LMLead magnet / Form LM-001
Walk into your first contractor meeting already prepared.
24 pages of the checklists, interview scripts and budget worksheets we use with Adv clients — stripped of the sales pitch and handed to you free, before you sign anything. Enter your email; the PDF lands in your inbox within a minute.
- Document
- The Contractor Prep Pack
- Pages
- 24 · full-colour
- Contents
- Contract checklist, interview questions, budget worksheet, red-flag index
- Benchmarked to
- Greater Toronto Area · 2026 pricing
- Delivered by
- PDF, emailed within 60 seconds
- Cost to you
- Free. No follow-up sales calls.
The Contractor Prep Pack
01What's inside
Nine sections. All useful, none filler.
The table of contents, reproduced exactly. Each section is a working document, not an explainer — so you can print the pages that matter, take them to meetings, and tick items off.
- 01How to read this packWhich pages to print, which to skim, and how much time to allow before your first meeting.Introp. 02
- 02The 14-item contract checklistEvery line your contract must include before you sign — scope, schedule, payment stages, change-order rules.Checklistp. 04
- 03The 17 interview questionsWhat to ask each contractor you meet, grouped by risk — licensing, insurance, subs, warranty, failure modes.Questionsp. 06
- 04Answer patterns to listen forGreen-flag answers vs. red-flag answers, in the words contractors actually use. A pattern-matching cheat sheet.Referencep. 08
- 05The GTA budget worksheet13 line items with low-end and high-end ranges, benchmarked to 2026 Greater Toronto Area pricing.Worksheetp. 09
- 06Where your budget quietly leaksThe four line items most homeowners forget to budget for — and the order of magnitude for each.Cautionp. 13
- 07Permit & inspection timelineWhat needs a permit in the GTA, who pulls it, and how long each inspection window tends to take.Timelinep. 15
- 08Red flags during the walk-throughSeven behaviours at the first site visit that correlate with projects that later went sideways.Fieldp. 17
- 09Appendix · templatesPrintable: the checklist as a one-pager, the interview-question sheet, the budget worksheet.Printp. 20
Every line your contract must include — scope, schedule, payment stages, change-order rules, warranty.
See § 02 · p. 04
Grouped by risk category, with the answer patterns to listen for on each one.
See § 03 · p. 06
A full kitchen-reno worksheet with low-end and high-end ranges filled in.
See § 05 · p. 09
Every number in the pack is benchmarked to Greater Toronto Area pricing as of Q2 2026.
Revised Q2 2026 · Rev. 04
02A look inside
A real page from the budget worksheet, not a teaser.
§ 05, pages 9–10 of the pack. This is the working document — figures shown are the high end of the 2026 GTA range; the full pack gives you low-end too, plus the 13 line items for assembly, finishes, trades, and contingency.
05A worked example
Figure out what it should cost, before anyone quotes you.
Most homeowners hear a contractor's number first, then decide whether they believe it. This section inverts that — you fill the sheet in yourself, room by room, then compare quotes against your own math.
The worksheet is built around a mid-range 180 sq ft kitchen renovation in the Greater Toronto Area: full gut, new cabinetry, mid-range stone counter, new appliances, a recessed-lighting plan, and standard permit and inspection fees.
Each line item gives you a low-end and high-end range. "Low-end" assumes stock cabinetry, laminate counters, basic tile. "High-end" assumes custom millwork, quartz, and a designer-specified lighting plan.
Page 10 is the full table. This page gives you the why behind each range — what makes a $14,000 cabinet job a $26,000 job, and which upgrades actually show up in daily use.
Kitchen renovation · 180 sq ft · GTA
Full gut, mid-to-high finish level · high-end ranges shown · 13 line items in full pack
| Ref. | Line item | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| 05.01 | Demolition & disposalincl. bin rental, haul-off, dust protection | $2,400 | $4,800 |
| 05.02 | Rough carpentry & framingwall changes, bulkheads, subfloor prep | $3,600 | $7,200 |
| 05.03 | Electrical (incl. permit)14 circuits, recessed plan, EV-ready | $4,800 | $9,600 |
| 05.04 | Plumbing & gas re-routessink relocate, gas range line, shut-offs | $2,800 | $5,400 |
| 05.05 | Cabinetry & millworkstock vs. custom — single biggest variable | $14,000 | $34,000 |
| 05.06 | Stone counters & backsplashquartz assumed · natural stone adds 30-50% | $4,200 | $9,800 |
| Subtotal · lines 05.01 – 05.06 | $31,800 | $70,800 |