3 Stones Custom Homes Inc.

3Stones did a major renovation and redesign of the second and third floors of our old Victorian house. They provided a detailed day-by-day! timetable and quotation of the work at the start. Every two weeks progress of the work and the budget was reviewed on site, detailed invoice for payment, and receipts were provided. Except for structural surprises and agreed-on savings as the work progressed, they kept completely within budget, and within the timetable. The work by all trades was excellent, progress meetings valuable and instructive. We feel very fortunate to have them do our work in such a transparent and excellent way.

We have done multiple renovations over the years, this was our first renovation with Chris and Bill of 3 Stones Custom Homes and our best experience.

During the initial interviewing process 3 Stones was highly professional. They did a thorough walkaround, listened to our key requirements, and prepared a detailed budget and timeline. Communication was great for both my husband and I.

With 3 Stones, we used a time-and-materials contract instead of the more typical fixed-price contract. All renovations have surprises and unforeseen issues after the demolition starts and these can cost extra regardless of the type of contract. A time-and-materials contract can be more effective when a homeowner and contractor are collaborative, mutually trustworthy and decisive. The original projected 7 month project was fully complete in 7 months + 3 weeks, despite Covid issues and material availability issues due to supply chain disruptions.

Throughout the renovation process, we met with Chris and Bill at least every 2 weeks. They provided detailed times when decisions were required, construction alternatives when various issues arose, useful recommendations based on their past experience, and typical costs associated with the alternatives. As our renovation happened during Covid, there were a few estimates that were off that could not have been anticipated, but Chris and Bill were effective at helping find reasonable alternatives in each case (e.g. substitute joist type, different vendor, modifying an existing fireplace, etc). At all times we felt we knew how, where and when money was being spent. This approach let us work out details and changes on the fly that resulted in a much more effective and great-looking renovation.

They continue to follow up effectively on details after project completion.

Chris and Bill are highly experienced and have great long term relationships with their trades. They are highly people-focused and a pleasure to work with. We are highly satisfied with the result and highly recommend Chris and Bill. We feel lucky to have worked with them.

We hired 3 Stones Custom Homes for the gut renovation of our house in Little Italy.

It was a very complicated project since the house was in very poor shape structurally and on very bad soil. Not only that, but all of the framing in the house had been warping for a hundred years, so there were no straight lines.

We were the architects on our project and we worked directly with 3 Stones for structural engineering. They also managed the construction of the project.

As professionals who have renovated a few houses in Toronto, I have to say that our experience with 3 Stones was extremely positive and we hope to work with them again soon. Throughout the process there were several aspects of working with 3 Stones that made it so good:
Realistic estimates of schedule
Realistic and real time estimates of budget
Quick estimates of costs of design changes (we made a lot of design changes)
Openness to changes and to all of the one of a kind details that we designed
Professional demeanor
Friendly and positive attitude
High quality work

3 Stones has a schedule and budget update issued with every invoice. This helped us to adjust our expectations and to understand the consequences of the design changes we were making. Throughout the project, we also kept finding little opportunities for improvement on our design; 3 Stones helped us evaluate each of these potential changes in very fast estimates. We were always really impressed with the way that Chris could usually do the math on most of these changes in his head and let us know what it would set us back right after we explained it.

They were also always upbeat and open to anything that we proposed. Our experience with some of the other contractors that we interviewed for this project was that they frowned a lot in order to seem competent. They had a demeanor that gave us more confidence because it was clear they were up to the challenges.

On the whole we were really impressed with the work that they did. Their teams were extremely friendly, efficient and talented. All of the interior finishes, mechanical systems, millwork and trim were done with such an incredible amount of care. Our house now looks beautiful but also feels solid and well made. We can’t recommend them enough.

We are so pleased with our renovations and highly recommend 3 Stones Custom Homes!! Chris and Bill are a perfect team and an absolute pleasure to work with! They are highly skilled with many years of experience, extremely organized and truly care about their clients and doing a good job. Throughout the renovations, we always felt confident that we were in very good hands. Chris and Bill worked very well with our designers and have obviously built excellent working relationships with all of their trades’ people over the years as all of them are knowledgeable and work well together in a timely and efficient manner. Chris and Bill are always very responsive. They get back to calls and texts immediately and are good at fixing any small deficiencies in their work without delay. We especially like that Chris and Bill provided us with a detailed break down of all costs and expenses, along with a chart setting out the timing for different parts of our various projects, so that we could keep up to date with exactly what was being done and how much was being spent. They scheduled regular check-ins to go through progress, solicit feedback and provide updated charts so that we continuously felt satisfied that things were getting done in best way possible to meet our needs. The results speak for themselves! Our top floor master bedroom with walk-in closet and bathroom is particularly lovely. Thank you 3 Stones!!

We did an extensive renovation project with 3 Stones that included fully gutting and rebuilding the basement and third floors and rebuilding our front porch. Chris and Bill always provided expertise and great advice as we went, which was especially helpful during the permitting process with the city. Of the three quotes we got at the beginning of our project, they actually came in the highest, and we were nervous about that, but in the long run we were reassured by their open-book budgeting process, which meant we knew exactly what we were spending, and on what. Remarkably, they came in slightly under budget, despite some scope changes along the way.

Overall, it was a real pleasure working with Chris and Bill. They and their tradespeople were always efficient, courteous, and kept the place clean as they went. On top of that, they always showed up when they said they would. This was a real change from our previous renovation experiences! They brought a great depth of knowledge and imaginative solutions to their work with us. We can't recommend them highly enough.

We hired 3 Stones Custom homes on a referral from a friend. 3 Stones is a Toronto-based high-end renovation and new-build company. The scope of the work was a new basement (including waterproofing), an expansion of the kitchen, and a new interconnecting stair in the centre of the house.

Chris and Bill were excellent. There were 3 things I appreciated most:

1. Open and clear communication: Chris and Bill are available, literally, at any point to answer any questions about the work. We did not live in the renovation at the time, but Chris and Bill spent 2 hours every Saturday walking through the past week's work, the next 2 weeks, and asking us for input on any design decisions.

2. Follow-up: Chris and Bill have been diligently following up nearly every month since the work was done to make sure we are satisfied.

3. Design chops: Bill is a structural engineer and Chris has good design sense. Changes to designs, especially related to structure which is critical in a renovation, are quick and painless.

The work was high quality and we would highly recommend the team.

We would hire 3 Stones again to work on our house in a heartbeat. Not only was their work meticulously done, it came in on-time and under budget. When does that ever happen? Chris and Bill are two of the most sincere, hard-working guys I've ever met. It was always clear how much they wanted the best possible outcome for us and, happily, they achieved it. Any (inevitable) bumps in the road were dealt with swiftly and easily. They are easy to work with and went above and beyond to make sure we were always completely up-to-date on the status of the project. They are top-notch communicators, which just cements (construction pun) their reputation for me.

Having met Bill & Chris through a real estate agent (who was selling houses that they had 'transformed' in our neighbourhood), we decided to use their services for a major home renovation. We were so impressed with their work - from the initial planning stages to the final touches (including ongoing support for minor issues). Having heard countless horror stories from friends about the pain of renovations, we were prepared for the worst. None of the predicted nightmares occurred and the renovation was completed on time and on budget - exactly as we and Bill & Chris had committed to doing. I think a key element to the process was open communication; Bill and Chris clearly outlined the entire process, worked closely with us to understand our exact expectations, provided a calendar which detailed what would be happening on any given day/week, and kept us up to date on progress and budget. An 'open book' accounting kept us informed of any overage/savings through the reno - which allowed us to make decisions/adjustments as needed.
Bill & Chris also were very helpful in giving us advice as to how to cut costs - very clearly explaining how to maximize our funds, and providing their knowledge as to where to find deals. When it made sense for us to source items cheaply, they were very flexible with using materials we provided. When they could source items through their suppliers, we often got great cost savings (i.e. windows, plumbing fixtures).
We are delighted with our 'new' home, and cannot recommend 3 Stones highly enough.

We emptied our house and moved out for 3 months (May - July) and although we added work to the plan (flooring, additional A/C unit, etc) the reno was complete on time. And our 1913 house feels like a new home. We

We recently purchased a newly "flipped" home that was renovated by 3 Stones Custom Homes, and have nothing but positive things to say about our entire experience with the company. In particular, we have been very pleased by the diligence, service and attention to detail provided by Chris Lawrence (a partner at the company), especially in the months *after* we purchased our home.

From our first visit during an open house, this home stood out from many other "flips" we saw during our search. It was clear that 3 Stones put much thought into the renovation. From the reconfigured layout of the home down to the every design detail, not an item was overlooked. This home was thoughtfully designed and beautifully refinished to be a functional family home.

In the months since we have moved in, Chris has been a phone call away at anytime we have found ourselves needing guidance or information (even on things that fall outside of his official purview). As first-time homeowners, this support has been invaluable.

We would highly recommend 3 Stones Custom Homes for any new buyers looking to purchase a renovated home, or homeowners looking to do some renos of their own. We love our home, and can't speak highly enough of our experience with the company and their work.