About Us
Home-Work Contractor Referral was started because of an
unpleasant experience we had with a contractor years ago that never left our minds.
We realized then that proper screening of contractors before hiring them, is a very
important step in the renovation or construction process. It is also a very time consuming process, one
that many people do not have time for. We have developed a method for you to get
some of the information you need about companies for free, without doing any of the
research! You just let us know what you need and we will provide you with the
information. Of course there is no obligation to use one of our listed companies,
but you may find they are just who you are looking for!
Home-Work has been in operation for
four and a half years and has had
the good fortune of helping over 3700 people find quality companies for their
projects. We hope we can have the chance to help you.
Our goal at Home-Work Contractor Referral is to connect you
to screened, service oriented contractors and service professionals in the city. To get
listed in our database, companies must pass our screening process. To stay listed,
companies must receive positive feedback from our users and address any potential problems
in a timely and courteous manner.
Screening
Process: Home-Work performs the following research before companies are
placed in our database:
- City license (and provincial, if held) is checked
- General Liability Insurance is checked (Certificate of
General Liability from the insurance company is kept on file)
- Worker's Compensation (if held) is
checked
- A minimum of 6 references are phoned initially - feedback
must be positive- then as work is completed by our contractors, the customers are
contacted by phone or email for feedback at the end of their project
- Home-Work checks each company with the Better Business
Bureau
- Contractors must agree to the Code
of Ethics of Home-Work
- All information gathered is rechecked twice a year
How the service works
(finding a contractor):
- You can either register your project over the internet or by
calling our office at 247-1387.
- Upon receiving your project, Home-Work contacts listed,
screened companies that are available, suitable and interested in your project.
- Interested companies (based on your requested number of
estimates) will contact you by phone within 48 hours.
- You pay a nominal fee (fee
information) for our service and Home-Work sends out profiles to you, by email or fax, of the
companies that will be contacting you, along with helpful renovation tips. If the company
has a web page, a link is provided for further research.
- You decide who to use, and you negotiate the price directly
with the contractor. (To ensure competitiveness, contractors are unaware
of which other
companies are bidding on your project.)
- After completion of your project, Home-Work will follow-up
with you with regards to service, timeliness and quality of work.
- Your comments may be added to the company's profile (if you
permit us) for other users to see.
The service is really about users helping other users. Your
feedback and references are a key part of the screening process. Our screening process is
thorough and continual. However, please read our disclaimer
before continuing.
It is up to you and the contractor to clearly set out the
terms and conditions of the work to be done and any guarantees therein. Although we hold
copies of all of our companies' licensing and insurance, and check its status twice a
year, we suggest that you ask to see a copy. It is possible that the status has changed
since we last checked. Of course, your comments will be a key determining factor of
whether or not the contractor stays a member of Home-Work.
Please take a look at our information on home improvement, terms you should know, and links to useful
sites.
