blog Archives - Page 2 of 3 - Home Additions, Framing, Demolition & Excavation Contractors in Toronto

August 30, 2015 By Integrity Contracting

7 Things You Need to Know About House Framing

Everything in your home is dependent on the house framing. Everything. Without the frame there are no walls to protect you from the elements, no floors on which to place furniture, no roof to keep out the rain and snow. Getting the framing right on your new home or home additions is as important as laying a strong foundation. If it’s not done right you may be sitting in the kitchen one morning several years later and suddenly notice your prized marble countertop is no longer level, or that the wall and ceiling are separating above the sofa. If you don’t want that to happen, listen up.

House Framing Essentials

Though framing materials and techniques have changed, the need for a rock solid frame underlying your home has not. With that in mind here are 7 things we believe to be crucial to the successful completion of any framing project.

A General Contractor – On any building or renovation project scheduled to last more than a week or require multiple trades you need a general contractor. It might be tempting to think you can handle it yourself but it’s rarely the wise thing to do.
A Contract with Teeth – Before a single nail is fired from the nail gun make sure your contract with the framer specifies both start and completion dates. Make sure there are penalties that kick in if the completion date is missed and don’t pay the framer until the work is complete.
A Review of the Plan – If your plan entails features unique to your house you’ll want to sit down with the GC and the framing contractor before work begins to make sure everyone is on the same page.
Securing the Jobsite – It’s an unfortunate reality that building materials sometimes disappear from construction sites. Make sure the GC has taken measures to properly secure the site and that financial responsibility for lost material is covered in the contract.
Staying Alert – If you see things being framed out that just don’t look right, ask about them. Even if you reviewed everything before work started mistakes can still be made.
An Understanding of the Inspector’s Job – The building inspector is not there to put his or her stamp of approval on the quality of the framer’s work any more than the excavation contractor is. They’re there to check for code violations. Don’t count on them for quality assurance.
Beware of the Plumber – Or the electrician, or any other subcontractor who feels they have a right to hack up the house framing without clearing it first. Sometimes they’re just taking a shortcut through your home’s integrity so they can finish up early. If you see someone going to town on the framing call the GC.

The life of your home, and by extension the safety and happiness of yourself and your loved ones, depends on proper house framing. If corners are cut, design elements are missed or finished work is compromised by overzealous subcontractors you could wind up facing an expensive and time consuming redo. Follow these steps to help ensure your house framing stands the test of time.

Integrity Contracting is known for quality work, honesty and professional results that increase value to our customer’s properties. We know we can provide you with answers and solutions to your projects needs; we are qualified, licensed professionals – proven & trustworthy – who always deliver projects on time and on budget. We specialize in Home Additions, Framing, Basement Underpinning, Demolition and Excavation in Toronto. Visit us on Google+.

August 20, 2015 By Integrity Contracting

Mistakes That Are Commonly Made When Building Home Additions

More and more people are staying in the homes they have rather than buying new, larger homes for themselves and their growing families. This has led to a surge in home additions which in turn has led to a surge in the number of homeowners who wake up the day after their addition is complete and ask themselves: “What happened?” Unfortunately, these folks have made some common mistakes homeowners are prone to making during an addition project. Mistakes you don’t have to repeat.

Home Additions: Common Sense + Caution = Success

Before setting out on your home addition odyssey it’s helpful to compile a list of all the things you hope to gain from the project. This will help ensure things turn out the way you originally envisioned them. But just as helpful is a list of things to avoid during the process. These include:

Putting Yourself in Charge – The best way to ensure your addition is completed successfully is to hire a general contractor to oversee the project. You may be tempted to take charge yourself, and that is certainly your right, but think about it this way: the subcontractors will likely never work with you again but the GC is their bread and butter. Who do you think they are more inclined to try and please?
Building an Addition for Someone Else’s Home – Sure, that new addition is a sparkling example of mid-century modernism. Problem is, the rest of your home is a sparkling example of the beaux-arts revival movement. The point being this: the design of the current house must drive the design of the addition in style, volume distribution and materials.
Rushing to Get Permits – Leave the process of gathering the necessary permits to the general contractor. It’s their job. If you rush out and obtain permits before the design is finalized you could wind up having to apply for more or different permits before construction gets underway due to last minute design revisions.
Buying Bargain Basement Materials – The use of second rate materials in your home addition will only serve to drive down the value of your property rather than enhance it. Beyond that, you should not be the one purchasing house framing or other materials in the first place. That too is the job of the GC. They’ll know where to get the right material at the best price.
Building Too Small – In an effort to keep the budget under control some homeowners will scale back their plans to the point that the finished product doesn’t fulfill their spatial needs. This is the kind of mistake that has ‘lingering regret’ written all over it and may even result in a call to the demolition contractor and a reboot of the entire process.

Mistakes are a natural component of any complex process. Some are the result of forces beyond our control. But not all. Many common mistakes like the ones listed here can be easily avoided once you become aware of them. And avoiding them will give your home addition project the best possible chance of turning out exactly as you hoped it would.

August 10, 2015 By Integrity Contracting

What You Could Gain from Basement Underpinning

Underpinning of a basement is usually done for one of two reasons: either to strengthen the existing foundation of a home or to extend the foundation and basement floor downward to open up vertical space. Basement underpinning has been a common practice for well over a century and the basics of the process have not changed. What has changed over the past few decades (as much of Toronto’s housing stock has begun to age) is many people’s attitude toward the idea of underpinning. Once thought of as a messy way to address structural problems, homeowners are beginning to see the other substantial benefits the process has to offer.

Why You Should Consider Basement Underpinning

While basement underpinning is a well understood process you should always make sure it is done by an experienced, professional excavation contractor with a proven record of success and references. That said, here are some of the major benefits to be gained from underpinning your basement.

More Space – In the search for space many folks default to building home additions when they could gain the additional space they seek through underpinning. A typical home with two above ground floors and a low-ceiling basement could gain up to 50% more usable square footage by simply lowering the basement floor then building out.
Increased Structural Integrity – Underpinning the foundation, whether it’s to accommodate upper floor expansion or to create vertical space in the basement, will strengthen your home’s structural integrity, increase its curb value and extend its potential lifespan.
Added Value – By opening up your basement for practical use you increase the resale value of your home by a considerable margin and make it more likely to sell quickly, rather than lingering on the market for months or years. Studies show that no other form of home improvement creates the ROI of a basement renovation.
A Drier, Healthier Home – Many older basements suffer from seepage which not only undermines the integrity of the foundation but can lead to the development of mold and the generation of musty odours that make trips to the basement unpleasant. Recent research has indicated many types of mold can present serious health concerns as well. The process of basement underpinning will not only create new, usable space but afford you the opportunity to reset your relationship with your basement and start over with a dry, healthy environment.
Rental Income – If you install a new or expanded entrance to your basement during the underpinning process you open up the possibility of turning your new space into a rentable apartment. A great idea if you want to both increase the value of your home and recover the cost of the underpinning and build-out.

Whether you need to strengthen your home’s foundation, address leaky foundation walls, create usable space for your family or create an income generating apartment downstairs, basement underpinning is a smart, value-loaded proposition. You’ll wind up with a safer, more stable, more spacious and more valuable property as a result.

July 30, 2015 By Integrity Contracting

When a Demolition Contractor Might Be Your Best Option

If you own or have purchased an older house – perhaps one whose previous owner wasn’t scrupulous when it came to maintenance – you may be facing the tough choice between attempting a renovation and simply demolishing and starting over from scratch. This can be a particularly hard decision to make if the house has certain design or material aspects you find appealing or is one that’s been in the family for some time.

Calling the Demolition Contractor

There are many factors that contribute to the decision to hire a demolition contractor. Some of them personal, some pragmatic and some simply out of your control. In general though the decision can be justified…

When the Cost of Renovation is Simply Prohibitive – You may wish with all of your heart that you could preserve that Second Empire Victorian as is but poor maintenance may have left it in such a state that renovation would cost considerably more than simply starting from scratch.
If You Just Don’t Have the Time or Inclination to Oversee a Lengthy Renovation – Renovating an older home is a far more involved process than something like basement underpinning. If your lifestyle leaves you with little free time to oversee the myriad details of a home renovation you may want to go with a demolition and rebuild. Oftentimes it’s simply easier.
If Yours is Clearly the Sad-Sack House of the Neighbourhood – If your home’s value is a fraction of that enjoyed by the homes that surround it, no manner of renovation will likely restore it to value parity and it may be time to call a demolition contractor.
If You Bought the Lot and Not the House – Some folks will purchase a lot not taking more than a cursory glance at the house occupying it. That’s because their intention all along was to build from scratch, they simply couldn’t find an empty lot in their preferred neighbourhood. If this is you, you’ll be calling the demolition contractor before the ink on the purchase agreement is dry.
If Your Required Additions Will Cost More Than a Rebuild – Expanding families need more space. Sometimes however the cost of home additions can exceed the cost of simply tearing down and rebuilding. This is particularly true of smaller homes.
And Speaking of Smaller Homes… – Smaller homes tend not to be the best candidates for additions to begin with since they were designed around certain visual parameters and tacking a large addition onto the home can give it a strange, unbalanced appearance.

There are any number of circumstances that call for the hiring of a demolition contractor. But before you go ahead and hire one make sure the house is not protected by a heritage listing or other special designation. You could wind up in considerable hot water demolishing a home the government considers to be of historical value. You may also be constrained by land use rules or local building codes that restrict what can be built on the property and which negate your carefully crafted plans. So don’t take chances; always make sure to practice due diligence before proceeding with a demolition.

July 24, 2015 By Integrity Contracting

Questions You Might Forget to Ask an Excavation Contractor Before Your Project Begins

The pool you’ve been dreaming of is only weeks away now. You’ve got the plans, they’ve been approved and you’ve lined up an excavation contractor who came highly recommended by that guy you met at the auto show. He’s coming over this afternoon (the contractor, not the guy you met at the auto show) with a contract for you to sign and you’re pretty sure you’re going to sign it because he seems like a nice guy. But wait. Before you sign on the dotted line you should consider whether you’ve asked all the appropriate questions. Failing to get your ducks in a row beforehand could lead to costly dead-ends.

Put the Excavation Contractor to the Test

Your home is your castle, but your land is your slice of the terrestrial pie and you’re about to let someone with a huge, aggressive piece of machinery treat it like a chew toy. If you’ve racked your brain trying to think of things you may have missed here are a few more questions you might want to ask before the backhoe hits the lawn.

What Will Happen to All the Dirt? – Whether you’re conducting a basement underpinning, pool installation or home addition the excavation is likely to generate several times more dirt than you imagined it would or should. Make sure the contractor has a plan in place to deal with it.
What Happens if you Hit a Pipe? – All manner of pipes lie just below ground. They’re the vascular system of any civilization carrying water, sewage, gas, steam and more depending on the area. Your excavation contractor should have contacted all appropriate utility companies before digging begins and have a backup plan in place in case something was missed. Ask to hear it and make sure it’s also in the contract.
What Happens to My Yard? – You can pretty much kiss your beautiful lawn goodbye for a while and any contractor who tells you otherwise is not to be trusted. Get the contractor to open up about the impact their backhoes and dumptrucks will have on your yard. It won’t be pretty, but it’s better to know the truth up front.

Not asking the right questions before backyard excavation begins could leave you with a muddy pit, ruined lawn and a pile of dirt the size of Mt Etna in your yard with nothing to show for it. Make sure the excavation contractor is prepared to conduct a soil test and has contingency plans in place (expressed in writing in the contract) in case the unforeseen occurs before you put your signature on the contract and work begins.

November 20, 2014 By Integrity Contracting

Why Framing Contractors Play Such a Vital Role

framing contractor toronto Constructing your own custom home or building a home addition are stressful—and exciting—projects for any homeowner. It’s difficult, if not downright impossible, to complete such a large project without the help of a professional. The question is: Which professionals do you need to hire for your home improvement project? Although many homeowners are not familiar with framing contractors, they are imperative to the success of your new home or home addition.

What is a Framing Contractor?

Unlike general contractors, who oversee the entire construction process from pipes to wires and materials, and custom home contractors, who specialize in custom homes, framing contractors focus on the, well, frame of your home or business. Framing contractors understand how buildings fit together and how they interact with the environment around them. They are essential to marrying your vision with physics to make your dream home or commercial building become a reality.

Five Reasons to Hire a Framing Contractor for Your Home Improvement Project

Frames are Not Something You Want to Mess Up – Frames are perhaps the most important part of your building. They provide its structure and set the tone for its design. If the frame is off, the whole building is off as well.
It Takes an Army to Build a Frame – Unlike some DIY remodelling jobs, framing requires a whole team of talented construction workers to execute correctly. Framing contractors know the best people in the industry who will show up to work on time and get the job done right with minimal disruption.
Framing is a Complicated Business – It takes framing contractors years working in the construction business before they’re ready to manage their own projects. They have to know about everything from subflooring to roof structure, floor systems to walls, and exterior house boxing as well as the best materials, the best methods of installation, the most advanced technology, and what to do if something unexpected turns up in the process.
Budgets, Permits and Paperwork, Oh My! – Most homeowners don’t spend their limited and precious downtime writing out schedules and crunching numbers for fun. Nor do they have extensive knowledge of their area’s codes and regulations. After all, they have a life and their own jobs to do. Luckily, framing contractors make it their job to know all of these things. They handle the building permits, they understand the regulations, and they’ll take care of the paperwork for you, making sure the project stays on schedule and on budget.
Construction Sites are Stressful – When you’re away from your home, which you are most of the day, it just feels better to leave someone in charge whom you can trust. Framing contractors excel at multitasking—managing conflicts, problems, and disruptions as they occur. They look after your home so that you can go on with your daily life.

Looking for a reliable framing contractor in the Toronto area? Contact Integrity Home Additions for the best service and highest-quality framing professionals in the Toronto area.

Contact us today for framing contractor in Toronto

November 15, 2014 By Integrity Contracting

The Top Mistakes Our Home Addition Contractors Have Seen

Home addition contractors Toronto For most homeowners, home additions are a truly satisfying investment. More space for a home office, kids’ bedrooms, luxurious master bathroom, or house parties can never be a bad thing, right? Well unfortunately, shoddy work, bad planning, or unscrupulous people can turn what should be a wonderful project into a disaster. Our home addition contractors have had to clean up more than their fair share of home addition disasters in Toronto and Etobicoke. When any type of home improvement work goes awry, it not only damages your home’s appearance and function, but also drastically cuts down on your property’s market value while costing you a pretty penny. Take it from our home addition contractors, here’s what not to do when expanding your home.

From Our Home Addition Contractors: Avoid These Common Home Addition Mishaps

Spending Beyond Your BudgetAll of our home addition contractors are eager and able to help you estimate costs and plan out your budget. But before you come to us, do a little research of your own. All too often, homeowners’ design plans have to be changed significantly or scrapped altogether because they were far outside of their budget. It’s a good idea to look up costs for materials, labour, appliances, and utility work in your area before you hire a general contractor.
Dedicating Yourself to DIYDo-it-Yourself is great for fixing small things around the house or interior design, but we do not recommend tackling a home addition without professional assistance. Oftentimes, DIYers overestimate their skill set and underestimate the complexity of their task. Home addition contractors have the specialized tools, equipment, and expertise to get the job done right.
Hiring the First Contractor on the SpotUnfortunately, not all general contractors are created equal. Some are less experienced and less professional than others and will leave you with little more than poor craftsmanship and a huge bill. Like for any job opening, several applicants should provide references, show their portfolios, and be interviewed about what they can do before you make any decisions.
Not Matching Your Home Addition With Your HomeWhen designing your home addition, keep the structure, layout, and style of your home and the surrounding landscape in mind. Your new addition should blend in seamlessly, almost as though it’s always been there. Home additions that contrast with your home might be a turn-off for potential homebuyers in the future, and your neighbours now.
Paying Too Much UpfrontOne of the best ways to get scammed when building a home addition is to give your contractor little to no incentive to produce quality work. Although all contractors require a percentage of payment up front, never pay them too much, too quickly. Hammering out a payment schedule in advance will help to keep your business relationship professional and uncomplicated.

With a little planning and research, your home addition project is more likely to stay on schedule and on budget with a beautiful end result.

Contact our Home addition contractors in Toronto today

May 23, 2014 By Integrity Contracting

Our construction program package offered to our customers includes

Our Demolition Program. This is a comprehensive package that oversees all the actions and stages that take place in a full or partial home demolition scope type project including: precipitation control, collateral damage prevention & mold prevention.
Our Safety Program. This is mandatory to all Integrity Contracting management, staff and sub-trades to abide-by. We transmit the importance of what safety does for us and for our customers and their property, our training includes: Health & Safety Policy & Program, Policy Statement, Responsibilities, Safe Practices & Procedures, Emergency Procedures, First Aid Requirements, Workers Orientation & WHIMIS.
Work Ethics Program & Procedures. This is also mandatory to all staff and sub-trades. We provide and encourage an environment of respect for our co-workers, our trades and customers and their property.
We come in, clear the lot if required, set the foundation and frame for a complete and fast “Close-In” experience! We are experts on construction structure; our staff is knowledgeable and service-friendly, our many years of experience at building and dealing with all the different steps and city inspections involved in getting your project on track sets us apart from the typical service subcontractors who often are just fast and sloppy with making money as their bottom line.
You don’t have to hire ‘5 or 6 trades’; you don’t have to worry about delivery dates and materials, our vendors know us well and we have set up accounts with some of the best material providers in the industry all over the GTA. We take care of all takeoffs, logistics, debris disposal, etc.
We are building code knowledgeable and are licensed to take a number of projects under our supervision. We don’t take things lightly when it comes to our customer’s property and investment, and the safety of our own crews; we carry and maintain our General Liability Insurance and cover all elements of your most important investment: your home!
We provide and maintain our own heavy equipment to keep the high costs of renting on the low side for our customers. We also pass on to our customers our many years of experience, dedication and care when contracted to construct your new home or addition.
We associate ourselves with the best institutions the Canadian Construction Industry has to offer; we are members of Reno Mark (Renovator’s Mark of Excellence), Building Industry & Land Development Association (BILD), Better Business Bureau (BBB), Ontario Home Building Association (OHBA), Infrastructure Health & Safety Association (IHSA) & Workers Safety & Insurance Board (WSIB).

Contact our general contractors in Toronto today to find out more about our packages

March 18, 2014 By Integrity Contracting

Where Do You Start with a Home Addition Project?

home addition

Building a home addition to your home’s current design is not exactly the same as other smaller home improvement projects, such as replacing the front door, renovating the kitchen or having new windows installed, the start of the process is very much the same. The first step is always to sit down and think. A home addition is one of the biggest projects a home owner can commit to but it doesn’t mean that the first steps are any different than other projects. Before you get in touch with custom home builders capable of building your home addition, you need to think about what you actually want. What type of features does the addition need to have? Who will be using the space created? By answering those questions you can take the first steps to a successful home addition project. Integrity Contracting has been helping clients in Toronto, East York and Etobicoke plan for designs and build beautiful home additions that have not just added additional space to existing homes but we have done so in a way that meets the client’s needs and preferences perfectly. During this article we are going to explore some of the other questions you should ask yourself sooner rather than later if you are thinking of investing in a home addition.

Questions to Answer Before You Start a Home Addition Project

Many people get in touch with custom home builders either the same day or a few days after deciding that a home addition is a project they may like to pursue. What these people forget is that while a contractor will be able to share their expertise, no-one knows the requirements and preferences of a project quite like you do, so consult yourself before anyone else. Answering these questions will usually provide you with more direction before you get too heavily involved.

Can You Get What You Want for Less Money?

This is a great question to ask yourself in order to determine whether a home addition is the right choice for your particular circumstances. Why do you want to add space to your property? Is your family growing and your current living arrangements are somewhat overcrowded? Or are you looking to add extra space for entertainment purposes? Do you have an attic or basement space that could be renovated to provide what you want? Often this existing space is overlooked and not considered by clients as potential living space.

Look Past What You Already Have

It can be hard to come up with design ideas and imagine how you would want the home addition to look like, when all you can see now is a “dead-end” in your home. Forget that; in fact don’t even look at what you already have. Try to visualize the home addition as a separate building right now and come up with your perfect design. Think about the design styles you would like to incorporate and the features that absolutely must be present.

Are You Sure You Don’t Want to Move?

Moving is usually the main alternative to a home addition and you need to be sure that moving is not a better option before you commit to a home addition. When moving, you will be uprooting your family from a place they know extremely well and are perhaps attached to (especially in the case of young children), but it does offer you the chance to find a home that has everything you need. The downside of course is that you will hardly ever be able to get the layout of a home exactly how you want when buying an existing property, whereas a home addition can be customized to your specific needs. Having a home addition built makes no sense unless you are thinking of staying in your current property for at least several more years.

Think About the Money

Ask yourself whether you’re prepared for the financial commitment a home addition requires. That extra space comes at a cost and you need to make sure you are in a position to afford it. The exact cost will depend on the size of your addition as well as the features that you would like included, In a rough estimate you should be prepared to pay anywhere from $100 to $200 per square foot.

The last thing you want to do is end up regretting your choice when you’re halfway through the project and contracts have been signed. By asking yourself these questions you can rule out other options that could potentially meet your needs and you can sleep easy at night knowing that the best decision has been made. The next step is to get in touch with custom home builders, tell them about your requirements and then get a quote.

Talk to our team about your home addition, please call 647-738-4395.

June 3, 2013 By Integrity Contracting

Six Questions You Should Always Ask a Framing Contractor

Deciding to build your own home from the ground up can be exciting and daunting all at once. It is a huge investment, and you know it needs to be done right. Besides the contractor who will build the foundation of your house, the framing contractor that you end up hiring is perhaps the most important person who will work on your house. Framing contractors are responsible for building the structure of the house, and their work needs to be accurate, leveled, and true. The quality of their work will impact the overall quality of your home.

At Integrity Contracting we provide a comprehensive range of services, which include everything from framing to architectural design to tiling and carpentry work. Our framing package is in fact done not just by any framing contractor, but by the experienced owner of Integrity Contracting, Daniel Vaqueiro. While you can contact us for a consultation at any time, you should also know the most important questions to ask other framing contractors when you are considering them for the job.

Are you licensed and insured? In order to protect yourself and your investment, you need to make sure that your contractor has a license to operate in your state or region. If the potential contractor is also accredited by a reputable professional organization, that should be a further sign of their expertise and reliability. Checking that their company is insured will also ensure that you will not be liable should a worker get injured on the job site.
How long have you been in the business? Find out how much and exactly what kind of experience your potential framing contractors have. Framing is a trade that can be learned on the job, but you want to make sure that your contractor has sufficient formal training and all the necessary skills and experience.
Can you show me similar projects that you have worked on? If they cannot, or are unwilling to provide examples of previous projects, then this is a sure sign that you should be scouting around for a more trustworthy framing contractor!
Can you provide me with a fixed start and completion date? Having a timeline is important. Experienced framing contractors should be able to give you a decent estimate of how much time they will need to complete the work on your house.
Will you be working on the project yourself, and/or supervising at all times? Sometimes framing contractors might use subcontractors, or have all the physical labor done by a team of workers. Will there be a reliable supervisor present at all times? Is the contractor’s team skilled and efficient? Are the subcontractors trusted colleagues of your main contractor?
Can I get that in writing? Ask for an itemized estimate for the entire project. Cost of labor, materials and other costs all need to be accounted for. Compare the estimates you receive; a lower-than-average estimate could be a signal for cutting corners or hasty work, while discrepancies in the prices of materials are often signs of untrustworthy and unprofessional framing contractors.

Use these questions and tips to your advantage, and you will be on your way to finding a solid framing contractor that you can trust.