We hired Sonoma Contracting to finish our previously unfinished basement of approximately 1800 sq ft. The work included demolition, moving and adding drains, leveling and repairing of the concrete slab, installation of a subfloor, spray foam insulation, tile and laminate floors, new windows, all associated plumbing/electrical/carpentry/painting. The work was completed to a very high standard and the company was a pleasure to work with.
Our positive experience began before we even hired Sonoma. We had met with almost a dozen other contractors and no one offered the right combination of price and “fit” for our project. Many quotes were too high, many contractors didn’t seem like they would be good to work with, and some didn’t even bother supplying an estimate. Then we found Sonoma on Homestars.com. Mike responded to our initial inquiry promptly and we met at our house a few days later. After reviewing the work that we wanted done, Mike was prompt in supplying a detailed estimate with a price that seemed very fair for the scope of work (compared to earlier quotes that we had received). After a few emails back and forth to nail down some details, we had a quote that we could live with (we should point out that Mike always responded promptly to our emails). Mike supplied a list of a half dozen recent clients and we spent a few days getting in touch with them. Without exception, they echoed the positive reviews that you can read for yourself on Homestars.com. So we decided to take the plunge.
The work began exactly as scheduled. We hit an unanticipated road bump early on (when we removed the builder-installed insulation, we discovered a multitude of cracks in our foundation wall that needed to be dealt with), but this did presented a delay of only a week or so. Mike took it all in stride and work proceeded steadily.
We had decided to use a subfloor product (Tyroc) that Mike did not have any experience using previously. Despite the novelty for Aldo, Tony and Mike, they did a great job of putting it down. Later on in the project, the same subfloor was not to the tile installers’ liking, but Mike took this in stride also and dealt with the problem promptly.
We were really pleased with the quality of the work that was done. Tony, a true craftsman who does all the carpentry and trim, was amazing at figuring out the complicated bulkhead arrangement and making everything work according to our plans. The trades that Mike brought in (electrical, plumbing, drywall, insulation, windows, painting) all completed their work promptly and well, and they were all responsive to any concerns we had. The only rough spot was the subcontractor who did the low voltage cabling (telephone, cable, network), who we felt charged too much for the work performed and was a little sloppy (most cables were just strung along the ground or wrapped around electrical wires instead of properly affixing them) – but this was a pretty minor part of the overall experience.
The work took a little longer than originally anticipated, mostly because of delays in obtaining things that we had ordered. Mike seemed to have little difficulty in arranging the work schedule around these delays, and even had some of the work completed on the weekend at the end so that we could get everything wrapped up.
Overall, we were super-pleased with this company and the work that they did. They were professional and proficient and very easy to work with. We would have no reservations in recommending Sonoma Contracting to anyone who is finishing a basement.
- Approximate cost of services:
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