Penguin Basements

I am struggling with this review as I am trying to condense a rather large amount of information included in a 12 page letter to the company to a shorter version of events that will not lose a reader’s interest.

Our project was rather small: 580 square feet divided into a laundry room and a living space. We wanted to also add a bathroom that was wheelchair/walker “friendly”.

We chose Penguin Basements based on the good reviews, the better quality of materials used, the shorter build time (we were told 3-4 weeks), and the fact that permits were applied for.

Our initial meeting was in June 2017. Our choice of start time was mid-September to accommodate family obligations and a vacation. We were assured that all the details of our project would be in our file so that the Site Manager was aware of them.

An independent engineering consultation was arranged by Penguin, as our projected bathroom door would have to go through a load bearing wall. We were also assured that about 2 weeks before the build start, a “Site handoff meeting” would take place between the Project Manager, the Site Manager, and us. This would be an opportunity for the Project Manager to inform the Site Manager of details of the build, for us to ask any questions and clarifications, and to visualize where the walls would be by “tape markings on the floor”.

On August 1st, as we were on our out of province vacation, we received notification that the project was scheduled to start August 24th, and they wanted to schedule the “Site Handoff Meeting” in the next week or two. When the error in start dates was clarified, we were told there was no problem and to contact them when we came back to set up the meeting. Two weeks later, I called to book the meeting, and was told that their “business plan” had changed, and the meeting was no longer done. The new “business plan” was to have any issues and questions taken care of on the first day of the build with the Site Manager. We did not feel comfortable with this as it would be 3 months from the initial contract discussions and we had many questions, and felt that the first day of the build would be busy enough, therefore not a good environment for discussions. Several phone calls requesting a meeting did not change their minds.

As we feared, the first day of the build, September 25th, was a nightmare. When the Site Manager arrived, he had no knowledge of some crucial details of our build. He stated he could not put in the doorway to the bathroom because it would be through the load bearing wall. We had to inform him of the engineering consult done and he had to Skype the Project Manager to get the details on how to reinforce the doorway. Also did not know we were finishing the laundry room, that we were putting up 2 barn doors, that the shower wall needed reinforcing to accommodate a grab bar, and that we needed wider doorways to accommodate a wheelchair/walker, so the materials to reinforce the doorways and wall were not available.

When these issues came up, he told us we needed to speak to the office, and the office referred us back to the Site Manager. No one seemed to want to take responsibility for making a decision on details that were previously discussed with the Regional Manager who did the initial presentation and drew up the contract, and with the Project Manager. If the promised “Site Handoff meeting” had taken place, these details would have been communicated before the first day of the build.

So far, the new “business plan” wasn’t working so well.

This set the stage for the remainder of the 8 ½ weeks of a promised 3 to 4 week renovation.

Communication:

As mentioned in many of the reviews, this was a huge problem. We were encouraged to use their online Buildertrend program, so that all communications “would keep everyone in the loop and on the same page”. In reality we were lost in a confusing shuffle with a multitude of people with no idea who was responsible for what. We were always referred back to the Site Manager, but we quickly lost confidence in his abilities to run our job smoothly. When we went over his head to the Penguin Administration, he would get annoyed with us.

Our decorator was new to the job. We received several pieces of inaccurate information and pricing of items that we discovered, yet could not get a hold of her by e-mail. Apparently she was “not in the system”.

The work scheduling calendar is totally useless, inaccurate, and not kept updated. One example: we were assured that, according to the calendar, they did indeed plan to work over Thanksgiving week-end, so we made no family plans. Not only did no one show up over the week-end, but neither on the following Tuesday nor Wednesday.

We were initially told the Site Manager would be present most of the time. He was there frequently during the first week, but rarely after that, as he had multiple job sites to supervise, and was mostly only available by cell phone or texts, which he usually was very late in answering, if at all, and was often confused as to whom he was talking to and about which job site.

Disorganization of Trades and Materials:

During the planning phase, we were impressed when Penguin told us how many trades would be involved (I think they mentioned 12 or 14). However, the scheduling of them was very disorganized. One particular trade would show up, but could not do their job because a previous trade had not come to do theirs. This was due to delays on a previous job, or materials needed were not delivered, or the materials were the wrong ones or the wrong size.

Between September 25th and November 22nd when we signed off on the final inspection, there were 13 days when absolutely no work was done. Many of those days were spent waiting for a promised trade to come, only to have them be a no-show, with no explanation.

Faulty workmanship:

Because the trades are under pressure to move on to the next job, sometimes shortcuts were taken which resulted in poor or sloppy structural issues. It was only due to our vigilance that these issues were caught and corrected, some of which required taking down installed drywall to do so.

The tile setter did an amazing job levelling our walk-in shower; however, the rest of the bathroom floor was not levelled, nor were we given an option to do so, even at an additional cost. Among other things, this resulted in our vanity being installed on the uneven floor with leftover wood shims shoved underneath the feet to make it level, creating an eyesore in an otherwise beautiful bathroom.

Positive thoughts:

Unlike some experiences detailed on reviews, we had no problem with workers respecting our home. Our washroom facilities were not left dirty, and the workmen respected our notices to keep exterior doors closed due to the presence of two household cats.

The clean-up crew were fabulous: very friendly and left our new basement spotless.

Our only good experience with a Penguin staff member was with a young man, Anthony, who does the site prep and delivers and picks up some materials with his van. Right from the first day we met, we were impressed by his warm, friendly, and caring personality. We could sense that he wanted nothing but the best outcome for the customer.

In conclusion:

We went over our budget because we believed that Penguin Basements would do a better job, in a shorter time, and with superior materials. Unfortunately we were sadly disappointed.

As they are “basement specialists” we did not expect to have to keep an eye on every level of the renovation to ensure a proper and safe job was done.

Promises made based on their old “business plan” were not fulfilled, and the overwhelming chaos caused by the implementation of the new “business plan” have caused us much anger, frustration, stress, and unhappiness. It appears we fell through the cracks, and felt abandoned by the Penguin administration, the Project Manager, and especially the Site Manager.

The only efficient process was the cashing of our cheques.

Our 12 page letter to seven members of the Penguin administration was neither acknowledged, nor was an explanation or apology proffered.

Based on our experience, we cannot recommend this company.