Choosing a renovation contractor is one of the higher-risk decisions a homeowner makes. Here are the ten questions we'd ask if we were on the homeowner's side of the table.
1. Who is actually going to be on my job? Will the person quoting me be the same person running the project on site, or am I being handed off?
2. Are you a member of KHBA? Are you WSIB covered? What is your liability insurance limit, and can I see the certificate?
3. How many active projects do you have right now, and how many will you have when mine starts? A contractor who's running ten jobs at once is not on any of them.
4. Can I speak to two clients whose jobs you finished in the last twelve months — not five years ago?
5. How do you handle dust and the rest of my house while you're working? What does that look like, day by day?
6. Is your estimate fixed-fee, three-tier, or cost-plus? What changes the number, and how do you tell me before it does?
7. What's your payment schedule? (Be wary of anything that front-loads more than 20% before work starts.)
8. Who handles permits and inspections — me or you?
9. What's your warranty, and what does it cover? Is it written into the contract?
10. If something goes wrong six months after the job, what happens? Do you come back?
Use these on us. We've got answers we're comfortable giving you in writing.