Modular Home Additions Inc.

We really wanted to take this opportunity to write to you all and express our heartfelt appreciation for all the superb work that Modular has contributed towards making our dream house a reality.

From the outset, we were so impressed with the professionalism, high standards and excellent quality of work from all of the trades with whom we have had the pleasure to meet during the course of the 2nd storey addition to our bungalow.

Furthermore, the actual time it took from demolition to livability was, in our opinion, a real speed record due mainly to the fact that Modular managed to keep a constant, well-timed battery of work crews working continuously without much downtime at all. We especially appreciated the many kindnesses and excellent advice that they had shown us throughout the entire process.
Since our knowledge and previous experience with home renovations was limited, to say the least, it was comforting to know that any concerns that we may have had were addressed with care and attention.

So, a huge thank you to Dule, Vadja, Beli, Ziggy, Dimitri, Dragana, Chale, Bogdan, Vince, Scott, Pam and Maja and everyone else at Modular who contributed in making our renovation an easy experience. We will always be grateful.

Sincerely,

Jeff & Pam

Like a lot of people we got quotes and shopped around before signing with Modular.In the beginning there was some delays with the design process and all, but this was one of those odd times where a new person just started at Modular and training was involved. Then there was the nogotiation piece with the city and yes of course..holidays.Our project did started later than predicted but once the permits were in place, I have to admit their crew was exceptional. We had to built on-site and they got the exterior up pretty much as promised. I give those guys a lot of credit because some days it was either really cold or raining or snowing, but they got the shell up as scheduled.The interior part is a bit slow but I think this relates back to getting subs coming in to do the job and working around holiday schedules..etc. I felt they did a good job in communicating price including changes from the beginning of the project. We always had our calls returned and an explaination to our questions. We are still in final phase of the project so some touch ups and issues to complete..I will keep you all posted on the overall impression..Hopefully this will be in a couple of weeks.

We had to build on-site because of wires and space, and within 15 days, the roof was off, the new structure was on, new roof on and windows in. The upfront planning period conducted by Dmitry was outstanding - he was highly knowledgeable, well organized and patient, and knew how to sequence my decision-making effectively. The big work, led by Ziggy, was exceptional and very hard work with a huge team. I had nasty neighbours that Modular navigated with confidence, showing their experience with every kind of personality. The interior work and finishing was led by Dule, also very effective and responsive, with loads of experience. The workers were without fail all very easy to work with, polite, and took pride in their work. The end product is gorgeous - very fine work; all functioning well.

When we started to plan our second story project (on our house), we did what everyone should do; we researched the market, talked to a lot of people, had a vision of the end result and requested quotes from a number of diferent contractors. Our vision of the end result from a financial persepective was very conservative. For instance, we were not looking to go blow a ton of money. Our objective was to simply increase our living space.

Our main concern was about risk. For instance, the drawback to going with one contractor in my opinion is that you become handcuffed to their schedule, price and decisions. Therefore, our strategy was to build up the second story using the Modular Home contractors and then manage the sub contracting within the interior using our own contacts. While manaing the sub contacting of the interior proved to be a bit challenging, it did enable us to achieve our objectives at increasing our living space at a reasonable cost and minimal risk.

Modular provided the architect drawings for inside and out and were very impressed with the initial design and service. Since we came in with clear objectives, it was easier for the modular project mgt team to under our needs and talk openly with costs for each phase. If asked to rate ouur overall experience with Modular, I would say they were everything we needed for what was expected. While the cost of the project may have been reduced if we went with one contractor for the entire inside and out, our risks would have been higher overall as described above (i.e. being handcuffed).

In my opinion, rating any service provider or vendor should be done in a manner that enables statistical comparison/analysis. Furthermore, it is important to point out the years when dealing with a particular vendor. Our dealings with the organization was between 2007 and 2008. This may be an important fact since our understanding is that prior to 2006, the company was managed differently. Below is my statistical rating of Modular Home between the years 2007 and 2008.

Rating Scale:
1 unacceptable
2 fair
3 acceptable

quality - 3. The job met the building code and many sub contractors that visited our house after the shell ws installed were very impressed with the quality of the job.

price - 2. The price was high relative to finding a contractor to do the entire inside and out. However, it was fair because the

risk - 2. With any project of this magnatide, it is risky. I don't think you will ever find a contractor that doesn't provide a form of risk.

project mgt process - 3. I was very impressed with how the project was managed and would have the confidence in working with them again.

expectations - 3. They were very open with me from the start of the project until the end. Therefore, there was nothing that surprised me. If there were any surprises, it was due to me not understanding the process and not asking the appropriate questions.

overall satisfaction - 3. I would recommend then if your criteria and objectives match ours.

Well, On September 24th it will have been a year since Dule and all of his crew arrived a day earlier than expected to begin demolishing our roof. We had decided that we were tough enough to weather the reno-storm in the basement. As it turned out I realized that my wife and kid were the tough ones in the family. Despite the care and apparent acceptance of our presence afforded by the entire crew (with the exception of a couple of their sub contractors), Plaster dust and the occasional nail and formed little piles in neat diagonal lines on the basement floor where it made its way through the sub floor boards. This type of thing went on for far longer than it took them to frame and shingle the entire house, which was completed by October 8th. This amazing fact was a product of not only the modular process which had our walls and roof trusses prefabricated with siding and windows installed weeks before we’d even seen them, craned in and assembled all in one day, but also due to the astounding work ethic and effort of the framing crew. As with any job this size it had its problems. Deficiencies were almost always brought to our attention by Modular rather than the other way around and rectified. We were also given some very good advice by the project manager and owner. While one of the specialties of this company are build and break through second floor additions, It became apparent that the energy savings and grants that we could claim by demolishing and updating insulation in the entire house would be well worth the effort, Something I strongly recommend to anyone considering a similar project. Modular uses subcontractors for specific trades like heating and A/C and plumbing….and so on. These are generally guys that take on a job with a general contractor for slightly less but make up for it in the amount of work that they get from being associated with a productive company like Modular. Most of the subcontractors chosen by Modular were, like their own crews, excellent, with few exceptions. The exceptions are obviously short sighted individuals who are reluctant to do as a customer asks because it would cost themselves more, and are very stubborn when it comes to correcting their own mistakes because they are not being paid for every hour that they are there performing rework. They tend to have forgotten where their bread is coming from and who is buttering it. This is why I do not give the company full marks. You as the potential client must be absolutely bull headed when communicating your specific desires to the subcontractors and ensure that miscommunication cannot be used by them as an excuse. Because if it can, or if you “waffle” under pressure the project manager will not be able to defend you in further discussions with the subcontractor. On two separate occasions we were forced to settle for a configuration of utilities that we would not have chosen. Enough said about that. Modular brought us to a finished exterior and sub-floors and unpainted drywall inside when we very amicably parted company with them around March or so. We have undertaken the rest of the work ourselves or have chosen our own contractors. Because of this Modular cannot lay claim to the entire job as they would have like to do. We saved a lot of money in doing this but it has taken a lot longer than it would have if they had finished. Probably as a result of this, Modular has been slow in coming back to fix certain deficiencies. No doubt about it though, they are a service oriented company that cares about their clients and they have to date addressed all of our concerns and I'm confident that they will continue to do so. The project managers still drop in to say hello to ask if everything is ok if they see a car in the driveway. The finished product......Nothing short of amazing. From the moment the new structure began to take shape people were stopping traffic to take in the spectacle. We have had offers to sell, people asking about Modular, and who designed it. Modular's in house Architect came up with 3 initial designs. The designs were limited to specifications dictated by the modular construction but you would not know it to look at it. It appears to be a custom build and is very attractive and functional. For the most part it is built to our needs and wants and we are very pleased with it. In the words of one previous client of Modular in his glowing referral of the company, “I can barely believe that it’s my house" as he described how he never thought he could afford such a property. I feel the same now. It’s a good feeling that I mostly attribute to the company that produced it. I invite you to explore the possibilities and give that “modular feeling” a chance. In conversation, this is exactly the way that I describe my experiences with Modular to friends relatives and people considering a similar project. Sorry if it is long winded but I hope it is helpful to Modular in their future dealings and to potential clients.
Regards;
Rob.

With 800 sq ft, two adults, one toddler and another due in months, Modular Home Addition took our small outdated bungalow and transformed it into a gorgeous family home. They completed interior and exterior renovations in twelve weeks. The second storey top-up was done in 3 days so we were never exposed to the elements. We always had regular contact with our contractor and best of all, no mysteries or surprises. It was a relatively painless process and now, nearly 5 years later our home is worht so much more - so much in fact, we would never be able to afford to move into the neighborhood we live. Adding on prevented us from moving. We paln to have another Modular addition again in the future (a room out back) that's how smart and cost effective the process was. Love them!

"Modular Home Additions has been an excellent company to deal with. After hearing from two other people who had used Modular, we hired Modular to design and construct a second storey for our small East York bungalow. We wanted an addition that did not look like an addition. We are delighted with what Modular produced both on the drawings and the final product. We used Modular to construct the shell in their factory as this caused the least disruption to our neighbors. Our lot is tiny on 26 ft wide. I always expected our second story addition to be a lengthy and messy process. Because we lived in the home during the renovations it was important to find a contractor who would manage the site in a way that allowed the minimum disruption to both us and our neighbors. Modular Homes exceeded our expectations in this; the site was keep very clean at all times.

The foreman assigned to manage the construction did an excellent job and he was always very easy to talk to. Modular Home’s office staff where also very easy to reach, and helpful and great to work with.

The process of estimating the project was very detailed and made it very easy for us to keep track of the costs. All additional costs were as a result of upgrades that we chose to do. There really were no surprises. Everything was spelled out very clearly at all stages.

I choose to complete the interior work myself. Modular calls this phase three. I am employed by a large Canadian construction standards body and as such have a fairly detailed knowledge of construction codes and practices. Therefore was not afraid to take this phase three work on. Modular Home’s staff had no problem with this and worked very closely with us to get all the required permits for the all work that was being done including the work I was going to be responsible for. I can honestly say that the workmanship and finished product that Modular Homes provided has far surpassed our expectations. I have no reservations about giving Modular Home Additions the highest recommendation."

Modular Home Additions gets our highest recommendation. After interviewing several contractors, we expected our second story addition to be a lengthy and uncomfortable process, as we lived in the home during the renovations; however, Modular made the experience as simple and comfortable as possible. All the workers were very professional and friendly. There was one person assigned to manage the construction and he was always very easy to reach. The office staff were equally easy to reach, friendly and helpful. The initial estimate that we were given was VERY close to what the actual cost turned out to be. Any additional costs were as a result of upgrades that we chose to do. There were absolutely no hidden costs in the renovations (which was one of our concerns prior to starting construction). We were always consulted during each phase of the renovation to ensure that we were happy with what was being done. Every effort was made on their part to make sure that we were completely satisfied with all aspects of the renovations, and we can honestly say that we were. The workmanship and finished product surpassed our expectations. We now have a larger, extremely attractive home. We are regularly asked people walking/driving by for the name of the company that did our renovations, because of the speed with which it was completed and the overall look of the house. We have no reservations about giving Modular Home Additions our highest recommendation.

We have hired this company for the rear and second storey addition to our home in Etobicoke. This was the best decision we could have made. Not only that we remained living in the house during construction, we actually were not disturbed much at all. They are fast, efficient and punctual. Most important of all though - honest! If there is a problem or an unexpected or unforseen work was needed, which in this kind of renovation is always possible, they informed us immediately, and consulted. Our quote was from the get go very detailed (which we liked very much) and as we did not change the design much from the initial information given to sales rep, our total cost was very close to original numbers. Once the construction started it was really as promised - 3 days and we were under the roof with shingles!!! Interior work went smooth and clean. If we had a remark, they listened and did everything to keep us happy. So we are.... we highly recommend this company!

We went to Modular as we read about them in the newspaper. They are a bait and switch company, or were in our case. They left gaps in the contract to take advantage of, did not keep their word, their timing and played games with us from the get go. We stopped all work with them and got (some of) our money back rather than continue to deal with them. Buyer beware please.