Penguin Basements

I contracted Penguin Basements not only because of their use of high quality materials, but also because of their overall approach to design, project management, and project coordination.
Our Site Manager Jeremy was a pleasure to deal with. From the initial walk through, I knew Jeremy understood the project was important to me, and that attention to every detail of the build was an essential priority.
Jeremy reacted with confidence and knowledge whenever a
situation called for extra scrutiny. I could also tell, that as Site Manager he had the respect of all trades assigned to the project.
Even though Jeremy was working multiple sites across the GTA, he was responsive to all my requests, and always arrived on site with a smile.

Penguin Basements recently finished our basement. They used top of the line materials to ensure the basement stays dry and warm and to protect it from mould should there be a flood by using magnesium board rather than drywall. During construction time, the workers (especially Donald who was here the most) were very respectful to both our home and my young kids and dogs.
During the process, Juliano was our main point of contact. As there were a few expected hiccups, Juliano was quick to rectify and offer a solution that worked for our needs. In addition, Juliano was able to provide suggestions to things we hadn't thought of. He made it easy to ask questions and was a huge help in making things go as seamlessly as possible (he also helped get rid of a spider :)).
We are very excited for our family to start using our gorgeous new basement! Thank you!

The Penguin team (David, Amy, Jon, Seth) and their trades people delivered a job that was beyond what we could have envisioned before this project began. Our project started in June 2016 when we signed our contract with Penguin. Our basement was completely unfinished with 5’6” ceilings and water problems when we began. Upon signing, Penguin promptly and cleanly conducted demolition. Following demolition, we contracted another provider to underpin our house to 8’ ceilings, with waterproofing, sump pump, sewage ejector, removal of a wall, installation of a steel beam, and breaking through another wall for new ductwork to be installed. Our underpinning and structural work proceeded without a hitch. Following structural work, we hired a third contractor to relocate our furnace room and install separate damper enabled zones for each floor of our house. I share these details because David, from Penguin, went well beyond our expectations by closely following our progress and providing countless points of advice helping us to ensure only the best work was done on our house prior to Penguin’s actual project start. Upon completion of structural and HVAC work, Penguin got started December 20 with design proposals, framing, electrical, plumbing, insulation, magnesium board, tiles, trim, doors, flooring, stairs, painting, custom cabinetry, home entertainment setup, and clean up. Actual work started January 10 and we moved in February 17 with incidental work following. At all times, Penguin was extremely responsive to our requests. If I could highlight the single most impressive aspect of our collaboration with Penguin it would be that at all times throughout our 10 month project (only 4 months were directly with Penguin), all members of Penguin’s team listened to our needs and not once took us down a path that was contrary to our vision. I unreservedly recommend Penguin for your basement project.

We originally had a private contractor do the underpinning on our basement and another contractor to finish it; however, some things were done incorrectly which put us in a bit of a bind. Thank goodness we found Penguin! We hired them on the spot and at first they worked as consultants to help us remediate the issues from the previous work done. Then we hired them to finish our basement. We are very pleased that Jon Reece is our Project Manager and have worked with him from the start. He is extremely knowledgeable, prompt, and professional. Jon possesses a wonderful attitude and takes on tasks with a positive energy and always has a smile on his face. Our basement job is beginning this Wednesday and we are excited to see what the end result will look like. Keep up the good work Jon/Penguin!

We are currently completing a Basement Renovation with Penguin Basements...

From the Initial contact with the office, right thru design, selection, scheduling, construction....clean up etc. has been a very well executed job. The finish product been as promised as well to our complete satisfaction.

The Project Manager - Walter, was extremely professional , and made continued efforts to ensure that all our requirements, and any concerns were addressed.

We highly recommend Penguin Basements!!!

Javed

All in all and after a longer time frame than we expected we now have a beautiful looking basement. Unfortunately due mainly to the original expectations that were set by our sales guy we didn't get the experience or quality that we expected. Our project manager did seem to do his best to address our concerns quickly but there were a multitude of things that has left us unwilling to recommend Penguin to others in the future.

We recently used Penguin Basements to finish our basement in Newmarket, Ontario. We had seen their sign around town, and figured we should inquire about their service and finishing system. We did inquire with some other companies as well, but found Penguins' presentation made the most sense for us.

We are pleased to say that everything — from the first response of our inquiry, to the finished product — has been very seamless and actually quite enjoyable. I work full time from my home, and was not really disturbed at all, which was a huge benefit (and quite amazing actually)! Juliano and his team were very organized, respectful and good at what they do — all equally important. They were able to carry out most special design requests we had, and made some great recommendations on the fly when it came to problem solving and solutions. The buildertrend app they use keeps everything very transparent, ultimately making it a very stress-free, positive and enjoyable experience.

Thanks again to Juliano and his team... we won't hesitate to recommend you guys to any of our friends and family, interested in a professionally finished basement.

Penguin Basements completely transformed our unfinished basement into an open concept living area that our entire family can use. This included a two-piece bathroom, stone fireplace, and walk-in closet for additional storage.

The project manager, Walter, was extremely professional and went above and beyond to ensure that any changes in costs were transparent. He kept an open line of communication to ensure that we knew what the work schedule was for the week and responded at all hours of the day. Walter made sure that all of the finishing touches to the walls, stairs and floors were completed with care. He even asked the cleaning crew to return when their work did not meet his level of satisfaction.

The entire work crew, especially Walter's Painters were outstanding, personable with our children, and kept a clean workspace. They kept to all of the estimated deadlines and reasonable work hours during the day. We are extremely pleased with our investment in Penguin Basements. Their professionalism, quality of work and attention to detail will make any future clients excited about the journey of renovating their basement.