Checkable, not just claimed.
Desire Basements is a member of BILD, the Ontario Home Builders' Association and the Canadian Home Builders' Association, and a RenoMark verified renovator. Liability insurance is carried on every project we sign, permit drawings are prepared and stamped by a licensed structural engineer, and the electrical work on every basement is inspected by the Electrical Safety Authority. Each line below links to the public directory where you can confirm it without taking our word for it.
The verification ledger.
BILD memberBuilding Industry and Land Development Association
BILD is the home building and renovation association for the Greater Toronto Area and the local association that RenoMark requires its renovators to belong to. Membership means a code of ethics we have signed and a public directory you can check.
Search Desire Basements under Renovator.
OHBA memberOntario Home Builders' Association
The provincial association BILD belongs to. Membership runs through BILD, the GTA local, and ties us to the provincial code of ethics.
Member through BILD, the GTA local.
CHBA memberCanadian Home Builders' Association
The national association, and the body that runs the RenoMark program. CHBA membership is the top of the same three-level structure: local, provincial, national.
Member through BILD and OHBA.
RenoMark verified renovatorCode of Conduct, verified listing
To be listed, a renovator agrees to a written Code of Conduct: a detailed written contract with a scope of work for every job, a minimum two-year warranty, a minimum of $2 million in liability insurance, all required licences and permits, a safe and organized site, phone calls returned within two business days, and subcontractors with workplace safety and employers' liability coverage. Our own warranty on workmanship is lifetime, which is well past the minimum. Source: RenoMark, About RenoMark, 2026.
Province, service region and project types are on the listing.
Liability insuranceCarried on every project
Liability insurance is carried on every project we sign. It protects your home and anyone on the site if something goes wrong during the build, and it is one of the conditions of our RenoMark listing. Ask us for the certificate before you sign; a contractor who hesitates to show one is telling you something.
Permit drawings stamped by a licensed structural engineerPrepared and stamped for every permit
The drawings submitted with your building permit are prepared and stamped by a licensed structural engineer. The stamp is not decoration: it carries the engineer's licence number and makes a named professional responsible for the beam, the bearing wall and the opening in it. Permit drawings are included in every Desire quote.
Search the licence number on the stamp.
ESA inspection on the electricalElectrical Safety Authority
In Ontario the electrical work needs its own permit, separate from the general building permit. The Licensed Electrical Contractor files the notification of work, the ESA reviews the finished work, and a Certificate of Acceptance is issued, a document your insurer may ask for and that can matter at resale. An ESA inspection is included in every Desire quote. Source: Electrical Safety Authority, Working with General Contractors, 2026.
Ask for the Certificate of Acceptance at the walkthrough.
Still being added to this pageDocuments we will post once they are on file
Workplace safety clearance, municipal contractor licence numbers, the dollar amount of our own liability coverage and the suppliers we buy from are not listed here yet because we publish only what we can show. If you need any of them for your own file, ask at the site visit.
Why the paperwork matters.
A basement is the one renovation that touches the structure, the electrical, the plumbing and the drainage of the house all at once. The memberships above are not trophies. They are the list of people you can call if we do something wrong, and the list of things we agreed in writing not to do.
Insurance is the part most homeowners skip when comparing quotes, and the part that costs the most when it is missing. A crew without coverage on your property makes you the insurer. Ask every contractor on your shortlist for a certificate, a permit history and an engineer's name, then compare the quotes. Our list of questions to ask a basement contractor and the quote checklist were written for exactly that afternoon.
The rest of what we put in writing is on the contract itself: the lifetime workmanship warranty, a written completion date and the $200 a day on-time guarantee. The price behind it, line by line, is on the basement cost calculator.
- Certificate of liability insurance, current, naming the company
- The engineer who will stamp the permit drawings
- Who files the electrical permit with the ESA, and their ECRA/ESA licence number
- The home builders' association membership, and where to look it up
- The warranty, the completion date and the late penalty, all on the contract
Insurance and credential questions.
Is Desire Basements insured?
Yes. Liability insurance is carried on every project we sign, and you can ask to see the certificate before you sign. RenoMark, which verifies us, requires every renovator in the program to carry a minimum of $2 million in liability insurance as a condition of its Code of Conduct.
What does RenoMark verified mean?
RenoMark is the renovator program of the Canadian Home Builders' Association. A verified renovator must be a member in good standing of the local home builders' association, provide a detailed written contract for every job, carry a minimum of $2 million in liability insurance, carry all required licences and permits, and work only with subcontractors who have workplace safety and employers' liability coverage. Our listing is public on renomark.ca.
Who stamps the permit drawings?
A licensed structural engineer prepares and stamps the drawings submitted with your permit application. The stamp carries the engineer's licence number, which anyone can check in the Professional Engineers Ontario directory.
Does the electrical work get inspected?
Yes. The electrical work on a basement needs its own permit, separate from the building permit. The Licensed Electrical Contractor files the notification of work with the Electrical Safety Authority, the ESA reviews the work, and a Certificate of Acceptance is issued. An ESA inspection is included in every Desire quote.
How do I check any of this myself?
Each row on this page links to the public directory where you can look us up: BILD's Find a Member tool, our RenoMark listing, the PEO directory for the engineer, and ESA's contractor lookup. The contractor vetting guide walks through the same checks for any company you are comparing.
Ask for the certificate.
A site visit with Kam, a free 3D design, and an itemized quote within 24 to 48 hours. Bring the list above.