Home Improvement: How To Find a Good General Contractor
Learn about the role of a General Contractor for residential construction in Toronto to see if you should hire one for your next home renovation, home addition, custom or new home build, or Ancillary structure (Garden Suites and laneway suites)
The role of a general contractor
For those of you new to residential construction, the Term “General Contractor” may seem a little ambiguous and foreign to you, and you are not wrong. The term General Contractor is used in a wide variety of industries to define a company that is hired to complete a multi-disciplinary project by contracting out and managing the work set out in the project scope.
Narrowing this down to residential construction, this defines a company that manages a multi-disciplinary project for a home. This could be a smaller project like a basement renovation, all the way up to a custom home build or home addition. Irrespective of the size the project presents a unique list of project requirements that cannot and should not be completed all by one person, there needs to be multiple companies that are contracted (i.e. subcontractors) to complete certain sections of the work to ensure the residential construction project is completed properly. A General Contractor ensures that the right subcontractors are hired and manages the project from beginning to end, working with the home owner (i.e. the client) to deal with project logistics, selections, timelines and ultimately controlling costs (and mitigating cost overruns) to deliver a project that is on time and on budget.
In layman’s terms, the role of a Residential General Contractor in Toronto is to plan, execute, and manage a complex renovation or home building project on behalf of the client (i.e. the home owner or investor) to ensure that the project comes in on time and on budget.
Finding General Contractors in Toronto
When looking for a General Contractor to hire in Toronto, here are some common avenues to look through:
Referrals - If you know a friend or family member who has completed a home renovation, home addition, or custom home build in Toronto and their project went well you should ask for the General Contractor’s Information
Google Search - Many reputable General Contractors in Toronto have a good online presence and informative websites to review their capabilities. We have about 50-60% of our business each year come from completely new clients that were not referred to us by previous customers. They either found us online or through one of our social channels.
Local General Contractors Near Me - Is there a General Contractor in your neighbourhood right now completing a project? Or one that lives near you? If so don’t be shy and ask for a business card or take a picture of the marketing material they have on the project site. Many of our past clients have done this and were also able to tour through the project site as well. This method is how we have gained many clients because they can see how the existing project progresses to see the speed, quality, and professionalism of the company.
Company Vehicles - chances are if you keep seeing the same company driving up and down the streets that you do that they are local to that area of the City. A little known fact that should be more well known is that service businesses tend to want to work more in their own backyards so if they live and work near you chances are you will get better communication, better pricing, and overall a better experience dealing with a General Contractor near you.
What to expect from a General Contractor in Toronto
If you are dealing with a reputable General Contractor in Toronto here are some minimum expectations you should have as a home owner/investor:
Prompt Communication - Chances are if you are hearing from your General Contractor every other day or once a week they are not set-up to communicate effectively during your project. Make sure who you are dealing with is responsive and can actually help you through the process, that is what a General Contractor is there for!
Honest Advice and Transparency - If your General Contractor is not challenging you and giving you real advice for your project then they are not doing your project justice. Planning is 75% of the work with home renovations and home builds so if they are not putting in the work and engaging with your idea then drop them then and there. Walk away from the “take it or leave it” General Contractors, your project will not end well.
Step-by-Step Guidance - If Everest Peak is your project’s finish line then think of your General Contractor as your guide who has made the trek dozens (if not hundreds) of times. Lean on your General Contractor to figure out your next best step in the planning and home building process because chances are they have the experience to guide you through whatever comes your way before, during, and after the project.
Preliminary Budgeting Review - If you are just starting to plan your renovation or home building project you should be working with a reputable and knowledgeable General Contractor that can provide you with a realistic budget for your desired project. They should have the experience to estimate your project’s costs with or without preliminary plans (although having plans is more accurate), and actually give you a breakdown of costs.
Professional and Detailed Scope of Work - If your General Contractor is not willing to give a budget breakdown for all of the steps involved in a home renovation, home addition, or home building project, then drop them. There are too many opportunities for cost savings at every step of a project and if they aren’t willing to work with you to try to reduce costs then they are not the General Contractor for you.
Warranty - Having a warranty is one thing, but actually fulfilling it is another. It is important to have the peace of mind knowing that anything that goes wrong after the contract is completed will be covered for a certain duration after the project. We will get into this in the next section in a bit more detail.
In-house Team - A General Contractor that has an internal team that can help keep projects moving between all of the difference subcontractors is very important. A GC with an in-house team is able to complete your project more efficiently than a project manager managing your home renovation, home addition, or custom home build.
What information to ask for from a General Contractor
The following list outlines what you will want to ask for from a Residential General Contractor in Toronto. Fulfilling this list will mean that you have a high degree of certainty that you are dealing with a company that will be able to complete your project on time and on budget.
Renovation or Home Building Contract - The sooner you can review the better so ask for it once you get the budgeting process started to make sure there are no hidden clauses or contradicting information.
References (very important!) - Your soon-to-be General Contractor should have no problem putting together a list of past projects/clients that are similar in scope to yours (usually we give a list of 3). Make sure you ask the past clients about how it was working with the General Contractor, if the company has been able to fulfill their warranty, if they were on time and on budget, and overall how it was dealing with the project logistics. Remember that no project goes perfectly so you should definitely ask if there were any issues (major or minor), but even more importantly what the General Contractor did to solve the issues that presented themselves.
Insurance and WSIB - Make sure you ask for and review these items to make sure they are covered and no liability can be shifted to you during the project. As a side note, whenever completing renovation work always check with your insurance company to make sure you are covered in the event of fire or any other events.
A fully procured project budget - This is ultimately what sets apart the reputable General Contractors in Toronto from the rest. If your GC can give you certainty that the budget that you have given them is finalized and has been reviewed by each subcontractor then you know that your General Contractor is well-respected by their subcontractors, organized, and ready to start your project! If you don’t have a budget that is procured expect increases to your overall budget over the length of the project.
Difference between a home builder and General Contractor in Toronto
This one is very easy because they are usually one in the same! A home builder is a General Contractor that specializes in building homes. It is the same as asking if a home renovation company is the same as a General Contractor - many times they are, as long as they are dealing with multi-disciplinary projects and subcontracting aspects of the renovation project.
Residential Projects That A General Contractor will work on
This list of project types would be very long, but we have narrowed down the list to some of the more multi-disciplinary projects that are commonly completed by a General Contractor in Toronto and that BVM Contracting has completed or in the process of budgeting:
Conclusion
We hope that we have helped answer some questions you had about General Contractors in Toronto, if you have any additional questions feel free to reach out and we can help get your project started!
About BVM COntracting
BVM Contracting is a full-service General Contractor or Home Builder located in Toronto. We provide home renovation and building services for major home renovations (kitchen renovations, bathroom renovations, basement renovations, full interior renovations, home additions, lot severances, and new home construction). Our goal is to help guide our clients through the process of renovating their home, from concept to completion.
Further than providing General Contracting and Project Management for major home renovations, we also offer value-added services such as renovation financing, renovation rebate consultations and services, building permit and design services, smart home installation services, and real estate investor services.
To learn more about our offering by visiting our services page.