Services Agreement

Who's Involved

YOUR CONTRACTOR:

Your Project Details

What We're Building

We'll complete all work exactly as described in your estimate; that's where you'll find every detail about materials, phases, and specifications for your project.

What It Costs

Your total investment is detailed in your estimate. All pricing, payment milestones, and any options you've selected are outlined there.

How Payment Works

You'll make payments according to the schedule in your estimate. If your estimate doesn't specify a custom schedule, here's our standard approach:

Legal Holdback Requirement (Alberta Law)

Alberta law requires a 10% holdback from payments to protect against potential liens from our suppliers or subcontractors. Your 10% final payment acts as this holdback and will be released 60 days after project completion, as long as no liens have been filed.

Payment Details

• When to pay: within 7 days of receiving your invoice for each completed milestone
• Late payments: interest applies at 1.5% per month (18% annually)
• How to pay: cheque, e-transfer, or bank draft

Our Right to Suspend Work

If a payment is not received within 7 days of its due date, we will notify you in writing. If payment is not received within 5 business days of that notice, we may suspend all work until the overdue amount is paid in full. Any timeline delays resulting from a payment suspension are not our responsibility. This right does not waive our right to file a builder's lien under Alberta's Prompt Payment and Construction Lien Act.

Timeline

Your estimated timeline is in your estimate.

What "Substantial Completion" Means

Your project is considered "substantially complete" when:

• All work described in your estimate is finished according to the plans and specifications
• The work meets Alberta Building Code requirements
• You can use the completed space for its intended purpose
• Only minor deficiencies or punch-list items remain (if any)

This is important because your final payment and warranty period are tied to substantial completion, not perfection of every minor detail.

If Things Take Longer Than Expected

Sometimes things happen that are outside our control. We won't be responsible for delays caused by weather, material shortages, permit processing, changes you request, or unexpected conditions we discover. If we hit a delay, we'll let you know right away and give you a new timeline.

Permits and Inspections

Who Gets the Permits: Unless your estimate says otherwise, we'll work with you to obtain the required building permits.

Meeting Code Requirements: All our work meets Alberta Building Code standards and your local municipal regulations. We'll coordinate any required inspections with your local building department.

Your Part: Under Alberta law, you (the homeowner) are ultimately responsible for making sure permits are in place before work starts. You'll also need to give inspectors access to your property when needed.

The Materials We Use

All the specific brands, products, and finishes for your project are listed in your estimate. Everything we supply will be new, high-quality, and suitable for its purpose.

If Something Becomes Unavailable: If a specified material becomes unavailable, we'll notify you in writing and suggest an equal or better substitute. We won't make any substitutions without your written approval.

Changes to Your Project

If you want to change the scope, materials, design, or timeline after we start, we'll document it in a written Change Order that both of us sign before we do the changed work.

Each Change Order will clearly show what's changing, how it affects the price, how it affects the timeline, and any impact on warranties.

Change Order Pricing: Work outside the original scope is billed at $95/hour plus materials, unless we agree on a fixed price for the change.

If We Discover Something Unexpected: Your price assumes your home's existing structure and foundation are in good shape (unless your estimate says otherwise). If we uncover hidden problems, like rot or structural issues, we'll address them through a Change Order.

What's Not Included

Unless specifically mentioned in your estimate, these items are NOT part of your project price:

• Specialized electrical, plumbing, or HVAC work (we're happy to coordinate with licensed trades if you need these)
• Landscaping restoration beyond basic grading
• Repairs to existing structural or foundation problems (handled through a Change Order if we find them)
• Work required by unexpected site conditions (like bedrock or underground utilities)
• Furnishings, fixtures, or decorative accessories
• Any work not described in your estimate

Your Warranties

Our 2-Year Workmanship Guarantee

We guarantee all our labour and installation for 2 full years from the day your project is complete. If something goes wrong due to our workmanship during that time, we'll fix it at no charge to you.

Our 10-Year Structural Guarantee

For structural work (like framing, footings, and load-bearing elements), we guarantee our workmanship for 10 years from the date of substantial completion. This warranty applies to Green Ladder Contractors Ltd. and is not transferable if the company is sold or dissolved.

Material Warranties

You'll receive all manufacturer warranties for the materials we supply. We'll give you all the warranty paperwork when your project is finished.

What the Warranties Don't Cover

• Damage from misuse, neglect, or lack of maintenance
• Changes made by others after we're done
• Extreme weather or natural disasters
• Normal wear and tear
• Drainage problems or landscaping changes you make later
• Movement or settling in parts of your home we didn't replace

How to Get Warranty Service

Contact us in writing if you notice a problem. We'll come take a look and fix anything that's covered within a reasonable time.

Include a description of the issue and photos if possible.

Insurance and Licensing

We carry:

• $2 million in liability insurance (to protect you and your property)
• WCB (Workers' Compensation) coverage for our team

We'll provide proof of all this upon request or before we start work.

Your Insurance: You're responsible for keeping your homeowner's insurance current during the project. We recommend notifying your insurance company about the construction; you may need to adjust your coverage to reflect your home's increased value when we're done.

Your Right to Cancel

Buyer's Right to Cancel

You may cancel this contract from the day you enter into the contract until 10 days after you receive a copy of the contract. You do not need a reason to cancel.

If you do not receive the goods or services within 30 days of the date stated in the contract, you may cancel this contract within one year of the contract date. You lose that right if you accept delivery after the 30 days. There are other grounds for extended cancellation. For more information, you may contact your provincial/territorial consumer affairs office.

If you cancel this contract, we have 15 days to refund your money and any trade-in, or the cash value of the trade-in. To cancel, you must give notice of cancellation at the address in this contract by a method that will allow you to prove that you gave notice, including registered mail, fax, or personal delivery.

If You Cancel After We've Started

If you cancel after we've already ordered materials or started work (after the 10-day period above):

• You'll pay for work we've satisfactorily completed
• You'll pay for materials we've already ordered or received that can't be returned
• We'll refund any amount you've paid beyond those costs
• We may keep a reasonable amount for restocking fees, supplier cancellation charges, and admin costs (we'll document and show you these)

When Unexpected Things Happen

Neither of us is responsible if we can't meet our obligations due to things completely outside our control, like severe weather, natural disasters, pandemics or government lockdowns, government orders, labour strikes, material shortages, or transportation delays.

If something like this happens, we'll let you know right away and do our best to work around it. If the delay lasts more than 60 days, either of us can end this contract, and you'll pay for work completed up to that point.

If We Disagree About Something

Responsibility

What We're Responsible For: Claims, damages, or expenses that result from our negligence or intentional misconduct, our breach of this contract, our failure to follow laws or regulations, or injuries or property damage caused by our work.

What You're Responsible For: Claims that result from your negligence or intentional misconduct, misrepresenting your property's condition to us, not telling us about known hazards, or interfering with our work.

Except for cases involving bodily injury or death, neither of us can be held liable for more than the total contract price.

Access to Your Property

We'll need reasonable access during normal working hours (typically 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM, Monday to Saturday, respecting local noise bylaws) and any other times we agree on.

Please help us work efficiently by keeping the work area clear of personal items, pets, and obstructions; removing or protecting anything that could get damaged during construction; giving us access to water and electricity; and showing us where we can store materials and place waste bins.

Please give your neighbours a heads-up about the upcoming construction.

Construction work unavoidably involves some noise, dust, debris, and temporary inconvenience. We'll do everything reasonable to minimize disruption, but we can't eliminate it completely. For everyone's safety, please keep pets and children away from the work area.

Keeping Things Clean

We'll keep your worksite reasonably clean and safe throughout the project, removing hazardous materials and debris at the end of each workday.

When we're done, we'll:

• Remove all construction debris and unused materials
• Haul everything to a licensed disposal facility (recycling what we can)
• Sweep and clean the work area
• Do final touch-ups as specified in your estimate
• Walk through the completed project with you

If there's anything you want to keep (like salvaged wood or old fixtures), just let us know where to leave it.

Working with Subcontractors

We sometimes bring in qualified subcontractors (like electricians, plumbers, or other specialists) to handle portions of your project. We remain fully responsible for all their work as if we'd done it ourselves.

We pay all subcontractors and suppliers directly; you'll never receive a bill from them.

All our subcontractors are properly licensed, insured, and qualified for their work.

Photos of Your Project

We may take photos during and after your project for documentation and warranty records.

We may use photos of your completed project (without identifying information) in our portfolio, website, social media, print ads, and publications. We won't use your name without permission, share your specific address, or show photos with you or your family without permission.

By signing your estimate, you consent to the marketing use of project photos as described above.

Confidentiality

We won't share the financial details of this contract with anyone except when required by law or court order, for insurance purposes, for financing purposes, with our professional advisors (lawyers, accountants), or with government agencies for permits or licensing.

Legal Details

This contract is governed by Alberta's Consumer Protection Act and Prompt Payment and Construction Lien Act. We recommend having it reviewed by a licensed Alberta lawyer before use.