Mike Holmes new magazine

Mike Holmes has introduced a new magazine and I just picked up a copy of the first edition.  You can see the cover at http://www.holmesmagazine.com/.  It is quite good and has several interesting articles, including "Fresh Air in Your Home", "Geothermal Solutions" and a section for contractors.  Its' worth a look.

Hiring Contractors

There are a lot of great contractors out there but also lots of not so great ones. There is lot's to consider when hiring a contractor. The CMHC (Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.) has a pretty good (although lengthy) article on this topic. You can find it here: http://www.cmhc.ca/en/co/renoho/refash/refash_009.cfm. Near the start of the article they list key things to look for when you hire a contractor. It is a long list but the good news is checkthetrades.com does many of these steps for you. Here's 5 key ones:
How long have you been in business?
What work are you, or your subcontractors, licensed to do, e.g., electrical, plumbing?
What kind of work do you specialize in?
Have you done a similar job before?
Do you carry workers’ compensation and liability insurance?

Many people just don't like to ask for this type of information or just don't have the time. References are also very important and they take even longer. That's were we come in, hence our slogan: We Check You Choose.

Habitat for Humanity / Restore

We have had the opportunity to get to know the folks at Habitat for Humanity / Restore in Barrie. They are an incredibly dedicated group and work really hard at supporting their cause at the Restore. If you have never been to a Restore you need to check one out, a great resource for all sorts of things.http://www.habitathuronia.com/restore.php. If you are starting a reno give them a call or ask your contractor to call them and they can pay you a visit and identify what can be recycled at the Restore, they can even arrange a pick up and you may be able to get a tax receipt.

Reducing Risk

I had a chat with a homeowner the other day who told me his story of frustration. He had hired a contractor to do some work on his home based on a recomendation from a colleague. The contractor came to his house, provided a quote and requested and was given a 25% deposit. Guess what, he never showed up the next day or the next or the next ...The homeowner realized he only had a cell number, that was never answered, and no address. He has never seen the contractor or his money since. Situations like this can be avoided. All checkthetrades members have to provide full contact information, business information and references to us. We are all about reducing risk for the consumer, the more information they have the lower the risk.