How to Hire a General Contractor or Renovator for Residential Construction Projects

In the last 10-15 years, the industry of Residential General Contractors has taken a beating by the media. Television, maganizes and articles have waged war on the image, credibility and trust of General Contractors. This is something that as a Home Owner, you must first be aware of.

15 Years ago, there were 3 shows that dealt with residential construction:

-This Old House
-The New Yankee Work Shop
-Bob Villa's Home again

These 3 shows gave Home Owners an "inside" look into construction techniques and methods, offering plenty of advice, knowledge and wisdom. I suppose they had a loyal following amongst hobbyists, contractors and weekend warriors. But it didn't appeal much to the general masses. After all, not everyone is interested in learning how to cut Crown Moulding or how to select the best router bits.

Along came a show on HGTV called Holmes on Homes. The entire premise of the show was to unearth the misdeeds of shabby, unethical and unprofessional contractors while at the same time portraying the Home Owners as the innocent victims in a "deal gone bad". Along comes our saviour, Mr. Holmes, to save the day and right the wrongs.

THE PROBLEM - Are there unqualified, unprofessional and unethical contractors out yet? YOU BET! At the same time, one could ask...are there unqualified, unprofessional and unethical Lawyers? Doctors? Police Officers? Real Estate Agents? Mortgage Brokers? Accountants? And so on? YOU BET there are! Every industry has the good, the bad, the mediocre, the excellent and the horrendous. That's life, that's people.

This show sent a subliminal message to Home Owners - Other contractors BAD...Mike Holmes GOOD. Mr. Holmes is a smart man. He knows how to make money and promote himself. Good for him! However, his show has unjustly tarnished the image of an entire industry, done a great deed in misleading home owners, and started a trend of "contractor bashing" that has prevailed since. For all of Mike's talks about "License, Insurance and permits", I find it ironic that Mike Holmes himself is not licensed to carry out the work that he performed on the show. The Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs has a clear mandate for licensing and Mr. Holmes himself is NOT a licensed Carpenter. Technically, every time he modified any structural wood element of the house or sold carpentry services he was doing so without the appropriate licensing, breaking the law and casting himself into the dim shadow with which he so readily labels so many other contractors. Hypocrite.

Furthermore, though it is true that many of the home owners on that show were essentially ripped off, misled or cheated, most of the time and most of those Home Owners brought it upon themselves. How do I know? I can guarantee that most of those Home Owners chose their contractor based on price. The ever so tempting taste of a "good deal". Of course, they don't tell you that on the show. It kills the "victimized" position.

Speaking of things they don't mention on the show, ever notice how Mike Holmes usually ends up gutting almost all of the work and then not only building it back up the right way, but going way over and beyond to make it look that much better? Talk about misleading...all of that translates to dollar signs in real life. "GIVING" the home owners glass shower doors, custom cabinets, granite countertops, heated flooring, marble flooring and so on is all great, but what they fail to mention is that in real life somebody had to pay for that. In this case, it was most likely the production company and they received free material from sponsorships. But it's misleading to take an original renovation where the Home Owners had a $20,000 budget, dump what would equal $150,000 in real life into the home and stand back and say "There...that's how it should have been done" without telling the viewers about that nagging issue of $130,000.

An entire generation of TV shows continued on with this trend. What you have to know is that ALL of these shows receive sponsorships. A basic premise of most of these shows are "Look, we did all these renovations and it only cost us $X". They conveniently forget to tell you "Oh yeah, we received 50-100% off on all the materials through our sponsors and we're not calculating the labour realistically". Never mind the fact that they probably never got permits for the work, nobody was insured by WSIB, nobody carried Liability Insurance and many other factors.

It's television folks...it's entertainment, and production companies and networks do not care about the accuracy of the information on a show that was intended to entertain and keep viewers.

So now that we have reiterated the bias of the media and the years of misleading information that Home Owners have been bombarded with, let's get on with the meat of the topic at hand. How do you navigate your way towards finding a professional.

The good news is, there are plenty of highly professional contractors to choose from. They just don't make the news. Unlike what the media would have you believe, the majority of contractors fall in the range of good to great. Your first step in finding one that fits your needs, begins with a broad search. The internet sounds like a decent start.

Start looking through the websites of the contractors out there. Remember, it's YOUR JOB to find the right contractor and you have to be prepared to do some of the leg work. The right contractor will not just fall on your lap, and since most renovations represent a great investment on top of your greatest investment (your home), you are wise to take your time at every turn, beginning with the "broad search". In looking through the various web sites, you will begin to get a feel for the level of work that each company represents by browsing through past projects. Not all contractors are the same, some deal with exclusively "High end" renovations, some upper middle, the middle and some have carved out a niche in the lower end, quick and fast types of renovations (bathrooms, floor installations) and other broad appeal types of renos.

You will inevitably narrow down your selection to maybe 5-10 contractors that appeal to the style/look you're shooting for. In other words, they seem to offer the type of workmanship/quality you would like to see incorporated into your project.

BE REALISTIC- No point in walking into a Ferrari dealership with a Hyundai budget. Conversely, no point walking into a Hyundai dealership if you're looking for a Ferrari. There is nothing wrong with either of those, but know what YOU want and be realistic about what you can AFFORD. If your gut says you have a small budget, don't contact a renovator who looks like he/she works exclusively in the "High end" market of homes in Forrest Hill, Rosedale, Bridle Path, Lakeshore west and other affluent neighborhoods. Those homes are almost always in the $1 Million dollar + category (going as high as in the tens of Millions). A simple kitchen reno is almost always a $100,000 + type of project (with some exceptions). Most renovations are in line with the price/value of the home. For example, you're not going to find IKEA cabinets in the main kitchen of a $20 Million dollar home. Nor will you find $150,000 custom cabinetry in the main kitchen of a $400,000 home.

Now that you think you've found the handful of contractors that "fit the bill", start researching the contractors. Their website and a simple GOOGLE search of their company will offer up a great deal of information on it's own. With this information, try to narrow your search down to around 3 contractors that look like they would be a good fit.

THE NEXT STEP...DESIGN- Every renovation needs a "plan". A plan begins with a design and therein you have a few choices. You can design the space yourself if you feel you have enough knowledge or you can retain the services of a designer. A designer can be an interior designer, an Architect, an Engineer, a BCIN licensed designer or you can work with a Design/Build contractor. All of this will depend on the project itself. At some point, in most cases, you will need a building permit. Drawing for building permits are called Construction Drawings (CD's) and they are different from general designs/drawings. The process usually begins with "concept drawings", or a representation of the "concept" that is sought. Once the concept has been chosen, the drawings are refined, information is filled in, materials are sourced, the details are refined and you are well on your way towards having a completed set of CD's. Each designer offers a different take on the project and each have their pros and cons. For example, if budget is a main concern for you then the best option is to work with a Design/Build company. A D/B company designs around your budget and since they are the builders, then can begin pricing the job and building a budget from the concept stage. As the builders, they have the "finger on the pulse" of the costs associated with the project. Working with an Architect on the other hand, is a far better bet if the over all design is the main criteria. An Architect is the master is design theory, knowledge and building methods. An interior designer, as the name suggests, is most concerned with the "look" of the interior finishings. Furniture, wall dressings, floor coverings, fixtures and other materials that blend together to make a startlingly beautiful visual impact custom tailored for each client. An engineer is the master of of durable, sustainable and rigid design and building materials. BCIN licensed designer are most likely the most efficient, cut to the chase A-B option offering competitive rates for budget minded clients who most likely are looking for just a building permit.

So as you can see, each offers a different take on the matter and each have their own strengths and weaknesses. It is up to you to decide which factor is most critical with you in choosing your design professional.

If you are working with a 3rd party designer (Interior designer, Architect, BCIN registered designer or Engineer), it is always a good idea to have your contractor involved as the design is progressing. Even if you have narrowed down your selection of contractors down to 3, keep them abreast of how the design is progressing. Most likely, they can begin pricing out the job for you and their feedback is always important.

Working with a Design/Build contractor on the other hand offers the flexibility in having a working budget concurrent with the design. Value engineering is a virtue of this option.

THE MYTH- That contractors can give you an "estimate" before you have working drawings. I hear this over and over again. "Make sure you have X number of estimates from contractors". What estimates when there are no working drawings? Working drawings define the scope of work and the materials involved for the project. Asking someone for an estimate before having drawings is akin to calling a dealership and asking "How much for a car?". Well, if you call Ford for example the answer may be anywhere from $15,000 - $100,000. You're not doing yourself any service.

If a contractor that you call gives you a "price" before you have drawings, one of two things is happening A) He's mis-leading you in an attempt to sell you B) He doesn't know what he's talking about and is not qualified.

Prices vary wildly in renovations. A bathroom reno could fall anywhere in the range of $5,000 to $100,000 +.

Now, if you don't need working drawings and you don't think that your project requires a building permit, what should your next approach be? Well...be honest. Tell the contractor how much of a budget you have set aside for the project and let him tell you what you can get for that. Most likely, and in most instances, the contractor can make a guest-timate of whether you have a realistic budget or not. But remember, this