Quotes & pricing
Why your three quotes don't match — and what it's costing you
One's $40K higher than the other for the "same" job. Here's what's actually going on, and how to read the difference before it costs you.
Read it
Independent renovation help · GTA · Hamilton · Golden Horseshoe
Your reno's a mess. I'm the guy you call before you spend another dollar.
I'm not a contractor after your job. After 20+ years building across the GTA, I help homeowners and investors figure out what's actually going on — so you stop guessing and start making good decisions.
No sales pitch. Tell me what's going on, I'll tell you if I can help.
Sound familiar?
If you're stuck on any of these, that's exactly what I fix.
Renovations go sideways in a handful of predictable ways. Here's the mess — and the move that gets you out of it.
"I've got three quotes and they don't match."
One's way lower, one's confusing, one's missing half the scope. You can't tell what you're actually paying for.
→ Quote Review
"Is this work actually any good?"
You paid for it, but you don't know if it's right — or if it's going to fail behind the drywall.
→ Site Visit / Quality Check
"My contractor disappeared."
Work's half done, money's gone, and you've lost contact. You need to know where you stand and what to do next.
→ Rescue Assessment
"I don't want to get burned again."
You're about to hire, or you're mid-build, and you want someone experienced watching your back the whole way.
→ Owner's Rep
"Something feels off and I need answers now."
A quote, a contract, an invoice, a decision — you just need an experienced person on the phone today.
→ Reno 911 Call
"I'm an investor planning a build."
Infill, a basement or garden suite, a multi-unit — you want it done right, on budget, without the expensive rookie mistakes.
→ Development Consulting
Why I'm different
Not everyone needs another contractor.
Most people don't need one more person bidding on their job. They need someone in their corner who has no stake in who they hire — just the truth, plainly, from someone who's built it all before.
- I don't bid on your work, so my advice isn't a sales pitch.
- I know how inspectors think and how trades price — I've been on every side.
- Fixed, upfront pricing. You know the cost before we start.
- My goal is honestly for you to not need me anymore.
"I'm not a contractor looking for your job. I'm the guy you call before you spend another dollar."
That's the whole idea. Do right by people, give them the truth, and send them off in better shape than I found them.
— Steve
How I help
Pick the help that fits where you're at.
Every project's a little different, so prices start here and we scope your exact situation on a free 15-minute call.
START HERE
Talk it through$149per hour
Reno 911 Call
One focused hour on the phone to work through whatever's in front of you — a quote that feels wrong, a contract you don't understand, a job that's stalled, or an early plan you want a gut-check on.
Best for: anyone who needs an experienced answer today.
Before you signfrom $39548-hr · remote
Quote Review
Send me your quotes. I compare them line by line, flag the red flags and missing scope, and show you what you're really paying for in each one. Written report plus a call — back to you in 48 hours.
Best for: "three quotes and they don't match."
Check the workfrom $495on-site
Site Visit / Quality Check
I walk the job and check what's been done against what you were promised — before it's buried behind drywall. You get an honest, plain-language report on what's right, what's not, and what to ask for.
Best for: "is this work actually any good?"
Damage controlfrom $895on-site + report
Rescue Assessment
Job's off the rails or your contractor vanished. I document exactly what's been done versus what you paid for, protect you from owning someone else's mistakes, and lay out a clear 7-day and 30-day plan to get back on track.
Best for: "my contractor disappeared."
Watch my backQuotedper project
Owner's Rep
I manage the contractor through your build on your behalf — site visits at key stages, change-order review, budget and schedule tracking, and troubleshooting as it comes up. Your experienced set of eyes when you can't be there.
Best for: "I don't want to get burned again."
Build it rightQuotedper project
Development & Construction Consulting
For infill, purpose-built suites, and multi-unit projects — from severance and approvals through pre-construction and the build. Pro forma review, value engineering, fire separation, financing contacts, trade sourcing, and a realistic schedule and budget you'll actually keep.
Best for: investors and developers who want it done right the first time.
Steve Ford
Independent renovation & construction advisor
- 20+ years in residential construction across the GTA & Golden Horseshoe
- Trained in Construction Engineering Technology – Architecture (Conestoga College)
- Started as a building code consultant — knows how inspectors think
- Production builder, site supervisor & construction manager
- Infill developer, on his own projects and as a consultant
- Specializes in infill, purpose-built multi-unit & production homes
Who's behind this
A builder on your side of the table.
I'm a husband, a father of two, and a Christian. That's the part that matters most — and it's why I do this the way I do.
I've spent 20+ years in residential construction and worked just about every side of it: code consulting, production homes, site supervision, construction management, and my own infill builds as both a developer and a consultant. I'm also building AI-driven systems to run job sites better, because the industry's been slow to catch up and I'd rather be ahead of it.
But the calls I get most aren't from developers. They're from friends, and friends of friends: "Steve, can you look at this quote?" "Is this invoice right?" "My reno's a disaster — what do I do?"
So I made it official. I have no stake in who you hire. I'm paid to protect you, tell you the truth, and send you off in better shape than I found you.
— Steve
Real projects, real numbers
This isn't theory. It's two decades of jobs.
20+
years in residential construction
100s
of homes & units built and managed
3
regions served — GTA, KWC & Hamilton
48hr
turnaround on quote reviews
Free download
10 Red Flags in a Renovation Quote
Before you sign anything, run your quote through this checklist. It's the same thing I look for first — pulled from 20+ years of catching problems before they cost people money.
- The deposit trap that empties bank accounts
- Why a "low allowance" makes a quote look cheaper than it is
- The payment-schedule detail that protects you
- What a real scope of work actually includes
Send it to me free
Enter your email and I'll send the checklist straight to your inbox. No spam, ever.
✓ On its way — check your inbox. (Didn't arrive? Email me and I'll send it directly.)
The work
Real projects, real problems solved.
Two decades of builds, rescues, and consulting across the GTA and the Golden Horseshoe. Here's a sample.
New build
Huxley — custom farmhouse infill build
A 2,400 sq ft contemporary farmhouse built on a severed infill lot — a brand-new custom home added to an established neighbourhood.
New construction · a Gateway Group development & build project.
Delta
New build
Wilson — modern living in Hamilton
A Hamilton home finished with family-focused kitchens, island seating, and clean modern detailing — comfort and quality without losing its character.
New construction · a Gateway Group development & build project.
Hamilton
Infill · 5 units
Edith — five homes from one corner lot
An oversized corner lot severed and built into semi-detached homes with legal, fully separate basement suites — five residential units adding real housing inside the city.
New construction · a Gateway Group development & build project.
Hamilton
Consulting
Violet Street — construction consulting
A semi-detached new build turned into multiple independent, self-contained suites. Steve advised on the drawings, construction schedule, and next steps to keep the build on track.
New construction · Steve served as the independent construction consultant.
Golden Horseshoe
Want to see work like yours? Ask me on a free call.
Straight-talk advice
Renovation advice with nothing to sell you.
Plain-language guidance from someone who's been on every side of a job site. No jargon, no upsell.
Hiring
The deposit rule that protects your money
How much should you really pay up front? The single most common way homeowners get burned — and the simple line that stops it.
Read it
When it goes wrong
Your contractor disappeared. Here's your first move.
Work's half done and they've stopped answering. Before you panic or pay anyone else, do these things first to protect yourself.
Read it
Quotes & pricing
Why your three quotes don't match — and what it's costing you
You did the smart thing. You got three quotes. And now you're staring at them more confused than when you started, because one's $40,000 higher than another for what looks like the exact same job.
Here's the truth: they're almost never the same job. They just look that way on paper.
Contractors don't read a room the same way
One contractor sees your bathroom and prices a full tear-out to the studs. Another plans to work around what's there. Same room, completely different scope — and the price gap is real, not a mistake. Neither is necessarily wrong. But you're the one who has to know which one you're actually buying.
The allowance game
The lowest quote often wins by hiding the real cost in "allowances." A $2,000 tile allowance sounds fine until you walk into the showroom and every tile you like blows past it. Suddenly the cheap quote isn't cheap — it's just deferred. The higher quote may simply be honest about what your choices will cost.
What's missing is the most expensive part
Permits. Disposal. Protecting your floors. Fixing the surprise the other guy pretended he wouldn't find. The gaps between quotes usually aren't about markup — they're about what each contractor quietly left out, planning to bill it later as an "extra."
Not sure which quote is real? That's exactly what a Quote Review is for. Send me all three and I'll compare them line by line, flag the risks, and tell you what you're really paying for in each — back to you in 48 hours.
Hiring
The deposit rule that protects your money
If you remember one thing before hiring anyone, make it this: be very careful about how much you pay before a single tool comes out.
The number to watch
In Ontario, a reasonable deposit is generally in the range of 10–15% to secure your spot and cover initial materials. When someone asks for 40%, 50%, or "half up front," that's the single most common setup for a homeowner losing money to a contractor who takes the deposit and vanishes — or slows to a crawl because they've already been paid.
Tie money to work, not to dates
Your payment schedule should be tied to completed stages — "on framing completion," "on drywall" — not to calendar dates. Date-based payments let a contractor collect while the work falls behind. Milestone payments keep their cash flow honest and keep the job moving.
Never pay for work you can't see
Before you release the next payment, the previous stage should be actually done and, ideally, checked. Once money's out the door, your leverage is gone.
Want a second set of eyes before you sign? Book a free 15-minute call and walk me through your contract and payment schedule. I'll tell you straight if anything looks off.
When it goes wrong
Your contractor disappeared. Here's your first move.
The work's half done. The money's mostly gone. And they've stopped answering your calls. It's a sick feeling — but what you do in the next few days matters a lot. Here's where to start.
1. Document everything, right now
Before anything else, photograph the entire site — every room, every unfinished detail, every defect. Save every text, email, invoice, and contract. This record is what protects you, whether you end up negotiating, hiring someone new, or pursuing them.
2. Don't let anyone bury the evidence
If you bring in a new contractor, do not let them cover up or redo work until the incomplete and defective work is fully documented and you've formally noted that it wasn't done by them. Otherwise you risk owning someone else's mistakes.
3. Get an honest assessment before you spend another dollar
You need to know exactly where you stand: what's actually complete, what was paid for, what's defective, and what it'll really take to finish. Guessing here is how people lose money twice.
This is what a Rescue Assessment is for. I document what's done versus what you paid for, protect you from owning the last contractor's mistakes, and give you a clear 7-day and 30-day plan to get back on track.
Let's talk
Tell me what's going on.
Fill this out and I'll get back to you fast — usually same day. No pressure, no pitch. Just tell me where you're stuck and I'll tell you honestly whether I can help and what it'd cost.
✓ Got it — thanks. I'll be in touch fast, usually the same day. If it's urgent, call or text me at 519-729-3673.