Jolene in Toronto

Our experience with home reno projects did not extend far beyond watching HGTV shows where you are shown unrealistically beautiful finished homes, and unrealistically beautiful pictures on Pinterest. We needed a contractor who could entertain our lavish ideas within our modest budget, and Richard was just that guy. Our project included refinishing the hardwood floors and repainting the upstairs of our bungalow and finishing the basement. Throughout the process, Richard always offered thoughtful advice and recommendations. His suggestion to budget for a designer was a decision we never would have come to on our own. The designer reconceptualized the whole basement layout to maximize every square inch. She was worth every penny. Just like any good HGTV home reno show, there comes a time when homeowners must make tough decisions to deal with impromptu issues. To deal with the cracks in our foundation, Richard had an engineer come in to properly assess the situation and offer the best and most cost-efficient course of action. He worked with us to adjust our overall budget and made excellent suggestions as to where it was worth cutting and where it was worth spending more. His experience and expertise in dealing with long-term client satisfaction are the backbone to all his well-thought-out suggestions. Richard is the best and only hires the best. His team is sub-par, always leaving the worksite impeccably clean and tidy. They are polite, courteous and invisible. I was home most days with a baby and a toddler, and the team was as quiet as they could be and used the back entrance as to not disturb us. Our only criticism would be that the project ended up taking longer than it was previously planned. That being said, the setbacks were mostly due to those impromptu issues that arose and delays in receiving permits from the City. None of those were predictable, and all were handled with great professionalism and open communication. We highly recommend working with Richard and would not hesitate to rehire Vala Home Improvements for any project. He delivered on his promises and we just love our new finished basement. Richard’s infectious personality is just icing on the cake!