How to hire a contractor in Ontario, step by step

Step 1: Write the scope down before you call anyone

One page: what rooms, what outcome, what stays, what goes, and your real budget range. Not for the contractor, for you. A vague scope is how you end up comparing a $30,000 quote against a $55,000 quote that aren't for the same project. It's also the raw material for the written contract Ontario law will eventually require; the CHBA's renovation worksheets are built around exactly this discipline.

Step 2: Build a shortlist of three

Local, established, traceable. You're looking for a physical presence in your area, a track record under the same business name (companies that dissolve and reopen under new names are a documented Ontario pattern), and reviews that read like real projects rather than a wall of five-star one-liners. Skip anyone who found you: door-knockers and storm chasers are the top of the scam funnel documented by the BBB.

"Three quotes isn't about finding the cheapest. It's the only way to spot the outlier. When two quotes land near each other and one is 30% under, that third number just told you what the job really costs, and which contractor is planning to make it up later."

Mitch Fraser, owner, Ontario Contracting Co.

Step 3: The interview, and the paperwork test

Meet each one at the project. Ask how they'd sequence it, who does the electrical and plumbing (Ontario requires licensed trades for those scopes regardless of who the GC is), what their payment schedule looks like, and how they handle changes mid-job. Then apply the paperwork test: ask for the WSIB clearance certificate and the certificate of insurance. The honest ones produce both without flinching; our hub on vetting a contractor before you sign explains exactly what each document proves and why hiring without WSIB clearance can leave you personally liable for the contractor's premiums.

Step 4: Compare written quotes, not phone estimates

Every quote should be itemized: scope, materials and allowances, timeline with start and completion dates, payment schedule, warranty. A lump-sum number on a text message is not a quote, it's bait. Remember the legal weight a written estimate carries in Ontario: once it's part of your contract, the final price can't exceed it by more than 10% without your written consent. If you want to sanity-check the numbers against industry data first, our Ontario cost ranges page exists for exactly that.

Step 5: Sign a real contract

Ontario's Consumer Protection Act requires renovation agreements over $50 to be in writing, and a compliant one covers scope, materials, total price, deposit and payment schedule, start and completion dates, cleanup, subcontractors and warranty. You also get a 10-day cooling-off period on most in-home agreements. The full breakdown of what belongs in that document, including the deposit norms and the 10% lien holdback, is in the contracts guide.

The one-week timeline

• Day 1: scope on paper
• Days 2-3: shortlist and site visits
• Days 4-6: quotes arrive; verify WSIB, insurance, references
• Day 7: compare, decide, sign, and keep your copy