Stratas Design Build

We love our new home - Andy and his team are amazing - true experts who are great to work with every step of the way. We did this during COVID and his team, trades and suppliers did not miss a beat.

What we did:
We added a 15ft addition, underpinned the basement with a second unit and walkout, and renovated the existing building.

What makes Stratas great:
1. Integrated Design Build
The "traditional" route is to hire an architect and get drawings, then shop them to a contractor, then hire a designer for interior. That's 3 different professionals for the homeowner to manage. We knew we didn't have the skills or patience to manage and integrate those 3 relationships , and so having one firm to deal with was great. There was no "he said / she said." Its a small team who all work extremely well together.
Lia and Samantha were a dynamic duo on design, working hand in glove with the project manager (yay for Brody!) who manages the trades.

2. Fixed price contract
Its a great approach. You get working budgets that meet most of your needs and so there are no surprises. You get to decide if you want to spend more - none of this "we found out X and so this now cost Y more." The approach also incentivizes Andy and his team to start and finish on time. We were to be 9 months, and ended up at 10 months.

3. Responsive and great Communication
There are a lot of moving parts from design to permits to building, and there is no way a homeowner - who will do this once in their lifetime - can know and manage it all. Andy has great experience working in the east end on a very manageable 5-7 houses a year. You will change your mind and he will accommodate you and give you the benefit of his years of experiences so you can make the best decision. You are assigned your own project manager (thanks Brody!!) and they are you new best friends, with weekly updates of what's to come.

4. Great Team
We aren't "transaction" type of people. We were looking for someone we could trust with the biggest deal of our lives, and we found it in Stratas. This is a long haul and so it was important for us to find people we could trust and work with, laugh with, run into problems with and know they would be solved with a smile.