DSBG

DSBG came recommended to us by friends who used their services for a main floor renovation. When it came our time to consider builders, we included DSBG in a shortlist of 3 firms. After a thorough review of firms we felt comfortable DBSG would be able to manage our project well, our main areas of focus were timeline and quality.

A project manager was identified in addition to a site supervisor, work started at a quick pace and kept on moving. The PM ensured materials and key decisions were made in order to maintain the schedule and the site supervisor managed all relationships with the trades and kept me apprised of any on site issues (and decisions) and provided detail into the work being planned in the upcoming week. I was completely astonished by the professionalism! No costs were charged to me without rigorous discussion and MY approval. I always felt there was a high calibre of knowledge and capability when dealing with issues, which inevitably come up when you open walls of an 80 year old house.

Our family lived in the house during this time and we were all treated respectfully and with great care. Everyday before the end of the shift a clean up was done. I cannot say enough how incredible the team is, I essentially had to live with the team for 4 months and would have them in my house for another project again and again.

I have recommended DSBG to my friends and look forward to working with them again.

After deciding to undertake a whole home reno, we researched general contractors with design/build capabilities, starting with RenoMark contractors doing work in our area. We also added several non-RenoMark contractors, for a total of 6 contractors, including DSBG. Reviews of DSBG on HomeStars were almost unanimously positive, except for one negative review. After discussing scope of work and other matters in my first call with Nick Malfara of DSBG, I asked him about the negative HomeStars review. Nick was forthright, open and honest in his response, which bode well for the dealings which followed. With so many positive reviews and a reasonable explanation for one negative one, it was very easy to accept that the negative one was an aberration / exception.

At our first meeting / walk-through, Nick gave us honest advice, a realistic minimum budget for our scope of work and desired quality level, as well as a realistic timeframe for our project. He was prompt in his follow-up, including a detailed rough budget and written scope of work.

After interviewing 5 other general contractors, we shortlisted DSBG and 2 others and subsequently narrowed it down further to DSBG and 1 other (also a RenoMark contractor). In a follow-up meeting with Nick and DSBG's project manager Tony, my wife remarked that she felt like she was with "family". They gave us straight answers to all our questions and left us feeling comfortable and confident about the reno. Nick took us to several DSBG client sites / projects and gave us numerous past clients as references to contact. Based on everything we saw and all that we heard, DSBG was an easy choice. We selected them in August 2014 with the condition that they be ready to hit the ground running at the start of January 2015.

After working through the fall of 2014, all the design work was completed and permit approvals submitted for approval. Exactly as planned, DSBG started work on the first business day of January and worked diligently every single day until we re-occupied our house this past summer 2015.

Since we were renting a house, time was of the essence for us throughout the reno. DSBG had told us to expect a 7-month project and they did an amazing job in sticking substantially to that schedule, even with numerous scope additions.

Throughout the project, the entire DSBG crew and the trades they involved were true pros. The DSBG crew is focused on site safety and tidiness (which ultimately comes back to safety). The guys were respectful and courteous at all times when we visited the house (usually unannounced) and, most importantly, they did impeccable work. The finishing of items hidden behind the walls was done to the same high standard as items which are visible. Materials used were high quality and work was done to a higher standard than the minimum Building Code requirements. DSBG recommended (for our approval, as we went with a cost+management fee contract format over fixed price) reputable sub-trades for items that their own crew does not do. Project management was efficient and effective, with Tony really staying a few steps ahead of every issue. Site management for our project was done through a working supervisor (Bernie) who was an absolute professional and a real gentleman.

We have been back in our house for three months now and remain impressed by DSBG's work. Shortly after we reoccupied, we developed a "punch list" of items (all minor) for DSBG to fix and they were diligent in chasing down each and every item on the list to our satisfaction.

In the end, I can say unequivocally that we made the right choice in selecting DSBG. We are delighted by the work they have done in turning our house into our dream home. We have and will continue to recommend DSBG to our friends and have every intention of working with them on any future projects.

Design Spec was professional and true to their word every step of the way. From the thoroughness of our contract, to the daily updates and the knowledge and friendliness of the team nothing was left to chance and their were no surprises. We are thrilled with the quality of work and would recommend them.

My wife and I interviewed 10 well-reviewed contractors for our first major home renovation. We had heard many horror stories about home renovations and we were determined to try and mitigate our risk though extensive due diligence. After interviewing the 10 candidates, we narrowed our choices down to 5 possibilities and then went and interviewed and visited their references. After going through that two month process, we ended up with Nick Malfara and his team at Design Spec and I am happy to report that we have found our contractor for life (absent Nick deciding to pursue another career!). What immediately struck us about Nick was his level of professionalism, responsiveness and willingness to spend time with us and understand our needs and ideas about our living space. The level of customer service was exemplary – no problem was too small, no question was irrelevant, no time of day was off-limits, we always felt like our concerns were being properly addressed and prioritized. Over the course of several months Nick gained our trust, admiration and friendship for his honesty, integrity and his commitment to our project and to us, not only as clients, but as people. Not only did Nick introduce us to other service providers (e.g. architects and interior designers) that provided us with terrific service at exceptional prices, but he and his team regularly went above and beyond to guide us through the process and make our experience a positive one. We changed our building specifications several times and Nick was always very helpful in answering questions, offering ideas and drawing in the appropriate members of his staff to do the same. Our renovation experience did not have a typical ending. Just as major construction was ready to begin another house in our neighborhood came up for sale and my wife and I decided that we could not pass up the opportunity to put an offer in. We told Nick that we had to put a hold on our renovation and, if successful in our bid for the new home, we would have to abort the renovation as all of our cash would be tied up in the purchase. We were amazed and extremely appreciative of Nick's understanding and supportive reaction. Not only was he not upset, he offered to come and walk through the new home with us on bid day (a Saturday!) and give us his thoughts on the structure and ballpark estimates on improvements that we might want to make down the road. His advice and thoughts were insightful and helped us better formulate our bid price on the house. Ultimately, we won the bid on the new home. It was an exciting time for us, but we were concerned about what it would mean in relation to Design Spec. We had kept all of our payments up to date with all of our service providers but Design Spec had yet to issue an invoice. Nick and his team had put in months of time and effort and countless hours helping us – participating in meetings with architects, designers, electricians, plumbers, engineers, taking us to other Design Spec projects to look at examples of ideas and materials, pricing out a range of options for materials, heating and cooling systems and design features, talking me off a ledge when I was ready to spend $40,000 on new appliances in advance of having the kitchen design finalized etc. We assumed that there would be an invoice forthcoming and, quite honestly, we wanted to make sure that Nick and his team were fairly compensated for their efforts. On the night that we won the bid on the new home, we asked Nick to our home so that we could break the news to him in person. He was genuinely happy for us and, to our complete surprise, he refused to accept any payment for all of the services that he had provided to that point. He told us that he viewed the work that he had done to date as business development, that he was happy that he was able to help us and that he hoped that we would hire him when we decided to do the renovations on the new home. INCREDIBLE! We were completely taken aback and deeply appreciative of Nick's integrity and kindness. We are planning to start renovations anew next summer and we know that we will only have to make one call to hire our contractor! Hugo from Toronto

We recently renovated our basement after contemplating the idea for a number of years. The idea of strangers coming into our home for an extended period of time to complete a big job like a basement made us nervous, but Nick Malfara’s team at Design Spec Building Group was a dream to work with throughout the project. The team was professional, friendly, tidy, and meticulous. We are very happy with the finished product. The millwork we had done in the basement bathroom and bar area looks fantastic. The rooms are bright and spacious. We are excited to be able to share this space with friends and family. I don’t think we could imagine hiring anyone else for future projects. We highly recommend Design Spec to anyone renovating their home.

November, 2014
RE: Renovation x2

Dear Nick, and the Design?Spec team,
We have settled into our home in the past few months and we admire on a daily basis the work that was
completed by Design?Spec. And we have had this pleasure, not just once, but twice, in a span of four
years! Working closely with Christine McGee of Jaqueline Glass and Associates on the design, and with
your team for the execution of the vision we had collaborated on was a pleasure.

Both you and Christine have high standards, and the end results are beautiful, functional and inspirational.
Design Spec completed the large scope of both projects in very tight time frames which required the
orchestration of trades, master craftsmen and specialty skills. In addition, we appreciated your
willingness to listen to our list of “must?haves” and making them happen.

While the renovations did have some hiccups, as most of them do, we also liked your open lines of communication in the process.
Tony’s quick response to concerns were also greatly appreciated, and his personal follow up and handling of situations was reassuring.

The site manager, was again outstanding. He kept us informed of issues as they developed
throughout each day and continually kept us in the loop. We appreciate the fact that we were consulted prior to any modifications that had to be made on site. What looks straight forward on paper is rarely a reality in a renovation. The Site manager took the time to explain to us, often with the contractors present, what our options were when items could not proceed as planned in the drawings. The end results were
always satisfactory and enhanced our living space. It is a pleasure to work with him.
All of the individuals brought on were professional and courteous. This was of particular importance to us as our very young and impressionable children often had to accompany us on site.

As for the site itself, it was always neat and tidy. We now use the space in our house from top to bottom. It is difficult for us to decide which area we like best, as each floor is unique and utilized daily for specific purposes by each member of the family.

The final results are impressive. We feel as if the renovation is magazine worthy, and could not be happier.
Our experience with Design?Spec from beginning to end was a pleasure. We have already recommended Design-Spec to family and friends.

Sincerely
Home Owners
Oakville

Dear Nick, With all the day to day pressures, there never seems to be a moment to stop and reflect upon accomplishments. Having reached a major milestone with the completion of our new headquarters, I would like to pause for a moment. You and I have worked closely together over the past 7 months and although you have probably gotten more than your fill of me, I have been able to see, in a myriad of ways, the exceptional effort that you and your people routinely do. Design-Spec has taken and extremely difficult project and completed it in a thoroughly professional manner. You have taken a 100 year old neglected heritage building and turning it into a modern headquarters which will serve my company for many years to come. You understand my vision and always made decisions with our best interest in mind. Understanding that it takes highly qualified personnel to maintain good relationships, Design-Spec has provided exceptional staff that stayed involved and accessible through the project. I need to center out both your Senior Project Manager, Tony Bugliarisi and your carpenter, Doug Burton who shown their ability to collaborate as team players and have been willing to be flexible. Design-Spec Building Group is a firm we recommend doing business with. Kind regards Alicja