September 28, 2026
The quote looks good. The contractor seems great. You shook hands in the driveway and everyone is excited. Now there is a contract on the table and a pen next to it.
Slow down. Just for an evening.
The contract is the only thing that matters once the job starts. Not the friendly chat. Not the promise about finishing before the holidays. If it is not written down, it is not part of the deal. Here are the questions to ask before you sign a renovation contract in Ottawa, and what good answers sound like.
A quote is a price. A contract is a set of promises, both ways. It says what gets built, with what, by when, for how much and what happens when something changes.
And something always changes. You open a wall and find old wiring. You pick a different tile. The cabinet supplier is late. A good contract does not stop surprises. It tells both sides how to handle them without a fight.
In Ontario, consumer agreements for home renovations have rules under the Consumer Protection Act. For most renovation deals above a small amount, the contract has to be in writing and include certain details. If you sign at your home rather than at the contractor's office, you generally get a cooling-off period to cancel. Check the Ontario government's consumer protection pages for current details. Then ask the questions below.
This is the big one. The contract should list the work in plain terms. Demolition. Framing. Plumbing. Electrical. Drywall. Paint. Flooring. Trim. Cleanup. Disposal.
Vague lines like "bathroom renovation as discussed" are a warning sign. Discussed by who? When? Push for detail.
Just as important. A lot of fights start here. Does the price include the vanity, or only installing it? The light fixtures? Paint colour changes? Permit fees? Moving the furniture out? Patching the hallway where they carried the old tub through?
Ask for an exclusions list. A good contractor already has one.
Many contracts use allowances. A set amount for tile, fixtures or cabinets. If you pick something that costs more, you pay the difference.
Allowances are fine. Low allowances are not. If the tile allowance only covers the cheapest option at the big box store and you have been saving photos of handmade tile, your budget is already broken. Ask how each allowance was set and whether it matches what you actually want.
Deposits are normal. Materials need ordering. Crews need scheduling. But a huge deposit before any work starts is a risk for you.
Ask what the deposit pays for. Custom cabinets or windows with long lead times can justify a bigger number. A deposit that just sits in an account does not.
Good contracts tie payments to progress you can see. Demo done. Rough-ins passed inspection. Drywall done. Final walkthrough complete. Not calendar dates. Not "halfway through."
Keep the last payment big enough to matter. It is what gets the small stuff finished. You know the list. The missing outlet cover. The door that sticks. The caulk line that got skipped.
This question saves marriages. Seriously.
Every change should get a written change order before the work happens. It should say what changes, what it costs and how it affects the schedule. Both sides sign. No verbal "sure, we can do that" that turns into a surprise bill.
Ontario's Construction Act has holdback rules for construction payments. They exist to protect people down the chain, like subcontractors and suppliers. Ask your contractor how they handle holdback on your job. If the answer is unclear, a short call with a lawyer is cheap insurance.
Get dates. Or at least a clear start window and an estimated length. "We'll fit you in soon" is not a date.
Weather. Permit timing. Inspections. Special order materials. Hidden problems behind walls. Your own decisions.
That last one matters. If you take three weeks to pick tile, the job waits three weeks. A good contract says when your selections are due.
Your family has to live around this job. Ask when the crew arrives, when they leave, whether they work Saturdays and how they handle noise. Ottawa has a noise by-law. Your neighbours know it well.
Structural changes, additions, new plumbing and many basement projects need a City of Ottawa building permit. Electrical work needs an ESA notification from a licensed electrical contractor. The contract should say who applies, who pays and who books inspections.
Be careful with any contractor who suggests skipping permits to save money. It rarely saves anything. It often costs you when you sell.
Most general contractors use trades for electrical, plumbing, HVAC and sometimes drywall or tile. That is normal. Ask who they are and whether they are licensed where required. You should know who is in your home.
Ask for a certificate of insurance. Picture this. A ladder slips and dents your neighbour's new Subaru. Or a fitting lets go overnight and your finished basement takes on water. Whose policy pays? You want the answer to be theirs. Not yours.
In Ontario, most construction employers need WSIB coverage. If a worker is hurt on your property and the contractor has no coverage, things can get messy. Ask for a clearance certificate. It is quick to get and quick to check.
Materials often carry their own manufacturer warranty. Workmanship is different. That is the contractor standing behind their own work. Ask how long it lasts, what it covers and how you make a claim.
Get it in writing. A warranty you heard about in the driveway is not a warranty.
Good contracts include a way to resolve disputes. It might be a meeting, then mediation, then other steps. It is not fun to think about at the start. That is exactly why you think about it at the start.
One name. One phone number. The person who answers when the plumber does not show up. If the answer is "whoever is on site that day," expect some confusion.
Dust walls. Floor protection. Covered vents. Daily cleanup. Where the dumpster goes. Where the crew parks. Which bathroom they use. These sound small. They are not small when you live through a three month job.
The contract should describe the end. A walkthrough together. A written list of anything left to fix, often called a punch list. A timeline to finish it. Then the final payment.
Older Ottawa homes hide things. Knob and tube wiring. Galvanized pipes. Rot under a toilet. A beam someone cut decades ago. Sometimes asbestos in old plaster, tile or insulation.
You cannot plan for every surprise. You can plan for how surprises get handled. Ask what the contract says about hidden conditions. Who decides the fix? How is it priced? Does work stop until you approve it?
A good answer sounds like this. "We stop, we show you, we write up a change order with options and a price, and you decide." A bad answer sounds like "we'll deal with it."
Many contractors suggest you hold some money back in your own budget for surprises. That money is not part of the contract. It sits with you. If nothing goes wrong, you keep it. If the subfloor is rotten, you are not scrambling.
Ask your contractor what they have seen in homes like yours. Someone who works in Ottawa's older neighbourhoods every week will have a good sense of what tends to turn up.
If your home was built before the 1990s, ask how the contractor handles possible asbestos or lead paint. Testing may be needed before demolition. Removal may need specialists. The contract should say who arranges it and who pays.
If there are drawings, a design package or a selection sheet, the contract should reference them by name and date. That way everyone builds from the same version. Three sets of plans floating around is how walls end up in the wrong place.
Tile, fixtures, paint, hardware, trim profiles, grout colour. The list is longer than most people expect. Ask for a selection schedule. Late decisions are one of the biggest causes of delays on renovation jobs, and they are the one cause fully in your control.
A few questions go to the mirror, not the contractor.
Do you understand every line? No prize for nodding along. Ask.
Is there money left over after the total? If this contract takes every dollar you have, one rotten joist in the bathroom floor turns into a line of credit you never wanted.
Would you be fine with this crew in your kitchen at 7:30 on a Tuesday morning, for eight weeks straight? Gut check. Take it seriously.
Last one. Are your two quotes even describing the same job? We see it constantly in Ottawa. One quote includes permits, disposal and trim. The other quietly skips all three and looks cheaper for it.
One red flag is worth a question. Three is worth walking away.
A good contractor will not rush you. They want a clear contract as much as you do. Clear contracts mean fewer arguments, fewer surprises and a job that ends with both sides happy.
Read it at home. Mark it up. Ask your questions in writing so the answers are in writing too. If the job is large, have a lawyer look it over. It costs a little. It can save a lot.
At SpartaCon Developments, we walk Ottawa homeowners through our contracts line by line before anyone signs. Scope, exclusions, payments and change orders all get covered. If you are planning a renovation, book a consultation and ask us every question on this list.
For most home renovation agreements above a small amount, yes. Ontario's Consumer Protection Act sets rules for what the written agreement must include. Check the Ontario government's consumer protection pages for the current requirements.
There is no single right number. It should match what the deposit actually pays for, like ordering materials with long lead times. Be wary of any contractor asking for most of the price before work starts.
A change order is a written, signed agreement to change the work after the contract is signed. It lists the change, the cost and any effect on the schedule. Every change should have one before the work happens.
If you signed at your home, Ontario consumer law generally gives you a cooling-off period to cancel. After that, your contract's terms decide. Read the cancellation clause before you sign.
For large jobs like additions or whole home renovations, it is a smart move. A short review costs far less than a dispute. For smaller jobs, use the questions in this guide as your checklist.
