How to choose a renovation contractor in Tbilisi

What "verified" means

A badge on a contractor's card means only what was actually checked. A level is not "awarded" — it follows from the checks: until every required check is recorded, the level cannot be granted.

Insurance and references from past clients are recorded separately and shown on the card, but they do not change the level. A contractor with no badge is "registered" — and nothing more.

How to read a contractor's card

• The verification level and what was checked — in words, not just a badge.
• Extra checks: insurance and references from past clients, if recorded.
• Specialisations and city: what they do and where they work.
• Status: a contractor who is paused or under review stays in the catalogue but does not take requests — such a card has no invite button.

If something is missing from the card, ask at the site visit: a good contractor will show documents and finished projects.

Site visit and measurement — before the contract

A price from a floor plan is not a promise. On site there turns out to be a load-bearing wall, extra square metres, old wiring — and "the price will not grow" becomes untrue in the first week. So SIVRCE has a strict rule:

• A contractor's quote can be accepted only after that contractor's site visit has taken place. No exceptions.
• "The visit took place" can be marked no earlier than 2 hours before the scheduled time — by the contractor with measurements, or by you with "Yes".
• If the visit did not happen, either side marks it with a reason and can propose a new time.
• When you sign with one contractor, the others' open visits are cancelled with the reason "the client chose another contractor" — nobody travels to a site that already has a contract.

What a quote should contain

A total, a warranty period and lines — labour and materials apart, with quantities. How to read and compare estimates: the estimate guide. Compare the contractor's price with your own estimate and with market prices.

Ask the contractor how the work splits into stages. A good plan follows the same order as the guide to renovation stages: hidden works before they are closed up.

What to ask at the site visit

• What they see in the walls and floors: load-bearing walls, the state of wiring and pipes, how level the screed is.
• Which of the six rough works are already done, if the apartment is a new build.
• Which stages they split the work into and what they hand over with photos.
• What warranty they give and until what date their quote is valid.
• What their estimate leaves out: client-supplied materials, waste removal, delivery.

The answers later become lines of the quote — and lines are easier to compare than promises.

If something goes wrong

• A remark on a stage — in words, at acceptance. The contractor sees what to redo and hands the stage over again.
• The project journal: the contractor records the work with photos, and you read it in the project. Entries marked "Crew only" stay with the crew.
• A price change happens only through an estimate change that you approve.
• A money dispute uses both sides' receipts; an administrator decides.
• The contractor disappears before work starts: until the first work stage has begun, the choice of contractor can be undone.

A contractor does not see your phone or address before agreeing; contacts open only to the chosen contractor or one who has agreed.

What the contract fixes

• The amount: the total of the accepted quote becomes the contract amount.
• The stages and their amounts: the total is split across stages in proportion to the estimate lines.
• The dates: on the day of the contract the plan becomes a promise; after that, dates change only with both sides' agreement.
• The warranty: the period the contractor stated in the quote. It starts after the handover act.

If a contractor declines your invitation, invite another. When you sign with one contractor, the others' requests close — there is nothing left for them on the site.

Money: when and how

• Payment follows the acceptance of a stage, not the other way round. The one exception is an advance for the first stage's materials, at most 33% of that stage. SIVRCE suggests this plan in the estimate.
• SIVRCE does not transfer money. You pay the contractor directly and upload the receipt; the contractor confirms it.
• If the amounts do not match, it is a dispute: an administrator decides using both receipts.

Choosing a contractor in SIVRCE step by step

1. Price the renovation. In the calculator: area, condition, grade. No sign-up needed.
2. Find a contractor. In the contractor catalogue, with the verification level, work and reviews.
3. Invite them. "Hire" is an invitation: the contractor answers whether they agree. They see your contacts only after agreeing.
4. Confirm the visit. The contractor proposes a time, you confirm. On site they measure and inspect.
5. Get the quote. A total, a warranty, the lines. Compare them with your own estimate.
6. Sign the contract. A quote is accepted after you sign in, and only after the visit has taken place. The amount is fixed at that moment.
7. Accept the stages. The contractor hands over each stage with photos; you accept them in order or write a remark.
8. Upload receipts. Every payment comes with a receipt; the contractor confirms it.

Frequently asked questions