When comparing custom-home builders in Durham Region, start with the builder's legal identity, current licence and the exact home they are proposing to build. Then compare scope, evidence and the contract. A polished portfolio alone cannot answer those questions.
Check the company behind the proposal
Use the Ontario Builder Directory to look up the company named on the proposed contract. Match the legal name and licence information, rather than relying only on a trading name on a website.
The HCRA's licensing guidance explains the requirements for new-home builders and sellers, including custom homes on a client's land. Follow its advice about checking licensing and Tarion approval before signing. Our licensing and warranty explainer distinguishes a new-home warranty from a renovator's own written warranty.
Ask for evidence that matches your project
Look for completed work comparable in scope and complexity, not simply photographs with the style you prefer. Ask what the builder actually delivered, who designed it and whether you can speak with the homeowner.
A kitchen renovation, a second-storey addition and a new house are different scopes. A contractor should describe its role accurately in each example. Ask about work completed by the proposed team, rather than assuming that every historical photograph represents the current company and crew.
Compare complete proposals
Use the same brief for each proposal. Clarify design, engineering, approvals, site preparation, servicing, construction, finishes and exclusions. Ask which amounts are allowances and how changes will be priced.
Discuss the decision process alongside the price: who coordinates the designers, who provides site updates and who can approve a change? Our questions to ask a contractor can help structure an interview, while the contract needs advice appropriate to your own circumstances.
Where Jarvis fits today
Jarvis Contracting currently offers home additions, second-storey additions, renovations and design through this website. New custom-home construction is not currently offered here while builder licensing is pending. This article is a homeowner's selection guide, not a claim that Jarvis is a licensed new-home builder.
If your real choice is between changing your present home and starting again, explore our renovation and addition services and renovate-or-move guide. They help separate the two decisions without treating one service as a substitute for the other.
Questions
Is an addition the same service as a new custom home?
No. They involve different scopes and can have different licensing and warranty requirements. Ask each business which service it currently provides and verify the credentials relevant to that work.
Sources
- Ontario Builder Directory obd.hcraontario.ca
- HCRA's licensing guidance hcraontario.ca