Hiring a contractor for home renovations or repairs makes many people nervous.  And that's understandable.  Everyone has heard stories about tradesmen who don't show up, aren't qualified or lack ethics. 

Luckily, there are some great contractors out there, too. Finding that person is easier if you follow a few simple rules

1. Collect some personal referrals.
Look for contractors who have already done good work for family members, friends and neighbours. Your local homebuilders association is another source of leads.

2. Start with informal meetings.
Don't be in a rush to get formal quotations. At first, you just want to see if you get a good feeling about the different candidates. If you don't like them over a cup of coffee, you won't fall in love with them when they start ripping into your walls.

3. Letters of reference are overrated.

No contractor is going to show you a bad one! Instead, ask about the job(s) the contractor is doing right now. If they have no jobs "right now," be very wary. Whatever they are currently working on, ask to talk to that homeowner personally.

4. Three or four quotes are enough.

Throw out any quotes that are more than ten or 15 per cent higher or lower than the average.

5. Make your final decision on a combination of gut feel and price.

You might get a much warmer feeling about the second-lowest (or even third-lowest) quote than the low bidder. Trust your instincts. That person might be your best bet.

6. Don't do "under the table" deals.

If there is no formal contract and no record of payment, what are you going to do if the job goes bad?

7. "Get It In Writing."

For more information on hiring the right contractor, visit www.hiringacontractor.com. For hands-on renovation training, visit biyworkshops.com.

Searching for architectural salvage can be fun, and using reclaimed materials is a great way to get a custom look. But it will be easier if you have some idea of the original purpose of the item that inspires your imagination. And you’ll get more respect from dealers if you ask about the doorway spandrel, rather than the “triangular wooden thingie”. A reference book like The Elements of Style will help. This illustrated architectural dictionary is separated into chapters that focus on one aspect of a building, such as doors, windows, walls, ceiling, staircases, lighting and mouldings. There is extensive material on 17 periods—from Tudor to Contemporary, with smaller chapters on British and American vernacular, and on the restoration and maintenance of older homes. In each section, particular features of a home—say, the fireplace, is colour-coded to enable the reader to compare styles between periods. Of course, if you REALLY want to be in the know, the biggest bang for your buck will come from taking a BiY course about a project you’ve got slated for this fall.

The Elements of Style: An Encyclopaedia of Domestic Architectural Detail, Stephen Calloway – General Editor Firefly Books 592 pages -- about $75.  

Summertime is a great time for getting household projects done. And doing it yourself can save money. But folks often get a shock when they realize what it costs to get rid of the construction debris they create. Up until now, the options have been to rent a pricey dumpster or haul the junk in inefficient smaller loads to the dump — and that costs money, too. We heard about a third new way this week. The Bagster Dumpster in a Bag is a durable, woven bag that doesn’t come with rental fees, costs just $39.95 and can be purchased from major home improvement stores, including Home Depot, Rona and Lowe’s. Once the bag is filled (up to 3,000 pounds) with wood, metal, drywall or other disposables, you call the Bagster bag pick-up line, and a truck is sent round. There is a collection fee, based on weight and location, but the company says it will typically be from 50 to 70 per cent less than a dumpster rental. Sounds like a sensible, affordable solution to dealing with the construction waste. Don’t have any waste? Then it’s clearly time to take a BiY course and make some! 

Long weekends are great for relaxing, but it never hurts to devote just a part of one to an overdue household project. The folks at Home Depot may have going too far in suggesting to us that readers tackle one job per day, but if you have a free day you might want to:

• improve your home’s curb appeal with a freshly painted front door. Here’s how: Prep the surface by scraping off old debris, buffing it with a sanding block, and wiping with a painter rag. To save time, you can try a paint and primer in one. There’s one in the house line, BEHR, called Premium Plus Ultra. If you’ve got the budget, add new lighting, door hardware, and an address plaque, as seen in the pic (courtesy of Home Depot)

 

• paint the room you’ve been meaning to get to all winter. Start by patching your walls and applying painting tape around doors and ceilings; next, prime the room and then paint. With the new low-Voc paints — including Aura from Benjamin Moore, just about everything from Farrow and Ball and CIL’s Naturaliving Interior Latex Primer — you can use the room again within a few hours of painting.

 

• organize your garage by installing stable sturdy shelves or a pegboard. For about $20, you can pick up a four by eight pegboard. Add assorted functional hooks to hang hand tools, hardware, and lawn supplies.

There’s lots of work to be done outdoors at this time of year. And when the weather cooperates, it can be pretty enjoyable - as long as you  take the necessary precautions to do it safely — like wearing closed-toed shoes while mowing the lawn or safety glasses while using a sander on the wrought iron railing you’re prepping to paint. It just makes sense. But have you thought about the fact that the harmful bacteria that causes tetanus lives in the soil, dirt and dust around your home, and that even a small amount can lead to illness if you are not protected? That’s why the Canadian Coalition for Immunization Awareness & Promotion  is encouraging Canadians who have not had a tetanus booster in the past 10 years to get it done. Better safe than sorry. So if you haven't had a booster recently (you know who who are) get it done. 'Nuff said. 

Believe it or not, in Ontario alone, some 16,000 injuries occur annually due to workplace falls. That’s according to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board  The best way to prevent these accidents is through education. That’s why BiY is offering a Master Class, targeted at industry professionals, on fall prevention. It will deliver the basic knowledge required to work safely in areas where falls may occur. We’ll teach participants how to recognize fall hazards and how to identify and apply fall protection controls. Legislative requirements will also be reviewed. You just need to know that this it won’t cover site-specific equipment and procedures – you need to follow up with your employer on that. After completing the course, you will get a wallet card indicating that you’ve fulfilled the course requirements. We’ll also have a course on hazardous materials. Watch this space for more news.

It’s pretty busy here at BiY right now. Not only are we prepping for a slew of summer courses, but we’re putting the last-minute touches on our Renos for Heroes Golf Tournament. Renos for Heroes is the foundation I started to help injured Canadian vets coming back from Afghanistan get their lives back on track by adatpting their homes to their new needs. To learn more about this important cause, click here. We’ll have a great day of golf, and a terrific dinner that will feature a straight-from-the-heart talk by Master Corporal Jody Mitic, a true Canadian hero who lost two legs in Afghanistan, but gained a wife (Sgt. Alannah Gilmore, the medic who came to his aid), a new perspective on life, and a desire to help his fellow wounded soldiers readjust to civilian activities in Canada. While the event, which will be held at Flamborough Hills Golf & Country Club in Copetown, Ontario, is sold out, you can still help out – and we hope you will – by donating to this important cause.

One of the reasons homeowners used to shy away from “green” products was that they thought they cost more than conventional products. That’s changed a lot over the last few years. So many affordable home reno products - including tools, garden pots, and fabrics - are now made from recycled materials. Dynamic Paint’s new Enviro-Paintware line is a good example. Roller covers are made from 100 per cent recycled plastic bottles. The core is also made from recycled plastic, while the removable brush head makes it easy to clean and re-use.

We also like the tray, which is designed so that you can easily rest your brush or tool on it. It’s also made from lightweight recycled plastic, and comes with a lid – handy if you need to take a quick break from painting. Even the drop cloths are made from 90 per cent, post-consumer, unbleached cotton. This new line is widely available at home improvement retailers and is very affordable – prices for the Enviro-Roller begin at $3.79, while the Enviro-Brush starts at $5.99. So you can be green, and save some green. Good for your bank balance - and the environment.

As a dad, I can say with confidence that most of us do not want a funny apron or a baseball cap that holds beer cans from our kids on Father’s Day. Although, most wouldn’t say no to a great big honking new power tool (more on that soon.) That’s why we devised a weekend course where you and a friend or relative can build a Muskoka chair for a deserving dad.  And it may sound corny, but what most fathers want is to spend a bit of time with their kids. So you could even bring Dad along — why not spend time with him, learn some new skills and get him a comfortable chair. And, let’s face it, it might just be the closest he gets this Father’s Day to a honking new power tool. Click here for more info.

You'll be doing yourself a favour and saving yourself a bigger repair job later in the season if you spend a few minutes now checking the fastenings on outdoor furniture, bikes, and tools, all of which may have gotten loose over the winter months. Make sure they’re nice and tight. All it takes is a quick walk around the yard and garage with a multi-bit screwdriver, like Stanley’s Push’n’pick Screwdriver. Then when you’re done, treat yourself to a cold beverage and a few minutes’ relaxation in a comfortable outdoor chair. Tell the family you need the break after all that hard work. Dude, you don’t need to tell anyone that the “maintenance” you did was so easy. What they don’t know won’t hurt them.