Renovating Condos; Who to Hire
It’s a beautiful morning. You wake up early, excited to meet your Real Estate Agent, who is going to give you the keys to the condominium unit you just purchased. It’s your first piece of real estate and you are anticipating all of the exciting things you’ll do to make this place your own.
You pick up the keys and the first thing that hits you is the fact that in 60 days you will be vacating your rental apartment and moving into your own home.
During your search for the perfect condo one of the compromises you made was the decision to purchase a unit that did not show very well, as the price was more in your range than any of the renovated units you saw. Besides, you had decided that half the fun was going to be renovating and decorating the unit in the style that was uniquely yours.
Hmm…but if I’m going to demolish the kitchen, bathroom and remove all of the old carpet, someone’s going to have to cart all the old debris downstairs to…where? What do I do with all that garbage?
Inside your unit, you stand poised in the foyer. Devoid of furniture, the flooring and walls now show the age of the unit. Feeling a little disappointed you reassure yourself. The contractor will make it all better, right?
“Hello, John, its Sue, you know Mary’s friend, the one with the condo down at Harbourfront that needs renovating. I took possession today and I was wondering when you could meet me here…what, next week? That means I lose a week and there’s only 8 weeks till I move in.” The panic starts.
“I’m on the 23rd floor. Why? Don’t you own the equipment necessary to bring the debris downstairs? Haven’t you renovated a condo unit before?”
Renovating a condo unit is definitely not the same as renovating a house. When hiring a contractor to undertake your renovation, the first thing you need to ask him/her is how many condos units they’ve renovated.
Most management companies that run condominium units require that you submit a complete and detailed document called a “Scope of Work” to the management office prior to commencing any significant renovations. This scope of work will also need to be accompanied by a set of drawings depicting and detailing any partition wall changes, plumbing, electrical and mechanical alterations. This document should be prepared by your contractor.
They will want you to guarantee that you will use licensed tradesman where required and ensure that all work is done in compliance with the Ontario Building Code. If you are doing significant electrical work, an electrical permit must to be obtained from The Electrical Safety Authority and signed off by an ESA inspector prior to drywall installation.
Most condominium management companies have rules that contractors must abide by. Rules such as when work can be done (i.e. 9 am to 5pm), booking of service elevators, how to deal with the removal of debris, where to park pick up trucks, garbage bins and how to deal with multiple trades with many vehicles. The rules can be many and they can be challenging.
These are some of the issues and challenges that exist when renovating a condominium. If you hire a General Contractor, or a sub trade, make sure that they have experience in renovating condominiums. It is crucial.
If you don’t have a contractor with this experience, call the Building Industry and Land Development Association or visit their site and click on the Renomark.ca banner on the right. You’ll be directed to a list of contractors that do. Alternatively you can call me, Mitch Moshenberg, Managing Director of Laurwill & Matthews. We are experienced condo renovators and would be glad to provide you with a free initial consultation at your convenience. I can be reached directly at 416-221-9134 or email me at mitchellm@on.aibn.com with a description of your project and I will respond immediately.
Good luck with your project.
This article was contributed by Mitch Moshenberg
