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Straight answers
The questions people ask most about starting and running a framing business in Ontario. Answered straight, with links to the official sources.
You're paid per square foot of floor area framed, not per hour — so a fast crew that puts up more square footage per day earns dramatically more than a slow one. It's feast for the quick and famine for the learning. Get the rate and the measurement basis in writing, and know that the season's pace (and the builder's schedule) drives your income as much as your speed.
Residential production framing is piece rate, fast, and the most direct route to your own crew — but it swings with the housing market. Commercial/ICI framing (steel stud, bigger structures) is hourly, often union, and steadier, which matters in a slow housing year. Your skills cross over; the pay model and the rhythm are what differ.
Yes — it's fast, heavy, repetitive, and outdoors in all weather, with constant lifting and overhead work. It's one of the more punishing trades over time, which is exactly why the smart play is to move toward leading a crew, owning one, or stepping into GC/supervision before your body forces the issue.
Become the lead framer who can read plans, run a crew, and keep a builder happy — then spin out, usually taking that builder relationship with you. The business is simple and ruthless: you bid the house, pay your crew piece rate, and live on the spread and on keeping one or two builders' schedules full. The relationship is the asset, not the tools.
No — carpentry is a voluntary trade and most framing crews don't require it. But the 403A General Carpenter apprenticeship deepens your structural and code knowledge and helps if you want to move into ICI work, supervision, or general contracting. Many strong framers never get it; others use it as the bridge to bigger work.
For a fast crew, very — piece rate means speed converts directly to income, and a sharp framing crew out-earns plenty of licensed trades in a busy building year. The catch is the housing cycle (slow years hurt) and the body. Treat it as a trade you build a crew and a builder relationship from, not one you swing a hammer in forever.
No — carpentry (403A) is a voluntary trade. You need a municipal business licence, WSIB, liability insurance, and Working at Heights training for the crew. Framing crews work under the builder's permits, so the barrier is low; the business is won on speed, quality, and builder relationships.
Mostly piece rate — dollars per square foot of floor area — rather than hourly, especially in residential production framing. That makes crew speed the profit engine, and it is why experienced lead framers and a stable crew matter more than equipment.
Modest: nail guns, compressors, saws, hand tools, and a truck/trailer — plus incorporation (~$400–$600), $2M CGL, and WSIB. The hard asset is a relationship with one or two builders who feed you houses; most framing businesses start with the lead framer leaving an existing crew and taking a builder relationship with them.
A sole proprietorship is cheaper and simpler to start, but you are personally liable for the business's debts and claims. Incorporating creates a separate legal entity that limits personal liability, can reduce tax once you are profitable, and reads as more credible to larger clients. Most contractors incorporate once they have employees, real revenue, or work on others' property.
Yes — construction is a mandatory WSIB sector in Ontario. Even independent operators and partners with no employees generally must register, and clients and general contractors will require a valid WSIB clearance certificate before you can work on their site.
You must register for and charge HST once your revenue exceeds $30,000 over four consecutive quarters. Many contractors register before that threshold so they can claim input tax credits on tools, materials, and vehicles from day one.
Ontario's Construction Act sets the rules: a 10% holdback on most contracts, prompt-payment timelines (you must be paid within set periods after a proper invoice), and an adjudication process for disputes. Understanding holdback, lien rights, and prompt payment is essential to protecting your cash flow.