c/alberta-contractors

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?

Paid $800 for a 'foundation repair' that did nothing

I hired a crew out of Leduc to fix a crack in my basement wall last fall. They came in, drilled some holes, pumped in epoxy, and told me it was guaranteed for 25 years. Come spring thaw, the crack opened right back up and I had water again. Cost me another $600 for a real structural engineer to tell me the first guys just masked the problem. Has anyone else run into foundation companies that do cosmetic fixes instead of real repairs?

Had a concrete pour go sideways on a garage slab last month, still not sure what I should've done different

I'm over in Lethbridge and took on a small garage slab for a buddy's place. About 20 yards. Everything looked good, forms were solid, rebar in place. But then halfway through the pour, the ready mix truck shows up with the wrong slump. Like way too wet. I told the driver I ordered 4 inch slump and he just shrugged said that's what they sent. I was stuck because it was a Friday afternoon and I couldn't get another truck for hours. So I poured it anyway, tried to work with it, and now I've got some cracking along the control joints that I'm not happy about. Customer didn't complain yet but I know it's not my best work. Should I have just sent the truck back and taken the loss for the pour? How do you guys handle it when the batch is wrong and you're already on site?

Shoutout to swapping from a skid steer to a compact track loader for my foundation digs

Did three basements in Airdrie last month with my old skid steer and kept getting stuck in the mud after rain. Rented a CTL for the fourth job and finished it in half the time with zero bogging down. Anyone else made the switch and noticed a big difference on wet sites?

That Fort McMurray job site made me rethink power tool brands entirely

I was working through -30 temps on a commercial build up near Fort McMurray last February and my Milwaukee fuel drill locked up on day two while the guys with older Dewalts kept going. Has anyone else had major brand tools fail in extreme cold like that?

Walked through a new build in Airdrie and the drywall seams were popping everywhere

I went to show a house in Airdrie last weekend, built about 18 months ago, and I counted 6 popped nails just in the living room ceiling alone. The homeowner said the builder used a different crew for the last phase of the subdivision and they've been getting calls nonstop about it. Has anyone else seen this kind of finish work slipping in new builds around Calgary?

Old cowboy roofer told me I was using too many nails and I laughed at first

I was on a job in High River last month putting down asphalt shingles on a rental bungalow. This crusty old roofer named Wayne walks by and says I'm gonna pop every single shingle by spring if I keep using 6 nails per tab. I brushed him off cause I've always done it that way. But then he showed me how the shingles need to breathe a bit and over-nailing actually makes them curl up. I switched to 4 nails per tab like he said and honestly the roof looks cleaner now and the manufacturer warranty still covers it. The guy was a grumpy ass but he knew his stuff. Has anyone else had some old timer rip apart their method only to realize they were right?

Got soaked fixing a leaky roof on a -30 day in Lethbridge

I was on a quick repair job last January for a flat roof near the old Lethbridge train station. A section had ice dammed up and water was seeping through the membrane right where it met a skylight. I ended up having to chip ice off for 45 minutes in the cold before I could even get a patch to stick. Has anyone else dealt with ice damage on TPO roofs around here?

Heard a homeowner say my estimate was 'too detailed' and it got me thinking

I was at a supply shop in Calgary last week and overheard a guy telling his buddy that a contractor's quote had line items for every single screw and foot of wire. He said it felt like the guy was nickel-and-diming him. It made me realize that maybe my own super detailed quotes are scaring people off instead of showing I'm thorough. Has anyone else found that keeping estimates simpler actually wins more jobs?

Client told me my bids were too vague, now I break every line item down

Had a guy in Red Deer call me out for lumping materials together, so I started listing each cost separately. Has anyone else had customers demand that level of detail halfway through a quote?

Debate: Should we push for mandatory licensing for basement developers in Calgary or keep it informal like it is now?

I was down in Inglewood last week talking to a guy who does basement suites and he said he's pulled 12 permits this year but knows tons of guys running unlicensed crews. On one hand, licensing might mean better quality and insurance for homeowners, but on the other, it could jack up prices and push small operators out. What do you think, do we need rules or is the current system fine?

Spent 6 months chasing a drywall tape issue in my Calgary basement

Found out my Red Deer contractor was charging 30% more than the going rate

I was looking over my basement Reno invoices last night and decided to check some numbers. Turns out my guy in Red Deer was billing me $95 an hour for framing when most outfits are around $70. Found this on a local builders trade site after digging around. How do you guys even vet pricing without getting burned like this?

Got burned by a cheap foundation contractor in Leduc last spring

A guy named Dave told me to pour the footings before the ground fully thawed, said it would save me a week. I went along with it because he had 20 years experience supposedly. Three months later the whole back corner of the slab cracked during a dry spell. Now I always wait until the frost is completely out, no shortcuts. Any other Alberta contractors had issues with early spring pours?

Switched from spray foam to rigid board for my shop build in Leduc

I was dead set on spray foaming my 30x40 shop until I priced it out at $4,800. A buddy told me to look at 4 inch rigid board with taped seams instead and it cost me $1,100 total. The R value is actually a bit better with the foil facing and I did the whole thing myself in a weekend. Has anyone else found a big price difference between insulation methods on their own builds?

My garage door opener quit halfway through a job last month

I was loading up for a siding repair in Lethbridge and the opener just stopped halfway up. Took me 20 minutes to find the manual release and get it down without wrecking my truck. Turned out the capacitor on the motor board was bulging, cost me $18 at an electrical supply shop to fix. Has anyone else dealt with these cheap Chinese boards failing after a few years?

Hired a general contractor who subbed everything out - saved me $2k but had 3 different crews show up unannounced

I went with a smaller GC for my Calgary basement reno who only does project management and subs out framing, electrical, and drywall. It cost 15% less than the big guys but I had electricians showing up at 7am on a Saturday without warning. Is it worth the savings if you gotta babysit the schedule yourself?

Paid $1200 for a foundation repair in Lethbridge that did nothing

Hired a crew out of Lethbridge last spring to fix my basement wall cracks. They injected epoxy and said it was good for 50 years. This winter the cracks came back and I found water in the basement again. Anyone else get burned by those quick fix foundation companies?

I finally figured out why my concrete resurfacing kept flaking off after a job in Red Deer

I did about 6 driveways last summer and every single one started peeling near the edges within 3 months. I tried different brands, different mix ratios, nothing helped. Then I talked to an old-timer at the gravel yard who asked if I was wetting the substrate before applying the overlay. Turns out I was laying it on dry concrete and it was sucking all the moisture out before it could bond. I started misting the surface with a garden sprayer before each batch and the stuff sticks like crazy now. Anyone else run into this or have a different trick for keeping overlays from lifting?

Just realized spending $350 on a heated concrete blanket was worth it

I was dead set on saving money this winter and figured I could just pour my slab in Edmonton without any heating. After three days of watching the temperature drop and my concrete never setting right, I finally gave in and rented a heated blanket from United Rentals for $350. That single piece of equipment saved the whole project and I wish I'd done it from the start. Has anyone else tried pouring in deep cold without one and regretted it?

Had a home inspector tear apart my attic air sealing job last fall

Guy said my approach was leaving huge gaps around the plumbing stacks. He showed me how to use the red spray foam gun instead of the cans and follow each pipe right to the boot. Cost me about $60 for the gun and a can of foam but my heating bill dropped $40 in December alone. Anyone else get called out on something you thought was fine but totally wasn't?