Absolutely Affordable Home Improvements Garage Builders

Having our garage built was a horrible experience. We initially dealt with Reg and shortly after our garage was started (late due to weather) Reg left the company.

We then had to deal with Glenn who was difficult to say the least. He did not know about any of the extras we had in our contract and had to constantly remind him of what was to be included.

During the first winter/spring with our garage the attic section "rained" from frost and thaw. All of the insulation was ruined. Glenn attended at our location (eventually) and removed the ruined insulation. He then tried to convince us that we should split the cost with him to fix the problem (so much for a 10 year warranty) as the building was done to code and therefore not his fault or concern.

We were then put off for months wherein we were advised we had a "functioning" garage and not a priority.

He eventually stopped taking our calls and would not respond to us in any manner. We had to pay to fix the garage ourselves to rectify the problem. Extremely frustrating to rely on a garage "expert" only to find out it was done improperly from the onset.

Would not recommend affordable garage builders, Reg was unreliable and unprofessional, and honestly don't think he even knew what he was doing as a tradesman. My garage was not even framed level of plumb on existing concrete pad, he tried to bs me saying he used a laser level, then
I called him out on and just excuses, very disappointed.

The sub trades for the electrical and siding where absolutely fantastic though, don't know why the would sub contract of Reg though, terrible company!

Based on positive Home Star reviews, recommendation from a previous client, competitive pricing, and a feeling of trust when dealing with Reg to get a quote I hired Garage Builders to cover all aspects of removing an old garage and building a new one. The project was to start May 25 and be finished July 15. Unfortunately what I ended up with was months of frustration, lack of timely communication, delays and frankly, a contractor who did not seem to want to do my job.

To be fair, in the end I do have a garage which I am mostly happy with. And the subcontractors were great. Unfortunately the work of the Garage Builders was disappointing. Timing was the first big issue – the project started on time with demolition and then ground to a halt... I assume due to Reg leaving the company in June. Even when Glenn took over the project my garage took 44 days from excavation to completion. And the total time from start to finish was almost 3 months. Because it is not written into the contract their "28-day guarantee" means nothing. The next issue came when Glenn hit my gas line during excavation. When I didn't hear back from him on the issue I called Atco. Their site inspector indicated significant concerns that the ‘hit’ had not been reported and that the Garage Builders were excavating without an up to date line locate from One Call. Thankfully the line hit was my old line. The next main issue related to my garage was the apron – which as specified in the contract was to be 3 feet. Instead what I have is the garage floor extended 2 feet outside the garage door and a 1 foot apron. Glenn tried to pass this mistake off as a normal practice but it is not according to other contractors. So the result is that water does not drain away from the door like it should and I worry that it will freeze up in winter. Glenn’s attitude was it’s a big thing to change so let’s wait and see and if it’s a problem he would cover it on warranty. I have asked for a copy of the warranty and specifically for a letter outlining what Garage Builders will do if I have a problem but I have not received a reply. In addition to these significant issues were a ton of frustrating things during the project. Glenn was repeatedly unwilling to honor promises made by Reg; for example cutting a 6” gap through my sidewalk instead of digging under it, failing to excavate clay from under my old garage pad and failing to move salvaged garden soil before excavating the new site. Then when the windows in my garage were installed so high I couldn't see through them Glenn tried to tell me there was a safety code preventing them from being lowered (totally not true). He did lower them when I held back a payment. Next the hardware Glenn installed in the man door was very stiff but he left it in anyway. Now, some days it is almost impossible to turn the knob. I contacted him about it but got no reply. Customer service and respect for the clients property were good from subcontractors but lacking from Garage Builders. Can you imagine having to pick up garbage left every day from your contractor - coffee cups, water bottles, lunch wrappers, even dog crap. End of job clean up was a joke with only large pieces of debris removed. And to this day I have several small sloppy items on my garage that were never addressed.

Timely communication is certainly not the forte of Garage Builders. For the most part if I wanted to know when something was going to happen I had to ask and if things were delayed I was never contacted. It seemed like the only time Glenn called me was when a payment was due. In the end Glenn has chosen to ignore my request to have the door hardware replaced and to provide a written copy of their warranty, especially related to the cement issue. Since I don’t believe the Garage Builders will ever come back and do any work under warranty I have elected to keep my final payment and use it to make my own repairs when needed. This company may have a good past reputation but I cannot recommend them based on my experience this summer.

Reg left the company on the second day of our build. At first Glenn did his best to keep things in line but the build went off the rails. We had several disputes over the scope of the contract, but Glenn honoured most of it. The subcontractors were all very good except for the concrete, which is the most important. They ran out of concrete, so there's a weird seam when they poured the remainder, and the edges are already starting to crumble. I requested that it get fixed but they refuse. I do not think that they will honour the warranty. The build took a month longer than projected, and several contractors did not show up when they were scheduled. I would not recommend this company.

late in the 2017 building season I called up Garage Builders for a quote - Reg came out the next day and we went over several scenarios for the demo of an existing single car garage and pad and building a new one - Reg knows the Calgary bylaws very well and was able to spec out the largest garage that we could put on that lot and still be in conformance with city bylaws. After several discussion, we settled on a design and deposit paid. There were a few weather delays but generally everything went well - overall build quality is good and everything that I had asked for was delivered as promised. During the build, there were a few additions (removal of chain link fence, new wood fence etc) that were easily accommodated by Reg and his team.
Reg and Glenn are busy, so it took awhile for them to address a small problem with the siding, but in the end, everything was taken care of. These guys are basically a no BS company, did not try and upsell anything, knew their business and laid out exactly what I would/wouldn't get -

I called Absolutely Affordable Home Improvements GARAGE BUILDERS, Glenn came out that same week, gave me a quote to remove my old garage, asphalt driveway, concrete pad & step and prepared an area in the back for a new 22 x 24 garage.

Schedule was set, the work got started … Bada Bing Bada Boom two weeks later the old garage was gone and new one up. Amazing! It was so organized. This was not a small project in my eyes and it scared me a bit to take it on.

Glenn, Reg and Michael you were a pleasure to have working on this project. Those two weeks were HOT and you sweat your butts off. You went above and beyond the contract. You put up with family and neighbors hanging around watching AND the advice and help with land scraping...so much appreciated.

I am thrilled with the results, I love my garage and yard.
Thank you so very much.
Sandra

These guys just completed my garage and I am very happy with the level of service and professionalism they provided. I would definitely use them again for all of my home Reno needs.

Glenn and his team did an excellent job of removing our old garage and building our new garage. Glenn provided expert knowledge and experience recommending and providing a garage design with the demenions, and features we requested. The garage builders took care of all the building permits, and scheduled the cement work only during fair weather to ensure quality foundation and concrete pad, which had radiant heat conduit PVC piping. They provided excellent specialist Sub contractors and quality workmanship. I would recommend Glenn and the Garage Builders to anyone.

In late August 2016 we decided we wanted a garage built. We called several companies with only a few showing interest as the building season was getting late. Reg came out prepared and gave us a written estimate on the spot. He gave us some interesting suggestions about how to incorporate a 24 X 26 garage with an 18 foot overhead door and with a 3 foot wall and a walkway which means no indoor space in the garage was sacrificed for a landing and stairs. After we signed the contract, he was able to begin the project a few days later. The garage was completed within the
timelines specified and we've spent the winter enjoying our new garage!
Reg was great to work with and we would recommend him.

My husband and I were searching for a company that could build a garage, poured concrete patio, landscaping, grass, fences, etc for a new build in Mahogany. We spoke with several different companies and contractors but Reg from Garage Builders was the winner by a large margin.

We had Garage builders build a 22x22 insulated, heated garage on a preexisting pad. They also poured a large exposed concrete aggregate pad for a hottub, patio and two walkways. We did concrete edging for two flower beds and a tree ring. They also did the grass - which I may add is much lusher and greener than the majority of our neighbors. We also had custom cedar steps built for the hottub and back door. They took care of all the permits, inspections, clean up, etc. The color matching to our home was perfect.

We could not be happier with our final product! Garage builders is a professional, efficient and honest company that goes above and beyond for the customer. All the sub trades and employees that were needed were also respectful and did great quality work at an affordable price. I have used the electrician, Bob, already for a different project and he continued to provide the same quality of work that Garage Builders expected of him.

The owners of the company, Reg and Glenn, were onsite frequently working and kept us up to date on the progress of everything. They were very accommodating for changes we made throughout the process. They were especially respectful of our pets as well which was just an added bonus. We had a large party planned for the end of the summer, and as promised, everything was completed on time. This was a wet, awful summer for construction so the fact that they were on time speaks a lot to the efforts they put in to ensure we were happy with everything.

We were so impressed with the company that we actually just hired them to do our basement development and several other projects throughout the entire house. I trust them to complete a high quality job that meets, or as has previously been the case, exceeds our standards.

I have happily referred several friends and family to this company for their building, landscaping and renovation needs and will continue to do so. I know exactly who to call if we need anything else done! I cannot wait to see the house renos - I am confident they will be everything we dreamed and more.