Mayfield Renovations Ltd. provides fixed cost, plus allowances contracting. What this means is that once the scope of your renovation has been clearly defined, all of the tasks which are a known quantity are estimated and converted into a fixed cost amount.

Tasks that are included in the fixed cost portion of your project will include items such as demolition, plumbing, electrical and HVAC rough-ins, insulation, drywall, painting, and other tasks that can clearly be accounted for prior to the start of your renovation.

Items that are included in the allowance portion of your project are items that are required for the scope of your renovation, but which you will work with our designers to choose what accurately reflects your style preference. These items are typically all finishes and will include items such as flooring, cabinetry, countertops, plumbing fixtures, light fixtures, handles and more.

We provide you with averages for your allowance items that previous clients are using for renovations with a similar level of finish to what we believe you will like in your home. You will direct the final cost of your renovation by the choices that you make in the allowance items that are required for your renovation.

Mayfield Renovations Ltd. chose to provide our homeowners with allowance budgets from what previous clients are choosing so that you have the freedom and flexibility to choose exactly what you want, rather than choosing from a limited selection of what is available.

With renovations, there can be many unknown factors that are not exposed until the area being renovated has had demolition completed. Our estimates are accurate for the scope of work that is covered in the estimate. Changes and increases in the overall project come from when/if items that do not meet current National Building Code of Canada (NBC) standards, and if homeowners add to the scope of their project.

Areas that are uncovered during demolition that do not meet Current NBC are called contingencies, and must be brought up to current standards in order for City of Calgary building permit inspections to be approved. Contingencies occur in some renovations due to technology improvements, and sometimes due to poor workmanship from when the house was originally built or in a previous renovation. Many design experts recommend having a separate savings account for 5% – 10% of your overall renovation budget to fix and repair any contingencies that may be uncovered during your renovation.

The fixed quote amount of your renovation is divided into percentages of the overall fixed quote amount and is invoiced as milestones are met during your project. Milestones may include demolition, rough-ins (plumbing, HVAC and electrical), drywall, cabinetry, flooring, etc. Allowance items are invoiced with the next milestone, after they are purchased.

Some allowance items must be purchased through the existing account that we have with that vendor, and therefore are purchased by Mayfield Renovations Ltd. Some allowance items can be purchased direct by our homeowners. Once the scope of your project has been determined, we will advise you on which allowance items you can purchase directly.

If no contingencies are uncovered during your renovation, and once you have finalized and signed off on all of your design choices with our interior designer, your project will run on budget and all charges will be identified along with when you can expect them to occur.

Mayfield Renovations Ltd. sub-contracts out all work that requires City of Calgary permits and inspections, and specialized skills.  These subcontractors are experts in their areas of workmanship, licensed with the City of Calgary, and carry the same Core Values as Mayfield Renovations Ltd.!  Sub-contractors that may be a part of the team for your project could include: architect, structural engineer, plumber, HVAC contractor, electrician, flooring installation, cabinet maker, tile setter, etc.  By working with a team of professionals that work specifically in one area, the level of finishes in your project will be much higher than if your contractor is a generalist and has not perfected that art of each stage of finishing your project.  Sub-contractors take years to perfect their skillsets, so you can expect a level of finish that is not possible from someone who only occasionally does these tasks.

A renovation company that is a design-build firm is a company that operates similar to a new home builder in that the team at a design-build firm works with the client from the conceptual stage through to the final finish of the project. Design-build firms will provide and manage any/all of the following tasks that may be required for your renovation: conceptual planning of what modifications are possible to the structure, layout and finishes of your home, estimating and quoting process, architectural and structural engineering planning stages, architectural and structural drawings, site inspections and reports, interior design schedule, and all stages of construction through to completion. [Excerpt taken from Three Pillars of Functional Design in Renovations, Karla Mayfield, 2018]

The residential renovation company that you hire for a large-scale renovation will be a general contractor. For the purpose of a renovation, a GC (general contractor) will act as the project manager and will handle all aspects of managing and overseeing your project. An excellent GC will have good working relationships with each sub-contractor that will be required for the scope of your project, and will have the knowledge on who is required, the timing, and what the cost should be for each task. The GC will ensure that the sub-contractors who are working on specialized areas of your renovation provide high quality work, that tasks are scheduled in the correct order and are fully completed, including all of the fine details required between each sub-contractor’s task.

Hiring a GC will save you time and money, and ultimately stress during your large renovation. A large renovation project can be as complicated as building a custom home. Currently there is no regulation in Alberta on who can obtain a business license to operate as a general contractor; it is of utmost importance for homeowners to properly research and interview the renovation company they are considering hiring in order to ensure that your GC has thorough knowledge, expertise and experience with carrying out the scope of project you are considering. [Excerpt taken from Three Pillars of Functional Design in Renovations, Karla Mayfield, 2018]

We manage our projects as a team, with weekly team meetings to be fully up-to-date and well informed on each project. This collaboration ensures that your renovation has the creativity and input of each of our minds, personality types and expertise. Our in-house team has a combined experience in the residential construction industry of over 100 years! We have worked on projects in the United States and Canada, and in Saskatchewan and in Alberta.

Our expertise includes modifying residential structures with wood foundations, ICF (insulated concrete foundations), balloon framing (Century homes), to nowadays platform framing and much more.

As Karla wrote in the Three Pillars of Functional Design in Renovations, excellent renovations are like creating a custom home in the area that you are renovated.  Due to this, the cost per square foot with Mayfield Renovations Ltd. can vary from $100/sf to $800/sf or more.  The factors that will influence what the cost per square foot is on your renovation will be determined by the level of finishes and upgrades that you choose for your personal comfort and preference.  Due to the importance of truly modifying your home to perfectly you’re your needs, Mayfield Renovations Ltd. does not quote on a per square foot cost basis.

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