Today, with their son Bernie at the helm, Z Group continues to grow and has become one of London's largest builder and developer. Currently, thousands of Ontario families call Z Group houses 'home'. During these 45 years, Z Group has built over 55 condominium communities, and several single family home communities throughout London and two condo communities outside of the city.
Informations
Media, Internet
Business
Sport
|
When looking for a qualified contractor, use all available resources. Word of mouth recommendations from others who have had similar work done recently, information from local licensing agencies, and Internet resources like HandyCanadian.com are all helpful tools.
To narrow down possible candidates, request each contractor’s business license number and check it out with the local licensing office. The law requires contractors to have a licence. By contacting your municipal licensing bureau you can confirm that the company has a licence, how long it has been in business and whether any complaints have been filed against it in the past.
Make sure each candidate carries public liability and property damage insurance. Take the time to check with the insurance agency to verify the policy is still in force.
Another basic requirement, one every contractor with employees should meet, is the provision of Workers’ Compensation; a type medical insurance also known as “workers’ comp.” Any sub-contractor hired by the contractor should also be covered.
If the contractor is uninsured and/or has uninsured employees don’t even consider hiring them. Otherwise, you could be sued and held monetarily responsible for worker’s injuries sustained while on your property. A fate more than one project owner has been forced to deal with, simply because of a hasty hiring decision.
Check with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to discover which contractors or firms they represent may have had complaints filed against them. Get as much detail as possible to determine whether the complaint was fair or not.
Ask each candidate how long they have worked in the area, and whether or not they have experience with projects similar to your own. If so, get the names of homeowners they completed the projects for and contact them. Verify the information, and ask about the quality of work, and whether or not they would ever use the services of the contractor again.
Do not be concerned about possibly offending the contractor by requesting such information. Reputable contractors will not be offended because they will have nothing to hide.
Narrow your candidate list down further to determine which contractors to get bids from; get bids from at least 3, but the more the better. 1. Sarwan century gives Windies win over Sri Lanka data: 07.04.08 A classy century from Ramnaresh Sarwan led West Indies to a six-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the second test on Sunday to tie the two-test series at 1-1. 2. EU court to rule on use of 'Adidas stripes' data: 10.04.08 Fashion designers using stripes, from Comme des Garçons to Fred Perry, could fall foul of a ruling on the protection of the Adidas motif in the European Union courts today. 3. Heather Mills and Paul McCartney divorce: 'Ridiculous' living expense claims data: 19.03.08 The water thrown at Sir Paul McCartney's lawyer at the end of his acrimonious divorce settlement sounded like a "waterfall", Heather Mills' legal aide has said. 4. Mobile internet access increases tenfold data: 07.04.08 The GSM Association is set to reveal the world's 32-millionth mobile broadband connection – up from 3m in March 2007 – lending credence to suggestions the sector is coming of age 5. Tories plan to block pupils' appeals data: 07.04.08 Children will be stripped of the right to an independent appeal after being excluded from school under a Conservative plan to restore order in the classroom. 6. In for the kill data: 07.04.08 Big game hunting hasn't died out... Louis Theroux on why people go on holiday to shoot lions. 7. Now snow hits flights at new T5 data: 07.04.08 Heathrow's Terminal 5 is hit by more than 100 cancellations as snow causes further disruption. 8. Cristiano Ronaldo in bullfight ad controversy data: 19.03.08 Manchester United midfielder Cristiano Ronaldo has risked the ire of animal-rights groups by portraying a bullfighter in an advert. 9. Cityscape: Helping newcomers navigate the real estate maze of Istanbul data: 27.03.08 A modern businesswoman finds new residents a place to live in an ancient city beset by illegal construction and often untraceable ownership documents. 10. Asian businesses and workers suffer from dollar's weakness data: 27.03.08 The sliding value of the U.S. dollar against most global currencies is putting many businesses and workers under increasing financial pressure. 11. Prague's greatest hero is really a blank Czech data: 27.03.08 Satirists' invention, Jara da Cimrman, has amused audiences for 40 years. 12. 'Anti-gay views' JP investigated data: 07.04.08 An inquiry is underway into anti-gay remarks made by a serving magistrate on a BBC Wales documentary. 13. Dominant Russian party to nominate Putin as leader data: 10.04.08 The Russian president has said he will become prime minister after his successor, Dmitri Medvedev, is sworn in on May 7, but leadership of the pro-Kremlin United Russia party would effectively give him control of Parliament, where the party has a large majority. 14. Trade in mammoth ivory, helped by global thaw, flourishes in Russia data: 27.03.08 As global warming releases the remains of extinct woolly mammoths from the frozen Siberian tundra, the traditional Russian business of ivory carving is flourishing once more. 15. Obama calls for Beijing boycott data: 10.04.08 Barack Obama urges President Bush to consider a boycott of the Beijing Olympics, as the US leg of the torch relay is held. 16. US urged to end travel ban on Nelson Mandela data: 10.04.08 US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has asked for a long-standing ruling which means former South African president Nelson Mandela and his party are blacklisted from entry to the US, to be repealed. 17. McCartney Mills full divorce ruling: Extracts data: 19.03.08 In his full ruling on the McCartney divorce, the judge was highly critical of Heather Mills' evidence. 18. EU moves toward allowing in-flight cellphone calls data: 07.04.08 The new regulations, to be released Monday, will remove a major obstacle for companies that want to sell the service. 19. World food prices soar as Asia consumes more data: 07.04.08 Price rises are leading to protests and some governments are responding with controls on prices and exports. 20. Doctor Who draws in 8.4m viewers data: 07.04.08 The return of Doctor Who attracted 8.4 million viewers, it was disclosed yesterday. 21. Toxic gas 'helps lung patients' data: 19.03.08 A toxic gas could improve the lives of patients with serious lung conditions, say scientists. 22. Rivals back Premier League's '39th match' data: 10.04.08 The Premier League's controversial "international round" concept was backed on Wednesday by leading officials from the Spanish and German leagues. 23. Stem cell pioneer backs research data: 10.04.08 The scientist who first isolated stem cells more than 25 years ago has hit back at critics of embryo research. 24. Paul Routledge: Fag ban will work, no ifs and no butts data: 07.04.08 Ssst? Wanna buy some dirty, dangerous drugs that will eventually kill you? I got psome real hard stuff, genuine Virginia. Just like Marlboro Man used to smoke. 25. British defend Hayles after failed blood test data: 27.03.08 Robert Hayles, who failed a pre-race blood test at the track cycling world championships on Wednesday, has been defended by British Cycling performance director Dave Brailsford. 26. Asian stocks drop on fears about U.S. economy data: 10.04.08 Companies like United Parcel Service, considered a bellwether of U.S. economic activity, have cut their earnings forecasts this week, highlighting the threat from a slowing U.S. economy. 27. Iraqis get a chilly welcome as refugees in Denmark data: 27.03.08 The 100 Iraqi interpreters and their families who were evacuated to Denmark in July find themselves facing a future in a country that is, at best, ambivalent toward their presence. 28. Economic slowdown hits Silicon Valley data: 10.04.08 Job growth has slowed, start-up companies are spending more cautiously, and early-stage investors who nurture the start-ups are growing more frugal. 29. Energy bills 10% higher in Wales data: 10.04.08 Energy customers in Wales are paying up to 10% more than in England, a watchdog group finds. 30. Apple in talks with music companies data: 19.03.08 The computer maker proposes a new business model that would give customers free access to its entire iTunes music library in exchange for paying a premium for its devices --- --- --- -x- |