I started working in the trades when I was 14 years old. My first job was building 52 fences for a subdivision on Holmes on Holmes. Like most tradesmen/tradeswomen, I started labouring as what I like to call a “gopher” (go-pher this, go-pher that). Over the years, I slowly worked my way up the ladder and received more responsibility on site. What a lot of people don’t know is that when I first started working for my dad, I told him I didn’t want any kind of special treatment. Believe me when I tell you that I did not get any special treatment. The majority of the work I did was all off camera and I was happy with that.
Fast forward 15 years and I am now a licensed contractor who has completed a carpentry apprenticeship at George Brown College. Over the years, I have installed drywall, tiles, concrete, framing, trim – the list goes on and on. The more renovations I worked on, the more I realized what it is I truly love to do. I discovered my love of carpentry by trying all of the different trades out there. However, it wasn’t until I was at George Brown College that I discovered my love for woodworking. It was new to me at the time, as I had only done trim work and some small built-ins before. Experimenting with woodworking in school uncovered a passion I didn’t know I had. I have now created multiple pieces of furniture, both for myself and many others as well.
To me, being a carpenter is very rewarding. I get to see how much I have accomplished in a day by looking at the progress I have made. I always tell people that the trades are very artistic – whether it is baking, fashion, hair, landscaping, carpentry or anything else, you really have to tap into your artistic side to create something special.
I’ve been really busy filming new episodes of Holmes and Holmes recently, but I still find time to create new things in my wood shop even if it has nothing to do with work. I find woodworking to be a very challenging job because wood is an organic product that twists and turns when you least expect it. So being a carpenter is challenging yet rewarding at the same time. I have a lot of respect for all of the master carpenters out there and, one day, I hope to grow enough to become a master carpenter myself.
Images courtesy of The Holmes Group and Unsplash
