Frequently Asked Questions

How do I contact you?
River City Woodworks would love to hear from you. You may send an email to [email protected] or give us a call at 250.423.3331. You can also message us on our Houzz page and connect with us through Instagram.

How can I see more of your work?
You can find our newest projects on Facebook, Instagram or Houzz. Bookmark our Blog page and check back regularly for updated posts.

Where do you deliver or ship?
We ship our wood doors, millwork, trim and cabinetry all over the world. Builders in Alberta, British Columbia, parts of the U.S. and as far away as Japan have enjoyed our wood products.

We include a standard delivery area in our prices which includes southern Alberta and south-eastern BC. If your delivery address is outside that area, we will include crating for transportation in our price. Call us at 250.423.3331 for more information regarding delivery or shipping.

Do you install kitchen, bathroom and other built-in cabinets?
We enjoy and take pride in installing the cabinetry that we build. We also build cabinetry for supply, should you have another installer in mind or live in a distant province or state.

Where are you?
We are located in Fernie, British Columbia, a small city in the southeast corner of the Canadian Rockies. You can find our showroom, office and woodworking shop at 11 Kutenai Road in the industrial area, just off Highway #3.

How long will my door last?
If you care for a well-built wood door properly, it will last a lifetime. Many solid wood doors last for centuries. The most important thing is protection from the weather and direct sunlight. Exterior doors should have an overhang in the roof to protect it from the elements. This will ensure a long life and less maintenance. One of the features any wood door has is its ability to be refinished. Doors made from synthetic or manmade materials are susceptible to degradation from the elements and need maintenance. Dents in metal doors are next to impossible to remove and fiberglass is difficult, if not impossible, to refinish to a like new condition.

How much do your doors cost?
Exterior Doors: A standard single, finished and pre-hung exterior wood door can cost as little as $4000 CAD. Simple, clear glass transoms add approximately $1000 dollars and matching sidelites are an additional $1000 per side. The designs we most often produce range from $6000 to $10,000.

Interior Doors: Simple, unfinished interior wood doors with knock down jambs, architectural grade hinges, drilled for standard tubular hardware start around $650 CAD per single wood door for orders consisting of 10 or more doors.

What comes with my exterior door?
Unless otherwise specified, our doors come pre-hung with architectural grade hinges and a weather-sealed jamb and oak sill. The weather seal aspect of our exterior doors is lab tested and certified to meet the latest building code requirements in Canada and the US.

Can I order my door unfinished?
Yes. We provide finishing instructions with every door. We strongly recommend sealing or painting doors within 48 hours of their arrival at your location. Failure to do so will expose the door to moisture, substances or conditions that can damage the door. It also may void your warranty.

Do you install your doors?
We do not typically install our doors. We recommend you use a qualified builder or carpenter.

How long does it take to build a wood door?
Depending on the door details and type of wood, a door generally takes 8 weeks to build. This does not include time to design or finalize details.

What makes your exterior doors so special?
We combine traditional, time-honored approaches with the best modern methods. Our doors feature state-of-the art weather seal products. The panels of the doors are thermally broken with an insulating layer between the inside and the outside. This provides more insulation than solid wood.

All components, including hinges and glass, are of the highest quality. We use engineered stiles and rails, also known as frame and panels to prevent warping, twisting or splitting. Most important of all is the attention to detail we provide to our doors during construction.

Do your exterior doors comply with Canadian and US building codes?
Yes, our doors have been lab-tested and are certified to meet the latest Canadian and US building codes. The standard is AAMA/WDMA/CSA101/IS2/A440-08 and CSA A440AS1-009. Your door comes with temporary and permanent labels that will satisfy your building official or building inspector.

Why is the frame and panel construction method you use so important?
Wood changes when humidity changes. Through this tried-and-true method, the frame captures the panels, which are not fixed in place. This allows the panels to expand when they take on moisture and shrink when they lose moisture with the seasons. This prevents cracking, splitting, twisting or warping that can sometimes be a problem with solid wood.

How do I figure out what size door to order?
You will need to provide us with two things, the height and width of the framed opening and the wall thickness. With this information, we can produce a door that will fit your opening.

Is there an option to distress?
Yes. Done properly, distressing wood adds authenticity and character. We have a great deal of experience in this area. This is very important as it must be believable. Random, poorly-thought-out distressing will cheapen the overall look. Distressing levels can range from mild wear to rustic to extreme.

What type of glass can I choose?
For exterior doors, triple pane glass is available on request. We normally use duel pane, low-E, argon-filled, tempered, sealed units. We can incorporate many standard patterned or obscure glasses into the sealed units. Leaded or art glass can be captured in sealed units or applied on the interior side of exterior doors to create dramatic effects.

For our interior doors and cabinetry we provide all of the same glass options available for exterior doors. Patterned, obscure or art glass provide privacy while allowing natural light to flow through your home.

What should I consider when making choices for exterior doors?
Exposure is the biggest factor. Exposure will, to some degree, dictate the style and color of the door. If the door is not fully protected by a roof overhang, we recommend a wood such as Mahogony or White Oak which will better endure the rigors of sun and weather, together with an oil finish. Doors that are more exposed require regular maintenance of their finish.

Can I use wood I have already?
Yes. Our customers often supply their own reclaimed wood but it must be dry. We’ll also need to ensure that is of a quality and quantity necessary to produce your specific project.

What wood can I use?
We can source and use any wood that you would like. We typically use indigenous material such as Douglas Fir (Mixed Grain, Vertical Grain), Pine, Alder (Knotty or Superior), Oak (White, Red, or Quarter Sawn) or Cherry. However, we can use specialty woods such as Walnut, Brazilian Cherry (Jatoba), or Sapele (Mahogany). We often also have a supply of reclaimed wood on hand.

Can you design my door, kitchen, cabinetry or other woodwork for me?
We would be delighted to assist you with designing your ideal entry system, interior doors, kitchen, bath or other built-in cabinetry. We have in-house specialists and draftsmen to bring your vision alive or help you find the design that inspires you.

What is the design process?
Once we get an idea of the basic design or layout of your project, we provide you with design drawings. Next we tweak the design based on your specifications. From there, we move to final shop drawings, which you approve before we start building.

For stains, customers often start by looking at the samples on our website or our office. When the customer has it narrowed down to a few options, we send actual stain samples on the chosen type of wood to them. We can also match stain samples you have seen elsewhere, or create custom stains to meet your needs.

We are also a supplier for door and cabinet hardware so it’s a one stop shop to get everything you need for your door or cabinetry. We even install it. If installation is not required on our end, we will prepare the item for whatever hardware is specified and it can be installed on site.

Contact us with your ideas today!

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