Calgary’s tight housing market has pushed many homeowners toward major renovations instead of moving. But one northeast resident’s accessibility project has turned into a cautionary tale about contractor disputes, permit violations, and escalating costs.
Dawna Prindle hired A2Z Building Solutions in mid-2025 to create a wheelchair-accessible basement suite for her disabled brother. The project was supposed to cost around $50,000. Instead, she’s now facing bills exceeding $76,000, an unfinished home, and a legal battle that prompted a restraining order against her contractor.
The City of Calgary has launched an investigation into the business practices of A2Z Building Solutions. Municipal officials confirmed they’re examining concerns about the contractor’s licensing and compliance with building codes. The dispute highlights growing concerns about homeowner protections in Calgary’s booming renovation industry.
I’ve covered dozens of construction disputes over the years. This one stands out because of how quickly things deteriorated from a straightforward accessibility project to allegations of illegal construction and safety violations.
Prindle’s brother was scheduled to move from Ontario in December. He’s still waiting. The basement remains unfinished, and structural concerns have forced Prindle to consider starting over from scratch.
The original scope seemed simple enough. Convert the basement into accessible living space. Add a wheelchair ramp along the side of the Abbeydale home. Standard renovation work that happens across Calgary every day.
But Prindle says problems emerged almost immediately. She claims contractor Todd Walton moved forward with work she never approved. Engineering drawings were rejected multiple times, she says, yet construction continued anyway.
Prindle told reporters she repeatedly asked for stamped, engineered floor plans. She needed proper documentation to secure funding grants for accessibility modifications. Those plans never materialized to her satisfaction, she claims.
Walton disputes every allegation. He insists all plans were approved, most work was completed properly, and he holds a valid contractor’s license. He says Prindle approved plans verbally and kept changing her requirements.
The heart of the dispute centers on what was actually agreed upon. Prindle says the $50,000 quote covered the entire project. Walton claims that price was only for the basement, not the main floor renovations or the exterior ramp.
An itemized invoice from A2Z totals $76,597.50. That’s over $26,000 more than Prindle expected to pay. She says she has no receipts for engineering work and only round numbers for labor costs.
Walton provided three different drawings to reporters. Two were rejected by Prindle, he acknowledges. The third was approved verbally, he claims, though Prindle wanted the pantry moved. He says construction followed that approved plan.
The legal issues get murkier when you examine the permit timeline. Excavation for the wheelchair ramp began in November 2025, according to Prindle. The City of Calgary didn’t issue a building permit until January 21, 2026.
That’s a problem under provincial regulations. Alberta’s Permit Regulation clearly states construction requiring permits cannot start before permits are issued. City officials confirmed there’s no record of earlier permit applications for this property.
Dwayne Seal is an architectural technologist Prindle hired after concerns emerged. He inspected the site and didn’t like what he saw. The wheelchair ramp was constructed illegally, he alleges. The excavation exposed the home’s foundation during winter, risking frost damage.
Seal expressed particular concern about a deep hole left open alongside the house. He worried someone could fall in and get seriously hurt. Any work affecting structural systems requires permits and engineering approval before construction begins, he noted.
Walton sees things differently. He says building permits can take weeks to obtain, and some preliminary work is allowed while waiting for approvals. He claims he could legally dig and complete HVAC and plumbing work before the building permit was finalized.
He provided an engineer-stamped permit for the wheelchair ramp and insists all city inspections passed. The structural work couldn’t begin until permits were issued, he acknowledges, but excavation was permissible.
The city investigation will presumably settle these conflicting accounts. For now, the regulatory gray area highlights a gap in homeowner understanding of what contractors can legally do while permits are pending.
Then there’s the gas line incident. Prindle says workers hit a gas line during excavation. Her neighbor called to warn her ATCO was on site and a $5,000 fine was coming.
ATCO won’t comment on specific customer situations. The utility company did confirm that third parties responsible for damaging gas infrastructure get billed directly for repairs when proper location procedures aren’t followed.
Prindle suspects she was charged for the repair without being told. Walton denied this in text messages, saying the backhoe only “bumped” the meter in a tight space. He called ATCO immediately, he claims, and wasn’t charged because he’d used the call-before-you-dig service.
Text message exchanges between Prindle and Walton show the relationship falling apart completely. Walton wrote that the building permit was in his name and threatened to remove completed work.
That threat prompted Prindle to fire Walton and seek legal protection. Court documents show she obtained an ex parte restraining order preventing Walton from returning to her property.
Prindle says Walton threatened to place liens on her house when she asked him to leave. The situation had moved well beyond a simple contract dispute into allegations of threats and unsafe working conditions.
I’ve watched Calgary’s construction industry grow explosively over my years covering this city. The boom brings opportunity but also attracts contractors whose practices don’t always align with regulations or customer expectations.
The city’s investigation into A2Z Building Solutions will determine whether rules were actually broken. But the dispute raises broader questions about how homeowners can protect themselves when renovation projects go sideways.
Prindle now faces the prospect of spending additional money to redo work she’s already paid for. Seal, the architectural technologist, is redesigning the project from scratch. Much of her renovation budget has already been spent on work she can’t use.
Her brother remains in Ontario, waiting for a home that was supposed to be ready months ago. The accessibility modifications that prompted this entire project haven’t materialized.
Walton maintains he followed proper procedures and completed quality work. He blames Prindle for constantly changing requirements and refusing to accept completed work that met building standards.
These he-said-she-said situations are frustratingly common in construction disputes. Without clear documentation and communication, projects can deteriorate into expensive legal battles where nobody wins.
The city investigation may provide some clarity. Officials will review licensing compliance, permit procedures, and whether construction met code requirements. Those findings could influence how this dispute ultimately resolves.
For Calgary homeowners considering major renovations, this case offers sobering lessons. Get everything in writing. Understand what permits are required and when. Verify that contractors hold proper licenses. Don’t authorize work without approved plans.
The accessibility renovation market is growing as Calgary’s population ages. Families increasingly need to modify homes for elderly parents or disabled relatives. These projects involve specialized requirements that not all contractors fully understand.
Prindle’s situation demonstrates what can happen when communication breaks down between homeowner and contractor. Whether through misunderstanding, miscommunication, or deliberate misrepresentation, the result is the same: an unfinished home and depleted savings.
The legal battle will likely continue for months. Restraining orders, potential liens, and regulatory investigations don’t resolve quickly. Meanwhile, a house in Abbeydale sits partially renovated, its basement unusable and its foundation exposed.
Calgary’s building boom isn’t slowing down. Homeowners will keep renovating rather than moving in this tight market. Protecting consumers in that environment requires both better enforcement and better education about contractor selection and project management.
This dispute serves as an expensive reminder that the lowest quote isn’t always the best value. Neither is moving forward without proper documentation, clear communication, and verified compliance with building regulations.
