RESIDENTIAL GENERAL CONTRACTING · Ontario, Canada
A $48,000 kitchen renovation, paid in five proof-backed stages
A homeowner and a general contractor agree a full kitchen gut-and-rebuild. Instead of a 30% deposit up front, the job is broken into five milestones with photo and inspection proof attached to each release.
The job
- •Full gut of a 1970s galley kitchen: demolition, electrical and plumbing rough-in, drywall, cabinetry, counters, appliances and final finishing.
- •Contract value of $48,000 including materials, with three named subtrades (electrical, plumbing, counters).
- •Expected duration of nine weeks, with a hard deadline before a family event.
Where the payment risk sat
- •The contractor originally asked for 40% up front to cover cabinet ordering. Ontario has no statutory residential deposit cap, so nothing stopped the request — but it put $19,200 at risk before a single tool came out.
- •The homeowner had no leverage after the deposit cleared. A bank wire is final the moment it sends.
- •A third-party escrow service quoted a percentage fee plus a multi-day release window, which would have stalled the cabinet order.
How it was structured
- The homeowner set up the agreement, entered five milestones, and set the required proof for each one.
- A 10% deposit was capped at $4,800 — enough for the cabinet order, not enough to fund the contractor's previous job.
- The contractor received a link, reviewed the milestones and the proof requirements, and confirmed before work started.
- Funds sat in a contract the homeowner deployed from their own wallet. PictoSafe never held them.
The milestone schedule on $48,000
Deposit — cabinet order placed
Proof required: Signed contract + supplier order confirmation
Fee on this release: $12.00
Demolition and disposal complete
Proof required: Before/after photos + dumpster receipt
Fee on this release: $24.00
Electrical and plumbing rough-in passed
Proof required: Municipal inspection sign-off + subtrade lien waivers
Fee on this release: $30.00
Cabinets, counters and appliances installed
Proof required: Photos of each run + product invoices
Fee on this release: $36.00
Punch list cleared and site cleaned
Proof required: Walkthrough video + final lien waivers from all subs
Fee on this release: $18.00
What the payments cost
- Contract value
- $48,000
- PictoSafe fee — 0.25% across 5 releases
- $120.00
- Estimated blockchain network fees (paid by you to the network)
- ~$12
- Same job at a typical third-party escrow rate of 1.5%–3%
- $720 – $1,440
- Difference
- $588 – $1,308
The 1.5%–3% figure is a general range for third-party escrow and trust-account services, used here for arithmetic only. It is not a quote from any named provider, rates differ by provider and by deal size, and you should confirm current pricing directly with whoever you are comparing. Network fees vary with blockchain conditions.
Why the structure works
- Five releases at 0.25% each — the fee is charged on the amount released, not on the contract value up front.
- The rough-in release was the one that mattered: the inspection sign-off was the condition, so the money did not move until the municipality passed the work.
- Every subtrade lien waiver was attached to a release, so no unpaid sub could lien the property after final payment.
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