Head Office: 151 Courtneypark Drive West, Suite 100 Mississauga ON L5W 0A5

Home Improvement Centre 7250 Keele St. Unit #296 Vaughan, ON L4K 1Z8

  10 TIPS FOR RENOVATING YOUR HOME, CONDOMINIUM OR BUILDING A CUSTOM HOME

1. Make sure you deal with licensed established contractors – To ensure your construction project runs as smooth as possible make sure you hire a company that has been in business for a few years, has a physical location with an office, phone number and website.
2. Get client references – To ensure good relations with your contractor ask for a few client references. Also ask to visit a few of these clients to see the quality of workmanship and to discuss schedule, timelines and price.
3. Make sure you get a proper quote from all contractors – Before you begin your construction project make sure you receive a proper quotation from your contractor with a detailed breakdown of costs including HST and the payment schedule.
4. Make sure payment is broken down for large projects – For large projects a homeowner may be required to make a down payment, additional payments do not need to be advanced until the prior phase of work is complete. Also ensure there is a holdback until final completion and signoff by you on the project.
5. Get separate invoices for all progress payments – If you are looking to apply for Government Rebates it is important to get separate invoices for all progress payments on large construction projects.
6. Make sure you get a proper invoice from all contractors – All invoices should include the contracting company’s name, address, phone number, and HST number and the amount including materials and labour with HST broken out.
7. New homes need to be Tarion approved – If you are building a new custom home, make sure the Custom Home Builder includes Tarion protection in the quote. This is insurance for the homeowner in case of any construction problems with their newly built home.
8. Make sure all invoices are in your name – To apply for Government Rebates it is important to have all invoices in at east one of the homeowner’s names.
9. Have a Home Appraiser present for any MPAC visits to your home – If MPAC drops by your home you have the right to reschedule the meeting to have a Home Appraiser present to ensure the home evaluation by MPAC is fair.
10. Make sure you are aware of all Government Rebates before you start construction – There are several Government funding programs for construction; all with different filing deadlines. It is important to know the timelines for filings to take advantage of these programs.