A Halifax builder homeowners recommend by name

Who we are

Nova Core Construction is a locally owned general contractor based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. We build and renovate homes across the HRM, covering kitchens, bathrooms, decks and outdoor living, interior and basement renovations, custom carpentry, siding and additions.

The company previously traded as Janes & Mortimer Construction Limited, and the same people are doing the same work under the Nova Core name. If you were referred to us under the old name, you have the right company.

David and Cody lead the projects, with Justin, Mike and the rest of the crew on the tools. Homeowners writing about us on Google tend to name them individually, which tells you more about how a job runs than any claim we could make on our own behalf.

How we run a project

Our approach is built around removing the two things homeowners tell us they dread: not knowing what a renovation will cost, and not knowing what is happening in their own house.

Costs are handled with an itemized written quote after a site visit, so you see where the money goes rather than a single figure at the bottom of a page. Where something is genuinely unknown until a wall opens, we name it as an unknown and tell you what the range looks like, which is more useful than a padded contingency you cannot see.

Communication is handled by keeping one contractor accountable for the whole scope. We schedule the trades, order materials, hold permits and answer for the result. You call one number.

Licensed, insured and accountable

Nova Core Construction is a licensed and insured general contractor in Nova Scotia. Coverage is in place on every job, and we provide proof of insurance before work starts whenever you ask for it. Asking every contractor you get a quote from for that document is worth doing, because the one who hesitates has told you something important.

We also handle permits where a project requires them, including deck permits, structural changes, additions and garages, and we manage the inspection schedule so it does not fall to you.

Why homeowners choose us

Read the Google reviews and a pattern shows up: people mention the crew by name, comment on how the site was left each day, and note that the finished work matched what they were told at the start. Those three things are what a renovation actually feels like from inside the house.

We would rather earn work that way than by being the cheapest quote in the pile. A quote significantly below the others usually means something was left out of the scope, and it reappears later as an extra.