Aquata Bathroom Renovations

Aquata Review 2020.

For those of you who are skeptical about a lot of 10/10 reviews, please read this one.

Three or so years ago when we interviewed Peter for our bath Reno (Queen), he had a lot of 10/10’s. At the conclusion of the interview, during which we had been very impressed, I challenged Peter on this point. I said “nobody in the real world gets 10/10 all the time... what’s up with that?”

For all the skeptics, I will say three years later that there was only one thing about hiring Peter and executing the project that I regret. It is not posting a 10/10 review for Peter that he and his team so deserved. I drafted three different reviews and posted none of them because they all sounded like an exaggerated story. Sadly, none of them got posted but that gives me a chance to do a review of what it’s like to live with Peter’s product every day for three years.

It brings joy!

It’s reasonable to expect competence when you hire a contractor. After three years of daily use by two of us, the quality and durability of Peter’s work is evident. It isn’t competence alone that has brought me daily enjoyment. It is, for example, the recollection of how thoughtful Peter was when installing the tile in the room. I admire frequently how he paid attention to small details that made the difference between competent and masterful. While some contractors might have seen a more finicky tile as a headache, Peter saw the vision and took the time to perfectly place the tiles, the lines and edges and cuts to create a finish that he could be proud of in any old world country where pride of craftsmanship is honoured.

I especially respect that because tile is completed near the end of a project at a time when some would be tired and anxious to move on to the next project. Like any project, Peter had already dealt with unforeseen challenges due to the characteristics of our building. It wasn’t that the project proceeded perfectly smoothly.. it was that Peter took in stride every surprise and came with a solution. We had a lot riding on it, because its the only bathroom we have and we were worried about things going sideways.

In fact, the very first morning after we turned the job site over to Peter, I was on my way to a meeting and got a call. Peter had encountered our first surprise, something that was clearly outside the scope of work for Peter, and that none of us could have foreseen. As he explained it, my heart sank but I had to tell him that I was due in a three hour meeting immediately. Peter said “Leave it to me”. When I checked in three hours later, he had come up with two alternate solutions, and had chosen a path that allowed him to proceed with other work and avoid a painful delay. He also treated that surprise and every other incident that followed with exactly what I would expect knowing how big projects are well managed. He was always factual, respectful, creative and fair in resolving every inevitable project issue. I learned that first day that when Peter asks you to trust him and leave the site in his capable hands, you should do yourself a favour and do exactly that!

On pretty much every scoring criteria, Peter and his great team won the day. He was not the lowest bid, but he was close and better than most. He scoped out our dependence on the room and estimated the shortest schedule to completion and then he met it. I had confidence that if anything came up (and I’ve never seen a project where it didn’t) I could look forward to a reasoned and sensible discussion with Peter. This is everything you can expect and hope for from a professional.

Now with the passage of time, I can add some additional criteria that you may not always hear about... the quality of Peter’s work absolutely stands the test of time. By now, I should be seeing the two or three little problems that were never properly resolved, or be bothered by the one thing that the builder promised would be done later but was never done because they had moved onto the next project. There has been NONE of that. Instead, I am left admiring the result and feeling happy to let my eyes roam the room, seeing only inspiration and admiration for quality.

That brings me back to the beginning. There was only one thing left undone, and that was our review. We haven’t had any contact with Peter since the project was completed, so in hopes that late is better than never, and with fond memories I will say to all of you skeptics that this skeptic is happy to give Peter a solid 10 out of 10. Peter, you earned it.

Hire him!

I initially contacted Peter 2 years ago. He was extremely busy and asked me to contact him again when he was free. The reason i chose Peter to do the job was because he was knowledgable with linear drains. We did run into some problems due to the builder of the house being lazy, and cutting corners. Peter solved the plumbing problems, so i could install a floating vanity. Peter also has the ability to cut oversized tile and he invested $800 in a machine to cut my oversized tile. Peter can also get you a trade discount through some of the popular tile stores in the Greater Toronto Area.
Peter and Nick did a great job.

In general, we are a very fussy and detail-oriented people. We used Aquata for our bathroom renovation and I must say, we were very impressed by their workmanship, politeness and cleanliness. Peter is very organized and treated our home very respectfully. He was always punctual and completed the work on time and to our satisifaction. We had no issues and we didn't have to make any changes. The entire renovation went perfectly as planned. Peter's assistant Nick was also hardworking and polite.

Peter also recommended a good supplier for all our purchases including the faucets, vanity etc. We took advantage of his contacts.

Overall we are very satisfied with Aquata's work and would strongly recommend them. We will definitely use Peter again.

Our washroom was stripped down to the studs and cement floor and entirely rebuilt by Peter and his team. We hired Aquata after being impressed with Peter's portfolio during our meeting. But mostly, it was his attitude toward the work and his open, honest approach to dealing with his clients. He estimated that the work would be completed in two weeks and that was exactly right! He took great care to make sure that the work area was tidied up at the end of each day and he and his team were very conscientious about treating with great care the other areas of the house which they had to walk through to get to the work area. Along the way, of course, there were unexpected things that came up due to the small size of our washroom and the quality of the original construction. Peter anticipated potential issues and went over them in great detail with us so that solutions could be found to avoid any potential problems. He and Nick (his employee who worked with him everyday) were punctual and always prepared for the day's work with all the right tools and materials. It was a pleasure to deal with both of them on a daily basis and we always felt confident that they had our best interests in mind and wanted to deliver the best work possible. And they did! We are very happy with our finished washroom and they were able to do all the things we had hoped could be done in there. We would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone who needed a bathroom reno and will definitely use them again should we have another bathroom to do down the line.

Peter did our master bath almost ten years ago. We were so pleased with him and the job, we had him return to renovate our kids' bathroom. Peter gave us a thorough quote, project timeline and recommendations on where to source fixtures, tiles, etc. He started the job on time, and finished it on time. In between, he and his helpers arrived on time and minimized construction mess by sealing up the bathroom door with a plastic zippered door and protecting our staircase, sweeping up at the end of each day. Now our kids have a beautiful, modern bathroom. Peter even offered to come back to repair any nicks made in drywall when the shower glass guys came to install the glass panel. We would highly recommend his company for a bathroom reno.

When our home was built 7 years ago, the bathtub in our kids' bathroom was installed incorrectly. Over time, the surrounding drywall had been exposed to water and had become damaged. We decided to have the tub removed and reinstalled, and the bathtub surround re-tiled with marble tile. At the same time, we decided to replace the shower fixture as well as the faucets in the two bathroom sinks. After exploring a couple of referrals from friends, we decided instead to post the job via Homestars' online form.

Peter from Aquata Bath was the first contractor to reply - the very next day. From that first contact, Peter was highly responsive and well organized. He came over to evaluate the project scope in person and provided a detailed quote. We sent him a list of follow-up questions which he addressed clearly and in writing. His quote was reasonable and he made an effort to cost out anything that wasn't part of the main project so we would know exactly what the final bill would be. In our initial meeting, Peter took the time to review past jobs he had done like ours and to offer ideas on how best to tackle certain elements of the job. For example, we wanted a recessed shower niche and he gave us ideas of where to install it and how to make it functional. He advised us on the quantities of the tile we would need and connected us to his preferred suppliers in Toronto.

Peter started the job exactly when he said he would and finished on time as well. Before he started, he made a significant effort to protect our hardwood floors from damage by covering them with protective paper and foam materials. He also sealed in the worksite with a zipper door and used a special air cleaning filter which kept drywall dust to a minimum. Before he left, Peter cleaned up and left everything as he had found it. We had no drywall dust mess, no damage to any of the surrounding walls or floors - just a significantly improved bathroom. He did what he said he would do, when he said he would do it.

When we realized that one of the faucets he installed had a kinked cold water supply line, he apologized and followed-up to deal with the deficiency promptly. We were very pleased with the quality of Peter's work, but particularly with his professionalism, organization and follow-through. Thanks Peter for a job well done! Thanks

We decided to completely redo our master bathroom. After some research we reached out to Peter. We are extremely satisfied with our choice. He was extremely professional, reliable and very patient, as together, we continued to change and tweak the plans until we were completely satisfied with the layout and design. The design meetings were always productive and never rushed. Ultimately our project was completed on budget and on time. We are extremely pleased with the final result of our bathroom and are also excited to have found a reputable, respectable, trustworthy company to possible work with again in the future. We highly recommend Aquata for any bathroom renovation project. Great job!

Completely reliable. Work done on schedule. Neat, tidy, never left a mess. When a problem arose, not due to his fault, he came after a year and addressed the issue. Great work!!
Would hire him again.

Peter transformed our dated bathroom into something much more modern and clean looking. We were extremely happy with his professionalism and attention to detail, and would definitely hire Peter again for future projects!

Throughout the entire renovation, Peter raised any issues he encountered and walked us through potential solutions. At no point did he rush through the job: if he wasn't sure how to tackle a problem, he made sure to communicate it and sleep on it so that he would have a good solution. His approach made us feel confident in the work, and we were happy to defer to Peter's judgement knowing that he would do an excellent job for us. One example was when he pointed out that the original bathroom tile extended too far out of the bathroom, bleeding beyond the line of the door. We have hardwood flooring in the hallway that we are not ready to replace, and so Peter opted to tile the washroom properly, ending at the line of the door, and found a very nice wood transition strip that fit the remaining space perfectly and works well with our hardwood.

Peter's professionalism was obvious from our first few meetings: he came prepared with a portfolio of past jobs, and explained not only some of his best work, but also work that had given him trouble in the past and what he learned from the experience. The quote Peter provided us with was detailed and he went over it with us in order to make sure there were no misunderstandings on the scope of work. He also provided us with a payment schedule that broke the work in to several milestones and reminded us when we would need to have materials purchased, such as tiles and grout.

Throughout the whole process, Peter was very responsive to all of our concerns and questions. He would call us back promptly to ensure we were all on the same page. For some issues, he even set up a meeting to come by the house so that he knew exactly what we were concerned about and could address those concerns by drawing out diagrams or pointing to things in the bathroom. During those meetings, he often advised us on selecting our finishes, but was never pushy: the bathroom was entirely our choice, with Peter’s input and excellent workmanship turning that vision in to a final product that we love.

Peter's passion for his craft showed with all the work he did. He genuinely enjoys what he does and strives to provide the highest quality product for his customers. Something we really liked, though it may not be for everyone, was how personable Peter is; building a good working relationship with his customers is just as important to Peter as the renovation itself. These two points mean that sometimes, Peter can get a little worked up, or a little extra chatty, but we appreciated all of our interactions and definitely prefer that over someone who just comes in and does the job without engaging us.

Thanks Peter. You’ve done a really great job. I wish there are more contractors like you out there!

Peters price to do our bathroom renovation was slightly less or the same as the other quotes we got from other renovators. We chose Peter's company because he was young, knowledgeable,passionate about his work, he showed us pictures of his previous projects and gave us referrals. We are so pleased with the bathroom renovation that this company performed. They were immaculately clean during the 2 1/2 weeks of work, Peter explained everything in detail if we had any questions, and the end result was a perfect bathroom renovation. We would highly recommend Peter's company to do your bathroom renovation.