Journeymen Restoration & Masonry

Journeymen underpinned our basement (increasing the finished height to 8’ clear), poured a new slab, built a new entry stair and cut a new opening for a double entry door. It was a big job so I had the pleasure of getting to know both owners during the project. They were always present on site and also subcontracted the under-slab plumbing, hydronic heat piping and concrete floor polishing for me, so it was a one stop shop.

I am an Architect and am very particular with how I like things done. Donal Fisher’s patience and his clear, quick correspondence lasted right from our first meeting to the end of the job. He also kept me informed about what the plan was for each week and at what stages payments were due, and I felt 100% informed throughout the process. We encountered some extremely challenging soil conditions going down so deep and their crew was dedicated and relentless in their efforts. They were also willing to work with the structural engineer on a unique detail for the underpinning which kept the new part of the foundation wall flush with the old part so that we saved 4" of space on all sides. This required more complicated formwork (see photos) and extra time spent pouring the concrete into the forms. Tom Nugget’s masonry was very clean and precise and his concrete floor troweling was so good that we had the floor polished and sealed and are keeping it as exposed concrete. We were living upstairs while the work took place and Journeymen took extra steps to make sure we (and our neighbour) always had clean and convenient access to our doors. They power washed the driveway multiple time during the course of the work and installed a plastic barrier on the basement ceiling to help keep the dust and smells from coming up through the floor.

These guys know their stuff and were also spoken highly of by the structural engineer I was working with. I wouldn’t hesitate to call them back for any masonry or concrete work in the future and am confident that you would be satisfied with their work.