c/alberta-contractors

Just realized my $600 'winter ready' quote was for a furnace tune-up, not a repair

Paid a Calgary contractor last October to make my old furnace 'winter ready', but when it died in January, the next guy found the quote only covered cleaning and a filter, not the cracked heat exchanger, so has anyone else gotten burned by vague flat-rate wording on maintenance?

Subcontractors need to stop bidding off the engineers drawing without site visits

Had a garage pad in Grande Prairie last month that the engineer called for 6 inches of compacted gravel. Fine on paper. But the ground was pure gumbo clay with standing water. Two of the three subs that bid it never even walked the lot, they just priced off the drawing. The one who did visit quoted 30% higher and got the job because the owner finally listened. I've been doing this for 12 years and I still see guys lose their shirts on soil conditions they could've spotted in 10 minutes. Why are we so scared to charge for a site visit, or just build it into the bid? Has anyone else watched a crew pour footings on bad ground because nobody checked what was underneath?

Stop putting vapor barriers on the warm side of insulation, seriously

I walked a new build in Airdrie last Tuesday and counted 4 spots where the crew stapled poly on the interior face of the exterior walls, which is backwards for our climate and will trap moisture right in the studs. My own basement Reno had this mistake from the previous owner, and it took 3 years before we saw black mold behind the drywall in the corner by the sump pump. How many of you are seeing this on recent inspections, or am I the only one flagging it before the drywall goes up?

Calgary basement pour, why does everyone rave about stamped concrete?

I checked out a basement reno in McKenzie Towne last week and the contractor pushed stamped concrete for the floor like it was a gift from God, but charging $9.50 a square foot for something that cracks in a -35 snap seems like a waste, has anyone else had better luck with plain stained slabs?

Wet ground behind a house in Edson shut down my whole dig crew

We were trenching for a sump line near Edson and the soil looked fine on top. Then the excavator sank 2 feet into a hidden seep that wasn't on any survey map. Turns out an old neighbor had a buried drain pipe from 1989 that dumped right there. Alberta's ground maps don't flag those, so now I call the local village office before every job, not just the registry. Anyone else hit a mystery wet spot that cost them a day or more?

HVAC rough-in took 3 days because the prints were garbage

Ran a job in Red Deer last month where the mechanical drawings showed ductwork going straight through a steel beam that was added after the original design. Nobody flagged it during the walkthrough, so we showed up with 2 guys and a lift expecting a 1 day rough-in. Ended up spending 3 days rerouting everything and cutting new collars on site. The GC kept saying 'just make it work' but every fix created a new clash with the plumbing riser. What should have been a 3 man crew for 8 hours turned into a 5 man crew for 22 hours across 3 visits. My invoice went $1,800 over estimate and I ate half of it just to keep the relationship. Has anyone else had a designer's oversight turn a simple rough-in into a full week of headaches?

Rent to buy on a skid steer? changed my mind after Calgary

I used to laugh at rent to own equipment deals, thought it was just a trap for guys with bad credit. Then I ran a 3 month highway job near Calgary and the owner let me apply 60% of the rental fee toward the purchase price, so I actually came out ahead on a used Bobcat. Has anyone else done one of these agreements that wasn't a total scam?

Granite countertop installer ghosted after taking my deposit in Red Deer

Paid $1,800 up front for quartz install in my rental flip, guy said two weeks then stopped answering. Took another contractor three visits just to rip out the bad seams and level the base. Anyone else getting burned by deposit-takers this season, or is it just central Alberta?

Crossed 2,000 board feet of custom trim without a single callback

Hit that number on a lakefront build in Sylvan Lake last month, and it got me thinking about how I track my own work. Do you guys keep tallies like this or just go by feel?

Fixed quote vs hourly rate for farm shop builds?

Owner in Lethbridge wanted a flat price on a 40x60 shop. I pushed for time and materials. Quote was 8k higher, but hit 3 surprises with the slab and trusses. He was mad upfront, happy at the end. Which way do you guys bid rural work?

I gave a newer framing crew a shot on a basement reno and it went sideways fast

Had a small basement finishing job in Lethbridge last month, and my usual crew was booked. So I hired this young team that came recommended by a supply house guy. They were fast, but after three days I noticed the door openings were all an inch off and one wall was out of plumb by almost half an inch. Cost me an extra day and $600 in materials to tear out and redo their work. Has anyone else had trouble finding reliable framers who actually check their levels?

Tried spray foam in my attic and got a surprise raccoon

Sealed up a gap near the eaves in my Calgary house last month. Used the big can from Home Depot. Next morning I hear scratching. Raccoon was trapped inside the roof. Had to cut a hole in the drywall to let it out. So yeah, check for critters before you seal everything up. Anyone else deal with critter problems after insulating?

Chased a ground fault for 3 days. Turned out to be a nail through Romex.

A client's comment about my estimates changed how I price jobs

A homeowner in Red Deer told me my itemized quote looked like a grocery list and felt too detailed. Now I group labor and materials into just 3 lines and close way more bids. Anyone else get feedback that changed your quoting style?

Local contractor charging $180/hr for basic drywall repair floored me

I called around for a simple drywall patch job last month in Edmonton and one guy quoted me $180 an hour plus materials. He said it was because he 'specializes in high end finishes' and that standard guys charge less. I checked on the Alberta Contractor License database and found out he only got his business license 6 months ago. How is someone with barely any experience charging that kind of rate? Are other people seeing this happen too or did I just get a bad apple?

Switched my mind on composite decking after a summer of splinters

I was all about pressure treated wood for decks until my kids got 12 splinters each last July. Finally tried Trex on a job near Red Deer and the lack of maintenance sold me. Anyone else switch materials after a specific job went bad?

Picked spray foam over batt insulation for my garage, now I'm wondering if I made the right call

I was getting quotes to insulate my detached garage in Edmonton, and the spray foam guy quoted me $2,800 while the batt insulation crew said $1,100. Big difference. I went with the spray foam because I wanted it air sealed and thought it'd be worth it long term. But now it's been two months and I'm second guessing myself. The spray foam job looks fine but I keep thinking about that extra $1,700. Has anyone else dealt with this choice and regretted one or the other?

Got told my finish carpentry was 'too tight' and fought it for months

An older guy from Edmonton looked at my baseboards and said I wasn't leaving enough expansion gap (you know, for humidity changes). I thought he was nuts because I always aimed for zero gaps, but after a dry winter last year three of my joints cracked right open. Has anyone else had to adjust their technique after a contractor called them out on something that seemed backwards?

I finally hit 50 residential jobs this year. Did not see that coming.

Back in January I figured I'd be lucky to land 30 small bathroom remodels and basement finishes. But I got a referral from a realtor in Airdrie after doing a good job on a shower tile. Then that led to three more houses on the same street. Before I knew it I was booking work through October. Surprised me because I never tracked numbers before. Just kept showing up and doing the work. Now I'm wondering if I should raise my rates for next year. Any other solo guys tracking their job count and adjusting based on it?

That moment 3 years ago when I realized my finish work looked trash because I was rushing the sanding step

Used to think a quick once-over with 120 grit was good enough until a homeowner in Red Deer pointed out every ridge on their cabinet doors and now I spend at least 40 minutes per project on the fine sanding alone, anyone else catch themselves skipping prep work just to get done faster?

Concrete guy convinced me to stop using fiber mesh in my driveways

I used to throw fiber mesh into every pour. Then I had a job out in Leduc last spring and the finisher, older guy named Gord, pointed at a hairline crack that showed up the next day. He said 'that fiber didn't do nothing for that crack, did it?' and explained how rebar or wire mesh handles actual movement while fiber is just for plastic shrinkage. Watched him fix a wide crack on a 3 year old driveway that had nothing but fiber. Switched to wire mesh on my last two residential jobs and haven't looked back. Anyone else find fiber mesh overhyped by the suppliers?

Am I the only one who thinks paying 12 grand for a skid steer inspection is robbery

Last week I brought my 2018 Bobcat to a shop in Leduc for a routine inspection. They quoted me $12,000 for a full going over, said it needed new hoses and a pump rebuild. I told them to hold off and did it myself with a buddy over the weekend. Cost me $1,200 in parts and a case of beer. I get that shops have overhead but that markup is insane. I really feel like too many contractors in Alberta just accept these prices because they think they have no choice. There has to be other places that charge fair rates, or am I just being cheap about my equipment? Has anyone else found a shop around Edmonton that doesn't bend you over?

Spent $800 on a cheap foundation repair quote last spring and now my basement cracks are back

I went with the lowest bidder for some foundation crack injections in my Edmonton duplex. Guy said it would last 10 years. 8 months later the same cracks are weeping water. Now I get to pay a real company double to fix it right. Anyone else get burned by going cheap on structural work?

I finally noticed a huge shift in how new builds are handling foundation drainage

Built houses 10 years ago and we just did gravel and weeping tile. Now every new site I'm on uses that dimpled membrane wrap with a filter sock. Did the membrane really cut down on callbacks or is it just a upsell from suppliers?

Just realized my last contractor did a half-assed basement Reno 3 years ago

Pulled up some carpet last week to lay tile and found the subfloor is just particle board sitting on dirt. No vapor barrier, nothing. This guy charged me $8,500 and said it was 'good to go'. Anyone else find hidden garbage years after a job was done?