Talk to a Garden Suite Builder before you sign anything
Book a call with an Ontario builder who has been pouring footings since 1979 and has 300+ custom homes behind him. Bring your plans, your quote or just your questions. 30 minutes is $149.99 + HST, and it is credited toward any report, permit package or build.
At a glance
Advice only. We are not the contractor of record for your project unless you separately hire us to build.
A Talk to a Builder call is a paid, no-sales second opinion on your garden suite. The 30-minute call is $149.99 + HST for questions. The 60-minute review is $249.99 + HST: you upload a builder quote or plans first, and we mark it up and walk you through it. Either fee is credited toward any report, permit package or build with us.
A $300,000 Quote Deserves a Second Pair of Eyes
Most garden suite quotes we see are not dishonest. They are just incomplete. The building is priced carefully and the ground it sits on is a line that says “site work by owner” or “allowance.”
That line is where budgets go to die. Trenching water and sewer from the house, upgrading the electrical service, moving a hydro line, hauling fill, a rural septic: those can add tens of thousands, and they show up after the contract is signed.
You would not buy a used truck without having someone crawl under it. A garden suite costs more than most trucks. A $149.99 call is cheap insurance against a five-figure extra, and we are happy to tell you when the quote is fine, too. That happens more than people expect.
Talk to a Garden Suite Builder: Pick the Call That Fits
30-Minute Builder Call
For questions you can ask out loud. No homework needed on our side, though a survey and a few photos help.
- Prefab, kit or custom for your lot and budget
- Rough cost ranges and what drives them on your site
- Foundation type: slab, frost wall, ICF or piles
- Whether your idea is likely to need a minor variance
- What to ask builders before you get quotes
60-Minute Plan or Quote Review
You upload a builder quote, a contract, plans or a kit package first. We read it before the call and send a marked-up PDF.
- Line-by-line read of the quote or plans
- Items that are missing, vague or under-allowed
- Questions to put back to the builder, in writing
- Red flags in payment schedules and contract terms
- Marked-up PDF you keep and can share
Book, Upload, Talk, Get Your Notes
Book your time
Pick 30 minutes ($149.99 + HST) or a 60-minute plan or quote review ($249.99 + HST) and pay securely through Stripe. Within one business day we email you times that work, and you pick one.
Send your documents
For the 60-minute review, upload the quote, contract, drawings or kit package at least two business days before the call so we can read it properly. For a 30-minute call, a survey and photos are helpful but optional.
We talk it through
Phone or video. You ask, we answer straight. If the honest answer is “that is a good quote, sign it,” we will say so.
You get notes and a credit
After a 60-minute review you get the marked-up PDF. Either way, the fee is credited in full if you go on to buy a Feasibility Report, a Permit Package or a build with us.
Need the answer in writing for your lot?
The $399 + HST Feasibility Report checks zoning, setbacks, servicing and septic for your address and arrives in 48 hours. Your call fee is credited toward it.
The Questions We Hear Most
“Is this quote fair?”
We check what is in it and, more importantly, what is not. Site servicing, hydro, permits, grading, landscaping repair and HST are the usual gaps.
“Prefab or custom?”
A factory unit can be cheaper and faster, but crane access, foundation and delivery can change the math. See prefab vs custom for the background.
“Can my lot even take this?”
Setbacks, coverage, fire access and servicing decide that. We can usually tell you on the call where the risk sits.
“What will the inspector look at?”
Footings, framing, insulation, plumbing and the final. We tell you what fails most often and how to avoid a re-inspection.
“Am I being upsold?”
Sometimes the extra is worth it, sometimes not. We have no stake in what you buy from someone else.
“Should I be my own general contractor?”
Some people should. Most people underestimate the scheduling. We will tell you honestly which camp you are in.
What Is Included and What Is Not
| Item | 30-minute call | 60-minute review |
|---|---|---|
| Live call (phone or video) | 30 minutes | 60 minutes |
| We read your documents first | Quick look at survey and photos | Yes, quote, contract, plans or kit package |
| Marked-up PDF | No | Yes |
| Short follow-up question by email | One, within 7 days | One, within 7 days |
| Credit toward report, permit package or build | $149.99 credited | $249.99 credited |
| Site visit | No | No |
| Stamped drawings or engineering opinion | No | No |
| Legal or tax advice | No | No |
| Contractor of record or project management | No | No |
Advice, not a contract. A call gives you a builder’s opinion based on what you show us. We are not responsible for the work, we do not supervise your trades, and our notes are not stamped drawings. For contract wording, talk to a lawyer. For HST on a rental suite, see our garden suite HST page.
Get the Most Out of 30 Minutes
- Write your three most expensive worries on paper before the call. Start with those.
- Have your survey open. Half the questions are answered by where the lot lines are.
- Know your real budget, including the part you have not told your spouse.
- If you have a quote, send it. A quote read on the fly is worth less than one read the night before.
- Take notes, or ask to record the call for yourself. You will forget the third thing we said.
Get a straight answer from a builder.
30 minutes for $149.99 + HST, or a 60-minute quote review for $249.99 + HST. Credited toward whatever you do next.
Builder Call Questions
Who will I actually be talking to?
A working Ontario builder from the ICFhome.ca team, which has been building since 1979, has completed 300+ custom homes and is a Certified ICF, R2000 and Green Builder. You are not talking to a call centre or a lead broker. The person on the call has stood in a lot of muddy footings.
Is this just a sales call in disguise?
No. You are paying for advice, so you get advice. Outside Simcoe County and Georgian Bay we do not build, so we have nothing to sell you except our time. Inside that area we will mention that we build if it is relevant, but the call is about your question, not our calendar.
What does the 60-minute quote review include?
You upload a builder quote, contract, plans or kit package at least two business days before the call. We read it, mark up what is missing, vague or under-allowed, and list questions to send back to the builder. Then we walk you through it for up to an hour, and you keep the marked-up PDF. The price is $249.99 + HST.
Is the fee really credited?
Yes. The full call fee is credited toward a $399 + HST Feasibility Report, any Permit Package or a build contract with us. The credit is applied to your next purchase from us; it is not paid out as cash if you do not buy anything else.
Can you tell me if a garden suite quote is too high?
We can tell you whether it is complete, whether the allowances are realistic for your site, and whether anything looks out of line with what similar work costs in Ontario right now. We will not pretend to know a builder’s exact overhead. Often the bigger risk is a quote that looks low because the site work is left out.
Do you give tax or legal advice on the call?
No. We can explain in plain terms how things like HST self-supply on a rental suite usually work and point you to the right CRA pages, but for your own situation you need an accountant or lawyer. For the rental HST rebate, the free check at ontariohstrebates.ca is a good first step.
Can you visit my property?
A call does not include a site visit. In Simcoe County and Georgian Bay, a site visit can be arranged as part of an ICFhome.ca build conversation. Elsewhere, good photos, a survey and a short phone video of the yard and side path usually tell us what we need.