5 Tips To Keep In Mind When Picking Your Toronto Contractor

Aside from sleeping in your bedroom at night, the part of a home that people typically spend the majority of their time in the kitchen. Everyone in a household will always need to go to the kitchen at least some point throughout the day. If you’re considering doing a home renovation project on your kitchen, then finding a Toronto contractor for a kitchen is something you’ll have to think about.

Kitchen Renovations

Kitchen renovations are a huge part of what adds value to a home. Many home renovation contractors will spend most of their budget and time on turning the kitchen into something that will really raise the functionality of a home.

For those that aren’t skilled in home renovations and don’t have the time to tackle a project with their own hands-on labor, then finding a licensed contractor in Toronto will be required.

When you’re doing research and looking around for a Toronto contractor, there are a number of things you’ll want to keep in mind to ensure you’re getting the best one you can find.

Finding The Right Contractor

Sometimes being able to find the perfect contractor for your kitchen renovation can pose a couple of challenges along the way. If you look at it this way, you might better understand the process:

Think of yourself as the employer. You’ll be interviewing a bunch of different applicants to determine what skills they possess, how long it will take to do the renovation, and what budget they can work with.

What Are The Steps To Getting The Right Contractor?

1. Start By Making A List Of Potential Contractors

Your first step is to start making a list of all of the potential contractors that can get the job done. There are a couple of ways on how you can start putting together the list:

• Contact some family members to see what contractor they used in the past
• Go online and see what contractors are out there
• While you’re online, sort the contractor search results by reviews and ratings
• Try finding group pages through social media and asking for contractor recommendations

Some red flags you might come across along the way are:

• If the contractor makes it difficult to contact them
• If there isn’t any experience or information in the about section of their site
• If they don’t include a portfolio of past projects they’ve worked on

2. Do Some Research Into Their Portfolio

A reputable contractor should always have a portfolio that can showcase the work they’ve done. Pictures and videos speak volumes into someone’s work, and in this day and age of social media, developing a portfolio couldn’t be easier. If you’re wanting to find a contractor that’s skilled in kitchen renovations, look to see if they have any pictures or videos that showcase their kitchen renovation work.

Some red flags to look out for when it comes to portfolios:

• If the pictures look like generic ones found on the internet, you might want to ask them if they can supply additional pictures just to make sure
• If their portfolio doesn’t contain any before and after pictures or videos
• If there are no pictures recently added

3. Check To See If The Contractor Is Licensed, Insured, and Full Of Experience

Now that you’ve scratched a few contractors off your list and shortened your options down a bit, you’ll want to see if the contractor is:

• Certified
• Insured
• Experienced
• Licensed to perform work in the region

If you’re wondering if a contractor is insured, don’t be shy about asking for proof of it. Everyone would rather have an insured and licensed contractor doing work on their home instead of one that isn’t insured or licensed. You’re paying them a lot of money to work in your home, and you don’t want that money to be wasted on a job that isn’t up to your standards.

Some red flags to look out for are:

• If the contractor provides an expired insurance policy
• If their certifications aren’t kept up to date
• If they can’t provide proof of their license to work in the region
• If they don’t have a clue about licenses or insurance
• If they can’t provide proof of past kitchen renovation projects they’ve worked on

4. Conducting Background Checks

You’ll want to do a little research into the background of the contractor when it comes time to do so. This doesn’t mean you have to go out and hire a professional private investigator to carefully scrutinize the entire working history of the contractor, it just means that you should gather some specifics into their past work history. This can be done through online reviews or simply just asking the contractor for a reference. The references they provide should include a couple of things:

• The type of job that the contractor worked on
• The name of the customer
• The contact information of the customer (if the customer was comfortable with being used as a reference)
• The date of the project

Some questions that you can ask the person are:

• Did the contractor show up when they said they would?
• Did the contractor finish the job according to the provided time frame?
• Was the contractor able to remain within the provided budget?
• Did the contractor surprise you with any additional costs?
• Did the contractor keep a neat working area?
• If any issues crept up, were they dealt with accordingly?
• Were you satisfied with the contractor’s job?
• Are there any lingering issues with the craftsmanship?
• What areas do you think the contractor could improve on?
• Did the contractor go above and beyond what was necessary?

Some potential red flags you might come across are:

• If the contractor can’t provide any references
• If there are huge gaps between projects the contractor worked on
• If customers state negative comments about the contractor

To Prevent Yourself From Getting Ripped Off, There Are Some Things To Keep In Mind

No one wants to have a bad experience with a contractor and to prevent a bad experience from happening, there are a few things you can do.

Get The Details Of The Project In Writing

Your contractor should always state exactly what is being done throughout the project in writing. This is exactly what will hold the contractor accountable for the work being done.

Payment After Finishing The Job

The payment for the work being done can either be paid in installments upon completing certain phases throughout the renovation project, or it can be paid out after everything is complete.

Final Thoughts

Finding the right contractor is very similar to finding an employee that would come and work for your company. You’ll want to find an employee that is credible and responsible for the work they’re performing. Erring on the side of caution is a good approach to finding a contractor. Many people have nightmare experiences with contractors, and with home renovation costs being as expensive as they are, you’ll want to ensure your hard-earned money is going to be put to good use.