If you’re planning to have some complete renovations in Calgary done on your home, you’ll likely already be looking into potential subcontractors. However, not everybody screens the companies that they employ, which is a huge mistake.

Should You Be Screening Subcontractors?

You should absolutely be screening subcontractors before you seal the deal and employ them to work on your home. Complete renovations are massive, complex projects, so you don’t want to risk hiring a company only to have them botch the job and leave your home in a bad state. Performing a background check can be done from the comfort of your own home and will allow you to find out everything you need to know before you settle on a subcontractor.

Think of your renovation as a product. You wouldn’t buy a product online without checking that the seller and website were both legitimate, would you? The same is true of labour. You should never hire a subcontractor unless you’re sure that they’re experienced, professional, and operate completely above board. Otherwise, you could end up with sub-level, unsafe renovations that will cost you more money to fix.

How Can You Screen Subcontractors?

The internet has a wealth of information that you can easily access, so you should use it. Nowadays, almost every business is online and you’ll be able to find out plenty about the subcontractors that you’re thinking of using. The company’s website is a good place to start because you’ll be able to read up on all the services that they offer, their prices and how long complete renovations will typically take them to finish.

Then, you should search elsewhere for reviews and testimonials left by previous clients about the company. Third-party review-based websites are your best bet because they’re unbiased and allow customers to articulate all of their experiences with a company. If the subcontractors you’re researching have consistently good reviews, you know you’ll be able to put your trust in them to handle your renovation.

What Should You Take Into Account During Screening?

When you are screening subcontractors, you need to be as thorough as possible. Luckily, you can find out all the information you need with a few online searches. In particular, you should take these things into account during the screening process:

• Past customer experiences, both good and bad.
• How long the company has been in business
• What type of work the company specializes in.
• How many subcontractors the company employs.
• What the company’s reputation is in the construction industry.
• What the company’s safety culture is like.
• How many complete renovations the subcontractors have previously performed.

How Can You Choose the Best Subcontractor?

The best subcontractor for the job will be one that operates completely visibly, has experience in renovating homes, is well-reviewed by past clients and prioritizes safety in the workplace. You need to know that your home is in capable hands when you open it up for complete renovations, and the easiest way to set your mind at rest is to thoroughly screen anyone you are thinking of employing.

Research multiple subcontractors and compare them based on the criteria listed above. Once you’ve settled on a company to do your renovation work, get in touch with them for a quote. After that, you’ll be able to organize your renovation and start working together towards a totally transformed home.

Since its inception, Kavaleer Renovations has been one of the most trusted home renovations companies in Calgary. We specialize in building new homes, full custom renovations, and even home additions like secondary suites. At Kavaleer Renovations, we know that building or renovating a home is a big investment and a personal experience and can be daunting at first. That’s why we emphasize clear communication with our clients as a pillar of our business. Whether you need kitchen renovations, bathroom renovations or complete renovations in Calgary, we will be with you from concept to completion.

The first step to building your dream home is to have a 100% FREE no-obligation consultation. Call Kavaleer today to get started!

If you’re looking to increase your home’s market value, a renovation might be just what you need. Complete renovations in Calgary go down incredibly well in the housing market because potential buyers can see that you’ve taken a property and then extended and transformed it to create entirely new, modernized spaces. But with so many complete renovations to choose from, it can be tricky to settle on the one that will inject a large amount of value into your property.

What is the Highest-Value Renovation for Your Home?

A loft conversion is estimated to add up to 20% to your home’s original market value, making it one of the wisest renovation choices if you have the budget to cover it. This is because loft conversions take a large empty space and turn it into an entirely new room. The loft can be converted into whatever you like: an additional bedroom, a lounge space, a games room, a new bathroom, and a home bar. Lofts are versatile spaces and a well-converted loft will be a standout feature for any potential buyers who come to view your house.

An additional 20% added to your property’s original monetary value is a massive amount of money that will ensure you make a profit on the money that you paid for the renovation. For instance, if your home is worth $250,000, 20% is an extra $50,000 on top. On average, loft conversions cost between $20,000 and $40,000, depending on the size of the room and what you turn it into. With so much profit to be made if you sell, a loft conversion is definitely one of the top high-value renovations you should consider.

What Are Other High-Value Renovations?

Beyond the popularity and profit of a loft conversion, other high-value complete renovations in Calgary will transform the spaces inside and outside your home. One is creating a garage or driveway, which both have the huge benefit of attracting buyers with multiple cars who will appreciate having private parking space. Kitchen renovations are also popular because of their monetary value, especially if you go for a full transformation including floors, appliances, counters and cupboards.

Basement conversions are valuable in the same way that loft conversions are, although loft conversions are thought to be the higher-value renovation of the two. You can turn an empty basement into anything, the same as you can a loft, and having an additional room can boost the number of bedrooms or bathrooms mentioned in your estate agent’s advertisement. To follow on from that, bathroom renovations are also a good way to boost value, particularly extensions off of bedrooms to create en-suites.

Do High-Value Renovations Have Guaranteed ROI?

Whenever you put money into your home, you want to be able to see a return on investment (ROI) afterwards. Luckily, renovations are the perfect way to up your home’s market value, which will then allow you to increase your asking price if you decide to sell, making back the money you spent on the renovation.

To return to the loft conversion idea, you have the chance to make a profit of up to $30,000, which could be a life-changing amount of money. If you budget well and hire reliable contractors, you’ll be able to get the highest value renovation possible for your home and then reap the benefits later on.

Since its inception, Kavaleer Renovations has been one of the most trusted home renovations companies in Calgary. We specialize in building new homes, full custom renovations, and even home additions like secondary suites. At Kavaleer Renovations, we know that building or renovating a home is a big investment and a personal experience and can be daunting at first. That’s why we emphasize clear communication with our clients as a pillar of our business. Whether you need kitchen renovations, bathroom renovations or complete renovations in Calgary, we will be with you from concept to completion.

The first step to building your dream home is to have a 100% FREE no-obligation consultation. Call Kavaleer today to get started!

Having the opportunity to renovate your house is exciting, but there’s a bit of research that you need to complete before starting your renovation. Namely, you need to find out which permit you require to renovate your house. If you don’t look into this properly, you could be in lots of trouble and have to deal with serious legal repercussions. To save all the hard work of your complete home renovations, always complete the necessary research first.

Do You Need a Permit to Renovate Your House?

The short answer is yes, you need a permit to renovate your home. Not all of the tasks that you intend to undertake as part of your renovation may need a permit, but making major structural changes will definitely require pre-established planning permission. Renovations are not small jobs, so you’ll need to ensure that everything is above board before you move forward.

A permit may be just a document, but it holds high value if you want to complete a successful renovation. Renovating without a permit is an offence and will get you into hot water with your local authorities. You need permission to extend existing structures and create new ones, otherwise, you are acting independently of building regulation. To keep everything above board, you must look into applying for a permit as soon as possible.

How Do You Get a Permit?

Permits are super accessible, so long as you know where to apply for them. Most commonly, you’ll be applying to your local authority for their permission to renovate and then waiting while they assess your application. Sometimes, the permit may be issued straightaway, but other times, you’ll need to wait longer.

You need to supply ample information when applying, so look into exactly what documents are required. You may also need to pay an application fee. Then, once the hard application work is done, you’ll just need to wait to hear back from your local authority on the outcome.

What Counts As a Renovation?

Renovations are defined as substantial changes to the structure of your home, so things like painting the walls, fixing a leaky pipe, replacing kitchen cabinets, swapping out your carpets for hardwood floors and installing new lighting fixtures don’t count. If you are doing something for cosmetic or repair reasons, it is not a renovation and you don’t need a permit.

Huge structural changes like building a garage, altering the floor layout of the house, extending a room and installing a swimming pool count as renovations. By doing any of these things, you are drastically changing the look and layout of your home and likely causing it to take up more space than it originally did (as with the garage and extension examples).

The Best Complete Home Renovations In Calgary

If you are looking to do complete renovations in Calgary, you need to apply for a permit. Specifically, the permit is called a building permit and it allows you to renovate, reconstruct and extend your house. You have the choice of either applying online or visiting City Hall in

downtown Calgary. There are several documents that you need when applying, including an application form, structural drawings and a sustainable development inventory form.

It’s a lot of work, but applying for a permit to complete renovations in Calgary, or any other city, is absolutely essential and will help keep everything legal and above board as you work on renovating your dream home.

Since its inception, Kavaleer Renovations has been one of the most trusted home renovations companies in Calgary. We specialize in building new homes, full custom renovations, and even home additions like secondary suites. At Kavaleer Renovations, we know that building or renovating a home is a big investment and a personal experience and can be daunting at first. That’s why we emphasize clear communication with our clients as a pillar of our business. Whether you need kitchen renovations, bathroom renovations or complete renovations in Calgary, we will be with you from concept to completion.

The first step to building your dream home is to have a 100% FREE no-obligation consultation. Call Kavaleer today to get started!

Your Ultimate Home Renovation Checklist

Are you tired of looking around your home only to see all the renovations that need to be done? Are you ready to embark on your complete renovations in Calgary? Are you overwhelmed at the prospect of taking on this mighty task? 

There’s no need to be if you use our advice to create your own Ultimate Home Renovation Checklist. We will go over everything you need to consider before you finally get started with remodelling your house to become your dream home.

The Importance of Planning

Although your mind may be filled with visions of drywall dust and faucet selections, completing your home renovations should take less time than planning them. The most important part of your renovations will be accurately capturing and categorizing all of your ideas and then organizing them for execution. Here are some questions you should consider when creating a checklist for your complete home renovation in Calgary.

What Is Your Overall Home Renovation Goal?

First things first: what are your goals when it comes to your home renovation? What do you hope to achieve when all is said and done? Get out your clipboard and walk through your home from top to bottom, even if you already have an idea of what you want to accomplish. This is an especially important step if you are making these renovations with a partner. Ensure they are present so that you are both 100% on the same page as you enter your planning stage.

Once you have made a comprehensive list of the renovations you wish to complete, narrow it down by categorizing wants vs needs. Establish which renovations won’t be essential and can take the back burner if unexpected costs or other complications crop up, as they often do. Make sure you are clear on which renovations are the highest priorities. 

Accurately defining your projects is the best thing you can do to see them through smoothly. Each aspect of your renovations will require supplies, expertise, and its own plan – and some may have additional costs. If your renovation will require specific licensing or professional know-how, you will need to budget accordingly.

Physical Accommodations

With a detailed understanding of your renovation goals, you can now best organize and plan for any accommodations you will have to make during their execution. Are they going to be quick and simple renovations that won’t disrupt your space very much? Do you have pets who will need to be away from the house while you have contractors coming in and out and walls being knocked down? Are you going to have to put some possessions in storage to avoid damage? Keep all of these things in mind, particularly for the sake of logistics and budgeting. 

Budgeting is Best

Now that you know what you’re setting out to accomplish, be sure that you have an accurate assessment of your budget. As discussed in our previous paragraph, don’t forget to make room for the actual accommodations you’ll need to make in your daily life while the renovations are being completed! 

Organize your costs and include a little leeway – at least 10% of the overall expense. What happens if the cheaper material you were going to use isn’t available? Or if your contractor has to go over budget to accommodate an unexpected complication? There’s nothing more frustrating than having to halt a project halfway through because you suddenly realize you don’t have the funds to complete it!

These are the three big tips that we hope will help you with your home renovation project. Don’t hesitate to call the pros if you still need information and help with planning.

Since its inception, Kavaleer Renovations has been one of the most trusted home renovations companies in Calgary. We specialize in building new homes, full custom renovations, and even home additions like secondary suites. At Kavaleer Renovations, we know that building or renovating a home is a big investment and a personal experience and can be daunting at first. That’s why we emphasize clear communication with our clients as a pillar of our business. Whether you need kitchen renovations, bathroom renovations or complete renovations in Calgary, we will be with you from concept to completion.

The first step to building your dream home is to have a 100% FREE no-obligation consultation. Call Kavaleer today to get started!