Emerald City Design

We first hired Emerald City Design in March 2012 to completely gut and renovate our main floor bathroom. We were extremely pleased with the quality of workmanship and have gone on to hire ECD to complete a master bathroom facelift, and a full renovation of our basement and basement bathroom. ECD always offer great suggestions and design solutions, and have an in-depth knowledge of all facets of construction and design. They also have a solid team of licensed professionals to call in for assistance when required. For example, mould and dry rot were discovered during our basement renovation and they promptly brought in an engineer on a Sunday to make sure temporary supports were sufficient and to find permanent solutions for the issues. They are very thorough in fixing what is behind the walls but equally meticulous with the finished aesthetics. We are very picky clients and we were extremely impressed by their tile work, carpentry for custom closets, mouldings, and installation of flooring. We have worked with tilers recommended by tile stores in our previous home, and Chris and Mike's work was far superior. We've also had flooring and drywall installed before with other contractors, and again, ECD's work was far superior. Our basement and bathrooms receive compliments from everyone who see them. It should also be noted that Mike and Chris and their employees are all extremely professional, friendly people. During our renovation projects, I had a baby and the team would always try to work as quietly as possible and reserve louder projects for when the baby was not sleeping. It made such a difference to us to have a team that was sensitive to our needs as a family, and who also cleaned up after themselves every day, making living through the renovation so much easier. As with most renovations, our projects took longer than we had anticipated, but this is often the case with renovation in older homes. Also, Mike and Chris do all the work themselves and do not subcontract. This can make for a slightly longer timeline than going with a larger company, but the quality of work and accountability is well worth it. We also had some budget overages, but these arose due to problems found behind the walls. When we added work to the renovations, Mike and Chris were very fair regarding how much they charged for add ons. As mentioned previously, we have now hired ECD for three separate renovations and we would not hesitate to hire them again or recommend them to anyone.

Our need was to convert an under-stair closet into a Toilet / Sink Cabinet washroom. There was no plumbing and no venting available based on the house layout, and not one right angle in the space. Mike and Chris took us through the project from start to finish with great care. Not only did they facilitate the fixture and tiling selection but they also managed to handle all of the various challenges that can crop up when going under the covers of a 90 year old house. They managed the plumbing and ventilation, straightened out all of the walls in the room before completing the install, and finished off with a space that was 100% functional and made excellent use of the limited room. It looks great too!

We have also had Mike and Chris out in the past for a Kitchen renovation which was also a success. We would certainly recommend their work to others.

The guys were fantastic. Courteous, tidy, professional, and did wonderful work. They have come back to make sure everything is exactly how we want it, too. We would, and have, recommend them to anyone needing a general contractor.

We keep inviting Mike and Chris of Emerald City Design into our home for a few reasons:
- they do good work and they do it themselves (very few subcontractors)
- we trust them; we don't feel they need to be 'watched'
- we like them; they are great guys with great ideas
- they always tidy up!
- they are polite and thoughtful. (When I was on mat leave they would bring me coffee!)

So more about our projects.
Front porch reno: We had a front porch that was enclosed, but not winterized. It had no permanent front door and the windows were screen. It was enclosed, but useless. Chris and Mike designed a functional front porch for us. It is now insulated, it has electrical and heating, it has an enclosed closet, new windows and doors and they created some functional storage items out of IKEA furniture. They helped with everything from design to colour choice and did everything themselves except electrical. (They used a great licensed electrician).

Kitchen and backporch: This was the most disruptive of the jobs and during the reno they had a great idea. They would set up a temporary sink in our dining room to make our lives easier. We really appreciated it. We gutted the entire kitchen. We even reinforced floor joists. Chris and Mike had great ideas on how to maximize space and our budget. We used IKEA cabinets and they did the layout. They recommended where to get good deals on appliances and countertops. There were things we thought we wanted (like removing a chimney), but when we looked at the return on the additional cost we decided not to. Mike and Chris were able to help us through that decision and come up with a solution that works. Reno hit a bit of a snag when my husband discovered some asbestos, but Mike and Chris were cool, calm and collected. Did it take longer than expected? A little bit - but all delays were explainable (and often outside of the control of the guys) and I never felt that we were being put off. Did we go over budget? A little bit, but it was either because we spent more on materials than they had recommended, or we added an additional component that created more work/labour for them. It was all stuff we were willing to pay for. Two years later and the kitchen still looks great!

We've also had Chris and Mike do additional projects for us: replacing old plumbing runs, insulating our attic, attaching our TV to the wall and installing speakers, 'customizing' IKEA built ins.

Mike and Chris are professional and courteous and have great ideas. Keep in mind that they aren't a big firm so it may take them some time to get back to you. They sometimes run late at other jobs or finishing your job, but that is the nature of opening up and renovating old houses. When they are on your project you may not see them at 9am every morning, but know that they are working for you. (They are usually out and about on supply runs or getting permits. Perhaps they are out quoting another job, but they need to acquire new customers, and I didn't find they did it that often.)

The quality of their work is excellent and we really enjoy working with Mike and Chris. We plan to use them again for a basement reno and some other projects. They know us, our family and our house really well. We would highly recommend them to our friends and family. (And we have!)

Kitchen was getting kinda outdated, and old, need to replace cabinets, counter top, and Back Splash. Called Emerald City Design and they redone the kitchen for a good price and in 4 weeks.

Chris and Mike are thorough, detailed, considerate and thoughtful contractors. They were respectful of our young family and were great to have around our home during the 8 week reno. The job site was cleaned up at the end of the day. They kept us up to date on their progress. Best of all, they listened carefully to what we wanted and delivered - offering suggestions to maximize space and usability while keeping the budget in mind. We've since recommended Emerald City Design to family, friends and clients. My sister used them for her front porch reno and is soon engaging them to upgrade her kitchen. We will use them again when it's time to remodel our 2nd bathroom and sunroom.

These guys were recommended by a friend, and they came in and with a few well-crafted renovations really improved the look of my condo. They were pleasant, fun, and had good ideas to guide the changes I wanted to make. I also felt that they were honest and volunteered ideas about cheaper options / materials that I did not know about. I trusted them fully, and as I was traveling when the renovations were made, they even came back months later to finish up a couple touches. My point: I'll be getting them to upgrade my bathroom later this year.

Chris and Mike are a couple of autodidact polymaths who know an incredible amount about design and renovation. They were an invaluable resource, and were heavily involved in all aspects of the design. Moreover, they were consummate problem-solvers, who employed their impressively diverse skill-sets to maximize the space and visual impact. With their fine attention to detail, admirable professionalism, and devotion to quality, I felt comfortable leaving this project in their capable hands. With my busy schedule, it was a great relief to have such intelligent and skilled individuals on the job making so many of the key decisions. This is a totally unique duo. You won't find another company with such deep knowledge of architecture, design, history, aesthetics, building, renovation, and space. I can't recommend Emerald City Design highly enough.

I am an architect who lives in Toronto and I've worked with a number of contractors on professional projects and on personal projects: my house in Riverdale. I was very pleased with their work on my house and will call on them again for future projects. Their approach to the work at hand is very holistic. You might present them with a discrete problem, but they'll thoughtfully consider the larger context and ensure that the decisions that are made will lead to a result that is built to last. Their craftsmanship is very precise and considered, but their quotes are competitive. They offer real value. They're also great, respectful guys to have in your home.