Preparing for spring renovations?
There is nothing like a pandemic lockdown to notice every single thing that could be improved in your house. Suddenly the tiles seem wonky, there’s not enough workspace (or kitchen space) and none of the cupboards close properly. And you’ve had enough! It’s time to renovate. And update.
The good news is, there are many financial incentives available to you these days because the government wants to get the economy kicking again. Check everywhere, from your local counsel to federal programmes, and see if something fits what you have in mind.
And now the bad news: you’ve heard all the reno horror stories. You’ve seen them on TV. You may have even had one of your own. It’s tough out there!
So here are some tips on first finding the right contractor and then, in part two, what to look for before signing on the dotted line. Read with care!
Open your contact list
You’ve taken a good look around your residence and found exactly what needs to be done. It could be one big project or a bunch of smaller ones. Either way, now is the time to get in touch with everyone you know, along with their brothers, sisters, parents and cousins.
Speak to everyone in your contact list if you have to—cast the net wide. The very best way to find out if a renovator is reliable and does good work is to find people who have used them before—in a similar capacity and not 20 years ago. And although conducting this friends and family research is not a guarantee your project will go 100% as planned—maybe one crew is better than the other, for example—it sure is a good place to start.
Ask your contacts everything:
- What work they had done?
- How was the communication?
- The quality of the work?
- How was payment made?
- Safety protocols followed?
- How were they on sticking to the timeline?
- How were they on budget?
- Did they clean up?
- Were there any problems?
- Can they recommend specific members of the reno team?
If no one you know has had work done recently, then you can ask the contractors you contact for photos and phone numbers of their three most recent projects. Not the projects they love to talk about or the ones they are happy to put on their website—but their most recent work.
And then contact the homeowners and ask them the same questions as above. If they have no recent clients to share with you or if you get a bad feeling overall, find someone else. There are others.
Getting estimates
Asking for estimates was a lot easier before COVID-19 when you could have as many people as needed come around your place to assess the work. Now it’s a bit more complicated. One, you may want to limit the number of strangers you have in your home, and two, you may want to find contractors who can do the assessing by Zoom or FaceTime so both of you can stay safe and ask questions. However, this last point is probably only going to work if the job is very small. And by insisting on a virtual visit first, you may limit the number of contractors available to you.
In non-COVID times, you may want to get as many as three estimates, especially if the first two vary widely in price. You also may want to consider some of the online tools available to get an estimate of the work yourself. That way, you will know more or less what to expect.
However, if your first two estimates are close in price, and are based on the same criteria—and your own research has shown something similar, in addition to excellent referrals from someone you know and trust—two estimates may be ok, too. Make sure all estimates are very detailed, in writing. Having this can prevent unpleasant surprises down the road.
Now that you have the estimates and have chosen among them, next week, we’ll take a look at how to check whether these contractors have had complaints against them and other due diligence, what the contract should contain, and an overview of the laws that protect you.
The takeaway
There are steps you can take before and during your renovation to lessen the chance of something negative occurring. Details really matter here, whether it’s in the estimate or the contract or the permits, or the third-party liability insurance or the inspection report, we are here to help you sort it all out. And if problems do arise, we can also advise you of the consumer protection laws where you live, and we can send demand letters, when needed. So become a member. Ask us questions! And join the more than 4,400,000 people already protected by LegalShield.
Next up on the LegalShield Canada blog: What to look for in a contractor’s contract.
Articles on the LegalShield.ca website are for informational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice or opinion in any manner. Laws mentioned in the articles vary from province to province. Any links to third-party sites in our articles are for general information purposes only and LegalShield is not affiliated with, nor does it endorse, the content of linked sites. It is always advisable to seek legal counsel—and LegalShield can help.