Living in the house during the repair
Usually yes, and it is mostly a question of which rooms you lose and for how long. The answer changes completely if the damaged room is the only bathroom.
Advice
The questions homeowners actually ask us.
No filler, no listicles. These are the things we end up explaining on kitchen tables every week, written down so you can read them first.
Insurance claims
Dealing with an insurance repair
A lot of our work starts with a homeowner part-way through a claim. These are the things worth knowing before you agree to anything.
How to read a scope of loss
The scope of loss is the only document on your claim that says what gets rebuilt. Most people never read it properly, and it is where almost every problem starts.
When the material is no longer made
Half a room of damaged flooring is a small job. Half a room of damaged flooring that nobody makes any more is a decision about the rest of your house.
When the settlement will not cover the repair
Almost every time we compare a low settlement against a real quote, the gap is not the prices. It is the list.
How to document damage for a claim
The hour you spend documenting before the cleanup starts is worth more than anything else you will do on the claim.
The insurance contractor left the job unfinished
A crew came, opened everything up, and then the calls stopped being returned. This happens, and it is fixable.
Can you choose your own contractor for an insurance repair?
The adjuster gives you a name and it sounds like an instruction. Usually it is a recommendation, and the difference matters.
More advice
Basement Finishing
How do you frame a wall against concrete?
The studs are the easy part. What you put between them and the concrete is what decides whether the wall is still dry in ten years.
6 min read
Living Space Renovations
Why renovation quotes vary so much
If one quote is far below the others, the useful question is not why they are cheap. It is what is missing.
7 min read
Kitchen Renovations
What we find behind the walls of a century home
We opened a wall in a Guelph kitchen and found newspaper from the 1920s. That is a good day. Here is what the other days look like.
6 min read
Bathroom Renovations
Can you add a basement bathroom without breaking the floor?
The answer decides a big chunk of your budget, and you can usually find it out in about ten minutes with a flashlight.
5 min read
Decks & Outdoor
Cedar or composite decking?
We build both and we get paid the same either way, so here is the comparison without a thumb on the scale.
6 min read
Decks & Outdoor
How deep do deck footings need to be?
Nearly every failed deck we are called to look at failed underneath. Here is the number that decides whether yours lasts.
5 min read
Basement Finishing
Do you need a permit to finish a basement?
The short answer is almost always yes, and the reason it matters has less to do with rules than with what happens when you sell the house.
6 min read
Start the conversation
Tell us what your home should become.
Send photos of the space with your message. A few pictures tell us more than a paragraph ever will, and they make the first estimate far more accurate.
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