My husband and I are first time homeowners and have never done a renovation before. We wanted to finish our basement to give us more liveable space, especially with my husband and I working from home and having 2 small kids. However, the task seemed daunting and we had no idea who to trust or where to begin. I started my research on HomeStars and saw various companies with great ratings so began to read reviews and reach out for quotes.
Michael was the first person to respond from Level Up and honestly from the moment we met, we knew we could trust him. I am an extremely skeptical person and with us having zero experience in home renos I really did my due diligence throughout this process. In our initial consult, Michael left such a great impression on me and my husband and eased our anxiousness. He was honest, organized, professional and friendly. He told us to get multiple quotes before making a decision and answered my thousands of questions patiently and honestly. He made a comment in his first visit that he prides himself on his reputation and that his clients are his family. Now looking back with our project complete, I can 100% say that Level Up Consulting is an incredible company that will make your vision come to life. Another thing that impressed and reassured me was that he provided me with the phone numbers of his previous clients who I was able to text/talk to and get their feedback on Level Up and their experiences. In spending such a large amount of money, this helped us feel more confident that we were making the right decision.
The previous owners of our home started to renovate the basement themselves but never finished. They didnt make the best use of the space and you could tell their work was not professional. Our basement isnt very large, about 800 square feet so we were really looking for guidance on how make the best use of the small space. Ashley is the designer from Level Up and after the demo she came to take measurements and provided us with a few different layout options to choose from. She was flexible and listened to our needs as we asked for a few changes before confirming the final design. We wanted a bedroom, bathroom, office space and living area and we couldnt be happier with the final product! After a few email exchanges we were set and went to the showroom to select our finishes. We were blown away by what was included in the base pricing. There were so many amazing and current options of flooring, tiles, fixtures, vanities, etc. and all were included in our pricing. Only if you wanted something custom or very specific did you need to pay extra but we didnt feel the need.
After the demo and design the foundation inspection was the first thing to happen. Michael had told us to put in a contingency for this and we are so glad we did. Our home is on a slope and when we moved in, we were worried about the potential of water damage. The previous owners had done a band aid solution and the foundation inspection identified 2 cracks and a tonne of leaks that Level Up was able to correct. While it was unfortunate that we had to spend the extra money, it is so worth it in the long run and gives us the peace of mind that we know exactly what is happening behind the walls.
Michael provides a very detailed schedule once the start date has been confirmed and they were on time or early every step of the way. After the materials were delivered, Michael came the day of framing and we were able to make some adjustments to the plan as needed. Michael also pointed out where you could spend extra money (i.e reroute pipes so not so many bulkheads) and where it wasnt worth the spend. We really appreciated that as we could tell he really had our best interests at heart.
Every contractor that came into our home was friendly and professional. The entire project took 3 months and that included 3 weeks of design/ordering of materials and a one-week delay that was because of us ordering a barn door that was on back order. We loved the electrical design and plumbing experiences as we were able to customize the basement based on our needs (extra outlets in our office space). We also found the contractors proactive to provide insights of how to improve the initial design plan we were given based on our actual basement when the work began.
Michael and his team stayed close to the project, were flexible with payment and ensured we were only paying for things after they were completed and we were satisfied with the work. We couldnt be happier with the way our basement turned out and the quality of work done.
Choose Level Up I promise you will not be disappointed!