I recommend against hiring a company run by Josiah "Joe" who is the President of Riverson Construction. Check out the company he ran previously called "D**** E*********" on the BBB, Homestars and Google Maps for examples of the kind of experiences others have had with him over the last few years. Josiah made a big effort to distance himself from the company he and his wife operated just before starting this one. Working with Riverson I'm reminded of lessons I should have known already. Be cautious of any contractor who asks for a large down payment, who is not clear about termination clauses in their contract or who does not meticulously spell out the timeline for the work and materials they will need to do your project.
Our experience with Riverson went poorly after the really positive sales experience. I can personally attest to: Josiah not paying the bill for the dumpster at our house, substantial last minute structural changes to our porch without a permit (extra labour and materials $!) and a heavy leak in our roof. The roof work started with under qualified employees and after one slow day of stripping shingles, could not be finished by Riverson for the rest of the week. The roof was left unsealed around our skylight for one rain day, then after discovering the leak it was another two and a half days (and more rain) before it was covered with a tarp. Just in time for another rain day! Despite plenty of photos to the contrary, Josiah has his employees look for an excuse to say the damage had occurred previously. When they came to cleanup water damage, they did not bring dehumidifiers, fans, or a shop vac. In hindsight, we paid far more down payment than was reasonable or standard. Work started weeks after it was supposed to, teams were disorganized without the equipment and materials they needed, and all the folks we met were nice but generally have not worked with Riverson for long. After only a few days of work we rescinded the contract for unfair business practices per the Ontario Consumer Protection Act. Rather than acknowledge the poor situation or negotiate a fair settlement, Josiah threatened us with legal action if we didn't pay more money and keep quiet by signing a waiver. The "settlement offer" had the pretense of having received legal advice because a lawyer was CC'ed. Presumably the lawyer did not advise Josiah's actions, since the emails were all sent outside business hours and over the weekend. The lawyer never communicated with us. Invoices were never provided when asked for, or "invoices" were provided that were earlier quotes with additional materials and inflated costs. A number of materials were ordered that weren't needed for our project.
There are lots of contractors who are trying to grow their businesses in a challenging environment. Search on homestars, call who you know or call the folks with advertising out front of a nice looking place. Knock on your neighbours door! Find the collaborative and trustworthy people and give them your business instead. Contractors, subcontractors and supply stores need to work together and operate best when they trust each other and have a solid history of mutual success. Make sure who you hire is respecting their industry and has strong connections within it. As homeowners, when we select the good folks to work with we can all benefit from a stronger home renovation industry.
