By Savino Construction · Published September 12, 2026 · No prices in the guides; every number comes from a site walk. Anything in [brackets] is confirmed before launch.
Start with what is not there
Read the exclusions before the price. A quote that excludes permits, engineering, the electrical service upgrade, the plumbing stack, the HVAC changes and the finishes has priced the easy part. Each excluded item is a cost you will pay someone, and a low number with a long exclusions list is not a low number.
Then read the allowances. An allowance is a placeholder where a line should be: a set amount for tile, for fixtures, for lighting, that the contractor has not priced against a real product. When the real product costs more, the difference is yours. A quote with a catalogue beside it, naming the product and the price for every line, has no allowances to overrun.
What every line should show
A line you can read has four parts.
- What it is, in words a homeowner understands: the beam over the kitchen opening, the ensuite tile, the second-floor windows.
- The quantity, where it applies: linear feet of cabinet run, count of windows, square feet of flooring.
- The product, named, so you can look it up and change it.
- The price for that line, so you can see what a change moves.
The schedule is part of the price
A quote without a handover date is a quote without a schedule, and a renovation without a schedule costs more than the number on the page: months of rent, months of a mortgage on an empty lot, a kitchen out of service through a season you did not plan for. Look for a start date, a handover date, and what happens if the date is missed. Savino Construction writes the handover date into the contract and pays you [$n] per day if the date is missed for a reason that is ours. [Kam confirms the terms and exclusions.]
Paperwork you should see before signing
Every contractor says they are insured. Ask for the pages.
- WSIB clearance certificate, current, with the account number on it.
- Commercial general liability insurance, with the limit and the insurer named.
- The municipal licence where the municipality requires one for pulling permits.
- For a new home, the HCRA licence and Tarion enrolment.
- The warranty term, in writing, and whether it transfers to the next owner.
Questions that expose a number that will move
Who prepared the engineered drawings this quote is priced from? If there are none, the structural lines are guesses. Who is running the job on site, and did that person price it? What happens when I change a finish after signing? How do change orders get approved and priced? Which stages can I be in the house for? The answers tell you more than the total does.