App lets you connect with good contractors
Homeowners can use eRenovate for free to find verified local tradespeople
Home renovations are the most financially dangerous activity the average Canadian will undertake, and like many dangers, people usually wander into the home-reno minefield blind to the hazards. Despite decades of Canadians’ watching home renovations gone wrong on TV, I still hear from people who’ve walked into highly avoidable trouble.
There was the elderly couple who gave a smiling crook $60,000 to build a garage, then he simply left with the money, never to return. A cabinetmaker I worked for 25 years ago tells me he almost never finds contractors capable of reading blueprints that we routinely used when we were building kitchens together in the 1980s.
One couple I know paid $45,000 for a premium basement renovation only to find the contractor used the cheapest fixtures and accessories imaginable.
Another contractor I investigated drove a prospective client around in his expensive truck to see his “previous projects.” These homes were actually someone else’s work, and the liar proved to be dishonest, vulgar and incompetent after the deal was struck.
Why do things like this happen? And more importantly, what can you do to safeguard yourself from renovation bad guys?
What you need are concrete strategies that’ll filter out the riffraff and lead you to competent, honest and disciplined professionals. And yes, tradespeople like these are out there, ready, willing and able to make good renos happen for you.
Ultimately, you’re looking for the right kind of heart. So how do you know what kind of “heart” you’re hiring? The best way to judge contractors is by their past performance.
The biggest mistake homeowners typically make is failing to check how well prospective contractors have prepared themselves with licences, liability insurance and worker safeguards. Another mistake is failing to ask for references and then follow up on them. Sounds simple, but there’s one reason due diligence doesn’t happen often enough: enthusiasm.
Emotions are always upbeat at the beginning of a project, and both clients and contractors are on their best behaviour. Everything is smiles and handshakes and optimism at the start, but this is where danger lurks. Pleasantries make it seem almost rude to investigate the track record of a contractor. Checking things out the old-fashioned way involves a lot of trouble and embarrassing questions, too, but this is where the Internet can help.
The newest option for finding good Canadian contractors and tradespeople is a smartphone app called eRenovate (erenovate.com). It’s unique in the world, free to homeowners, and it offers access to the most thoroughly verified contractors in the country.
Enter a description of the project you have in mind, snap photos, shoot a little video, then hit a button. The details of your project instantly go out to every verified contractor in your area for estimates. These people have already proven they have insurance, licences and years of good track record, so all that’s left for you to do is get quotes, settle on a price, then watch as a proper renovation, paint job, new floor or new kitchen happens at your place.
What’s the simplest initial test for assessing a contractor? How neat is this person’s work truck and trailer? A messy truck isn’t a foolproof indicator because good builders don’t always have time to keep things perfect. That said, I’ve never seen a tradesperson with neat gear who wasn’t also a good worker.
Every homeowner wants their tradespeople to be good, honest and considerate people, but not every homeowner realizes they have the same responsibility. More than a few home-renovation projects I know of have been ruined by homeowners themselves.
Nickel and diming your contractor down on price, constant complaining, obsessive monitoring of the project and frequently changing project details — these are all the ways homeowners shoot themselves in the foot when it comes to renovations. Choose tradespeople by their past performance, then be a good client yourself. Do these things, and you’ll be happy.