Norseman Construction & Development Ltd

The most important things for a renovation: on time, on budget, good work. Sadly, most people have learned to expect to compromise on some or all. I didn't have to compromise with Norseman; they were on time (ahead of schedule, in fact), on budget, and I'm very pleased with the result. I was impressed with their staff and trades; it was obvious that they cared about their work, they did it well, answered my questions and they were respectful of the fact that it was my home, and I was living there during the work. The work areas were left tidy every day. A very grateful thanks to Dave, my project manager, who kept me in the loop, gave me straightforward answers, always had a plan when something needed to be changed, and kept good humour and even temper when I'd get frustrated. I plan to hire them again.

We hired Norseman to transform our basement, from a low-ceilinged rabbit warren of rooms to a light-filled space with high ceilings, lots of room and a beautiful new laundry room and bathroom. The project involved digging out the basement by hand (2 feet down), relocating the furnace and hot water tank, all new plumbing, and more. The process was very smooth, and was completed within the expected timeframe (4 months). Andrew, our site manager, was fantastic. Before the project started, I was worried about the disruption and mess, but with Andrew in charge I soon realized that I did not have to worry at all. He communicated often and thoroughly, addressed all my questions and concerns, and minimized the impact of the project on our household wherever possible (like putting the washing machine and dryer on a temporary platform, so we could still use them after the floor had been dug out.) Kevin, the operations manager, also communicated frequently with detailed status emails and site visits, and all work order changes were explained in detail, and formalized in writing to avoid any surprises. Shawn, and all of the work teams, were great - happy to answer any questions, and keep me up to date on what was happening. Overall, we were very happy with the process, and the project results. Now we have a great basement recreation area that we will enjoy for many years to come. I would highly recommend Norseman for the quality of work and project management.

Norseman went above and beyond to get our basement done. This big, complicated project was done to code with lots of attention to detail. We were advised at every step, almost daily, and consulted frequently. Communication is vital in these kinds of projects and Kevin kept us in the loop at all times, answering our calls and emails swiftly and patiently.

Unavoidable delays in permit issues, complications and some of the workers' odd hours (e.g. coming in for a few minutes on weekends, staying till 9pm) were necessary evils in order to complete the basement before Christmas (more than a month over the deadline). But any job worth doing is worth doing right, so budget for extra time and cash.

Norseman workers continue to come to the house to attend to any small problems or details they might have missed. While not wholly efficient (they might only be here for an hour and not complete what they're working on all at once) the support and extra care is appreciated. Just be aware they'll need access to the house for quite a bit of time after the job is complete.

Overall, the job was done very professionally by mostly courteous workers who did their best to complete the job under high stress and sometimes less than ideal circumstances. It was an expensive job but ultimately worth the investment.

We hired Norseman to rebuild our sagging front porch and replace a support post. I dealt with a salesman/project manager named Josh. The carpentry work on the porch was completed by a subcontractor, and for the most part it was done well. If that was it, I would have given Norseman 7 or 8 out of 10. However, I had two big problems with the project and the company:

1. The subcontractor built the (single) step up to the porch at 10" high - 3" above code and also a very awkwardly short distance to the floor of the porch. When I mentioned to Josh that I thought it was a bit high, he said he had looked at it and it was fine. When I then mentioned that it was higher than code, he said he would come fix it himself. To his credit, he did eventually come do this. But not until after I contacted him several times to remind him about it.

2. During construction, the subcontractor knocked off some of the angel stone facing on the brick support pillar between our house and the house next door. In doing so, he exposed the bricks underneath and noticed that the mortar between them had been worn away. Josh offered to have one of his masons come and fix the brick for us. He made a big deal about how he would do it at no extra cost to us, and that they would fix it up so that it would look nice.

When the mason came, he patched up the brick and then covered it in concrete. He didn't patch up the bricks on our neighbour's side. The whole thing ended up looking like a pretty bad patch job. We told Josh that we weren't happy with it, and that we hoped and expected he would do something to address the problem. He came over once more and said that he was sorry but there was absolutely nothing he could do about it. Now we are left with spending more money to fix the problem that Norseman caused.

We hired Norseman in September, 2014 to rebuild our enclosed front porch, do some tuck-pointing, as well as to replace the roof. The people at Norseman are professionals and are great to work with. Greg, our Project Manager, kept us updated throughout the renovation and made sure that all of the finishing touches were completed. The project took longer than we anticipated but we are happy with the end result.

We used Norseman for a short reno of our living room/dining room and thought they were great. From the first consult, when they suggested a design change we hadn't considered that saved us thousands, all the way through to the finishing touches. The workers were friendly, tidy, and punctual and our project manager Scott deftly dealt with the unexpected things that pop up when taking apart 100-year-old houses.

Really happy with Norseman and the quality of their work on the many complicated aspects of my complete basement renovation. Throughout the project, they were consistent and communicative. The quality of the work was very high and there was a lot of integrity in how they approached the project, especially from the awesome project manager, Greg. He was fantastic - reliable, thorough and resourceful. In general, everyone from Norseman was friendly and professional.
When I needed to spend more money, it was both for good reason (clearly explained) and a fair amount. I also felt that when things went wrong (as they naturally do on a large scale project), they took full responsibility and made sure it got fixed.
They delivered what they said they would and worked hard to make sure I was totally happy with the end result.
My favourite part of working with them was just the fact that their professionalism and thoughtfulness meant I could relax during an inherently stressful process. I knew I could trust them to do everything right!

My home where I have lived for about 20 years needed a new kitchen. I looked at several others who only suggested laying new tile over the old tile, or didn't provide any quote at all. Norseman did provide a quote and allowed me to push back the starting date by a couple of weeks, then completed their work in a month ending with a new level kitchen, lots of light, wonderful cabinets, and counters, and happy cats. Thank you so much!

Work done: full bathroom reno, new hardwood floors throughout 2nd level, re-designed master closet & new fireplace.
Although there were a few hiccups along the way and the project was delayed, what was really refreshing was their professionalism. They stand by their work and make sure you are happy with the finished product. I found Norseman to be a very honest and reputable company to work with.
When issues arose (and they always do), they were excellent in going over all the options and especially how to keep costs down.
I highly recommend this company.

We started our reno with the idea of expanding our kitchen. We spoke with a number of companies, but decided to go with Norseman Construction. We discussed our plans with Norseman, and they without any pressure, suggested a number of different designs that opened our eyes to options we had not considered. These designs made the job bigger, but made the most efficient and satisfying use of our space. For a reno of this size, we felt we needed to go with a company of significant experience and resources. We felt comfortable and confident with Norseman. They had competent and creative architects, tradesman, plumbers etc. The site supervisor for our reno, Greg, was easy going and kept us well informed during the progress of the project. The project took longer than expected, but in an old home we had expected a few surprises along the way. In retrospect we are very happy with the final product and would not change anything. We are very confident in recommending Norseman.

Henry and Gloria