Les Pics Bois Verts

“Construction is like music, it’s ancient; we are only making new arrangements,” says Jean-François Raymond, founder of Les Pics-bois Verts (“The Green Woodpeckers”), a Montreal-based durable carpenter-contractor. Les Pics-bois Verts came to be when Jean-François left his successful web design company for something more down-to-earth and hands-on. “I knew that there was a need for the customized, turn-key services we offer. People are happy to spend money if they are confident they are investing in a safe, beautiful living space for their family,” he says. “We source our supplies locally and we use durable materials, which means that they are thoroughly non-toxic, high-quality and fit for their application. This is what defines Les Pics-bois Verts as a green construction company. And, we are reasonably priced.”

“We are only a little bit more expensive than perhaps some other contractors, in a sense. For example, our first choice will always be pine or another kind of real wood over a particle board, because you can be sure it’s non-toxic and it will last,” Jean-François explains.

“We recently built some thick wood outdoor columns in the Plateau Mont-Royal with hemlock wood because it comes from just north of Montreal, and it is naturally highly rot resistant,” he says. “But it’s crazy — no one is using it! And it’s not expensive! So that’s an example of what being ‘green’ means to me. It’s simple. It’s just a question of initially doing the extra research so we can build a community of suppliers.”