municipalities including Langley and Abbotsford are also active. SiteWire covers Surrey; coverage of other Fraser Valley municipalities varies.
Calgary Southeast and NE. Consistent suburban residential. Airdrie, Cochrane, and Chestermere are satellite markets that track Calgary’s permit activity.
Regina. Lower permit volume than the BC or Ontario markets, but less competitive. Regina is in SiteWire’s index. Saskatoon is not currently covered.
Ontario 905. Hamilton, Cambridge, Kitchener, Barrie, Oshawa. All active residential markets. The GC relationships in these areas are easier to build than in Toronto proper.
Halifax HRM. Growing fast. Residential framing demand in Bedford, Dartmouth, and Fall River is outpacing the available crews.
The conversation
“I saw you pulled a permit for [address]. We do wood frame in that area. Are you staffed on framing for that build?”
That question in week one is a warm conversation. In week four, you’re a backup option.
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