Fixter: the phone app connecting homeowners and contractors

A Saskatoon group has launched a new phone application to help make home renovations easier for all parties involved.

The idea came to a pair of friends innocently enough, after their air condition died at an Elk Ridge condominium last summer.

“We were thinking, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if we could just post this job on an app, and have a bunch of contractors bidding on this job?'” Fixter co-founder Dave Belgrave said.

From there, Fixter was born.

The application allows homeowners to post pictures of the area they want renovated, to which contractors can then post bids on the jobs.

The contractors are able to break down their pricing, while going back and forth with prospective clients.

“It just gives you a little bit more of a passive way of selecting the best contractor you think is going to be the best for your job,” Belgrave said.

Langlois Journeyman Electricians owner Paul Langlois anticipates customers in the sector moving toward apps.

“So, we need to adapt to these new ideas and Fixter is a pioneer of this.”

Langlois says the difference between this app and previous attempted incarnations of a similar product is the price point.

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The Fixter App is free to use for both the contractor and the homeowners, who can sign in and use the app for free.

The only money the app collects is from contractors, which comes in the form of a “Fixter fee.” The fee is only paid once a contractor is awarded a bid, and caps out at a maximum of $100.

“It’s not a monthly subscription, it’s pay per once,” Langlois said. “So, if I win a big, I only pay at the time, I don’t pay monthly and get nothing.”

Belgrave said the app’s creators are “able to get some good feedback from homeowners and contractors alike.”

“We want it to be simple for both, and we feel like we’ve now got the recipe.”