renovations

in my experience the trades in fernie are fair and very skilled.

someone may charge more than you are used to, but they will likely be faster and better that a cheaper alternative.

many trades left when the building boom crunched and those left are real tradesmen, not handyman, i can do anythings.

talk to some folks, face to face and (not on this forum) and find some references.

I will go along for the most part with what zippy said. Doing renovations is an area where it is really tough to pin down costs. As soon as you open a house up, all sorts of other items come to light that MUST be brought up to code before the house can pass inspection. Many houses built in Fernie, were done very poorly and the cost to properly renovate skyrockets. Holmes on Holmes would have a field day. Make sure you know if the home is properly constructed. Get it checked out. If you do that you will be much happier and be able to control costs.

the most expensive part of renos in fernie is the local hardware. they gouge the hell out of the locals and have been doing so for years, as they are the only show in town.

i'd disagree with powking.

last spring i bought a metal roof from the local lumberyard. my cost was the same as if i'd bought it wholesale in MT. a friend distributes several metal roofing companies in MT, so i checked out the prices. with the canadian roof company covering the freight, it was actually cheaper here than at wholesale cost fob whitefish down in the states.

i've had the same experience with other items from them.

the issue with a house with knob and tube wiring will be the things buzz talked about-- bringing it up to modern code. pipes are likely galvanized. they must be replaced. old hot water tank. old furnace. there will be no insulation. the walls will be plaster and once you start on that, you most often take out all the plaster and re-drywall. an old house (pre- WW II, main town or annex) in fernie will have good bones with only the roof sheeting not being up to par. if you have to re-roof, you will have to re-sheet the roof before applying the replacement roof.

on the other hand, at the end you will have a house with an old time character and all the conveniences of 2011. pretty nice.

a house in the airport will be a completely different matter. but they were all post knob and tube.

Baloney...go to the stores in Cranbrook or anywhere else and the prices are the same. I don't know where you get that idea. Both our hardware stores are part of a chain, and we get the same weekly flyers, with the same prices, as any other store in the chain. Do you think they print up different flyers especially for the Fernie stores?

[quote=powking]the most expensive part of renos in fernie is the local hardware. they gouge the hell out of the locals and have been doing so for years, as they are the only show in town. [/quote]

Baloney...go to the stores in Cranbrook or anywhere else and the prices are the same. I don't know where you get that idea. Both our hardware stores are part of a chain, and we get the same weekly flyers, with the same prices, as any other store in the chain. Do you think they print up different flyers especially for the Fernie stores?

it's going to cost you the same as it would to do a comparable reno anywhere else. Whoever told you it would be 3x the price has no clue. Get a quote and see for yourself.

Thanks for all the input. I feel better about the upcoming renos. I will definately be seeking the appropriate professionals to do the jobs right.

L

homedepot in kalispell you will save 40% or more on most things

They do print different flyers for different zones/areas.