Mainland Ventures

We hired Mainland Ventures to convert an outdated two piece bathroom into an updated three piece bathroom as well as to frame in a bedroom and office that didn’t have proper doors, to open up a wall to create a larger closet and to frame a knee wall to make the space in a sloping room more usable.
We got three quotes from contractors because this was our first time doing a reno and that’s what they say you’re supposed to do, but it was pretty obvious from the get-go that we were going to be going with Mainland (Paul specifically). Paul came by a few times to quote the project as we changed the scope on a few occasions and he was always punctual and professional. Other contractors that came by (which also came highly regarded/recommended) were certainly a bit more flaky in their approach and I was left with the sense that going with them would have been a frustrating experience. All of the quotes were generally within the same range; although sometimes it was hard to compare because Paul puts in allowances for all expenses (which is very helpful for overall budgeting), while other contractors leave things like fixtures, paint, doors, etc. out because those costs are outside of their control.
During the reno Paul was always available by e-mail or phone and would confirm big decisions before proceeding. I really appreciated that Paul doesn’t bother you with every tiny decision, but employs logic and makes those decisions himself, while bringing the homeowner in for the important things (I’m sure Paul would consult on every minor thing if you wanted, but that was not my personal preference). Paul is very conscious of the budget and always gets approval where there may be a differential between budgeted and actual costs (which was not often). He was also flexible when we wanted to add last minute changes, which I’m sure messed with his schedule, and would always preemptively give a quote for the cost of that change. One of the few cost overruns that we were going to have was the cost of door knobs and to match the existing crystal knobs in our house (character house, so nearly 100 year old knobs). The cost of the knobs was going to be over $150 a knob, but Paul was able to repurpose knobs from a prior job, so in the end it cost us nothing and we got a better result because we don’t have new looking knobs and old knobs now. This sort of problem solving was really appreciated and the knob situation wasn’t the only time Paul suggested equally effective money saving alternatives. Finally, Paul’s team and his subcontractors are all very professional and respectful of your home and don’t leave it in a state of disrepair. I would recommend Mainland to anyone and expect I’ll be reaching out to Paul to take a look at our kitchen in the next few years.

Paul and his crew did a fantastic job on our basement renovation. Scope of work incuded:
- removal of old tile and laminate floor
- removal of kitchen cabinets, countertop, and bathroom vanity
- levelling of floor slab
- installation of new tile and laminate throughout the suite
- removal and replacement of water damaged drywall and installation of new toilet

Our renovated basement is now so much nicer than the main part of the house we probably won't rent it out anymore and make it an additional living space for our growing family

Will definetly be calling Mainland for more work in the future

We are very fortunate that we found Paul and his crew to facilitate our Reno. We are originally from Calgary so I was somewhat anxious about finding a good general contractor. From our first meeting Paul was extremely professional and courteous. He was very accommodating with any changes that we desired as well as those that arose non intentionally. I can't say enough good things about his service and his employees. In fact we have booked him to do more work in the fall! Thanks for everything!
Toni & Dave

Outstanding work by Roy and his crew! These guys were on time and finished the job in a full day. Great cleanup after they were done and i am very happy with the quality of his work. I would highly recommend these guys.They know there stuff.

We found Mainland Ventures (MLV) through Homestars in mid 2012. After meeting with Paul Pharaon, followed by a written estimate, reference checks and comparative meetings with other homestar “stars” we decided to move forward with Paul and MLV. We redesigned the interior layout of our home using an architect that works regularly with Paul. As a result of a layout redesign, our initial estimates and budgets were altered and increased to accommodate scope changes. With permitting and layout redesign approved by the City of Vancouver, MLV moved forward with the demolition and gutting of our house, top to bottom, on Oct 1, 2012 and we moved back at the end of April 2013 following full approval by the city. An additional couple of weeks following our move back was required to complete the doors for our kitchen/washroom cabinets, and closet storages. A follow up final walkthrough was conducted by Paul and us to identify any final touchups and fixes.
Scope of work with MLV includes: Redesign of layout of house. Gut entire interior house. Reframed entire basement and reconfigured both floors, including removal of walls and dealing with structural changes. All new electrical and plumbing. Foundation crack repairs and mould removal. New insulation and new window/door installations. Expanded master powder room to include shower, added upstairs laundry, added 6th bedroom for the house, added full network cabling throughout, prewiring for alarm. The list goes on…
At the end of the day, the pictures we have put together below highlight the work that MLV conducted, pre and post renovation. We think they are self explanatory. MLV and Paul provided a significant revitalization of our Vancouver Special. We couldn’t be more happy with the workmanship that they provided. Numerous compliments by everyone who have come through our home, in particular the kitchen/washroom and storage systems.

They work very diligently starting with consultation to complete the project.
The Reno was completed exactly in a way that we wanted.
We are very satisfied with their job.
Definitely we will ask them when we need another renovation.

The wood around the base of our stucco-clad 1939 house had areas of dry rot or damp rotten wood. About 1/3 of the cedar boards on our sundeck also needed to be replaced due to rot. Mainland Ventures sent two good carpenters who replaced all the rotting wood in these two areas, and sealed around the base of the stucco outer walls to prevent further water infiltration. They were prompt, pleasant, efficient workers who did a very good job. They tidied up afterwards and removed all the old rotten wood from our property. The only small criticism would be that some of the fence boards that had to be removed next to the deck were not spaced evenly apart when they were put back. They offered to come and adjust this small thing though, so they always make sure you are satisfied with the job. I would be very happy to recommend this company's services to a friend. We have used Mainland Ventures for several renovation jobs now and they have always been great.

Mainland Ventures have been delightful to deal with. They have accomplished the renovations of 2 bathrooms for me as well as dealt with other items that needed to be addressed. Paul Pharaon, the owner, is organized and plans ahead with a view to complete the job on time, within budget and with minimal interruption to the homeowner. The crew is fantastic; they are all friendly and always arrive at the time specified. They clean the work area when they finish for the day. I appreciate that Paul is hands on and communicated with me each step of the way. I would highly recommend Mainland Ventures to anyone who is thinking of renovating their home.

Our 100 yr old house had a lot of challenges when it came to designing a working reno plan: a long skinny footprint, coupled with our rather unusual usage needs, made this a demanding concept.

The job: gut the entire basement to the studs; remove forced air heating system and all ductwork, replace with high efficiency boiler hot water baseboard heat (for two floors of the house, electric baseboards in the attic); rebuild floorplan using the recovered space from the furnace to build an additional half-bath adjoining home office; rebuild master bathroom adding a steam shower; replace all electrical and install halogen pot lights throughout; ; run new water service from the street and repair/rebuild drains /sewage system. reconfigure stairs to meet building code; replace flooring with laminate wood throughout.

After our initial meeting with Paul Pharaon we were impressed by his broad scope of knowledge, not only of the possibilities our home presented, but the pitfalls, the potential conflicts in bringing it up to building code, and the costs in money and time a job like this would incur. From the very first meeting throughout the several months of our job, we could always count on Paul for reliable, timely, accurate information. When things changed and problems presented themselves (as they often do when one is unearthing prior amateurish "home improvements" ) Paul and his team were able to change course and address the new issues, always keeping us in the loop, and with hardly a delay in the timeline. Despite these several "surprises" hidden behind our old walls, the Mainland team brought our job in only slightly later than originally predicted, and largely on the original budget. Where there were new expenses, none were themselves "surprises" and Paul always kept available an accurate running ledger showing the project's costs.

Once underway, Paul's team made every effort to minimize our disruption ( we were still living above) -- despite a LOT of dirty work, every day the site was cleaned and old debris removed. We live on a very narrow lot, and our neighbours' homes are very close. Neither neighbour reported any problem caused by noise, traffic, dust, or other causes. Paul's workers were all courteous, considerate, and pleasant to interact with. And did I mention, hard-working? They truly went the extra distance on our job, and it was wonderful to see the excellent teamwork in action.

We are now very happy living in our "new old" house. We would not hesitate to highly recommend Mainland Ventures to anyone looking into renovation done by this fine company.

We discovered some ant activity when our previous tenant moved out, and after handling that issue we discovered a larger issue requiring us to have the shower stall in the lower suite re-done. After contacting several renovation companies from Homestars and receiving site inspections and quotes, we settled on Mainland Ventures. And we are so very happy with our decision!

Paul was very kind, friendly, cordial and informative. He was also very forthcoming with answers on other little repair items around the house not to do with the work we hired him for. He gave what we felt was an honest dollar estimate of the work needed, and in our minds was a fair and reasonable quote. The experience of working with Paul and his team was well worth the time and money spent on the project.

As with the hiring of any contractor, trust can also be a huge issue. When they began the work, he and his crew were very respectful of our space, i.e. they didn't bang about carelessly with their tools or with the removal of the damaged parts. They were also very cooperative and allowed either my wife and I or both of us to observe the work they were doing (as well as ask lots of questions and take pictures), while it was being taken down and put back together, layer by layer. This alone gave us absolute trust in this group, and we were very impressed with the results.

Also, the work ethic of each of his employees was top notch. I could instantly ascertain from their attitudes and demeanor that they each took pride in what they did. All of them were very knowledgeable, experienced and capable in their construction abilities. As a team they were all conscientious and thorough.

Should we require work to be done on our home in the future we would definitely be in contact with Paul again.