Frequently Asked Questions

We can provide you with a ballpark estimate over email at no charge, however if you do not already own your home and would like to have us out for an in-person estimate prior to purchase, there is a charge depending on the scale and scope of the project.  This cost would be applied to your renovation, should you decide to purchase the home and move forward with us as your contractor. 

Depending on the size of the space and the scope of work involved, projects typically range from 10-12 weeks for bathrooms, basements, and kitchens, and 16-20+ weeks for large full home renovations and complete overhauls.

For us, renovations range from $35,000 on the low end up to and beyond $400,000, depending on the size and scope of work required and finishing selections and design specs.  Some basic project starting costs are as follows:

• Basic bathroom renovation – starting at $35,000
• Basement developments – starting at $65,000
  
• Basement renovations – highly variable dependent upon a number of factors, but typically starting at $75,000 +
  
• Kitchen renovations – starting at $60,000
  
• Full home renovations – highly variable dependent upon a number of factors, but typically starting at $150,000 +

If you’re looking for an estimate for your project, please start by filling in our renovation questionnaire and providing the requested details and supplementary information.  This allows us to provide you with a ballpark starting cost for your project to ensure our pricing and your expectations are aligned.  If all of the appropriate information has been provided, our ballpark estimates are usually very close to what you can expect as a starting price for your project, so to avoid wasting your time and ours, we like to start out this way to ensure that very important alignment.  From there, if our starting price is as you had anticipated, we would be more than happy to move to next steps in getting you a more accurate Pre-Design Estimate for your project.  This involves a site visit and chat with you about your goals for the project, initial thoughts on materials and finishes, and timelines.  If our Pre-Design Estimate meets your expectations, we would send you a copy of this document for your acceptance signature, along with our General Service Agreement for your review and signature.  Sign off on these two documents signals your interest in moving forward with us as your contractor for the project.  Once sign off is complete, we would jump into the design phase of the project, where you would work with our in-house design team to select and finalize the plans and selections for your project.  Upon completion and sign off of the design, we order materials and selections for your project and create the project schedule.  This initial design and planning phase is critical to the project success and can range from about 4 weeks to several months, depending on how decisive you are as the client.  Construction begins on your project anywhere from 2-4 weeks after the project schedule is created, as this allows time for materials to arrive and for us to provide notice to our amazing team of trusted trade partners.

As soon as you have signed off on the Pre-Design Estimate and General Service Agreement, our in-house design team will contact you with next steps and to get the design process rolling.  Upon completion and sign off of the design, we order materials and selections for your project and create the project schedule.  This initial design and planning phase is critical to the project success and can range from about 4 weeks to several months, depending on how decisive you are as the client.  Construction begins on your project anywhere from 2-4 weeks after the project schedule is created, as this allows time for materials to arrive and for us to provide notice to our amazing team of trusted trade partners.

Yes!  We have a skilled and experienced in-house design team that will work with you to finalize all the details of your project and ensure things turn out the way you envisioned.  We believe that every successful project requires appropriate design and planning.  Design is critical in every renovation project.  Design packages vary depending on the level of assistance you want/ require to complete the successful design of your project.  We have three levels of design packages: Essential, Elevated, and Elite, and offer additional features that can be added to any design package.  Each package includes: construction drawings, pre-arranged supplier meetings, and Selection Form, to make the selection process a breeze.  For those looking for more design guidance, we also offer full 3D renderings, space planning, selection and product recommendations, and one-on-one assistance with all things design.

Design is critical in every renovation project.  We believe that every successful project requires careful, detailed design and planning.  Design guides the outcome of every Priority Builders project.

No, we do not take any money up front.  Our payments are all in the form of progress payments – you would be invoiced for work that takes place as the project progresses.

We currently accept payment via certified cheque/ bank draft or, for smaller amounts, e-transfer is also accepted.

Yes, we offer financing through a third party provider, FinanceIt. If you are considering financing your renovation, but aren’t sure if you qualify, no problem!  FinanceIt offers a soft approval that will give you a sense of what you are eligible to borrow without affecting your credit rating.  Let us know if this is something you are interested in exploring.

We do take on smaller projects from time to time; however, for these types of projects we are often not the most cost effective option, as our company and its efficiencies are structured around larger projects.  If we are already working with you on a larger project, we could add on some smaller projects while we are there, however for one off small projects we could refer you to a qualified smaller contractor.

We treat your home like our own and for us, safety and security are just as important as the quality of your renovation!  Our staff and trades are well versed in and strictly adhere to our documented safety and lock up procedures.

Leave that to us! We take care of everything relating to your project, including pulling the necessary permits.

When you work with Priority Builders we take care of all the details, including permits and inspections.  We try to make the renovation experience as easy as possible for you.

We always have projects at various stages running concurrently – usually between 8 – 10.  This allows us to keep our staff and trade partners rolling and the quality of work high and to our standards.

Generally speaking we only work with our trusted staff and trade partners, as this allows us to control the quality of the work and provide our 2 year warranty.

Prior to the start of construction, you will receive an introductory email from your project manager along with a number of documents all outlining what to expect throughout the construction process.  You will also receive a project calendar that will be updated and sent to you weekly as the project progresses, so you always know what to expect and where things are at with your project. A lockbox will be installed at your home, to allow access throughout the course of the project by our trades and staff.  You will always know who to expect – we do our very best to make you feel in the know and comfortable with the comings and goings in your home.  There are parts of the construction process that are more noisy or dirty than others, and we will always give you the heads up about those, in case you need to adjust your schedule accordingly.  We will always communicate with you about how things are progressing or should we discover something that requires your attention, you will be made aware.

Delays do occur from time to time, as there are elements of the construction process that are beyond our control.  Supply chain issues, material delays, and illness are a few of the common reasons for project delays.  We do our best to manage delays through careful design and planning, by ordering materials well in advance, and building buffer days into our schedules.  Despite careful measures and planning sometimes delays do occur and we always do our best to get your project back on track and finished as quickly as possible without sacrificing quality.

We only employ the best people and produce the highest quality results, which can result in our price being higher than some of our competitors.  However, we always encourage potential clients to get multiple estimates for their project and, when comparing the pricing, ensure that you are comparing apples to apples…not all estimates are the same and sometimes what you assume you are getting is just not the case.  If the price seems too good to be true, there is likely something you will be sacrificing.

Generally speaking you get what you pay for.  If a contractor’s price is really low, it may be because they are a small operation without a lot of overhead and without people who specialize in their trade.  They are likely also not accounting for every single detail necessary to make your project a high quality success.  We employ only the best people, who are all experts in their field, and we account for every single detail that ensures a high quality result for your project.  Priority Builders service, quality, and trades are unparalleled.