The Home Improvement People (HIP) helped deliver our dream home when we moved in 2021, and we couldn't be happier. We moved during the height of Covid and the infamous supply chain delays, and the new house needed a complete renovation in the kitchen and the mudroom, and basement finished. We contacted 3 contractors for quotes. The Home Improvement People won out with a reasonable quote, quick responses to our inquiries, and detailed explanation of their processes, which the other 2 places didn't provide. HIP also promised a 2 years' warrantee (vs others just one year).
The scope of our project was large:
1. The kitchen was gutted and modernized with beautiful premier quartz countertop and backsplash, custom cabinets, and best of all, opened up by eliminating unnecessary bulk heads. We also changed the location of a doorway which required a permit.
2. The basement was unfinished, and we took the chance to turn it into a warm, comfortable, and cozy living space. Bottom line, we didn't want the basement to feel like a basement. We wanted it to transition seamlessly from the rest of the house. To accomplish this, we had all the basement windows dug out and enlarged (which was a major foundational/structural job), put in hydronic in-floor heating throughout the basement so that the floors didn't feel cold and unwelcoming, put in a luxurious bathroom, and finished 3 bedrooms.
3. Finally, the mudroom/laundry room was gutted as well and completed with a bench, nice cabinet and new washer/dryer.
Hip delivered.
All in all, we had Steve as our on-site manager, along with his crew who were on site; Shannon who helped design our project, and Elia who oversaw our project as a whole. They were all fabulous.
On-site were Steve and his crew, and they deserve a standing ovation. The crew were truly the best contractors we had worked with (and prior to this, we had gone through 2 custom built homes and a major renovation). Their workmanship is top notch, including wood work, paint job, tile or flooring, drywalling, HVAC, and everything else. The crew cared - they took time and care to make sure the job was not only done, but done beautifully and perfectly. They were always on time, and very courteous. Many times they came up with great solutions to unexpected challenges as well, such as enlarged our build-in shelves of home theatre because our AV equipment was larger than expected. Most notably, they kept the site clean, were courteous to our family, and always cleaned up at the end of each work day.
Shannon was the designer. She understood our vision and often gave us great suggestions for alternative materials and look.
Elia was professional throughout He was very reasonable and flexible when we had to deal with difficult supply chain challenges due to the covid-19 pandemic. The way he managed these challenges did not go unnoticed and we certainly appreciated it.
Price wise, HIP wasn't the cheapest on the market. We knew we could have gotten the job done for less. However, you know you will get top notch quality and peace of mind, and to us, being able to trust our contractors is worth every penny.
Certainly, there will be challenges or hiccups in every renovation project. Our key recommendation is to follow your project each day, ask questions, stay on top of deliverables and timelines, communicate and manage expectations, and you will find that HIP is very easy to work with.
All in all, we would recommend Home Improvement People, especially if you have complicated projects, because they definitely have the expertise to get your job done right.
