So… hiring a contractor in Toronto is a joke. The demand for trades is so high that you can’t get anyone decent in less than 12-18 month and that’s if they like your project enough (aka they can make enough money off of it) to even do it.
Our architect recommended 2 different contractors. We met with both, although it took a couple of months to set up a meeting and have them actually show up.
The first one was a full-service contractor. Basically, he offered his project management services and outsourced the work to various trades. He put an estimate together for us and, of course, it was ridiculously high (like 50% more than it should have been), but he could start in the spring.
The second one was a carpenter/contractor duo and seemed like a good fit. They asked what specifically they wanted us to do, so we gave them a list of the major work. They then decided that it wasn’t the right project for them, so that was that.
Without a contractor, we weren’t really sure what to do next. Our project was essentially on hold until we could find someone to do the work.
Meanwhile, we were working to remove the structural wall in our dining room. After having that contractor bail on us, we borrowed a friend’s contractor who turned out to be great. He did the wall removal and we then asked him about our kitchen. He was reluctantly game (he’s pretty overworked), but I think it’s a great fit and he can start in the spring. We are now back on track for our kitchen renovation!
[…] we had our contractor on board, it was time to advance our kitchen project and start making some big decisions. With our general […]