When taking on any new projects you need to take a look at getting plans drawn up and approved by the city planners or the MD in which you live. It is extremely important to have approval by the city or MD before you proceed with any construction. If you don't you could get a stop work order which could be very costly. The City and MD have a lot of by-laws they need to check, so allow for extra time.

It is also important that you are clear on the New Home Warranty laws that are in place in Alberta. If you have questions about this, please contact our office and we will be happy to explain how this works.

All finances need to be in place. It can be far more costly to stop a project midway through, than to ensure you have all the finances in place up front.

Make sure you get two or three estimates from legitimate contractors. The lowest or highest estimate is not necessarily the best. The estimates should give details on what they are doing, so you can ensure that all the steps are included in the different estimates. One example would be if you are looking at a roofing estimate, ensure that both estimates include "tabbing" the shingles with tar. This is critical in southern Alberta where we are famous for our high winds.