mmunoz

We had an unfinished basement w/ washroom rough in prior so no demo required. It was not a permit job (no major structure change, & no stove installation). Here's our detailed review of our experience w/ AGM for a basement with 3 pc washroom, 2 bedrooms, den, laundry, living room, kitchenette, under stairs storage and furnace room: We filled in their online quote request form & we received a call w/in 10-15 mins of submission. We were asked to take some photos & high level info of what we wanted done to prepare for the meeting w/ Sales. Sales (Saad) 5 stars - It was a very smooth meeting done over Zoom. We discussed our general needs, overview of next steps, he answered our questions, & went over the quote for our reno. We were impressed that we decided to sign up at the end of the call. We had some issues w/ our own financing & he was very helpful in ensuring that we don't lose our deposit when we had to change our project start date. We had a slight communication issue w/ the air vents vs air return vents which came up during the course of the project which he apologized for & clarified. Financing (Tosan) 5 stars - AGM had their own Finance dept & Tosan went above & beyond in giving us options on financing our reno. He listened to our needs & patiently worked w/ us to find a solution we're ok w/. We ended up going w/ our mortgage lender but if that didnt work out I'm positive that Tosan would have found us a solution. Scheduling (Alexey) 4.5 stars - Alexey scheduled the meetings w/ the designer & project manager for the technical walkthrough. Since we had scheduling changes (from August 2022 to January 2023 to September 2022 start dates) due to our mortgage provider putting us in limbo, we weren't really sure whether we should be proceeding w/ the next meetings. I think going forward, it would be great if this can be better coordinated w/in AGM before contacting the client. Designer (Parishi) 4.5 stars - We had the initial meeting w/ Parishi over Zoom & shortlisted the items/materials that we liked. Our second meeting was done in person during the technical walkthrough. She brought samples (paint swatches, tile samples) & provided valuable feedback on our selections. She provided us w/ an amazing layout & definitely addressed our need for additional storage. The only negative we had was that the design doesn't necessarily factor in bulk heads & maybe not enough allowance for drywall in the measurements. Project Manager (Brian) 5 stars - We're so lucky we had Brian as our PM! He just joined AGM but it definitely didn't feel like it to us. He's easy to talk to, honest, listened to the issues/concerns we raised & would keep us in the loop of the issues/status. He will point out potential concerns, especially if it might cost us extra, as soon as he spots it. An example of this was when we wanted to use an old sliding closet door for our furnace room (factored in the tech walkthrough) but didn't work out due to the material (metal parts can't be cut down to size & put together after). He would always reassure us that he's got everything under control & was a quick email/call/text away if we needed anything. We would definitely love to do more projects w/ AGM in the future w/ Brian. Foundation 5 stars - He addressed the foundation cracks as expected. It was done same day & he took the time to explain what he will be doing & what we should expect. Drywall/Framers 2 stars - We had some issues w/ the quality of work done by the framers/drywallers. We noticed that not all 2x4 had been screwed on at the top & bottom after Day 1 & found some gaps in the insulation in 1 of the rooms to name a few. Most of the issues we raised were addressed but some caused problems later on. Electrical (Yuri/Eugene) 5 stars - They were great! We initially thought that we had to determine where to put outlets ourselves but they did this all for us & we just had to tell them where to add additional outlets, & where the fridge/freezer is going. They provided suggestions for the lights & switches as well which we really appreciated. Everything was done up to code & we learned that there should be a separate line for fridges & iron. The electrician submitted the plan after they finished the rough in & we found out that the electrical inspection doesn't necessarily mean an in person inspection. We guess if there were issues, we would have gotten a visit shortly after for an actual inspection. HVAC (Wazir?) 5 stars - Wazir was great! He installed the additional air return & air vents for our basement including drilling a hole through concrete wall for the washroom exhaust fan. No issues or concerns w/ him or his work. Plumbing (Victor) 5 stars - Victor was amazing! We had the washroom plumbing rough in from our builder & he was kind enough to move the toilet slightly so that it's not too close to the shower. He came very quickly when we noticed & notified our PM of a slow leak from the kitchen ceiling (lines were likely moved during drywall installation in that area) & washroom shower (likely came loose sometime after tile installation). Tapers (Tommy?) 5 stars - He & his colleague were great & knowledgeable. They had quite a lot of things to fix due to issues w/ the framers & we think our project would have been much smoother if he did the drywall himself. Painters (Matt?) 5 stars - No concerns w/ the team of painters. There were some minor spots missed but it's something that can be easily touched up at the end. Tiles/Backsplash (Renato?) 5 stars- We love our kitchenette backsplash & washroom/shower tiles! Another great resource! Kitchen Cabinets 5 stars - He came in to measure the space after drywall was up. He pointed out that the cabinet sizes from the plan has to be slightly modified due to the bulkhead & that our existing cold cellar door will need to be flipped in order to not get in the way of the cabinets. We left the cabinet sizes up to him & only requested that the top & bottom cabinets line up instead of changing the sizes of the top cabinets only. They were then installed very quickly & w/ no concerns. The top & bottom cabinets were same size as we requested. Counter 5 stars- He came in the day before to measure the space & sort out how to get the countertop to the basement. Luckily he was able to get it through our basement window otherwise, it would have been a 2 piece countertop. Something to keep in mind that is totally out of everyone's control. Doors (Gadir?) 5 stars - He did a great job in flipping our cold cellar door so that it isn't in the way of our cabinets. He installed the rest of the doors, closet sliding doors, & created the door for our electrical panel as well. He tried his best w/ the furnace room sliding doors due to the framing issue. Glass (shower door) 5 stars - They came in briefly to measure the shower area once the tiles were in place. The glass installation was quick & looked great! Floors/stairs 5 stars - We love our new floor & stairs! They leveled our basement floor using self leveling concrete & installed the new vinyl flooring in 2 visits. AGM also referred us to a company (Carvallos) that would have used dry packs to level our floors. We met w/ the rep who explained the process. Although this was a great option, we decided against it as we will run into issues w/ our stacked washer & dryer. Handyman (Eugene?) 5 stars - We've heard a lot of great things from the other contractors about Eugene & we're definitely impressed. Eugene came in after our PDI (pre delivery inspection) where we marked all the deficiencies (paint touch ups, install access panels/vent covers/etc). As we write this review, Eugene's tasks aren't completed but we will update the review once done. Overall a very good experience for us. Project was completed ahead of schedule & we were always looped in of who/what to expect each week. We ended up spending a bit more after the initial contract but this is due the design change (added more rooms), fixing our home foundation, & leveling the floor. We'll definitely contact AGM again for future renovations.