General contractors in South-West Oxford

Choosing a general contractor

A general contractor manages your whole project and its subtrades -- vetting them matters more than any single trade on the job.

• Ask for WSIB clearance and liability insurance certificates directly, not just a verbal assurance.
• Get a written contract covering scope, payment schedule, and a completion timeline before any work or deposit.
• Ask who is pulling permits and confirm it's actually happening -- unpermitted work can cause problems when you sell.
• Ask for references from jobs completed in the last year, and if possible, drive by and look at the work.
• Be wary of a contractor asking for a large deposit up front relative to the job size; Ontario's new-home warranty rules don't apply to most renovation contracts, so the contract itself is your protection.