True North Underpinning

Daniel and his team (Edgar, Josh and the gang) did a fantastic job for us on our very old, very rickety house in Leslieville. From beginning to end they were thorough, and proactive, and the scheduling and work ran like a well oiled machine. Daniel was always responsive to emails, and Edgar handled any questions or requests I had for him on-site quickly and with the friendliest of dispositions. Edgar went above and beyond what I have come to expect from contractors, he transplanted plants that were in the way of concrete delivery, he re-dug window wells that had been removed along the way, he re-poured a small piece of concrete in our front sidewalk as a favour... the list goes on, and always with a smile. Josh, too, stored some materials for us in his personal shop, and was on the lookout for savings for us in how the job was approached. When we found that our walls were only single brick on the sides, and with a gap behind that, the engineer suggested rebuilding the wall, so the price of course went up, but thanks to Josh's thoughtfulness, he proposed pouring a support wall in the gap and anchoring it to the existing, and the engineer agreed that it was a better approach, and the price went back down!

As far as the actual work goes, everything was done to a high standard, the job site was kept clean at all times, and the guys rarely even came into the house, entering by the basement window instead so as not to disturb us. We had to dig down quite deep to get full 8ft finished ceilings, plus pour behind one wall, replace termite damaged support posts and sill plate, so there was lots to do, and our house is stronger for it. Safety was a big concern for us, and each step was done carefully, and no corners were ever cut. Though they may not be the cheapest underpinners in the city I am confident that you get the quality and seamlessness that you pay for and it was well worth it for the piece of mind and quality results.

Can't recommend True North enough! Thank you, thank you!

Daniel and his team were great from start to finish. Right from the beginning everything was explained in detail and the job was done on time and on budget. His guys work really hard and the job site is always kept clean and organized. Daniel is very knowledgeable and runs a very professional company. I have and will continue to recommend True North!

Everything we read in these reviews came true for us. Daniel and his crew were outstanding from beginning to end. There was no stress. In fact they made the whole experience a pleasure. Who can say this after a renovation?

I hate paying people to do any work at my house, not because of the money but because there are always problems. Underpinning and lowering the basement floor as well as removing a support wall and installing a support beam was a nightmare to me because I assumed that there were going to be problems and problems with support walls can be a nightmare scenario. I spoke with several companies and decided to go with True North. They were not the cheapest but Daniel certainly seemed to be the most knowledgeable as well as the most observant of all of the people I spoke with. True North also seemed to have the best reputation. The quote was detailed and I knew exactly what I was getting into with every detail laid out.

Josh, Edgar and the crew did a great job. They showed up every day and worked long hard hours. They did so with smiles on their faces and sometimes we could even hear them singing along with the music that they were playing. I think it says a lot about a company when their employees are that happy. All of the guys were friendly and they worked tirelessly.

The finished product was fantastic. I have no complaints at all. I get the sense that if I did have any problems Daniel would have someone in to fix the problem with no hesitation. I think that these guys have such a good reputation because they do something that very few people seem to do anymore, they work hard and do a good job for a fair wage.

This is the only review I've ever written and I do so because I think that this group of guys are fantastic, honourable men who take pride in their work. I would not hesitate to recommend them.

Daniel, Edgar, Josh, and the crew did a great, tidy job lowering the basement of our 1922 East York house.
We met with a lot of companies before settling on True North, and got several estimates. Not only was True North the best price, but the estimate was the clearest, had the most detail, and covered off all our issues and questions. It makes you nervous, agreeing to have someone dig under the structure of your house, but the quote and Daniel's patience explaining everything calmed us down.
We needn't have worried; they did a terrific job, the crew was friendly and polite, and they finished two weeks ahead of schedule.
Big thanks as well to Richelle for keeping us organized with invoicing and payment; a lot of companies do not have a handle on this .
This is the contractor story you want, and the one you'll be happy to tell everyone.

Absolutely fantastic job by Daniel and his crew at True North from the end of March through May of 2015. Underpinning work was meticulous, beautiful concrete stairs for the walkout, and great concrete-block laying for the new foundation. Workers were professional in every way. We highly recommend True North (as we saw from their previous reviews here)--they are top-notch. And now we are enjoying a wonderful new basement space with walkout to our backyard, plus a new cold cellar--perfect for wine as well as veggies! Thanks True North--you're the best.

-reliable time frame
-friendly and hard-working crew
-success despite limitations of exterior space, small openings, close neighbours etc. ( basic downtown Toronto)
-on time and on budget
Daniel Johnston really listened to our concerns and came up with viable solutions
-allowed us to add significant footage and height to our living space

Daniel and the guys were fabulous to work with and got our whole renovation off on a wonderful foot. They showed up when they said they would, worked hard, collaborated with us and got things done on time.

Our driveway was damaged by one of the bin deliveries, they brought it to our attention before we even noticed and assured us he would correct the problem when we were ready. I trust completely that that will be the case.

I highly recommend this firm.

We hired Daniel and his team based on a recommendation from our neighbours. We were not sorry. He was very attentive and exceptional at keeping me in the loop of the project progress. We ran into quite a bit of issues as we had initially hired Daniel to redo our concrete floors and install a flush mount beam, but ended up underpinning the whole house once we found structural damage on our brick walls. We own an old Toronto homes and as expected we ran into all kinds of issues with are archaic plumbing and old heating system. With every problem, Daniel was able to present an affordable solution and although the project scope and budget creeped, we were happy with our upgraded utilities. Daniel was also very helpful in recommending a contractor for the basement finishes and worked closely with the contractor to coordinate the installation of our pex radiator lines and heated floors even though our contractor wasn't scheduled to start work until after the underpinning was complete. All in all even though we ran into all sorts of issues when we went into the walls of our house we had an excellent experience working with Daniel and his team. I should also commend his Project Manager Josh and his Foreman Edgar. Two very stand up individuals who were on site every day at 7am and were very respectful of my property and accommodating to my young toddler. I would highly recommend True North Underpinning and believe their services are worth every penny.

Excellent service from first phone call to finished project. Including mid project changes, that were handled without hesitation, fair prices and extremely courteous workers.
Daniel is also, very knowledgeable in the trades and his referrals reflected his high level of competency.