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I would like to share our most recent experience in working with the Original Builders company and owner Vladimir. Project: Basement conversion, including a new bathroom, entertainment /bedroom, wardrobe and home gym : In summary, I have had many building projects over the years, from new build, renovations or conversions of space on 3 different continents of the globe and I have never had the opportunity to work with such a professional yet personable, patient, understanding and trustworthy individual. Since I am a bit of a DIY person (to keep cost down and liking a challenge) it was a real pleasure to also work alongside Vladimir who’s advice was always spot on and invaluable to the project. I am going to structure my review in a few categories, which is important to consider in any undertaking… I hope this review will help you to make a good/informed decision on your next project! Remember, going cheaper can most times end up being more expensive. Again thanks to Vladimir and his team for executing our project on target and against budget!

Communication / Project Management

From the outset Vladimir was extremely responsive, and it was not only until he got the contract or midway through the contract it was all the way. He would keep us up to date on everything, time of arrivals,who will be doing what and when on any given day. We do know that contractors have multiple projects running at once, and customers have a completion timelines. Therefore the timing is curtail for both parties to get the job done, Vladimir was onsite every day to inspect previous day’s work or instruct and agree on the following days’ work. Due to our timelines, he was able to FastTrack some parts of the project (since we also did some of the work) and work was completed over the weekend to ensure deadlines were met.

Flexibility / Adaptability & Trust

Throughout the project, Vladimir and his team were flexible to accommodate our needs and wants. Due to the fact that we were doing some of the work ourselves we did miss-judge some of the effort on our part and time ran out…. We had a vacation booked pre the decision to do the basement conversion and when we decided to do it and the work we would do vs what we could afford Original builders to complete we ran out of time! I contacted Vladimir whilst sitting at the airport (lastminute.com). Miserable because we could not finish our share and we had no time left when we return to do it, and asked him (giving him our very long –to-do-list) to check if they could take care of it whilst we were away, this was unplanned work for him and his team. He did not hesitate, he was able to check on the level of effort and materials and within a few hours he could give me a very reasonable quote to complete out this tasks as well as in the timeframe we needed it – we could enjoy our vacation & cocktails knowing we were in good hands & having complete trust that the job will be done when we return. I mean… who does that?? We came home and it was done! Nothing was ever too much effort, and never an inconvenience.

Trade and Job Knowledge

Vladimir has been in the business for many years and completed many projects as I have learned in talking to him. It is very evident when you start seeing him at work, he is very pragmatic, take a methodical approach and execute his work with precision. Things that were crooked are now completely level, aligned and straight. He were providing insights on things we may want to do, or stay away from. No task he attempted was to small, or a hassle. Things we had no idea what to do, he gave great advise and suggestions which we of course took and very happy with the results. It looks like he has pretty much done everything in the trade, and if he uses or work with subcontractors he completely control the situation and make sure they execute with his eye and precision. I like things done right, I think we all do if you pay for it and this case we got our moneys worth!

Cost

In my view, when you attempt these type of projects, you usually need to get at least 3 quotes to compare and make your decision. So we did and found the price point quoted not the cheapest, but it was also not the most expensive. As with many projects there was some changes we wanted to make during the project which was not on the original quote and could get it priced separately, which made it easier to keep track. In addition our original quote included some materials and furnishings we decided to take care of ourselves, and there was no issue to deduct the originally priced item/work back as credit to the change requests or from the final payment.