Building Your Team

The people you choose for a renovation shape the process as much as the finished result. When challenges arise along the renovation path, you want a professional team around you that, above all, with whom you communicate well.

Roles and Responsibilities

Clear expectations about who handles what prevent many of the disagreements that arise during a renovation. A typical team includes:

• Homeowner. Sets the goals and budget, makes decisions, and holds final responsibility for permits and payment.
• Designer. Develops the design, prepares drawings and specifications for pricing and permits, and often coordinates consultants and material selections. The title "interior designer" and "house designer" on its own is unregulated in BC, so confirm credentials, liability insurance, and errors and omissions coverage. Architects are regulated by the Architectural Institute of BC and are not required by statute for most single-family renovations.
• General Contractor. Manages construction, including scheduling, sequencing, site safety, subtrades, purchasing, inspections, means and methods. Many contractors also advise on constructability and pricing during design.
• Project manager. The day-to-day contact and responsible for coordinating operations. Ask who will fill this role on your project, and more information on their purview.
• Trades and subtrades. Carpenters, electricians, plumbers, and others who perform the work, usually hired and coordinated by the general contractor.
• Engineers and specialists. Structural, mechanical, envelope, or geotechnical engineers, a land surveyor, an arborist, an energy advisor, and a hazardous materials consultant, depending on the scope of work. Your designer and/or general contractor should identify which apply early, since each adds cost and calendar time.

Confirm in writing who is responsible for permits, who coordinates consultants, and who is your main point of contact.

Where to Start

Begin by writing down what you want the renovation to achieve and the range you are prepared to invest. Then speak with a few professionals whose experience matches your project and ask each to walk you through how they work.

Three structures are commonly used:

• Design-build. One firm provides both design and construction under a single contract. This offers one point of responsibility and gives you valuable construction feedback during design. Firms use the term differently, so ask who the designer is, whether or not they are in-house, whether you will work with them directly, and how design fees are handled if you decide not to proceed to construction.
• Integrated design process. The owner, designer, contractor, and consultants collaborate during design, often as separate firms all in separate contract with the owner. Fee structure and roles can vary. Agree early on who leads the process, how communication between experts will work and how pre-construction work is paid.
• Separate design, then build. A designer completes drawings and specifications, and the project is then brought to contractors later in the project. Pricing arrives after design is complete, so a result over budget can mean redesign.

Verifying your contractor

For most renovation work in British Columbia, a builder licence is not required. BC Housing licensing applies to new homes and substantial reconstructions, which makes homeowner due diligence especially important on renovations. Before signing, confirm:

• Liability insurance. Request a certificate and check the coverage amount and dates.
• WorkSafe BC clearance. A clearance letter confirms the contractor's account is in good standing. If it is not, and a worker is injured on your property, exposure can reach you.
• References. Speak with owners of completed projects of similar scope, ideally in a home of similar age.
• A written contract. Construction contracts are commonly one of two types. A stipulated sum (fixed price) contract sets the price for a defined scope of work. A cost-plus contract bills the actual cost of labour and materials plus an agreed fee or markup. Whichever type you choose, review and discuss the particulars with your chosen team.

Your Role as the Homeowner

A renovation runs more smoothly when the homeowner is an active, reliable member of the team. This includes:

• Making timely decisions. Selections and approvals often sit on the critical path. A delayed decision on appliances or windows can delay the trades that follow. If budget or time is important, try to avoid changing decisions after they are made as revisions are one of the biggest contributors to scope creep, added costs and project delays.
• Speaking with one voice. If more than one person makes decisions in your household, agree on who communicates with the team and how disagreements are resolved before they reach the contractor.
• Know and communicate priorities. Every project involves trade-offs between speed, cost, and quality, so decide which two matter most to you, as choosing all three is rarely possible.
• Sharing your budget. The team can only work toward a number they know.
• Paying on schedule. Prompt, agreed payments keep progress steady with trades and suppliers on site.
• Raising concerns early. A small question raised in week two is usually simple to resolve. The same question in week ten can be costly.
• Planning for daily life. Discuss how site progress will be shared, and how often your involvement is needed. Decide whether you will live in the home during construction, and discuss access, work hours, pets, and protection of belongings with the contractor in advance as this will have a potentially significant impact to budget and/or schedule.

Considerations for Specific Projects

Strata and multi-unit renovations. Work in a condominium, townhouse, duplex, or co-op often requires approval from the strata council or board before municipal permits are pursued. Expect to follow the building's rules on work hours, elevator bookings, and site protection. Contractors are commonly asked for proof of liability insurance and WorkSafe BC clearance. Approval often depends on meeting schedules, so begin early and involve the property manager as early as possible.

Heritage properties. Homes with a character merit, heritage designation, or in a heritage conservation area, may face an additional review or additional requirements. This may apply to exterior work and sometimes to interior work. Ensure your designer and/or contractor is familiar with your municipality's process and can help with the application and the conservation requirements. Determine if a separate heritage consultant is required. Some municipalities offer incentives or relaxations in return for conservation commitments that can be conditional and negotiated before construction begins, or alongside construction at the discretion of the inspector. Confirm your property's status with the municipality as early as possible, since it affects scope and schedule.

Accessibility and aging in place. Becoming more common in Metro Vancouver especially,even if these are not immediate considerations, if you are looking to stay in your renovated home for a long time, it’s worth discussing as part of early planning. Aging at home can involve step-free entries, wider doorways, curbless showers with grab bars and non-slip flooring, main-floor living space, easy-to-grip hardware and lever handles, improved lighting, and layouts that allow for mobility aids or a future caregiver. Where a renovation is meant to support a specific mobility or health need, an occupational therapist or accessibility consultant may be required to specifically assess how the home is used and recommend appropriate changes.

The right team is one you can communicate with openly, with roles that are clear from the start. Take your time choosing, put agreements in writing, and stay engaged as the project develops.

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