Penguin Basements

I gave one score because they came back to fix their mistake. It was our biggest mistake to hire Penguin to do our basement. The cost was almost double the price other companies asked but we hired them hoping the workmanship and quality of their work correspond to their price. However, it turned out as a huge disappointment. Their poor communication and management skills made the whole project very stressful, and the final result is also not satisfying at all. From the beginning to the end, there was no one being responsible for the project and thus no one cared about getting it done right. Of course we had project manager but he was poorly trained and barely reachable. Long story short, we do not recommend this company. Not good for your soul.

Some Excellent people like Rick, Jonathan and Project Manager Walter. Reliable, friendly, and professional people but Project took longer than anticipated. City permit was complicated but they came through after all.

The perfect score I have rated Penquin basements is only for their Site Manager(Walter) and his crew of trade professionals. The work actually started on time and once it was handed off to Walter, it became evident that we had made the right decision. Up until then, the head office staff really made us think we made the wrong choice and threw away a big deposit. They only lived up to about 25% of their promises. Calls were not made and appts. were missed.
But Walter and his team changed all that. He quickly took control and scheduled his teams to begin turning about 1000sq ft. of my basement into an attractive, comfortable living space. From Antonio(Custom framer), to another Walter(painting crew), Eric(electrician) and carpenters, tiler etc. all showed a desire meet the tight schedule that Walter had set out. Not only that but the quality of their work was outstanding, all with the care of the customers needs in mind. At the end of the day you hire a contractor that will live up to the quality of work that was promised which Walter and his team delivered. Just wished that Penquin's head office staff had taken a page out of Walters customer satisfaction page. Thanks Walter

We chose Penguin over other companies because they do quality work and they complete the work correctly. We had interviewed a number of companies before we decided and Penguin was the only one that priced the job with no "surprise extra costs" as some of the other companies mentioned. We were pleased that they take building permits out and that they employ their own trades who were very respectful in our home and quality workers. What really impressed us was the mold free materials used to finish the basement versus traditional materials. We would definitely use them again if we move to another home some day.
Great job to Juliano and his crew, Amy, Robert, Rick and Guy for fitting our job in and working very quickly to finish it in just 3 1/2 weeks! We are looking forward to using our basement and enjoying lots of family time.

Since having a baby we decided that more usable space was needed in our house. After careful consideration we decided to go with Penguin Basements for our renovation. We were very happy with how quickly the job was complete and how nice our basement turned out. Juliano went out of his way to make sure everything was finished exactly how we wanted it. We are looking forward to enjoying our new basement for many years to come!

We were interested in renovating our basement and Penguin Basements was the first, and only, company we contacted.
From the moment we contacted Penguin Basements for an initial quote we were blown away from their exceptional service. They understood our vision for the basement and offered very helpful suggestions that we did not initially think of. The construction workers were respectful to both our home and family.
Our project manager Seth was nothing but attentive to detail, accessible during the day, and was understanding of any requests we had. He definitely made the process much smoother and less stressful as he quickly resolved any inquiries we may have had.
We are very happy with the finished, high-quality result and look forward to using our newly done basement. Would definitely recommend Penguin to anyone interested in renovating their basement!

We had our basement finished from the concrete to where it is now. The end result is a great additional living space. There were some bumps along the way. I had to remind everyone I talked to that we didn't need a permit since we didn't do anything with the water. I would figure a company that's done numerous renovations by now wouldn't need the customer to remind each person. The designer Amy called to book our consultation; however, we had already done that with her which was scheduled 4 days from her call which evidently got cancelled and we had to move it and I had to take a vacation day for it. We were advised by 3 people that they would move the ceiling vents down to the ground level, which they didn't and we didn't know it wasn't being done, nor did it have to be done until they already finished putting up all the mag boards! Had to advise a couple times that the accent wall was still to be painted and when we paid for an additional 4 pot lights; however, only 3 were installed was a little odd. As well, make sure you get EVERYTHING in writing. We had worked out a few things with Dan which ultimately didn't get done because all of a sudden they were additional costs or were done but not exactly how we wanted them. Overall, we were happy with the end result; however, communication I think really needs to be addressed.

The people at Penguin Basements treated me not as a client but as someone who they were happy to be working with.

The range of services they offered from consulting, design, and project management were outstanding and conveyed a level of knowledge that further reinforced my confidence in their work.

They took their time and outlined the activities that were involved in the completion of my basement.

Juliano and his team were a pleasure to have as contractors and are a good example of how others should follow in the industry.

The end result was a basement that offered not only a great sense of hospitality but also peace of mind knowing you were getting a quality product.

We couldn’t be happier with the outcome of our basement. From start to finish the whole process was handled very professionally and everyone was so easy to work with. Our project manager Seth exceeded our expectations by being available whenever we had questions or needed ideas. It was a pleasure working with him and the whole team at Penguin. We would recommend Penguin Basements to all our friends and family.