Common Questions
Frequently Asked
Questions
Everything you need to know about how Datum Details works, what the assessment covers, how we bill, and what makes Calgary different.
01
What Datum Details Is (and Isn't)
How would you describe Datum Details in plain language?
One number to call for anything going on with your house. If we can handle it ourselves, we do. If it needs a licensed trade or a specialist, we coordinate it. The goal is that you never have to manage a roster of contractors.
How is this different from hiring a handyman?
A handyman is limited to what they personally know how to do. When the job turns out to need a plumber or an electrician, you're back to making calls. We draw on years of experience building homes from the ground up, and we have trade relationships we've built over time. We also know what we're looking at when something is wrong, which changes what we recommend.
How is this different from a home inspection?
A home inspection is a transaction service, typically done at the point of buying or selling. We're doing something different. You're our client, and our job is to help you understand your home, prioritize what needs attention, and actually get it addressed.
Who is Datum Details built for?
Homeowners who value their time and want home maintenance handled without having to manage it themselves. The analogy that fits best is having a good lawyer or a trusted mechanic on retainer. You're paying for the relationship and the judgment, not just individual tasks. Clients in Mount Royal, Elbow Park, Britannia, and similar neighbourhoods tend to understand this model well.
Is there a client this isn't right for?
We work best with people who value professional judgment over the lowest bid. Someone whose first instinct is to get five competing quotes and go with the cheapest number will find the model frustrating.
02
The Assessment
What happens during a home assessment?
We walk the home room by room and document what we find across every major system: HVAC, plumbing, electrical, the building envelope, the roof, drainage, and interior condition. It takes two and a half to three hours. Everything gets recorded with photos and notes.
What does the homeowner receive?
A prioritized report organized around what's a safety issue, what's likely to get worse if ignored, and what would meaningfully improve how the home performs. We don't produce an overwhelming list. We focus on what actually matters.
How does pricing work for the assessment?
If you move forward with Datum Details, the assessment is credited to your account. If you decide not to proceed, you keep the report and we bill for time on site at our standard hourly rate plus a 5% operations fee.
What's the most common thing you find that surprises homeowners?
Problems that have been treated rather than solved. The classic Calgary version is moisture on a basement wall. A lot of homeowners seal the interior surface and think it's done. But concrete is porous by design. The actual problem is usually grading or drainage outside the house. Sealing the inside doesn't fix that.
03
Pricing and the Retainer
What does the quarterly retainer cover?
Four visits per year, one per season, approximately three hours each. Labour is included. The retainer is $250 per quarter, billed before each seasonal visit.
How does billing work for repairs?
Open-book invoicing. Labour is billed at our hourly rate plus a 5% operations fee. Materials and subcontractors are billed at cost plus a coordination fee. We share the receipts. You can see exactly what was spent and what was added on top.
What is the not-to-exceed limit?
For any job, we work within an agreed limit that you set based on your comfort level. If the work looks like it will exceed that by more than $500, we stop, explain what changed, and get your approval before continuing.
Is there a long-term contract?
No. The retainer is quarterly. If you want to pause or cancel, you can.
04
How Repairs and Trades Work
When something needs a licensed trade, what happens?
We schedule it with one of the tradespeople we work with regularly, coordinate the job, and handle billing through our standard invoicing model. You don't manage a separate contractor relationship.
Are the trades employees or subcontractors?
Subcontractors, but people we've worked alongside on Datum Homes projects for years. We know how they work and what they charge. We're not calling whoever comes up in a search.
What if something doesn't go right?
We're accountable for the work we coordinate. We deal with it. The ongoing relationship model means we have real skin in the game on every job.
How quickly can you respond to an urgent call?
Within 48 hours for most situations. For something genuinely urgent, faster. We're not managing hundreds of jobs at once, which means we can actually respond.
05
Calgary-Specific Questions
How does Calgary's climate shape what you do?
Significantly. The freeze-thaw cycle here is more aggressive than most Canadian cities because of the temperature variance and chinook events. That's harder on building materials than steady cold. Hose bibs, exterior caulking, concrete, and roof shingles all take more punishment here. Calgary's dry winters also require active humidity management in a way that surprises people from more humid cities. The right approach is house-dependent, but it's a real issue rather than a minor comfort consideration. The seasonal maintenance calendar we work from is built around Calgary's specific conditions.
What's the most common preventable problem you see?
Hose bibs that weren't properly winterized. The pipe freezes inside the wall cavity, splits, and the damage shows up when it thaws. It's a 20-minute job in October that prevents a significant repair in February.
How do you handle hail damage?
After any significant storm we can do a damage assessment across the roof, siding, AC condenser, and rooftop vents. The documentation matters both for understanding your home's condition and for supporting an insurance claim. Hail damage to a roof often doesn't produce a leak right away, which means homeowners miss the window to connect the damage to a specific storm event.
Do you work across the whole city?
Yes. For properties outside city limits, in Rocky View County or Foothills County, we can discuss scope and logistics depending on the situation.
Are there Calgary homes where this is especially valuable?
Older inner-city neighbourhoods, including Inglewood, Ramsay, Mission, Hillhurst, and Kensington, often carry deferred maintenance from previous owners that isn't obvious without knowing what to look for. Homes from the 1980s and 1990s are also at the age where major systems are at or past end of life, and those first-time replacement decisions benefit from having someone in your corner who isn't the contractor doing the replacement.
Still have questions?
The fastest way to understand if this is a fit is to have a conversation. No obligation.