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If you have a home renovation project in mind, hiring the right home renovation contractor is a very important factor for success. With so many companies on the market, it might be difficult to decide. Our home renovation contractor hiring guide for Winnipeg homeowners will help you set your priorities and make a choice you will be satisfied with. Read on to find out what to look for in a contractor.

Choose to work with a local home renovation company

When browsing for home contractors, check the local companies you have nearby. Working with a local company will reduce costs related to transportation and labour.

Dash Builders is a family and locally owned Winnipeg home renovation company. We made a conscious effort to use local suppliers and products whenever possible. We hire from within the local contracting pool. In situations where we are needing third-party support – engineers, architects, electricians, plumbers, etc. we are working with other Winnipeg-based companies.

With strong ties to the community, when you hire us, you’re boosting the local economy, now more important than ever before. On top of the economic benefits, having vast experience living in Winnipeg, we know what will work for your home renovation – ensuring its ready for the harsh conditions of our climate through all seasons.

Narrow your list to licensed and insured home renovation contractors

Before you hire a home renovation contractor, make sure they carry a license, as this is required by the law and protects you as a customer. By checking with the municipal licensing departments you can also find out if the candidate you are considering has had complaints filed against them in the past.

It’s also very wise to work with a contractor carrying liability and property damage insurance, as sometimes unexpected things can happen during a renovation or home improvement project. On top of that, the contractors should also carry workers’ comp insurance, otherwise, you could be liable for injuries that happen on your property.

At Dash Builders, we proactively ensure all our licenses and insurance are renewed and up to date. As well, we constantly review industry best practices and building code requirements, bringing our knowledge to every single renovation project.

Get recommendations for renovation companies to work with

Our home renovation contractor hiring guide for Winnipeg homeowners - Home Renovations Winnipeg - Dash BuildersOne of the best ways to select viable contractors for your home project is to look for recommendations. Ask friends and family if they had a home improvement project recently and if they can recommend a contractor they were pleased with. Unfortunately, the home renovation industry has had a dark cloud over it in the past with fly-by-night companies.

If you cannot find a company by word of mouth, turn to the internet to find reviews and testimonials from people working with the contractors on your list. Other people’s experiences and opinions might not always be directly relevant to your situation. However, seeing the reviews will give you an idea of what to expect if you choose to work with that contractor.

Conduct your own independent research

Even if you receive a recommendation from a friend, it still might be worth conducting your own research. Completing a home renovation will likely be in the top 5 largest financial commitments of your lifetime (the others being purchasing a house, a vehicle, investing for retirement or education, etc.). Before coming to a sound decision, it deserves some research.

Perhaps, the best part of this part of the process is that it’s free to conduct the research. All you need is the Internet.

  1. Start by running a Google search. Use keywords that include the type of renovation you need – examples: “kitchen renovation company” or “Winnipeg bathroom renovations”, etc.
  2. Collect the names of the companies and then Google the name of the company, which will show their “Google Business Listing”.
    1. Consider any business that doesn’t have a Google listing as a red flag for two reasons: they aren’t established enough to care about this or they are hiding the ability for the public to review their business online
  3. While one indication of success can be the business’ website, place more focus on third-party websites like Google Reviews, Facebook Reviews, Trusted Pros, Better Business Bureau, and other websites that review renovation companies.

In the screenshot below you can see that Dash Builders cares about their reputation and it shows online. On the left are the search results showing the business on many fully independent, third-party websites that rate the past renovations from customers. On the right of the screenshot is the “Google Business Listing” we mentioned in #2.

Again, the best part about this is the information is easily obtainable and 100% free to look at. So, why not?

Our home renovation contractor hiring guide for Winnipeg homeowners - Home Renovations Winnipeg - Dash Builders

Ask for a detailed quote or renovation estimate contract

Our home renovation contractor hiring guide for Winnipeg homeowners - Home Renovations Winnipeg - Dash BuildersBefore you start collecting quotes from the candidates on your shortlist, it helps to have a clear plan. If you’re unsure about what you might want, that’s ok too! We can work with you to help plan the renovation of your dreams or to execute on the specific work you want completed.

To get started with a renovation plan, we’ve written many great articles – including information about “expected costs” and “timelines” for specific types of renovations.

Here is an extensive list of our home renovation tips – https://dashbuilders.net/blog/category/home-renovation-tips/

As well, links to our articles about cost – kitchen renovations, bathroom renovations, or basement renovations

If the contractor you’ve selected doesn’t want to provide a full summary of the work they will do, along with the costs, consider this another red flag. It’s best to move on and find another company to work with. The contract not only protects yourself, as the consumer, it helps protect their company. Proceeding without a contract is careless and can lead to expectations assumed and then not met.

Don’t go with the cheapest home renovation contractor

Our home renovation contractor hiring guide for Winnipeg homeowners - Home Renovations Winnipeg - Dash BuildersWe highly recommend considering other factors than price alone when hiring the contractor as many home improvement projects require special skills, high-quality materials, and a reliable contractor to turn out properly.

When it comes to home additions, bathroom and kitchen renovations, exterior renovations, or any type of renovation or building project you have for your property, you should seek home contractors who stand behind the craftsmanship of their work. That does not mean offering work that is not warrantied. If something does happen you’ll want to have peace of mind they will help repair the work. However, it is worth asking a contractor how often they need to respond to warranty issues. As well, any renovation contractor not offering a warranty on their work should be avoided, for obvious reasons.

Getting a cheap contractor is risky, as you can’t really lower the price below a certain threshold without compromising the quality of the materials or the labour.

Contact Dash Builders – a Winnipeg-based home renovation contractor team you can trust!

Dash Builders has been working with homeowners and businesses across Winnipeg for many years and always manages to find the right solutions for them to finalize projects successfully. We focus on quality and durability; we are fully licensed and insured and do our best to exceed our customer’s expectations.

Contact us via Facebook, Instagram, through our website’s contact us form, call us at 204-509-7574, or send us an email for a quote today!