Ethan BrownFinding a trustworthy and reliable general contractor is one of the most important things you need to do as a homeowner. Fortunately, living in Ottawa has made it possible to discover various firms but the question is: which ones can you trust?
Before landing with our general contractor, we’ve had to make a lot of phone calls and research just to find the perfect person who could suit our needs, styles and budget. So to save you from all that hassle, we’ve listed down our top prospects below!
How much does it cost to hire a general contractor in Ottawa?
The cost of hiring a general contractor in Ottawa can range anywhere from 130 CAD to 50,000 CAD depending on the type of project, required labour and materials.
1. Magnolia Construction
Services: Additions, custom homes, basements, bathrooms, commercial, kitchen, living rooms
Location: 73 Renfrew Ave #2, Ottawa, ON K1S 1Z4, Canada
Contact: +1 613-617-5157
Business hours: Monday to Saturday: 24 hours
Magnolia Construction immediately piqued our interest with its online gallery, as its previous works were exactly what we wanted for our homes. Their impressive portfolio consists of kitchens, basements, custom homes and even commercial offices.
We discovered that their contractors work closely with their clients to attain their preferred styles. Plus, we were impressed that they stay in the know of the style trends today.
Their contractors are also highlighted by previous clients as responsive in answering any questions that came up during the project’s process. Moreover, their workers were praised for their workmanship quality and quick turnaround time.
However, we did notice some discrepancies during our research. We stumbled upon a Reddit thread stating that Magnolia Construction has only been around since 2020 and not the 1980s as advertised on their website.
The thread also stated that the company tends to steal photos to show on its online gallery. Although we don’t have solid proof of this, we still think that these details are worth mentioning here.
Excellent workmanship!
“I was very happy with my experience with Magnolia Construction. I had support from my project manager in answering questions that came up. The crew that worked on my bathrooms were extremely hard-working and always made time for me to ask questions.
They replied quickly when I needed to reach out to them. They were very respectful of my house and working around my family. Excellent workmanship!”
-Angela Talbot Callow, Google Review
Professional, friendly and completed everything on time!
“After this company was recommended to me, I went online to read their reviews. That convinced me to hire them to finish my basement. Joey (owner) and his team were amazing!
They were professional, friendly, and best of all, they completed everything on time! They were also always willing to answer my millions of questions lol. The final product was exactly what I wanted.
I would use Magnolia Construction for any home improvements in the future. I highly recommend them!”
-Jennifer Vila, Google Review
2. Ottawa General Contractors
Services: Renovations, tiny homes, home additions and extensions, 3D concept designs and plans
Location: 1886 Merivale Rd #200, Nepean, ON K2G 5W6, Canada
Contact: +1 613-225-9991
Business hours: Monday to Friday: Open 24 hours
As someone who values customer service, we appreciate Ottawa General Contractors’ responsiveness. They even offer multiple channels for clients to reach them, including a live chat feature on their official website!
Our favourite thing about Ottawa General Contractors is their simple and seamless three-step procedure. It begins with the designing process and budgeting down to the building, and all these steps will be overseen by their general contractors.
Their contractors do a great job of being hands-on with every process. For instance, during the budgeting step, the contractor can review the proposed design and make changes that can meet the client’s budget requirement.
Moreover, previous clients have noted the friendly and welcoming personalities of the firm’s general contractors, which made them comfortable with asking as many questions as they like.
Our only gripe is the company’s expensive fees, but we do have to give it to their team for providing transparency. Furthermore, they slightly make up for these fees by offering free and no commitment quotations on their website.
Exceeded our expectations in every way
“We recently completed a major 3-story addition to our home with Ottawa General Contractors, and we’ve been very pleased with the results!
From the initial consultation to the final walkthrough, their professionalism and attention to detail were evident throughout the process.
The team took the time to thoroughly understand our vision for the addition and offered valuable input throughout the design process to ensure that the end result was both functional and aesthetically pleasing while taking into account our various changes and answering our many questions.
The project itself was complex, involving multiple floors, structural modifications and custom finishes, but Ottawa General Contractors handled it all from start to finish. They managed the timeline well with only minimal delays and presented various solutions to any problems that were encountered.
The crew and various subcontractors were hardworking, and respectful and always left the worksite clean and organized.
We were continually impressed with the quality of the craftsmanship, in particular the moulding work from Oliver which perfectly matched the original and existing work in the home.
The final result exceeded our expectations in every way—beautiful, well-constructed and perfectly aligned with the vision we had for our home. The addition complements the original structure, and we’re thrilled with how it turned out.
What truly stood out was the response to any concerns or issues that were raised or that were encountered. A special shoutout to Abdull who managed the project and who truly appreciated the finer details of what we were hoping to achieve.
He’s been great at responding to any concerns that we have since the project has closed which has been very much appreciated. Truly a great guy!
Overall, we highly recommend Ottawa General Contractors for any home renovation or construction project. They kept us updated throughout the entire process, and we always felt confident that our project was in good hands.”
-Greg Aulenback, Google Review
Very pleasant to deal with
“OGC made our new house a better fit for us! From installing a new powder room to removal or reconfiguration of walls to removing old carpet and replacing it with beautiful herringbone vinyl flooring to installing a new pocket door, this project was completed in time and within budget.
The staff at OGC have all been very pleasant to deal with, kept their cool and problem-solved when needed – they were quite a team!
Well worth it to have them responsible for finding and dealing with tradespeople, as I found it a daunting task before hiring them.
Our project manager (Paul) kept things on track and was super helpful and great at explaining the process (and teaching me all the construction vocab!).
Oliver was often here to do demo work and the finishing details – was such a nice man. You are opening your home to all these people, so it was wonderful to have them be so attentive, pleasant, polite … and often funny!
Thank you so much for a pleasant experience (the fact that our home was under construction for two months wasn’t wonderful, but the people who came here made it easier to take)!”
-Pat Thornton, Google Review
3. To Do Done
Services: Full house renovations, electrical services, residential painting, flooring, tiling
Location: 373 Bronson Ave, Ottawa, ON K1R 6J4, Canada
Contact: +1 800-236-3663
Business hours:
- Monday to Friday: 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM
- Saturday: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
To Do Done impressed us with its wide array of services. They offer everything from simple to full house renovations, electrical services, residential paintings and various carpentry products like custom cabinets, fences, and more.
We were further impressed when we saw the quality of their workmanship as seen on their official online gallery.
Plus, their previous clients didn’t shy away from praising their work during our interviews, highlighting the workers’ cleanliness and quick turnaround times.
To Do Done’s contractors are also commendable for their approachability and great communication skills. We appreciate how they keep their clients in the loop of every step of their project, which is a major green flag.
Our only gripe is their slightly unresponsive channels. We’ve interviewed someone who was supposed to avail of the firm’s services but didn’t push through because his two emails didn’t get replies.
Although we haven’t experienced this first-hand, we would like to see more consistency in responsiveness with their customer service lines.
Very respectful of our place
“We had a wonderful experience with To Do Done when they renovated our shower. The project was finished according to the timelines that had been provided in the estimate – four days – and To Do Done used sub-contractors who were absolutely amazing.
They were very respectful of our space, worked very hard, and had amazing attention to detail. Paula and Kelly were also very responsive to our questions and any concerns we had. We will be contacting To Do Done to do future projects in our home.”
-Nyssa McLeod, Google Review
Very quick to respond
“We hired To Do Done to renovate our basement and bathroom in our 1960s home. They were very quick to respond to my inquiry email and sent a rep to inspect the space within a matter of days.
They were very transparent about the costs and provided updated quotes regularly as we discussed the work that was to be done.
The contractors had to fix several major problems with our roughly 35-year-old DIY basement bathroom a previous owner had built. The pipes were not angled correctly, so there was standing water and toilet paper trapped inside.
The electrical work was too close to the plumbing to be up to code, and there was no ventilation whatsoever (no vents or fan). They had their work cut out for them!
The contractors did an amazing job, and I’m so happy with how it all came together! The bathroom before and after photos really highlight the beautiful work they did for us.”
-Amanda Firby, Google Review
4. Kovar Contracting INC.
Services: HVAC services, interior and exterior services, roof repairs, carpentry
Location: 14 Knoll Terrace, Ottawa, ON K2J 2K6, Canada
Contact: +1 613-799-1704
Business hours: Monday to Friday: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Kovar Contracting was recommended to us by a friend who recently had their kitchen renovated. Their noticeable glee towards the result immediately garnered our attention so we decided to take a closer look.
One of the things we instantly noticed was the variety of interior and exterior services they offer, from simple roof repairs to ventilation, bathroom and kitchen renovations and more.
Each of these services is done by the firm’s workers who are highlighted by previous clients as being respectful and approachable.
The same traits can be said about their contractors who do a fantastic job of overseeing every step of the project’s process. Previous clients have also praised them for providing detailed and transparent pricing for their services.
However, we did notice they lack custom house-building services in exchange for both interior and exterior renovations. We can’t complain too much though, as their carpentry, electrical and HVAC services are varied enough to cater to various home problems.
I love the results
“I recently had Kovar Contracting tear down and rebuild my two-story porch, and I love the results.
From the start, owner Jason impressed me with his professionalism and friendliness. He was upfront and communicative throughout the project, keeping me informed of any challenges that come with having an older house. He provided options, detailing costing and the pros and cons of each choice.
The crew at Kovar were friendly and great to work with. They were diligent, thorough, and meticulous. Their precision drew compliments from people walking by!
The project took longer than initially estimated, but some of that was due to winter weather and material delays. However, I know delays happen.
Overall, I highly recommend Kovar Contracting. They delivered a beautiful, high-quality porch despite unforeseen challenges, and their communication and professionalism were top-notch.”
-Matt Moore, Google Review
Really pleased with the work of Kovar Contracting
“Really pleased with the work of Kovar Contracting, particularly the roofing services we received. Jason is communicative and I appreciated how he walked me through – with transparency – his decision-making about my project, so I could understand his rationale.
I appreciated how thorough his quotes are and how clear the scheduling process is. Thanks so much and glad to have the contact of someone like Jason Kovar and his team on my radar, we’ll certainly consider using them again in future.”
-Lisa Gorman, Google Review
5. Gilded Design and Build
Services: House additions, renovations, remodelling, custom home builds
Contact: +1 613-618-9121
Business hours: Monday to Friday: 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM
Gilded Design & Build’s impressive portfolio gave us a great first impression. Their online gallery showcases the high-quality workmanship of their services, whether they be renovations, custom house builds, etc.
We noticed that they specialise in modern, sleek and luxurious designs, so if that’s your aesthetic, they’re one of the best firms to call.
Clients have also noted how clean and seamless their newly renovated rooms looked afterwards, which is a testament to the workers’ expertise.
Another praiseworthy aspect is the approachability of the firm’s general contractors. We appreciate how they provide their clients with their personal contact info and are available to answer any question.
Furthermore, they don’t have to be asked for updates, as they provide them automatically.
Our only gripe is their slightly limited operating hours. At the time of writing, they’re closed on Sundays, and on Saturdays, they only operate based on appointments.
Highly recommend them for any design and build
“We contacted Gilded to help extend our house from a 3 to 5-bedroom home as our family was growing. We have worked with several contractors through the years, and have consistently praised how extremely professional and reliable Gilded was in comparison.
Best of all, we could trust them. Cory and Eric provided a no-surprises experience and would bring up any issues encountered promptly so we could discuss options to resolve them that still worked within an acceptable budget and timeframe.
The project took place from January to April to build an addition above our garage for two new bedrooms. The project also included rerunning some HVAC, electrical, drywalling, painting, and retiling in other areas of the house as well.
We also asked them to replace the entire siding outside the house to be consistent with the addition. For areas where we wanted to do some of the work ourselves, they were accommodating and also provided some guidance and mentorship.
With newborns and young kids running around sometimes when they were working, we appreciated their organization and cleanliness. They always had the proper safeguards in place and would clean up every day.
We truly built a great client relationship. Our two toddlers loved seeing them and were sad when the project was over. Cory and Eric were fantastic. Not only do they have great quality workmanship, their project management skills enabled the project to run smoothly.
We highly recommend them for any design and build contract and have passed their name to several of our friends. We love how the project turned out! Thank you, Gilded!
Attached are some before and after photos. Will post additional of the inside once we have moved the kid’s stuff in.”
-Anh La, Google Review
Exceptional experience
“Collaborating with Cory and Eric at Gilded Design + Build on a recent project was an exceptional experience. Their commitment to high-quality work and meticulous attention to detail were evident throughout the entire process.
It’s rare to find a team so dedicated to ensuring every element is executed to perfection. Their ability to blend creativity with a clear vision resulted in a seamless and well-managed process, no matter the challenges.
Working with a team that upholds such high standards made our role in the project all the more rewarding. We would highly recommend Gilded Design + Build to anyone seeking a team that truly values craftsmanship and excellence.”
-Brian Pshyk, Google Review
