Horror stories about frustrating, expensive and time-consuming hassles with contractors are all too familiar to Toronto interior designer Ann Francis Oakes.

"Awhile back, we wanted to renovate our garage and my husband gave a contractor a sizable amount of money. He came over, put his ladder against the wall and then skipped out," she says.

"We phoned and phoned, but his voice mailbox was always full. Eventually, we tracked him down, but it was only after we left notes and literally banged on his door that he finally did the work," Oakes adds.

It was because the Greater Toronto Home Builders Association (GTHBA) was hearing so many similar tales of woe that, about four years ago, it compiled RenoMark, a list of approved contractors, says communications director Suzanna Cohen.

Early this month, the association went one step further by launching a searchable, categorized version of the database - www.renomark.ca Organized by geographical location and specific specialty - ranging from large-scale renovators all the way to those who do only small jobs such as window replacements - the aim of the database is to enable consumers to quickly find the renovators who are best suited for the contemplated renovation projects.

Making the improvement to GTHBA's database had become a necessity, Cohen says, "because our renovators list has almost doubled in the last few years to the point where we now have more than 160 RenoMark-approved contractors. And that's just too many to search through without knowing who does what. Now, someone can just zoom straight to the type of service and the location they need."

After which, says Michael Upshall, consumers are guaranteed they will not have to wait longer than two days for a call back from a renovator. Upshall, a GTHBA board member and president of Bolton-based ProBuilt by Michael Upshall, helped plan the improved version of the RenoMark database.

Upshall says to get on the approved list, "Renovators have to agree to abide by a code of conduct" that includes returning phone calls within 48 hours, possessing all required licences, providing written estimates and contracts, following all codes and bylaws, offering a minimum two-year warranty (except on minor repairs) and carrying liability insurance policies of no less than $2 million.

"I don't know of any other organization that has something like this," Upshall says. "We know it can be overwhelming for people to try to figure out who's going to work out best for them. So this really narrows it down for the public. They can't go wrong using this new tool to hone in on the right renovator for their needs."

An economic report released by the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce late last month suggests that aiding and protecting consumers with renovations in mind is more important than ever.

Home renovations across Canada totalled a record $28 billion in 2004 and are projected to rise to $30 billion this year.

Forty-nine per cent of Canadian homeowners have renovated their homes in the past two years, spending an average of about $12,000 with the expectation of adding about $17,000 to the resale value of their homes.

The renovation trend is expected to continue in the coming year, with 34 per cent of Canadian homeowners planning or considering renovations.

Those planning to renovate expect to spend an average of approximately $7,000, the report says.

With that magnitude of investment at stake, Cohen says access to RenoMark-approved renovators - at least for people in the GTA - "is really their assurance that they're dealing with professionals ... who are keeping up-to-date on everything from industry trends and technology to evolving legislation."

(Terry Poulton can be reached at poulton@businessedge.ca)