General Contractor Insurance in Calgary.

Yes. A sub-trade’s liability policy covers claims arising from their work, not physical damage to the building under construction. Course-of-construction (builder’s risk) is the only policy that pays to repair or rebuild the project itself if fire, water, theft or weather damages it before handover. The two do different jobs, and a project needs both of them.

For new homes, yes. Under Alberta’s New Home Buyer Protection Act, new home warranty coverage is required on any home whose building permit was applied for on or after February 1, 2014, and the builder must enrol the home and hold a valid residential builder licence. A warranty is not the same thing as insurance on the build. It protects the future buyer, while course-of-construction insurance protects the structure and materials during construction.

Course-of-construction is property coverage, so it pays for physical damage to the project. Wrap-up liability is liability coverage. It responds when someone is injured or a third party’s property is damaged because of the project, under a single policy that covers the owner, the general contractor and the sub-trades together. Most active builds end up carrying both of these policies at once.

Either can, and the contract or the lender usually decides. What matters is that the policy names the right parties, meaning the owner, the general contractor and often the lender, so everyone with a financial stake in the build is protected and no one is left arguing over who should have insured it.

Soft costs are the indirect losses a delay creates after a covered event. Extra loan interest, additional design and permit fees, lost rent, and marketing. They are not covered by the base builder’s risk policy, but they can be added through a soft-costs extension, sized to your project budget and schedule.

Yes. Before you sign and before you release payment, get proof that each sub-trade carries their own coverage. An uninsured sub can leave you holding a claim that should have been theirs, so a quick paperwork check up front protects the whole project.

It runs from the start of construction until the project reaches substantial completion, occupancy or handover, whichever your policy specifies. Because the value at risk grows every week as the build takes shape, the limit needs to reflect the completed value and not the value on day one.

There is no flat rate. Your premium depends on the work you do, your revenue, your Calgary location, and your claims history, and higher-risk work costs more to insure. We price it around how you operate rather than a one-size quote, and most general contractors go from first conversation to bound coverage within a few business days.

Hail damage to your building, signage, and outdoor property is typically covered under a commercial property policy, and hail damage to vehicles under comprehensive auto coverage. Because Calgary is one of Canada’s highest-hail cities, insurers pay close attention to roof age and construction, and replacement-cost coverage is worth confirming.

Overland flood and sewer backup are usually endorsements added to a commercial property policy rather than automatic inclusions. Given Calgary’s flood history, especially near the rivers, it is worth reviewing whether your location warrants them and whether your business-interruption coverage would respond to a flood closure.

Most start with replacement-cost commercial property and commercial general liability, then add comprehensive auto for hail, water endorsements where the location calls for it, and business interruption. The rest depends on the trade: tools and equipment for contractors, crime and cyber for retailers and offices, loss of rental income for landlords.