Older homes definitely present unique challenges. You're right, you need someone who knows what they're doing. When I was looking, I tried to find contractors who specifically mentioned experience with heritage homes or renovations of older buildings. I looked through local business directories which sometimes highlight specializations, something along the lines of what you'd find through browsing Roofing Contractors in Duncan, BC , but also asked directly when contacting them. Don’t hesitate to ask a lot of questions about their past projects with older houses and how they dealt with challenges that came up.