Finding quality people to work on projects can be difficult, not everyone has a website to promote themselves and you often only learn about them through word of mouth. I am going to maintain a list of a few different trades that I have had good experiences with. If experiences have not been so great, that will also be noted here.

Handyman Services

Yes Dear Handyman Services – Use these guys extensively, everything from painting, AC replacement, building decks to light electrical work. They make quick work out of most jobs.

Handyman Hands – This guy is the go-to guy for RE/MAX Commercial Solutions in Vernon. I would suggest you keep looking and avoid this one.

Plumber

If you own your own home, you know the value of a quality plumber. I have spoken to many of them in the Vernon area most just don’t seem to care.

Fifth Generation Plumbing – 250-542-5052 – Used several times, very satisfied with quality of work and availability of staff.

Broco Home Maintenance – Primarily a plumber, but may also do handyman jobs.
*** UPDATE *** Broco has closed down, the company merged into Vernon Air Conditioning.

Electrician

Rad Energy Electric – Jeff Radies – 250-306-4868. A few people around town mentioned Jeff.  I had his company do a few small jobs including, changing light fixtures, replacing some undersized wiring and adding new power receptacles.

Litzenberger Electric – Marcel Litzenberger – 250-309-1295 / 250-542-3217

Adair Electric Ltd. – Bob Adair – 250-275-4780. They do work for a some of the bigger restoration companies in town. Used them on a few jobs so far.

Drywall

Before you get to the paint stage, you are going to need some drywall. Have not tried any of these companies, just putting them here for future reference.

Copper Fox Interiors – Mark Ward – 250-309-2831

Painters

Paint Special – Used these guys once to paint a condo. The actual quality of the painting was OK but they were very messy. I had to spend $200+ to have all the paint removed off the floor and electric baseboard heaters when they were done. Will not use them again.

Home / Garage Plans

If you are looking to have some construction done, maybe adding a garage or new home consider Accu-Rated. They are a small firm out of Kelowna. *UPDATE* As of August 2018, it looks like this company may not even exist anymore.

Adaptive House Plans, suspect this may be the company Accu-Rated mentioned above, but still in business as of 2021.

Roofing Companies

If you have water dripping on your head, you probably need a new roof. Here are a few in Vernon.

Torchcraft Roofing – They claim to be specialists in flat roofing.

Community Roofing – I used this guys once, they tried to scam me on a repair. They claimed there were lifted shingles causing the leak. Once I approved the work, their ‘worker’ went on the roof for a total of 4 minutes and did not even take a replacement shingle up. I would NOT recommend these guys.

Vernon Roofing – Have seen their name around on social media quite a bit. Know of one guy personally who had them put on a new roof and he was pleased.

Trash Removal

If you don’t have enough trash to rent your own dumpster, check out Dump Runz.

Bagster, dumpster in a bag is a good option for small renovation jobs.
*** UPDATE *** Dumpster in a bag no longers provides service in Vernon, such a shame.

Vernon Eco Property Care – 250-308-2159 – Have not used these guys, but looks like they might be good for cleanouts of yards & houses. Could not find a website, but currently they have a Facebook page.

Cleaning Services

Twila Harsch – 250-550-8059 – Have used Twila a few times, she knows her stuff.

The Clean Gecko – Used only once, staff were slow and quality not very good. Your mileage may vary with this one.

BMB Cleaning Services – 250-215-4356 (facebook) – Have not used yet.

Miranda @ Dust Dame Cleaning Service – 306-381-8441 – Have not used used yet.

SERIOUS Cleaning Services

If you find yourself with a disaster, such as fire or flood you are going to need to call in a professional remediation company.

On Side Restoration – After a flood in a condo I contacted these guys. Probably the best experience I have ever had with a company, anywhere. They worked directly with the insurance company and got the problems sorted out.

*** UPDATE *** In 2022, one of my properties was set on fire. Based on great past experience, I called On Side Restoration. My experience with them the 2nd time working them was also excellent.

Pest Control

If you have creepy crawlers around Vernon, call The Bugman Pest Control. Young crew of friendly guys, they responded quick when I called them.

Note that they do not do bedbug treatments. If you have bedbugs, I found a company that does a fungal treatment that is cost effective and quick. Here are their details:

BugMaster Pest Control – 778-400-1373 – Used these guys multiple times for BedBugs, the little bastards. Their fungal treatment is great!

Mudjacking

Not a service most people need, but if you have concrete that has slipped or sunk the process of mudjacking or foamjacking can save you a bundle.

Accurate Concrete – Based out of Armstrong BC, worked with Russ to lift a set of steps that had fallen away from the house.

Property Management

If you are looking for someone to manage a property, there are not many choices in Vernon. The real truth is no property manager would ever take care of your property like you would. Unfortunately I can’t recommend any of the ones listed here, if you know of someone that does property management in Vernon, let me know.

RE/MAX Commercial Solutions – They currently manage one property for me, when the current tenant moves out the property manager will go with them.

Associated Property Management – I suspect they don’t really operate in Vernon, but they do list and office address and phone number.

Delaney Properties – Have heard nothing but bad things about these guys.

Century 21 Executive Realty, Property Management – I know nothing of these guys but they claim to provide property management in Vernon.

Appliance Repair

I have found a few places in Vernon that do appliance repair. These days the supply chain is messed up and even if you wanted to buy a new appliance you probably can’t.

Community Appliance – 778-475-3004 – Have used a few times, very friendly, returns calls & shows up when they say they will. What else could you ask for?

One issue with Community Appliance is they do not work on all brands. If you happen to have a brand they do not work on, no fix for you.

Ron’s Appliance Repair – 250-306-1146 – This guy was referred to me by Community Appliance, when I had a brand that they did not work on. Apparently it is just a guy working out of his garage and so far, he does not return calls or answer his phone. Seems fairly standard for trades, which is why I maintain this list.

Sure Pro Services – 250-575-2425 – Appliance repair out of Kelowna. I can’t locate a website for them, but someone referred them to me. Looking at ratings online, this guy is rude, does not return calls and does poor quality work.

If you have ever prices a new kitchen, either custom or from a big box store you know the prices are mental.

After doing some research the Ikea model seems to be the most cost effective, assemble them yourself and save a bundle.

The next time you are in the kitchen market, check out places like:

RTA Cabinet Store (New York)

Barker Cabinets (Oregon)

The Cabinet Spot (California)

Euro-Rite Cabinets (Pitt Meadows BC)

Canada Kitchen Liquidators

Sunnax Cabinet (Port Moody BC) – Trusted Pros Reviews

I’m sure there are others out there, but I just found these two that both look excellent.

Tips When Buying RTA Cabinets

• Ensure boxes are 100% plywood, not particle board
• Ensure doors and frames are solid wood
• If assembly uses cam lock hardware, ensure they are metal not plastic.
• If you have the space to paint your own cabinets, consider getting them unfinished. The cost of buying ‘naked’ doors and painting or finishing them yourself can be incredible.

Something a little different than I normally post on this site. I have been researching options for putting laminate flooring in a basement, there are so many options.

The Problem

• Basements are often wet
• Concrete is cold
• Ceiling height may be limited

I was recently looking at a basement that has laminate flooring installed directly over concrete, which works I guess but must be very uncomfortable during winter months.

Possible Solutions

Here are some possible solutions that I have found for improving the comfort of laminate in a basement. None of these are fixed to the concrete and can have laminate flooring installed directly on top.

• Dricore – $190 100 sq/ft – 1.7 R-value – 22.22mm – Dimples create air space under the floor, OSB top.
• DMX 1-Step – $90 100 sq/ft – 0.91 R-value – 7.94mm
• DMX Airflow – $?? 100 sq/ft – 1.2 R-value – 4mm
• Delta-FL – $66 100 sq/ft – ?.?? R-Value – 8.00mm

The insulation value of any of the above products seems very limited, however having the flooring off the actual concrete should make the floor feel a lot warmer.

DMX Airflow seems like the best choice to me, availability may be limited in Canada (even though it is made there) but the cost seems to be about the same as DMX 1-Step although I can find no actual retailer.