Elite Construction And Renovations

When we bought our house 3 years ago we knew we needed a major kitchen overhaul. Jay and his team did a great job taking our dream kitchen plans and making it a reality. They worked well with all challenges presented by an older home - knob and tube, rad heating and crooked everything. We did have a few unexpected surprises along the way but Jay and his team were quick to identify and provide cost-effective solutions. I was also happy to find out that they stuck to the schedule they provided us on day one so we were able to get back into our kitchen and start to enjoy it right away.

UPDATE : 7 months later Oct 23 2012
In our original review, we wrote about how well Jay and his team delivered on his commitments and the high quality of the project. I just recently noticed something I wanted fixed with a section of the fascia. I called Jay and he came over and we reviewed it together. Jay called the roofers and they quickly came over and fixed the problem. This was a small issue, but Jay recognized it was important to us. Elite's ongoing commitment to customer service and quality continues to impress us. Thank you to the Elite team! = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Original review:
We have worked with many contractors in the past, but Jay and his team are by far the best. When you partner with a contractor, you look for value for your money, integrity, creativity and responsiveness. The Elite Team exceeded our expectations in all these areas. We renovated a very old home and we knew our house would be challenging. Jay took the time to ensure we agreed on our plan and then he executed exactly to that plan. The other aspect we really appreciated from Elite is there was no upselling pressure. Many contractors will pressure you into expanding the scope of the project or they will 'surprise' you with additional costs. The Elite team were extremely professional and worked to the plan we all agreed to without upselling or surprises. When the project was done, Jay finished on time and on budget. All our questions after the reno have been addressed quickly and accurately. We will continue to recommend Jay and his team to everyone. As mentioned - we've worked with a lot of contractors in Toronto and you will not find a better partnership then with the Elite Team.

PS ... We did a daily blog of our renovation. If you would like to see a day-by-day picture diary from start to finish, contact Elite and they can send you the link and answer any questions you have.

Jay and his team did a beautiful job on our house. Jay is easy to work with and always responds promptly when called. Issues are dealt with in a timely manner and always with respect. A+

Jay and team did a great job on our very dated bathroom, helping us plan and decide what we should do to suit our budget. They we all very professional, the workmanship was great and we are hoping to get them back to do our kitchen soon!

Jay and his incredible crew did an amazing job on a very big project. Jay was enormously helpful in the planning of the project 6 months before any work was started, and he worked closely with us all the way through. We were throroughly impressed with the professionalism demonstrated by Jay and every crew member and sub-contractor we came into contact with. The quaility of the workmanship and attention to detail was extraordinary. The project came in way under-schedule (unheard of in this business)...we were back in our home (which was completely gutted and had the back torn off) in just over 3 months! We have been raving about Jay and Elite to everyone we know and have referred many friends/colleagues to him.

On time and on budget. Jay has assembled a team that care about their work and it is reflected in the quality of the finished product.
Many thanks. Well done.

There is simply nothing Elite about Jay McDonald's Elite Construction and Renovations. Everything about having Elite complete this kitchen renovation was an issue. Jay is not customer centric and he clearly did not have our best interests in mind throughout the 3 week renovation. Jay looks after Jay. Here is my story.

The very first day of the demolition it came to light that the joists in my kitchen ceiling were sagging and had to be dealt with before the new drywall ceiling could be constructed. The house is nearly 100 years old. Jay McDonald offered me two options. Rip out the joists and start again, which wasn't practical and would have caused a lot of collateral damage or jack up the joists, sister some new ones and go on from there. Jacking up these joists (which were not in danger of collapse and were still structurally sound) would have caused a great deal of cracking and damage to the second floor plaster walls which I was not prepared for, but which at the time seemed like the only option.

That evening I consulted with a few other people who had some expertise in this area and the consensus was, DON'T JACK. There was a third option all along that Jay didn't share with me. That was, square off the ceiling area with new sistered joists and proceed from there. When I presented this option to Jay the following morning, he said fine we'll go that way. I even had an architect neighbour come and assist me in dealing with Jay which Jay resented enormously. He sarcastically mentioned "your engineer buddy" several times throughout the day. That was the first moment that I started to lose confidence in Jay and began to realize that Jay was in this for himself and not us homeowners.

Next began the ceiling construction and Jay did not employ drywallers for this task. It took an entire day for 9 panels to be placed and that was working with a drywall lift! At the point this was finished, there was a very obvious rough edge where two panels met that looked like one panel was cut with a butter knife. I brought this to the attention of the guys doing the drywall who insisted this would be covered by the tape and mudding process. Tape and mud went up and the seam was still clearly visible. Then I was told that they had an expert who would do the final mudding and sanding and he would conceal this seam. Expert or not, it took too much material and I now have a VERY VISIBLE bulging seam. Jay's response to this? "I think it's a great ceiling for a drywal ceiling.". This was the moment I realized that I had to watch everything that was happening because clearly Jay wasn't.

Jay's motto: Admit no wrong. Blame everything else.

Throughout the rest of the process there were numerous conflicts with Jay. He thought nothing of yelling at me or berating my opinions. He just kept saying he did this all the time and I should just let him get on with it. He was beligerent with me and made it clear that he felt I was the problem, not him.

I will say this. Jay has access to some good subcontractors. The tile work was very good as was the electrical. However after running all over town looking for a specific coloured grout for my slate floor, I am now having grout haze problems with efflorescence and despite my complaints, Jay has done nothing about it nor offered any useful advise, counsel or remedy. He just shrugs his shoulders in an "oh well" kind of way and I have to live with my grout colour variations that go from moss (my intended choice) to predominantly grey.

When it came to painting we had yet another arguement when I insisted they clean up the drywall dust before starting to apply paint. Common sense. Best practice for paint application. But no, Jay had to argue and fight about it and only when I absolutely insisted did he acquiesce. His rationale was that the drop cloths were protecting the newly laid floor and should remain undisturbed despite being covered in drywall dust. Ultimately the drops were removed and rosin paper was laid to protect the floor. After all the arguing and undue stress.

By the time the whole ordeal was over, I couldn't wait to see the last of him. Unfortunately I have a drywall seam, grout haze, and a lousy French door paint job to remind me of Elite Construction.