Penguin Basements

This review is for Walter ,our project manager. Once initiated communication with Walter, he made sure the project flow met required/agreed timeline. We had a positive communication link and understanding throughout all steps. Thank you.

Penguin Basements provided a professional and courteous service from the consultation/planning phase with Gerrard, the design selections with Amy Bray and throughout the project with Juliano Romagnuolo (our project manager who was always available for Q&As). The building team (trades) were experienced and skilled. They were hardworking and committed to our project.
Although our project is not quite completed were are pleased with the work and finishes thus far.
As new home owners some advice: always ask questions as details sometimes get missed by owners during the design and building phases. Here are some of our learned tips: budget (know your limit and always have a contingency - remember change orders cost you), spray foam insulation (which areas will be includes - there's minimum code vs what you may be expecting) vs regular insulation, stairs upgrades (will steps and landings both be finished with the same materials - don't forget hand rails) and lighting (LED vs Halogen pot lights - pros and cons, additional light fixtures).

Hats off to Penguin Basements for an exceptional job. Our thanks goes out to all of the trades people involved in the successful completion of this project. Initially it was overwhelming to think that we would be responsible for overseeing this work while our son and daughter-in-law were overseas. However we would be remiss if we didn't express our sincere gratitude to Juliano, the Project Manager who really made it all happen. His professionalism, expertise and attention to detail was nothing short of amazing. He took nothing for granted and consulted with us every step of the way making our task so much easier and stress free. He handled the project from start to finish in an exemplary manner and would have no reservation in recommending Penguin Basements to others. Keep up the good work!

Craftsmanship is where Penguin really shines. Their tradespeople are professional, courteous, and personable. As two women, we never felt taken advantage of or treated differently. From the boarding, to the tiling, to the painting-we were consistently blown away with how amazing the work was. The drywallers (Marco and Tony) in particular were outstanding. These gentlemen went above and beyond and boarded our laundry/utility room for us, at no extra charge. One of the reasons why we chose to work with Penguin was their usage of magnesium concrete boards instead of traditional drywall. In terms of quality of work, it is evident that Penguin works with the best tradespeople in the industry.

From a customer service perspective, our experience was fair. As the client, we had to be very proactive throughout this project. We initiated contact frequently to inquire and push for concrete start dates, copies of updated floorplans, booking a design selections meeting, etc. With good reason, Penguin is a very popular renovation company. As a result, we found ourselves delayed a lot due to other projects. On multiple occasions we were guaranteed a date that work would resume, but they were often pushed further back.

Scheduling was also a concern for us. We often had tradespeople (cleaners; painters; finishers) arrive at our house in the evening to complete their work. There were quite a few instances of poor communication and scheduling which led to costly changes and delays. A lot of issues could have easily been alleviated with simple communication, such as a call or a text. But we found that a lot of decisions were made without our consultation and we had to inquire often and remind Penguin to communicate with us more consistently.

But at the end of the day, through the majority of the issues, Penguin worked with us to find solutions. We found the timeline listed on our contract (which lines up with a weekly payment schedule) extremely conservative. Delays naturally exist throughout large projects, especially with a busy company like Penguin who work with many clients simultaneously, so it is best to be cautiously optimistic when planning timelines. Although Penguin has quite a large organization, with departments such as finance, a regional manager, separate project managers, and a designer on site, we found it prudent to be deeply involved in the overseeing process.

A note- it is a good idea to keep aside a decent portion of your budget for upgrades and change orders throughout construction. The package that you sign with comes with basic selections and often, an under-estimation of materials needed. For example, after drawing out our basement layout and measuring it to size, we were told that 12 pot-lights were plenty for the basement. Later, we discovered that 22 were actually required. The costs quickly add up. Upgrades are, naturally, much more expensive, but rest assured that the quality of product really shines through. We splurged on a few features such as a sliding barn door for the bathroom and more electrical work for 2 extra scones for the bathroom vanity. But we are so glad we did. These upgrades really make the room stand out.

Another tip is to carefully read your contract before signing. There were a few things Dan, the regional manager, promised us at our meeting that were not actually included in the contract. We had to fight for them and ultimately, the owner Guy, agreed to keep their commitments.

Overall, we are pleased with the quality of our basement. Juliano was a very responsive project manager, and all tradespeople were highly skilled. If you are looking for a quality crafted basement, Penguin would be a great fit for you. When you invest a large sum of money into a renovation, you want the final product to really stand out. And this is exactly what Penguin delivered.

Full basement reno from unfinished basement. Project started on time had a few snags with timing but overall completed in an acceptable time frame. Quality of work is good, always responsive to request and demands. Overall design of basement is great with innovative ideas on the use of space and some potential obstacles that were turned into features that have been well praised by all that have seen the basement.

This was a big basement renovation that required continuous management of the trades for a timely delivery of each step in the renovation process. This was effectively achieved through the due diligence of the Project Manager Andrew. As with any major renovation undertaking, there were obstacles encountered and with collaboration of ideas between homeowner, Project Manager and the trade's subject matter experts, these obstacles became opportunities for innovative solutions. Overall, the workmanship was of great quality and we were very pleased with the end result.

The consultation was exactly what we needed, long and in depth. The designer Amy was very helpful and patient while we chose the colors and styles of selections for the basement. Our project manager Guiliano was terrific. He was always available, and worked well with us. His scheduling was accurate and effortless. Like any renovation we experienced a hiccup along the way but it was quickly resolved to our satisfaction. The finished basement meets our expectation and we are happy to have chosen Penguin Basements to do the job.

Built a brand new basement. Thank you to the Team (Amy, Guy, Jon, Juliano and Shawn) at Penguin. It is amazing how Juliano (Project Manager) coordinated and completed the project, he has been very transparent, prompt, always put the customer satisfaction at the forefront. Guy never hesitant to give me additional clarification and comfort, always strive to get things done right at first time. They always exhibit the TQM (Total Quality Management) in what they do. They take the pride on customer satisfaction and addressed all my concern and question very promptly. We are so happy with basement. Thank you again Juliano for all your help and you are simply the best to work with.THANK YOU!

We love how our basement turned out. The trades people who worked on it were very good and their skills are apparent in the quality of the workmanship. Although the project took a bit longer than expected we're extremely happy with the results.

When you do renovation in your house, you want to do it right at the first time, Mike Holmes said so, and we did so.
We hired Penguin Basement to finish the basement in our 14 years old house, we like their idea of using the best materials in the market, those magnesium boards in the dry wall are mold free, that is really important for us.
We are very impressed seeing how those workers come on their schedule and get their part done professionally each day,The whole project took a bit more than original timeline, but with the final result, that is absolutely acceptable.
Our Special thanks to Project Manager Andrew, he did such an excellent job organizing everything from delivery, installation, communication among different parties and every details during the renovation, a great guy to work with!
We now have a added beautiful space in the basement with a very reasonable price , if you put quality at the first place, Penguin Basement is definitely the choice!