App brings sharing economy to renovation

QUEBEC CITY — A digital platform designed to connect homeowners with contractors is generating buzz. Andiman puts customers looking to complete small projects in touch with professionals who have time in between jobs. “The concept, which falls under the sharing economy, exists in the hospitality and taxi industries with Airbnb and Uber,” founder Antoine Bouchard told La Presse. “We take a stagnant resource, in this case free time, and make it available to those who need it. The carpenter’s faith in his project was so strong he sold his family home and devoted himself to developing the app full-time. Launched last summer, it offers an advantage over sites like Kijiji in that participating contractors are vetted to ensure. Each must hold a licence from Quebec’s Régie du bâtiment and be insured, with a requirement for a customer reference being rolled out in the near future.