403A renovation and demolition practice questions.

Five free practice questions on renovation and demolition: block G of the Red Seal 403A Carpenter exam, about 10 of its 100 questions. They are in the exam's format: four options, one correct answer. Answer each one before opening the explanation. No account, no email.

01The questions

1. Procedural · Changes existing structure during renovations

   The new beam replacing a main-floor bearing wall ends on a built-up post of three 38 × 89 mm (2 × 4) studs. Where must that post bear?

   1. On solid blocking through the floor to a wall, beam or footing below
   2. On the subfloor, since the sheathing spreads the load to the joists
   3. On the nearest single joist, which is then doubled
   4. On the header of the nearest doorway in the wall below
   Show the answer

   A. Correct. A point load from a beam end travels down the post and must be carried continuously to the foundation: squash blocks or a solid post in the floor cavity directly under it, then a basement post on a footing or a foundation wall. Checking and building this path is part of the job; a subfloor alone will crush.

   Why not the others

   B. 19 mm plywood or OSB cannot spread a concentrated beam reaction; it crushes and the floor deflects. Solid blocking through the floor is needed under every post.

   C. A doubled joist still spans between its supports and deflects under a point load it was never sized for. The post needs a direct path down, not a joist to sit on.

   D. Door headers are sized for the wall load above them, not for an added beam reaction. Loading a header this way can overload it and the jack studs.

2. Recall · Removes existing material

   A building is listed as a designated heritage property. The owner wants the original wood windows removed and replaced. In addition to the building permit, what is required before removal?

   1. A letter from an architect confirming the windows are beyond repair
   2. Approval from the municipal or provincial heritage authority for the alteration
   3. Only the owner's written consent, because they own the building
   4. Nothing extra, provided the new windows are the same size
   Show the answer

   B. Correct. Designation under provincial heritage legislation means alterations to protected features, such as original windows, require a heritage permit or approval before work starts. The approval may require repair, replication in kind, or retention of original material.

   Why not the others

   A. A condition report may support the application, but it is the heritage authority, not the architect, that decides whether removal is permitted.

   C. Heritage designation limits what an owner can do to the building. Ownership does not override the statute; approval from the heritage authority is still required.

   D. Size matching does not satisfy heritage rules; the material, profile and operation of original windows are usually the protected features. Replacement without approval can bring fines and an order to reinstate.

3. Procedural · Joins new to existing construction

   The side wall of a new second-storey addition meets the slope of the existing shingled roof. How is that junction flashed?

   1. Run the siding down tight to the shingles and seal the joint
   2. A continuous L-shaped flashing laid along the junction and caulked to the shingles
   3. Counterflashing only, let into a saw kerf in the sheathing
   4. Step flashing per course, turned up the wall behind the weather barrier, with a kick-out
   Show the answer

   D. Correct. Each step flashing piece laps the shingle below and is covered by the shingle above, with its vertical leg up the wall under the building paper and siding. A kick-out flashing at the eave end diverts the water running down the wall away from the siding below. Counterflashing or siding clearance completes the detail.

   Why not the others

   A. Siding on shingles wicks water, rots, and leaves no flashing behind it. Siding is held clear of the roof with flashing behind.

   B. A continuous flashing cannot lap with each shingle course, so water running down the roof gets under it. Step flashing works with the shingles; caulk is not a flashing.

   C. Counterflashing covers the top of step flashing on masonry; by itself it provides no lap with the shingles. It is a second layer, not a substitute.

4. Procedural · Protects structure during renovations

   Renovation work is taking place on the main floor of a small apartment building while tenants remain in the units above. What must be maintained for the occupants throughout the work?

   1. A verbal warning to the tenants to stay away from the work area
   2. Unobstructed exits and intact fire separations, with the work area hoarded off
   3. Locked exterior doors so the public cannot wander into the work
   4. Materials stacked in the corridor so they stay off the street
   Show the answer

   B. Correct. Tenants must be able to leave the building in an emergency at all times, so stairways, corridors and exit doors stay clear and unlocked in the direction of travel, and any fire-rated wall or ceiling you open is kept protected or restored daily. Hoarding keeps occupants out of the hazard area.

   Why not the others

   A. A warning is not protection. Physical hoarding, signage and maintained exits are required regardless of what the tenants have been told.

   C. Locking exits to keep people out also locks occupants in. Control access with hoarding and signage, never by blocking or locking a required exit.

   D. A corridor is an exit route; stacking material in it blocks egress and adds fire load. Materials are staged inside the hoarded work area or outside the building.

5. Procedural · Changes existing structure during renovations

   A 1.8 m (6 ft) wide window is being added to a bearing exterior wall of a single-storey house. After the interior is shored and the wall opened, how is the new header supported?

   1. Bearing on the cut stud ends with metal straps to the top plate
   2. On jack studs nailed to full-height king studs at each side of the opening
   3. Toe-nailed to the cut-off ends of the existing studs
   4. Hung from the top plate with joist hangers at each end
   Show the answer

   B. Correct. The header is sized for the 1.8 m span and the roof load, bears on jack studs (trimmers) that run to the bottom plate, and the jacks are nailed to full-length king studs that keep the assembly plumb and tie it to the plates. Cripples fill in above the header and below the sill. The cut studs are removed or become cripples; they do not carry the header.

   Why not the others

   A. Straps resist uplift, not bearing. The header has to bear on continuous framing to the bottom plate, which is what jack studs provide.

   C. Cut studs hanging from the top plate have no bearing underneath; toe-nails cannot carry a header reaction. Jack studs to the bottom plate are required.

   D. A top plate is two pieces of 38 mm lumber spanning between studs; it cannot carry a header plus roof load. Hangers are for joists on beams, not headers on plates.

02Answer key

03What block G covers

This block covers work on existing buildings. It includes recognizing asbestos, lead, mould and silica hazards, selective demolition and dust containment, temporary shoring and needle beams, protecting occupants and finishes, removing bearing walls and chimneys, tying additions to existing foundations and roofs, matching older lumber sizes, and adding new openings, egress windows and stairs to current code.

The Red Seal Occupational Standard names this block “Performs renovations”. It carries 10% of the exam, about 10 of the 100 questions, split across two tasks. The share column is each task's weight within the block, as the standard publishes it.

04What the questions turn on

Test before you disturb

Vermiculite, joint compound, vinyl tile, textured coatings and pipe wrap in older houses are treated as possible asbestos until a lab test says otherwise. Confirmed asbestos is removed only by certified abatement workers, not by the carpenter.

Shoring a bearing wall

Build a shoring wall on each side, about 600 to 900 mm away, snugged with shims but not jacked. Temporary supports must line up on every level down to the foundation before the top shoring wall takes load.

Carry point loads down

A new beam's end post needs solid blocking through the floor and support continuing to a footing. Wood beams need at least 89 mm of end bearing, and widening an opening means re-sizing the header for the longer span.

Old house, current code

A rebuilt stair must meet current rise and run limits rather than copy the old one. A room converted to a bedroom needs an egress window of at least 0.35 m² with no dimension under 380 mm.

05The other blocks

The 403A exam has seven blocks. Each has its own page of free questions:

The 403A Carpenter practice exam page describes the full question bank. How these questions are written and checked: how our questions are made. Found a mistake? Tell us and we will fix it.