Cardinal Carpentry

International Women’s Day lands a little differently when you work in the trades.

Construction is still a heavily male dominated industry. Many of the norms shaping job sites today developed during a time when women were not seen as part of the picture. Sites were shaped by long standing patriarchal ideas about who belongs and whether women are supposed to show up within them at all.

Those expectations don’t just affect how women are treated in the industry. They can shape how women see and treat each other in these spaces too.

Spend enough time navigating environments like this and it becomes easy to inherit the idea that there is a right way to be a woman in the trades. How you should dress. How you should talk. How you should show up. But there is not one mold for women in this industry.

One of the most encouraging shifts is women refusing that narrative. Builders backing builders. Designers collaborating with contractors. Tradeswomen sharing knowledge and advocating for each other’s work.

We are not competing for space. We are creating more of it.

When that happens the work gets better, the teams get stronger, and the industry moves forward.

Happy International Women’s Day to the women, femmes, and non-binary folks across the trades building, designing, managing, and leading.

Show up your way.
Build your way.

We’re starting 2026 with two new projects at the Robert Watson Lofts in Roncesvalles. Originally built in 1903 as the Robert Watson candy factory, it’s a solid example of early industrial construction with load-bearing masonry, brick arches, and stonework integrated into a working factory. The building is designated under the Ontario Heritage Act, which is why the original exterior detailing was kept.

Converted to condos in 2007, the modern updates separate the original building from the new construction. Heritage requirements limit new work to either replicating historic fabric exactly or being distinctly modern. Here, a courtyard connects the structures and provides a shared outdoor space. Some lofts still carry that factory feel, with exposed brick, warehouse-style windows, and tall ceilings.

It’s often the spaces between, where old and new meet, that showcase Toronto’s character.

At our Parkdale project, we’ve installed modern square window well systems as an upgrade from the traditional corrugated steel wells you often see on older homes.

We sourced these wells from in Stratford, Ontario, supporting local manufacturing and Canadian suppliers! This system is made up of 12 inch modular segments, available in many lengths, which allows us to build clean, custom-fit wells that fit the existing foundation and window layout.

You’ll also notice a drain within the window well, which we consider best practice for all window well installations. This drain is tied into the house’s weeping tile system to help manage groundwater. We finish the drain with a protective cover and a layer of gravel on top, which looks better while further reducing the risk of debris entering the system.

Up next, we’ll be installing foundation parging to finish the exterior transition.

Stay tuned for the window well accessories, including a clear well cover and an egress ladder. Egress ladders are an important safety component, providing a code-compliant means of escape from basement bedrooms while remaining discreet within the well.

Next, we’ll move indoors and share our interior framing and window installation!

As the holidays approach and temperatures drop, we’re working to close in each of our sites before the winter break - an important milestone for our teams and for our clients!

At our Parkdale project, we’ve finished the structural steel installation and the masonry work required to prepare for new windows. The team at delivered great work with a nice brick match on a century old facade.

With the structural and masonry scope complete, we’re moving into the next phase - window wells, framing, and installing the new windows! Integrating modern performance into a century home requires careful planning, and we’re looking forward to sharing the process!