Jordan from Vancouver

We recently completed our second project with Paul and Mainland Ventures (the first was in 2013). This project was much larger than the first, but we were so pleased with Paul and team the first time around, we didn’t bother getting quotes from anyone else this time. I had absolutely no concern in making that decision because of my complete faith that Paul would treat us fairly. That said, the first time we got 4 or 5 quotes and Mainland’s was competitive with the others. If it turns out Mainland is slightly higher than anyone else, I guarantee you will more than make it up in quality, professionalism and reduced stress. Our project this time around was essentially the entirety of the main floor of our 1930s craftsman house, which had been “updated” many time over the years with varying levels of quality. I don’t know that the scope of work is so important as the way Paul and team (specifically Conor) approached the work. Firstly, we were staying in the house while the reno was going on by living in the basement and sleeping upstairs, which required us to go through the main floor at least twice per day. The team was extremely diligent in keeping the site clean and their tools put away neatly every day. They also installed a plastic barrier with a zipper door that allowed us to get upstairs without debris from downstairs migrating up. We never once had any sense that having to work around this setup was an inconvenience for them, though I’m certain it was. My primary compliments of Mainland are: (i) The quality of the workmanship is exceptional and the standards they set for themselves and their subtrades are extremely high. When I pointed out very minor things that were almost certainly within the tolerance of reasonable quality, Paul always addressed them anyway; not once did he or Conor say or imply “that’s good enough”. (ii) Paul is always available and extremely responsive. (iii) If anything goes slightly wrong (which it’s bound to eventually), whether a miscommunication or an error, Paul immediately takes ownership of it. I’m sure there were occasions where I misremember conversations and Paul could have rightly said “you told me X not Y” but every time it was just addressed without any argument. (iv) Paul and Conor are very flexible in changing the plan as you go. We made some major changes (including changing out windows and moving a window a few feet, which meant all kinds of unplanned exterior work) and they were always happy to accommodate. (v) Paul really watches the budget and is always looking for opportunities to do things more efficiently or save some money. That said, in most cases we decided to take the more involved route to solving problems, and were never made to feel like we should just take the easy way to save time. It was always, “here are the pros and cons, it’s your call”; though Paul and Conor are always willing to provide advice if asked. (vi) Once the job was 99.9% done we had no issues getting Paul and Conor back to clean up the few straggling things. I have heard others say it’s taken them years to get a contractor to come back for the last 1% of the job once they’ve started the next thing; that was not remotely a concern for us. Finally, the difference between Mainland and others is how Paul responded to adversity. We did not get a building permit for our project on the logic that we weren’t doing anything structural, so it shouldn’t be required (in fact we added new walls). However, the city disagreed with this assessment and two months into the job (right as drywall was about to start going up) we were shut down. I have heard stories from others about contractors basically saying “give me a call when you get your permits and we’ll fit you in when we can” when this sort of thing happens. Paul did the exact opposite and immediately had architects, engineers, energy assessors and anyone else we might need on the phone (the architect literally came the day after we’d been shut down). I think we had our permit application in within two weeks of being shut down and then Paul continued to follow up with anyone he could to move it along. We were ultimately down for almost two months, but I’m certain it would have been double that without Paul’s diligence. To put into perspective how highly I view Paul and team, I am actually offended that Mainland’s HomeStars reviews total 99%, not 100%. I actually went looking for these reviews that are less than 10 and it’s all people with great things to say, but then giving a 9 for some reason. We will be using Mainland for all projects, large and small, until the day Paul retires (and then I’ll probably be begging him after that).

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.