Queries On Home Renovation

Yes, be wary of posters who come on anonymous forums and essentially provide a dubious testimonial for an unknown company.

Since you are hiring the work out, just use a reputable company.

Ask your friends, not total strangers.

Top 10 bathroom renovation tips - Style At Home

All excellent advice to follow. My inlaws had "remodeling" done and followed none of these and got royally taken. They paid the contractor cash ahead, the house got torn apart, absolutely nothing got finished, and then he absconded. What a mess physically and financially. I spent several vacations attempting to make it livable again.

On another note, I remodeled my bathroom and put in heated tiles with a programmable thermostat. In a northern climate I would consider this a necessary luxury. Highly recommended if it's not on your list.

Distance and are they actually doing the work or contracting it out. If there is some distance that they have to travel. It may be a real problem to get them back out to do warranty repairs. If it's just a sales firm then your also dealing with a subcontractor for these repairs.

Find some one local. Any good reputable home re-modeler should be able to do the work and match any designs from pictures. They are more likely to see that you are please with their work. As word of mouth in the local area can be a big part of their business.

If there are electrical changes involved...

1) Demand a copy of the electrical permit issued by ESA (the Electrical Safety Authority).

2) Demand a copy of all inspection reports issued by ESA after they inspect the wiring changes.

3) Demand the final inspection report issued by ESA.

If they tell you they are exempt from either the permit process or the need for inspections because of a dispensation from ESA, get documented proof of that dispensation and then check it yourself by calling ESA.

It depends on how extensive the renovation is going to be....You seem to have chosen the most expensive route......and also how much knowledge you have in these matters....how much participation you want to take, if any....

A Royal Flush beats a Full House in this matter.

In Canada eh? Call Mike Holmes.

http://makeitright.ca/tv-shows

Does he to 'first guy in' jobs, or is does he only come in to fix things after the original contractor FUBARed everything and left the homeowners in tears? His show only presents the latter.

Due diligence...regarding insurance, references and quoting strategies. Warranties can be checked out, in Canada, they are more often than not simply not honoured.

Make sure you have a permit. Without it you are SOL with regards to finishing the job. Establish milestones.

Stay on the job as much as possible. If he doesn't want you right there making coffee and sweeping up, you know, staying out of his way but being helpful, he may be trying to hide something. Unlikely, but that is the ONLY way you would ever know.

First, everything in writing, including all fixtures (Brands). A legal contract which is accepted in the courts where you live. Find a source in your area to check out all Legal Complaints or charges against them. A list of prior clients, phone numbers, and permission to contact them. A reasonable time allocation overage. Sometimes things do arise, that the contractor cannot anticipate, until things are opened up. We used to call it the "Jack Hammer clause".. This may or may not affect the way the plans are drawn, or how the Architect approaches the job. Sometimes walls cannot be removed easily. As others say, all permits to be drawn, and copies made and filed for future.. The originals are to be kept on the job in a plastic folder. We used to make an extra set of blueprints and tape them to one wall, so that all subcontractors could see what the other trades had to do. This allowed them to allot their time in proper sequence, and to be able to communicate with each other, say, for instance, a plumber need an outlet or wiring moved to complete his work. One important thing is a set upon schedule. Also, a clause stating that all debris is to be cleaned up, each day, and the dust and debris is adequately handled so as not to affect the rest of the living spaces. This can be done with jack poles and plastic sheeting, and thorough use of a good Shop van with Hepa filters. Above all, if all looks good, make sure that your line of communication is GOOD, and that you are comfortable with talking directly with your contractor about things, good and bad. No defensive Contractors, please… If you can't or don't want to deal with all of this, you can hire an intermediary who acts in your behalf, and makes sure all is right. These are often retired contractors, who sometimes are quite reasonable with their fees, but can tell very quickly if things are on track and the work is being done properly, to your standards. They will also deal with Inspectors, Engineers, etc, if necessary. Others have mentioned similar things, but make sure you understand it all. Good luck!

Am I the only one who thinks this is just a commercial for the referenced business?

I'm tempted to call the number and ask for Kelly.

Very aggressive internet promotion from this company. Could be one of ours has gone to the the trouble of signing into our forum in order to promote it, however, I think it is just as likely that a good internet presence has hooked him just fine. I can see by reading the reviews that there is little room IN the reviews to answer his questions, so, the questions right here are just fine and the answers are an excellent icing on his cake. (would YOU trust an internet service review site? At least all the reviews are in good English, albeit American English, not call centre mis-spellings or Canadian English.)