Penguin Basements

My wife and I hired Penguin Basement to work on our unfinished basement.
We like our basement, however there are some areas of improvement:
Timelines: The original plan was to complete the work between 7 to 10 weeks; however, the work took almost 5 months.
Communication: We perceived the communication between the management and the people doing the work needs to improve (i.e. we emailed the changes needed including pictures, and in several opportunities when the contractors arrived at our home, they didn’t know what to do.)
Price: When we compare the price we paid versus other work done to friends or acquaintances, we believe we paid higher for similar work. (I.e. we paid for a gas fireplace framing provisions ~$800+tax CAD; however, in the end was done an electric fireplace framing, in wood with leftover materials)
it is important to mention that the contractors who did the work were very kind and approachable.

It's been 6 years since I moved into this house and I wanted to finish the basement ever since. Hearing various stories of bad experiences with contractors made me wary and careful of choosing the right one for the job. After setting my mind to finish the basement(finally), I started thorough search and came up with few number of candidates. One of the major factor I chose Penguin was the material they use. I wanted my basement to be integrated into the rest of the house as a full functional space. The fact they use magnesium oxide board with steel frame peaked my interest the most. These boards are stronger, mold/mildew free and provide superior fire resistance.

After contacting the office, they set up an initial consult, which require 2+ hours at my house. David, the designer arrived on time with material samples to be used, and did very thorough examination of work space. He was very kind and courteous. He took time to answer all the little questions I have regarding the renovation and provided very detailed quote. I had a good feeling about the company already at this time, judging from their quote system and professional teams that would take care each category of jobs separately. I especially liked the fact that they don't rely on subcontracting, which could cause so much problem.

At the initial meeting, I signed the contract and was set to go. Project manager was assigned to me and contacted me to set up a meeting at their designer center, where I would select materials to be used(color or floor, door, etc). It was quick and easy process. The only thing was that their supplier for the floorboard did not have stock for the exact color of floor I wanted at the time. However, it was not a major issue and rather than delaying/waiting, I wanted the job to be done before winter, so I chose alternate color that works as well.

The actual process took about 4 weeks, that includes framing, board, floor, staircase carpeting, electrical wiring, painting. I also chose open ceiling where beams and wires are exposed but all painted.

Each team/person for the job would arrive as per the schedule(the details and any changes to work order, payment info are posted on Builders Trend site), and project manager(Juliano, in my case) checked in regularly to oversee the job. Any changes to the initial quote would be posted on the Builders Trend in the form of work order. I really liked the professionalism of the whole process.

Their onsite teams are comprised of well experienced crews. Each team will come in the date they are assigned and finish the job quickly and neatly. I could see they are very skilled and have good knowledge about finishing basement.

The only little problem I had was with wiring. I requested additional outlet for coaxial cable(for cable modem), but after the job was done it was not properly connecting. I investigated the problem myself and figured that the electrician did not properly stripped and installed coaxial cable/connector. Since the cable itself was all installed behind the wall and up in the ceiling, I simply finished the job myself, re stripped the coaxial cable and attached the connector securely. They would have sent me the electrician to solve the problem but I did not want to wait :) The coaxial cable outlet for the cable TV also have problem connecting, I suspect it is the same problem. The electrician assigned to my house did a good job regarding electrical wiring and installing dedicated lines. However, I don't think he is very experienced in network wiring.

Asides from those minor glitch, I am very satisfied with their quality of work, the whole process and systematic quote/work order. Penguin is definitely not cheaper than other contractor, but The material and workmanship are worth the money. I suggest anyone who is planning to renovate basement to have clearer vision in their mind regarding the space they want to create. The more detailed your plan is, the less changes to the work order, hence quicker and smooth process.

My daughter, who rarely came down to basement, now would not leave the newly renovated basement. After renovation, it not only became very integrated part of the house, it actually became main family hangout area.

Thank you for your great job Penguin guys!

Working with Penguin Basements was extremely easy and transparent. The entire process from the finalizing the design to the completion was painless. The team was extremely professional and I felt very safe leaving my home in their hands. The time frame for completion was given as 6 weeks. But they finished everything in 4 weeks. The other part that we found very helpful was the online Builder trend system. I could see the process, my payments and the next steps. I would certainly recommend their service to anyone. In fact I already have been doing it.

Our son has baby asthma, so we were very happy to meet Chris from Penguin Basement at one of the Home Shows in Toronto. With a promise of a free assessment and a discount for attending the Home Show, we agreed to have our basement finished with Penguin. They offer the non-traditional magnesium boards instead of drywall - the perfect choice for our son's health issues.
We started receiving the schedule and a promise that the basement will be complete within a month. The schedule changed due to unforeseen circumstances, but when it was finished, all we got was stellar reviews from our family and friends. It looks amazing. We are proud to have the "another beautiful basement completed by Pinguin Basements" sign displayed on our lawn. They delivered on their promise: an amazing basement. Chris was a very good salesman and Guy listened to our concerns and feedback, while Greg provided excellent customer service and Walter oversaw the project to a successful end. Thank you Penguin.

Right from the start Guy, Rick , Greg and Walter impressed us with their ideas and knowledge. Working with them was very easy.
Project was completed on time.
Today, we are proud to show off out basement and continue to receive compliments from family and friends.

No need to search anymore. Just hire Penguin Basements!

When my wife and I decided to finish our basement I was quite hesitant. I had never done a major renovation on a home before and it seems that every night on the news there's a story about an unscrupulous contractor out there. This was going to be a pretty large under taking as there was 1200+ square fee to be finished.

The Penguin Basements team was fantastic. The educational process about their process was very informative and made us very comfortable about making our decision to go with them.

The project was kicked off with a detailed plan that we had access to and a dedicated project manager assigned. Our PM communicated daily with us and ensured that we were completely satisfied along the way. The attention to detail was incredible and very much appreciated.

Our end result is 1200 square feet of additional space that we use on a daily basis that we couldn't be happier with. Anyone who had concerns about shady contractors like I did should hire Penguin Basements for their renovations. They were professional, accountable and most importantly, cared about what WE cared about. I would highly recommend them and would not hesitate to use them again myself.

We had been living in our newly built house for three years and decided it was time to finish the basement to create a rec area/play area/workout area for the family. We met Guy at the homeshow and were really impressed with the material Penguin Basements used. Chris was our sales rep who was really informative and friendly. Our project manager was Roberto and he and his crew did a fantastic job. They were professional and meticulous in their work. We were very happy with the end result and are now enjoying our new family space.

We were very pleased with the work done by Penguin Basements. For 10 years we lived with an unfinished basement which basically became a large storage area. After choosing to work with Penguin, we had a beautiful finished basement with a full bathroom, separate playroom, family room, pantry and lots of storage spaces within 5 weeks. The materials they use are high quality and they bring in experts to do all the work which we were very pleased with. We were not interested in having one person who could 'do it all' as I don't believe they exist! The project was well organized and we were kept informed by our wonderful Project Manager (Walter) of any changes and updates. They also brought in a much-needed cleaning crew to really complete the basement. We've received many compliments so far - everyone especially loves the flooring! They are expensive, but their workmanship is very good. One other note to mention: they offered us financing and we took advantage of the fabulous rates we were able to get through them. Lastly, I would recommend that you have a good idea as to the layout you want in your basement before proceeding with them as they didn't offer a very comprehensive design. I worked with my project manager to update the original layout to better suit our needs and everyone was great to work to make sure that we were happy with the finished product, which we are.

PENGUIN did a great job finishing our basement from A to Z including cleaning up everything as if there was no construction! Great service and friendly group too! This is the place to call to finish your basement!