Guide · Hiring
You should compare companies before hiring one — genuinely, we mean that. So here's the scorecard: the ten questions that separate professionals from problems, what to listen for in any company's answers, and our own answers on the record so you can hold us to them.
What to listen for: Any professional says yes without hesitation. Hesitation, offence, or "we've never had a problem" are your cue to keep looking. Without WSIB, an injury on your property can become your liability.
Our answer: Yes — $2 million liability and full WSIB coverage, documentation sent before work begins, happily.
What to listen for: The answer you want is a real soft wash: purpose-made detergents, low pressure, growth killed at the root. "We turn the pressure washer down" is not a method, it's a hedge.
Our answer: Soft wash only on siding — detergents do the work, the rinse is gentler than rain, and the algae dies instead of regrowing in three months.
What to listen for: If the price only exists after a visit and a look around, it was priced to you, not to the job. Ask whether two identical homes pay the same.
Our answer: Our prices are published, flat-rate by home size, and the instant quote shows yours before we ever talk. Same home size, same price, every time.
What to listen for: Subcontracted crews change the answer to every other question on this list — the insurance, the method, and the accountability all belong to someone you've never met.
Our answer: Our own trained crew, never subcontractors — the same team you dealt with when you booked, from a company based in Victoria Harbour.
What to listen for: Listen for a mechanism, not a slogan. Who do you call? How fast do they come back? Does it cost anything? Vague answers now become arguments later.
Our answer: The 100% Happiness Guarantee: tell us, and we come back and make it right, free. No argument is the whole point of the policy.
What to listen for: Full payment up front is a red flag. A reasonable deposit that books your date is normal; the balance should wait until the work is done and inspected.
Our answer: A 50% deposit books your date; the balance is due only when the work is done and you're happy with it.
What to listen for: The doorstep upsell is this industry's oldest move. Ask what they'll do if they arrive and part of the quoted work turns out to be unnecessary.
Our answer: We quote from facts, not from your driveway — and if something on the quote turns out not to need doing, we say so and take it off.
What to listen for: Most exterior work happens while you're out. A professional outfit documents it. "You'll see when you get home" is not documentation.
Our answer: Photos when the work is done, sent to you — standard on every job, and doubly standard for cottage and seasonal clients.
What to listen for: Read a company's replies, not just its stars. How they answer their worst review is how they'll treat you when something goes sideways.
Our answer: 90+ online reviews and a 5.0 rating, and every single one gets a personal reply from Blair or Liz. Go read them — including how we answer questions.
What to listen for: A company that claims everything is telling you it specializes in nothing. Real pros have honest boundaries and will name them.
Our answer: Plenty: we don't pressure-wash roofs or siding (ever), we don't guarantee oil-stain removal (nobody honestly can), and we'll tell you when a fogged window needs a glass shop instead of a cleaner.
Anyone working on your home should be able to prove they're insured, explain their method, commit to a price before they've seen your face, name who's showing up, and tell you exactly what happens when something's not right. Every company that clears all five deserves your consideration — asking these questions is simply how you find them.