Ashton Renovations

We completely gutted, tore down the walls and renovated our kitchen and sun room, making our living area one large, open concept area with a 7'X4' island, Caesarstone counters, customized IKEA cabinets, custom shelving, KitchenAid and Miele appliances including an induction stoveop and a Kohler faucet. Included Marmoleum click flooring and a suspended dark grey ceiling with twig chandelier. Exactly what we imagined and even more USABLE than some "gourmet" kitchens we've cooked in.

This is the 3rd project which Mark Ashton has completed with excellent results. Mark designed a beautiful sliding gate to access my parking pad from the back alley, and maintain privacy in the back garden. He discussed his plans with me before work started; answered all of my questions; began work as scheduled; and completed an excellent job on time. I am delighted with the gate and the fence.

We chose Mark out of five bathroom contractors because Mark was the only one who insisted on coming up with a design prior to renovating. The other contractors just told us that they would gut and replace everything in the exact location. To us it made so much sense to come up with a design first because we had a very small space (7' x 5') to work with. This was also our only full bathroom in a 90+ year old house. We wanted to make it as functional as possible. Mark came to our house several times prior to the renovation and offered many ideas as well as solutions to make our small bathroom work. The only unfortunate thing was Mark had too many projects on the go at that time (early June) and had to sub-contract the work to someone else. That was fine as Rob Sloane from Canadian Craftsmen did a good job.

I would strongly recommend Mark Ashton to all my family and friends to help them with their future renovation projects from a design perspective. I would definitely consider Mark for any future projects that come up at our house.

We had really let our old kitchen go and knew it needed a complete renovation. When Mark first saw it, he smiled and said, "well, there's nothing to save here". As the project got underway we uncovered a few surprises that often come with renovating a 100 year old house. The worst being one of the exterior walls of the kitchen was completely rotten and needed to be replaced. Mark and Ron took it in stride and made us feel comfortable knowing they had the experience to handle the situation. Renovating is no fun but whenever problems were encountered, Mark was reassuring and and we never felt overwhelmed. The end result is a kitchen we are proud of. I made it clear upfront that I was all about the details and the fit and finish is excellent. Throughout the process, every supplier from the electrician to the plumber to the floor refinisher showed up on time and were pleasant to deal with. We have 2 dogs and this kind of scheduling was extremely helpful. And this speaks to the number one reason why we can recommend Ashton Renovations and that's communication. Every phone call was answered by Mark (I don't ever remember getting voicemail), every email was returned the same day, and every question and concern was dealt with promptly. In the world of contracting, this is rare if not unheard of.

On the second excellent job that Ashton Renovations did for me - a plumbing leak - they maintained their superior service and skill. They communicated quickly, and scheduled the job the next day. The appointment was on time, and the plumbing leak was quickly identified and repaired.

Mark and his crew built out of the nothing of a raw unfinished section of the basement a home for our new midnight blue front loading washer and dryer, creating my dream of a VanGogh inspired laundry room with sunflower yellow walls (you can see the print of VanGogh's "Irises" hanging in the picture). Despite my frequent additions to the project, as I realized it would look better if we were able to block off the view of the unfinished area that housed the furnace, and build in a door to close off the storage room, and add a shelf here and a tile floor instead of linoleum, and other numerous small and big additions, Mark brought us in pretty close to time and budget. It is an astoundingly beautiful room, and I don't think I exaggerate when I say that, as I listen to the reaction of friends when they view it for the first time. I now make it a point to go down to the basement at least once a day, whether or not I'm doing laundry, and if I'm ever feeling low, I know exactly where to go to cheer myself up.

The best thing about Mark and his crew, especially for a neatnik like me, is that at the end of every work day, the work area is left neat and tidy, and on Friday afternoons, you would not know anyone had been working there, despite the fact that this involved major renovation work. Mark also shows such attention to seemingly small detail. Because the tiles we used for the floor are square, he went out and found the most beautiful little square drain cover for the round basement floor drain in the laundry area. It is partially covered by the washer and dryer but I make a point of looking at it each time I do laundry. It exemplifies to me the care that Mark takes with every aspect of his work.

Ashton Renovations completed a warm and rustic bathroom in our cottage bathroom. The entire shower, floor, and walls were done with slate and many pieces custom cut and beautifully installed with a pattern. Every detail was attended to, including a custom made slate heat vent that fit neatly into the floor. The vanity sink included a traditional faucet and uniquely made polished concrete countertop. We are extremely happy with the end product and the time and care put into the tilework.

Ashton Renovations completed recently work on our garage. The work was done on time with environmentally friendly materials and on budget. Mark Ashton's clear explanations prior, during and after the work was done were very helpful.

Mark's own team was extremely reliable, never failed to arrive when promised, ensured we understood each step of the process and were a pleasure to have in our home. Mark Ashton was conscientious and ensured that even supplier delays were dealt with in a professional and speedy manner - often suggesting alternative suppliers of bathroom hardware to ensure there were no untoward delays.

Ashton Renovations recently completed a kitchen renovation on my 90 year old bungalow. They did a great job. Completed the job on time; stayed within my budget; gave excellent advice; started the job on schedule; were easy to reach; took great efforts to minimize the distruption to the rest of the house.

If a renovation can be called easy, then this one was.