Why our service matters

A CBC story broke out of Calgary this morning where a contractor whom was hired to complete renovations on a couple’s home took 80K and fled. (Read story here) As of now, the story had over 350 comments making it a hot topic indeed. And why? Because we all know or have been ourselves scammed by a contractor. Which bring us to the point of our blog post.

Our service matters because we know who’s who in the stucco industry. And by that we mean we know who’s reliable, of course, who’s not. We can proudly say that in our 10+ years of service and the countless homes we have worked on, ALL WERE COMPLETED to our customer’s expectations and more. We have NEVER taken money and run, NEVER walked away on an incomplete job and NEVER left until our customers were happy.

But if you’re still not convinced that our service (which is FREE might I add) is right for you, then we at least want to help you hire the right company.

1. GET INDUSTRY REFERRALS.
This is the first place to start whenever hiring a contractor. Looking for a tile guy? Go to a tile store and ask for a list of their best contractors. Looking for a plumber? Then ask your local plumbing shop for their best. Why does this work? Simple. Because they’re around contractors all day. They supply them with material for all their projects, it only makes sense to know who the cream of the crop are.

Why our service matters? We’re a network of stucco manufacturers, moulding fabricators, consultants and inspectors. Our future depends on the work being done in the present. We ensure the right people get the job.

TIP: Searching for a contractor on Google or other services like Yellow Pages isn’t the best option. At the end of day, just because a company has a flashy website that looks professional doesn’t always guarantee you’re in good hands.

2. DON’T JUST GET REFERRALS, CALL THEM.
The oldest trick in the book for a contractor is to supply a prospective customer with a list of completed jobs… even though they haven’t done them. And don’t be fooled by photos of their work either. Anyone with a camera can take a photo and present it like it’s their own. That’s why we recommend calling their referrals and speaking to them directly. This is due diligence at it’s finest.

Why our service matters? We have a long list of past customers who are more than happy to vouch for us and the work we’ve done. One thing we have learned after all of our years in business is people love to share a good story, especially when it comes to the work done on their home.

TIP:  When you call someone on a referral list, ask a number of things like how payment was handled, how the work was done, cleanliness and job condition after completion. You’ll get a better handle on whether the company you are looking at hiring is right for you.

3. HIRE SPECIALISTS. NOT GENERALS.
Would you hire a tile guy to do your electrical work or vice versa? Just because someone claims to know how to do something, doesn’t mean they know how to do it right. So when you’re looking for a specific line of work to be completed, hire a specialist. You’re in safer hands and you can rest easily knowing they’ll do the right thing when an unusual situation, whether it’d be technical or aesthetic presents itself. And believe us, they do come up, nothing is perfect.

Why our service matters? All of our stucco contractors are stucco contractors and stucco contractors only. They have been in business for 10+ years and seen a wide array of situations and know how to deal with any on-site complications. Afterall, they are specialists.

4. AND ONCE YOU’VE HIRED, GET IT IN WRITING.
There was a time when a handshakes was the best contract in the world. And while some still operate on that notion, they’re too few and far between. Your best option is to get it in writing. That way you know what you’re getting and what you’re not. And if have questions, ASK! If a contractor is on the level, they’ll have no problem explaining the various sections in their scope of work.

Why our service matters? Our customers are not only equipped with materials and tools, they’re also equipped with knowledge. And they have no problem putting it in black and white text for you to see and understand.

The bottom line? Don’t get caught hiring the wrong stucco contractor. In the end, it will cost you more money and more headaches. Our FREE service ensures the right people get the job.

To find a reliable and reputable stucco contractor in North York, Toronto, Moncton or anywhere else in Canada, please fill out the form below and we’ll get in touch with you within 24 hours.

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Until our next post,

- the stuccocontractors.ca team

The Complications of hiring an EIFS/Stucco Contractor

I was driving to an appointment with a homeowner this week while I was stopped at a light and noticed this sign on the street post.

INTERLOCKING
STONE
CUSTOM DECK
STUCCO
905 884 ****

Aside from how unprofessionally crafted this sign was, (it was spray painted) I kept thinking that this person will surely get calls from deal-seekers who want stucco on their project. We all want to save money, we don’t want to overpay for anything, especially something that requires an investment on your investment. At the same time, we do not want to underpay either. A fair price is market value, not more, not less.

So would it be the right decision to hire a company who specializes in many areas as opposed to a company who focuses on just one? It’s part of The Focus Philosophy’s core lesson of doing one thing really well… and saying no to everything else.

Hiring a specialist in EIFS/Stucco will only serve you. EIFS is a complicated system. It’s not the same as applying brick or stone on the wall. It’s made up of many different layers that function as a system. If one layer is done incorrectly, it will surely fail, resulting in costly repairs or complete re-dos. We have seen it happen and can attribute this to one reason: the wrong person was hired for the job.

When EIFS is properly installed, it’s a beautiful thing. Aesthetically, it adds to your projects curb appeal with its versatility in design. Available in a vast array of colour and textures, combined with exterior foam mouldings, you can achieve many great things in design with EIFS.

In between the layers, it serves to protect your home by providing valued insulation where needed, saving you thousands in energy bills. It protects your project from moisture problems which almost always lead to mold issues.
And again, costly repair bills.

The stuccocontractors.ca network is made up of only EIFS/Stucco specialists. They don’t do bathroom renos and can’t serve to install your new kitchen. That’s the difference when choosing to hire on of our many professional and reliable stucco contractors.

And the best part? When we provide three different contractors to quote your project, you can rest easy going with the lowest quote because they are coming from a reputable source in the industry, not a sign on the street post. All of our stucco contractors are proven names in good standing with suppliers and excellent track records with home/building owners.

To find a reliable and reputable stucco contractor in North York, Toronto, Moncton or anywhere else in Canada, please fill out the form below and we’ll get in touch with you within 24 hours.

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Until our next post,

- the stuccocontractors.ca team

Tell-tale signs of a reputable stucco contractor

For those looking for a contractor, it may be tough to separate the reputable ones from the not-so reputable. But there are little ways that if you add them up, can paint a clear picture on how they stack up.

BUSINESS CARD
We know everyone has one (or at least should have one) but what kind of information is on there? I remember showing up to a job-site once and when I arrived, the general contractor had about 10 of them in his hands and was sorting them into two piles. When I asked what they meant, he simply replied, “I’m putting the ones with no address on one side and the ones with an address in the other. The non-address ones are going in the garbage.” It’s genius. Do you really want to deal with a contractor that only has a business name and phone number? If something were to go wrong, would you know where to find them?

WEBSITE
Everyone should have one of these too. It’s an extension of their business card and will display a wealth of useful information. Look for ones that list who their material suppliers, the types of systems that they use and past project pictures. The ones who take the time to earn your business by clearly conveying what they’re about are the ones worth dealing.

WORK TRUCK
And by work truck, we don’t mean a Honda Civic with the seats ripped out and a bucket in the trunk. Reliable stucco contractors have invested in their business and equipped themselves not only with the proper tools but the proper mode of transportation. It may seem silly but when your contractor asks you to pick up some supplies because they won’t fit in the car, it won’t seem so funny. And we’ve seen it happen.

PROJECTS IN PROGRESS
Ask for an address they’re currently working on. Great stucco contractors will always have a project on the go and would be glad to showcase it. Ask if you can go see it and take note of the job-site conditions. If it’s always clean and looks respectable, you’ll know they’ll treat yours the same way.

When you work with one of our stucco contractors, you can rest assured that they’re always reliable and professional. From the minute they meet you to the moment they’re finishing your project.

To find a reliable and reputable stucco contractor in North York, Toronto, Moncton or anywhere else in Canada, please fill out the form below and we’ll get in touch with you within 24 hours.

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Until our next post,

- the stuccocontractors.ca team

Is it safe to go with the lowest quote?

Selecting a stucco contractor can be a daunting task if you're searching Google. Using stuccocontractors.ca takes the guesswork out of selecting the right one.

So you have a project coming up and it’s time to source quotes from contractors. You call them, setup appointments, meet with them and go over the scope of work and wait for their numbers to come in. It all seems fairly simple at this point. All of them were reputable, attentive and seemed to understand what it is you’re looking for. But when their prices are sitting in front you, you may notice that each are different.

When looking for a stucco contractor, or any contractor for that matter, it’s always best to go with three. Three estimates provide a top, middle and low range for point-by-point comparisons. But how do you know which is best?

The general rule of thumb when selecting a contractor is to go with the middle quote. The high number is an indicator that the contractor is too busy to take on your job and threw a number out there to see if you would go for it. For that price, he/she would do it and manage to fit your project into their schedule. The lowest could be because of a couple of factors; either the contractor will cut corners (and there are a lot of corners that could be cut) or they are using it as a negotiation strategy. The middle quote is best because it’s neither too high or too low. But our system is different.

stuccocontractors.ca is made up of stucco industry professionals. We are suppliers, distributors, consultants and inspectors whose priority is to ensure that the right contractors get the job. Our name is on the line too and with that goes our reputation and our livelihood. You can trust that we will not send you fly by night companies who may not be around after your job is complete. We source the best contractors that we have worked with for a long period of time and have proven job over job to get things done right the first time, in a cost-efficient and ethical manner.

And that bring us to the point of this post. When using stuccocontractors.ca to find a reputable and professional stucco contractor, YOU CAN DEFINITELY GO WITH THE LOWEST QUOTE  because all three are coming from industry recommendations.

You can rest assured that our contractors;

- Have been in the business for a minimum of 5 years
- Are using only the highest grade of materials
- Have demonstrated strong customer service
- Are reputable, reliable and professional

To find a reliable and reputable stucco contractor in North York, Toronto, Moncton or anywhere else in Canada, please fill out the form below and we’ll get in touch with you within 24 hours.

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- the stuccocontractors.ca team

stuccocontractors.ca Autumn Promotion – FREE 3D Home Rendering

Autumn is an exciting time for stuccocontractors.ca. We’re in the full swing of things, making sure our contractors are ready and our homeowners are taken care of.

From now until December 1, 2012, when you decide to hire one of our stuccocontractors.ca certified stucco contractors, we’ll order a 3D rendering of your home, FREE OF CHARGE. No catches, No gimmicks and no hidden fees.

It’s our way of saying, “We want you to be happy with your choice of hiring one of the contractors in our network”.

We also want you to be happy with the design of your home. Your 3D rendering will include your choice of;

- Wall texture
- Wall colour and
- Moulding selection

We’ll discuss all of the details with you before your project starts. Our team of designers have been in the business for over 10 years and you can count on our experience to make it perfect, just the way you like it.

3D renderings take the doubt out of deciding on the many different exterior options when it comes to giving your home the curb appeal it deserves. Considering your home is the one of the most important investments you can make, don’t leave it to chance.

3D renderings also eliminate any miscommunication between you and your stucco contractor. A 3D rendering is like a map. Your stucco contractor will know exactly where you want to go just by looking at it and any detour can easily be brought back on track by referencing the design we create for you.

To get your FREE 3D HOME RENDERING, simply click the option on our form on the stuccocontractors.ca website. It’s as easy as that.

To find a reliable and reputable stucco contractor in North York, Toronto, Moncton or anywhere else in Canada, please fill out the form below and we’ll get in touch with you within 24 hours.

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Until our next post,

- the stuccocontractors.ca team

Turning something old into something new: Retrofitting with stucco/EIFS

If you live in a large Metropolitan city, the reality of looking for a new home at an attractive price point is getting increasingly difficult given the current state of the real estate market.

Jason and Valentina from Mississauga are a text book case. “We were tired of the bidding wars”, says Jason. “We went to an open house last weekend, Val and I both loved the house, we could have definitely called it home but we saw there was plenty of interest from all the agent cards left at the front door. Our own agent advised the house might get an extra 20-25k above asking.” If you were listening and watching Jason tell their story, you could tell this was a battle they didn’t win. “When it came time on Tuesday to make an offer, we didn’t even get a call back. We found out the next day that the house sold for $181,000 above list! How can we compete with that?! We’ve made a conscious decision to stay here but it does need some improvement. Instead of putting money into buying a new home, we’re going to improve ours.”

Renovating or retrofitting with stucco/EIFS is a good choice for older homes. First and foremost, you’ll be adding curb appeal to your home by giving it an exterior facelift. Second, you’ll be bringing your home up-to-speed in terms of energy efficiency. And third, stucco/EIFS requires very little yearly maintenance.

CURB APPEAL
We could always use more, the exterior of our homes is usually the first and only impression it will make to passers by. And when it comes to curb appeal, EIFS ranks as a top choice  with its endless array of options. First, you can pick any colour under the sun. So if you want a Peacock Blue home, you can have it. Second, there are many different textures you can select. We have a whole section on stucco colours and textures on our website, including a colour selector and tips on how to choose the right stucco colours, visit www.stuccocontractors.ca/choosing_a_stucco_colour for more information. It really is a handy guide and a great starting point.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY
The old adage certainly applies when we say, “Things just aren’t built like they used to be”. And it’s no different when we speak about houses. Older homes are great, they have a certain aura of design that is rarely seen in today’s construction. While modern building can certainly take some notes on design of old, there is still one thing that needs to be addressed. And it’s a big one. Energy efficiency.

The ADEXRES-VLS system is a perfect and inexpensive system for retrofitting.

If you live in an older home, you’re probably used to high heating costs in the winter and cooling costs in the summer. The fact is, insulation standards have a come a long way since then and living green not only for the sake of the environment but for our pocketbook as well is an issue that won’t go away unless it’s dealt with.

The EIFS system to the left is a popular choice among retrofit projects because not only does it properly address the issue of energy efficiency, it also comes at an attractive price point.

Here is how it is put together;
1. Membranes
2. Polyisocyanurate board
3. Basecoat and mesh
4. Finish coat

The insulation factor is supplied by #2, the polyisocyanurate board, hard to pronounce, even harder working. Polyisocyanurate are very light insulation panels whose compressive strength and components allow them to be installed directly on a building’s vertical furrings.  Add this and you can put those savings from your energy bills into landscaping the front yard.

MAINTENANCE
Wouldn’t life be better if it were maintenance free? If your lawn just cut itself every week, your garden planted its own seeds and the wood portions on your home re-painted automatically? You’d have more time on your hands than you’d know what to do with. Unfortunately, such is not the case. While you can put Astroturf on your lawn to rid of the weekly cutting, there’s a way to reduce the amount of time spent on re-painting exterior wood portions on your home. Replace it with stucco/EIFS.

Imagine getting rid of removing peeling paint, priming, 1st finish coat, 2nd finish coat… and this just doesn’t only apply to walls, but for mouldings too.

Pre-based foam mouldings are made from foam and cement, a completely inorganic duo that is  unaffected by Mother Nature’s elements. Rotting? No. Warping? No. Insect troubles? No. And the only reason why you would have to re-paint? If you wanted to change colour. And it comes in plenty of styles to suit your home’s design. We have a page dedicated to exterior stucco mouldings, how they’re made, how to select the right ones, please visit http://www.stuccocontractors.ca/exterior_stucco_mouldings_and_trim

We may be biased because we work in the stucco/EIFS industry but with what other material can you get maximum curb appeal, optimum energy efficiency and an exterior that requires little yearly maintenance?

To find a reliable and reputable stucco contractor in North York, Toronto, Moncton or anywhere else in Canada, please fill out the form below and we’ll get in touch with you within 24 hours.

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- the stuccocontractors.ca team

 

North York Stucco Contractor – Just Finished

A harmonious effect is created when the wall colour is the same as the mouldings (Click to enlarge)

We stopped by to see Glen and Erica after one of our North York Stucco Contractors just recently finished their stucco project.

We helped them find their contractor and just wanted to follow-up to see how everything went.

“We love our new home, the stucco looks great and the moulding work is seamless. Our contractor explained everything they were doing and aside from a few rainy days, stuck to their timeline and we were really pleased with that.”

And we love this home too. We’re big fans of keeping both the colour of the stucco wall and mouldings the same. It has a calming effect and really works well in light gray.

But what if it were another colour? Say a dark brown, would it give the same effect? In our opinion, not really. We feel when a homeowner chooses this technique, a light hue is the best route to go. This will allow the shadows, midtones and highlights to properly interact with each other  since the base colour is light. If it were dark, all three would get mixed in together and create a chaotic visual. While it may be bold, it will be for the wrong reasons.

That’s not to say we don’t like when the stucco and mouldings are different colours, we do as long as the combination works. We have a page dedicated on how to choose the right stucco colour and texture for your home. You can find that on our main website at http://stuccocontractors.ca/colours_textures.html.

And if you need advice, please give us a call a toll-free,  1 (888) 260 8899. We’ll be glad to assist as best as we can. But at the end of the day, you’re the one who will be coming back to your home every night so first and foremost, you should be pleased with it. Not your neighbours.

To find a reliable and reputable stucco contractor in North York, Toronto, Moncton or anywhere else in Canada, please fill out the form below and we’ll get in touch with you within 24 hours.

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- the stuccocontractors.ca team

Oakville Stucco Contractor – Proposed Concept

We completely transformed this once brick home into a stucco and stone masterpiece

One of the things we love about 3D renderings is the ability to let our imaginations run wild.

We started this with one of our Oakville Stucco Contractors and our client was very pleased.

We don’t have the before shot handy but here is what the home will look like when it is finished.

To give you an idea, the current lay of the land is all brick. After owning the home for just over a year, Vince and Tara thought it was time to personalize their investment with a complete exterior over-haul by adding their own curb appeal.

The idea is to add a stone skirt all around the house about 3′ in height from the ground. From then on, stucco will takeover, including the roof dormers that are at the moment, aluminum siding.

Vince and Tara requested that the stucco be a similar colour to their roof. We thought this was a wise choice considering their roof is quite high and attracts a high amount of visual attentiveness.

Each window on the lower floor is trimmed with MX126 from Mouldex Exterior Mouldings and uses the stone cap MX201 as the running sill across each elevation. On the dormer windows, a thinner version of the MX201 is used as the sill as a more subtle substitute.

One of the things Vince and Tara really liked was that we were able to match them with a contractor that does both stucco and stone. Their choice was a cultured stone and various contractors in our network are certified installers as well. So with one hire, they had one contact, one contract and one company which made figuring out timelines and schedules a whole lot easier.

We’re seeing the stucco & stone trend emerge more and more as of late, and why not? It creates a higher level of visual impact whether it’s a 3′ stone skirt or complete accent walls to better define the look of a home.

We’ll follow up with Vince and Tara as their project progresses.

To find a reliable and reputable stucco contractor in North York, Toronto, Moncton or anywhere else in Canada, please fill out the form below and we’ll get in touch with you within 24 hours.

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Until our next post,

- the stuccocontractors.ca team

 

 

Toronto Stucco Contractor: Proposed Concept

3D Rendering of stucco house completed for one of our Toronto Stucco Contractors (Click to Enlarge)

We thought we would share our latest 3D rendering from a project starting next week.

This one was done in collaboration with Anthony and Wendy from Scarborough, ON and one of our Toronto Stucco Contractors.

The current house stands with brick and a stone entrance. We took their curb appeal to a whole new level, not only with stucco, but by  adding crown mouldings under the soffit and trim around their windows and doors.

We also used reveals to make their entrance stand out. We like to exaggerate front entrances because it’s the first place on-lookers see when they view your house. Why not make it pop?

And that wasn’t the only thing. To replace the corner quoins, we decided to run pilasters up the side, topped off by the crown at top. The crowns were built out around the pilasters to enhance each top corner. Nice effect that we rarely see.

We tied the corner pilasters into the design of the windows and doors by using the same shape, just a different size for proportion purposes. Half to be exact. Each window and door uses a 6″ pilaster on the vertical edges and a header along the horizontal. The bottom of the windows have a sill, complete with a slope and drip-edge for water management.

And to finish it off, to hide the expansion joint that would cut through the middle of the house, we used a mid-band that would also act as the trimming for the portico.

To find a reliable and reputable stucco contractor in North York, Toronto, Moncton or anywhere else in Canada, please fill out the form below and we’ll get in touch with you within 24 hours.

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Until our next post,

- the stuccocontractors.ca team

 

 

stuccocontractors.ca is now mobile friendly

Thanks to a very tech-saavy member of our team, stuccocontractors.ca is now easily accessed on your mobile device.

With the web world moving more and more to on-the-go surfing with iphones, Blackberry’s, ipads etc, we made it easier to find a stucco contractor in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Vancouver and every other Canadian city in between.

Visit http://www.stuccocontractors.ca on your device to be taken directly to our mobile site. You’ll find more about what we do, a gallery of projects and how to get started in finding a professional and reputable stucco contractor Canada wide.

To find a reliable and reputable stucco contractor in North York, Toronto, Moncton or anywhere else in Canada, please fill out the form below and we’ll get in touch with you within 24 hours.

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Until our next post,

- the stuccocontractors.ca team