Custom furniture, built-ins, restoration.
Greg Halverson and a second-year apprentice, working out of a small shop on Frederick Road. Solid wood, dovetailed where it counts, no MDF, no Ikea retail-fix side business.
Recent work.
A slice of what's left the shop in the last two years. Most are one-off commissions; a handful repeat.
-
Six-seat dining table
- Wood
- American black walnut
- Dimensions
- 1950 × 950 × 750 mm
- Finish
- Tung-oil & beeswax, six coats
- Year
- 2025
- Lead time
- 11 weeks
-
Cedar mudroom built-in
- Wood
- Western red cedar (BC-milled)
- Width
- 2400 mm, wall-to-wall
- Finish
- Clear water-based poly
- Year
- 2024
-
Maple writing desk
- Wood
- Big-leaf maple (Vancouver Island)
- Dimensions
- 1400 × 700 × 720 mm
- Finish
- Shellac, hand-rubbed
- Year
- 2024
-
Floor-to-ceiling oak bookcase
- Wood
- White oak, quarter-sawn
- Height
- 2900 mm
- Width
- 3200 mm, four bays
- Finish
- Rubio Monocoat, smoked
- Year
- 2024
-
Cherry chair, restoration
- Wood
- American cherry (period donor stock)
- Origin
- 1928 Boston-built chair
- Work
- Re-glue, re-shape seat, refinish
- Year
- 2024
-
Douglas fir entryway bench
- Wood
- Reclaimed Douglas fir (1920s warehouse)
- Dimensions
- 1500 × 380 × 460 mm
- Finish
- Wax only, no stain
- Year
- 2023
About the shop.
Northvan Woodworker is a small two-person workshop on Frederick Road in Lower Lonsdale. Greg Halverson trained at the North Bennet Street School in Boston in the late 1990s and moved his bench out to North Vancouver in 2002. Devon Tahir is in his second year of an apprenticeship that's mostly about learning when to leave the tool down.
We work in solid wood — North American hardwoods where they make sense, and BC-milled cedar and Douglas fir where they make sense. We don't work in MDF, melamine or veneered particleboard. We don't run an Ikea-repair side business. We do quote — most projects price out between $1,800 and $9,000 CAD depending on wood and complexity, and the lead time is rarely under six weeks.
Visit the shop by appointment — there are usually four projects on benches at any given time. Send us the dimensions and a sketch and we'll come back with a written quote within five business days.
How we quote.
Every project is custom, so there's no fixed-price sheet on this page. The process is the same regardless of size:
- You send a sketch. Dimensions, where it'll live, what kind of wood you have in mind (or don't — we'll suggest). Photos of the room and any inspiration help.
- We come back inside five business days with a written quote — wood, joinery, finish, hardware, lead time, milestone schedule.
- If the quote works, we ask for 50% to order the lumber. Balance on delivery / install.
- Typical range: small repairs and refinishes from $185 CAD; bench-scale furniture $1,800–$3,200; dining tables $3,200–$6,500; full built-ins $4,200–$12,000. GST 5% + PST 7% on top.
Where we work.
We work mostly across the North Shore — Lynn Valley, Deep Cove, West Vancouver, Capilano and Edgemont. The truck will also travel up the Sea-to-Sky to Squamish and Whistler on appointment, with a small trip fee folded into the quote.
Greg built the dining table our family will be passing down. Twelve years from order to first Christmas dinner — I think — and there isn't a wobble in it. Worth every late delivery email.
Things people ask before they call.
How long is the lead time?
Bench-scale furniture (a desk, a coffee table, a single chair) tends to run six to ten weeks from deposit. Dining tables and full built-ins are eight to fourteen weeks. Restoration work can be quicker — a single chair re-glue and refinish is usually two to three weeks. We don't take rush jobs; the schedule is honestly what it is on the day you call.
Can I bring my own wood?
Sometimes, yes — a family slab someone milled, a piece of reclaimed fir, an heirloom board you've kept in the garage. We'll inspect first (moisture content, twist, defects) and tell you whether it's usable. If the wood needs kiln-drying or jointing we can sub that to a partner in Squamish, billed separately.
Do you deliver and install?
Yes — included in every quote across the North Shore and West Vancouver. Squamish, Whistler and the Sunshine Coast carry a small trip rate. Anything over 50 kg gets a two-person delivery, and we'll walk you through any care or oil schedule before we leave.
What's the warranty?
Lifetime workmanship guarantee against joint failure for the original commissioning client. Wood movement (seasonal expansion and contraction) is normal and not a defect — we'll come back and re-flatten a top once at no cost in the first two years if it's bowed beyond reasonable. Finish wear from use is also not a defect, but we'll re-oil or re-finish at a reduced rate any time after year five.
If you've been measuring the kitchen wall
for the third weekend in a row, call.
Five minutes on the phone usually tells us whether the timber's in the rack or needs sourcing, and whether the slot is six weeks out or fourteen. Either way you'll get a written number before the saw runs.