Moose Condo Reno

I worked with the Moose team for a full renovation of my condo kitchen and bathroom. It was a complex job because my condo is lofted, with the bathroom up a narrow set of stairs, and the team at Moose took great care of me. Sol, Nick, and Sang were very patient with me every step of the way, and made sure I was informed of timelines and updates. The job encountered a very minor delay (just a couple of days), which was entirely out of the control of the folks at Moose and they did an excellent job accelerating the remaining work to finish as close to the original schedule as possible.

I'm thrilled with my renovation, and would recommend the Moose team to my friends and family!

We did an extensive reno with Moose starting in August 2021 - full kitchen, all flooring, doors and trim, popcorn ceiling removal and a complete repainting of our condo. We also had pot lights added in the living room.
The reno was scheduled to start after the Civic holiday in August and had an estimated duration of 6-7 weeks, with the anticipated COVID supply chain caveats.

Our renovation lasted 4 months - twice the estimated duration. For the first 8 weeks we had alternate accommodations. However, for the final 8 weeks we had to live in the condo.in a construction zone.

The cause of the extended duration was not supply chain issues but rather poor project management. The project manager would not schedule trades for upcoming work until the work that they were dependent upon was completed. This created significant gaps in time where no renovation work was happening and our condo sat empty. There was also a 3 week gap in the project while we were told we had to wait for closet doors (even though the other 10 doors sitting in the condo waiting to be installed). We were told that the trade that was to install the doors would only come once - to install 14 doors. Baseboard installation, trim and painting of the condo plus clean up all had to wait.for four doors. Cool white pot lights were installed in the living room, even though the rest of the condo lighting was warm. The difference in lighting looked horrible. We were told that due to COVID warm lighting was not available. Later we learned that there were no supply issues wth the pot lights. The project manager had told the electrician to buy the wrong pot lights and didnt want to have to replace with the correct ones.

After just over three months, and after escalating to our Sales rep and the Moose office, we were introduced to Nick K. Nick had recently become the supervisor of our Project Manager and he reached out to let us know that he would come by, assess the status of our renovation and get things back on track. Well, he did just that! It was like a breathe of fresh air!

Nick came in, quickly had the remaining work scheduled, had the condo fully repainted at Mooses expense after seeing how poor a job the painter had done ( no primer and diluted paint) and pushed hard so that the reno could complete and we could finally live in our condo again. He kept in contact with us on a regular basis (daily, if not more often) and would come by to ensure that work was both progressing and being done with quality. He was only satisfied when we were. We were able to unpack and decorate just in time for Christmas.

A HUGE thanks to Nick for his professionalism, his commitment to delivering a quality job and to ensuring that his customer was heard, supported and satisfied with the job.

Very happy with the complete condo renovation they did! Very smooth process, completely stress free for myself. Finishs were done well and everything looks amazing. Will use them again in the future.

Nick and the team at Moose Group are consummate professionals in everything they do. As a building manager, Moose Group has completed multiple renovations in the building, all of which have gone over fantastically. Their communication with clients and management is second to none. Their attention to detail, scheduling, and customer service is top notch. I cannot praise Nick enough for how communicative and co-operative he throughout the renovation process.

We purchased a 2200 square foot condo in March, 2021 and it required an almost complete renovation before we could move into it in July, 2021. I contacted Moose as soon as we made the offer and was very pleased to hear back from Steve almost immediately. Steve made himself available to us very quickly and came with us and our realtor to look at the condo to help us decide how best to renovate it.

He took his time walking through with us and made many excellent suggestions as to how to proceed including the suggestion of a glass wall to enclose an unusual open space from living room to office. Shortly after, he prepared an estimate and we agreed to move forward.

We took possession of the condo on May 3, 2021 and on May 4th the team started the demolition. It was unclear if permission would be granted due to the lockdown but I was able to get the permission. Moose then started ASAP. They did the work with connecting with the property manager and getting the board approval for the work. They also did the work of confirming that the materials we chose for flooring met the condo standards for sound proofing. They were diligent in informing our neighbours (through the property manager) when they were doing noisy demolition work and took care to stay within the rules of hours for renovation work.

The work we did included:
1) complete demolition of the old kitchen and rebuild a new kitchen with design changes
2) complete demolition of the powder room and a rebuild of that room
3) Removal of two vanities and plumbing fixtures in the other two bathrooms
2) Remove all flooring (except two bathroom floors) and replace with new flooring
3) Remove and replace all light fixtures
4) Remove and replace all plumbing fixtures with the exception of the main shower and refurbish the main shower.
5) Remove an unusual brick feature wall, drywall it and install new electrical receptacles
6) Remove the doors to the laundry area, re-frame it and put in sliding doors
7) Put in a new 10 mm glass wall to close an unusual open space into the office
8) Remove and install all hardware on doors
9) Paint everything throughout.

We were able to move in at the beginning of July as agreed. In all, we were very happy with the experience.

Steve was responsive, the estimate was clear and the project finished within the budgeted parameters. We were offered some changes as we progressed through the project and we accepted some and declined others and that was an acceptable process.

We were assigned Mo as our project manager, He was extremely responsive. We shared phone numbers and communicated regularly through text.

We also utilized the Buildertrend app and were able to keep track of the project through that.

We did have a few glitches. They were generally related to COVID and supply chain issues.
We were promised the help of a designer. Unfortunately, she became unable to assist and in the interests of keeping the project on time, we made the choices ourselves.
As well, many of the stores were in lockdown and we had to make choices by going to the stores and getting samples ourselves.
The flooring choice was hard because our first five choices had supply chain issues and the backsplash tile also had supply chain issues.
However, we were able to make alternate choices and the end result is lovely.

The floor installer spent one day installing the floor and then had a family emergency. This was a critical pathway and threatened to derail the timeline. However, Mo was able to find a new installer and got the project back on track within a few days.

We moved in July and Moose had arranged for the condo to be cleaned. It was pristine and really a treat to have that done.
There were several unfinished pieces including the vanities (supply chain issues), the lights (supply chain issues) and the glass wall which did take the installer 4 visits to finish.

Everything is now lovely and we had one call back for a tiny issue which as been quickly resolved. We are pleased to recommend this company for a condo renovation.

I highly encourage everyone to stay far away from Moose Group. A promised 2-month renovation job turned into 6-month nightmare. Trades would not show up. When inquiring about the status of work, in the rare chance you can get the Moose Group team to reply, they would promise to send a schedule, re-book trades, or update their BuilderTrend app which tracks the renovation progress – which right up until the end of the project I never received a schedule that was kept. There was lack of quality in the finished renovation and poor workmanship causing multiple items to be redone. Some of the more egregious moments was when they left a bucket filled with paint water overflowing on the newly installed floors, and not measuring properly for placement of electrical switches and cutting into the door trim to place switches as opposed to moving the electrical. They left gaps in the flooring so they are visible at the trim. The painter hardly protected anything so I am still cleaning up paint blotches everywhere. I could go on and on. It was only with a mention of litigation Moose Group finalized the project as best they could do and I could tolerate. There still are repairs like the poorly installed pocket door will need to be rectified as they were unable to fix their poor install job. I did my homework and checked references prior to signing a contract. I have come to doubt the integrity or validity of their references. I feel stupid for ever signing a contract with the Moose Group. I see the other bad reviews under their various names - Moose Basements and Moose Condos - and their denials that those poor reviews are from clients. Those negative reviews are more in line with my experience. Take your money elsewhere and protect your property from these sub-par “contractors” if they can even call themselves that.

We found Moose Group online and invited them to our home to quote on our proposed kitchen and bathroom renovations. They were among 5 other contractors who we invited for our condo-townhouse project.

Price wise, they were not the cheapest, nor the most expensive, but we feel that they definitely over-delivered on quality for $ and we also always felt comfortable and respected. Their proposal was by-far the most detailed that we received and made it abundantly clear what we were and were not going to be receiving.

Steve was the first person we spoke to and met with. He is kind, straightforward, confident and immediately put us at ease.
On a return visit, we also met Daniel, the other estimator.
Daniel was also kind, sometimes a bit technical, but his construction knowledge is incredible and is ultimately very reassuring.

They were both very knowledgeable and explained what we realistically could and could not do, what would not likely be worth the cost, and what unique changes could really make the whole reno better.

Daniel was kind enough to help us visualize options with some 3-D modelling work (though I understand that he doesn't do this anymore!) which really helped a lot. Steve worked alongside him to field our numerous revisions to scope and plan and keep us on the right track.
When we realized our dreams were a bit bigger than our budget he even worked backwards to really try and cram as much stuff into our budget as he could. They both made great suggestions about what things we should do now, vs. later and why.

The two of them were very patient with our numerous revisions to scope and they worked hard to make the transition to the actual Designers (Viktoriya and Ruby) and project managers quite easy. They were also kind enough to always be available to us for extra questions during the renovation.

The renovation itself was fairly smooth overall and stayed reasonably close to projected timeline on their part, though the 1st covid lockdown definitely hampered things for them here and there. We also changed/added things to the job which caused some delays for engineering visits and ordering more materials etc., but they kept it moving along at a good pace and kept us informed of what was happening.

The tradesmen were all pretty friendly and polite. Special thanks to Val/Dima (electricians) for humoring my husband's many, many questions during their work. Also, special mentions to the tile guys whose work was flawless and the kitchen installer for his attention to detail.

I know everyone has a different experience and opinion, but we 100% recommend Moose. This was our first major renovation - and with all the horror stories out there we were nervous but we had confidence in this team. At the end of it all, we wouldn't do it any differently and LOVE the finished product!

We are in the final stages of our full gut kitchen renovation by the Moose Group, and we could not be more pleased with how great it looks.
Our project consultant and manager, Daniel Borok went above and beyond for us every step of the way.
In the planning stages, Daniel was endlessly patient with us, providing recommendations for everything from bulkhead removal to enable ceiling lift to smarter storage solutions. The cabinetry suggested by the Moose team look even better than we imagined when installed and we know they'll last forever.
Our reno, which was very comprehensive, began just as Toronto was entering a tighter lockdown, and Daniel's professionalism and communication skills enabled us to get all the approvals (condo board, condo super for the elevator etc.) required to proceed on-time. The contractor teams were professional and friendly, and Daniel's pre-planning meant that we stayed on schedule, even after the demo revealed some more work would be required.
In order to keep our job on schedule, Daniel took extra time out of his own busy schedule to ensure that our cabinets were completely assembled so the countertops could be measured on time. As we were using a sub-contractor for the stone, this was really important to us, and we greatly appreciate his extra work to keep us on track.
All of the work completed - from drywall and tile install to electrical and plumbing - was of the highest quality, attested to by my dad who worked in construction for many years! Any minor corrections were pre-identified by Daniel during his many inspections, and fixed in a timely manner.
The office staff were also friendly and professional to deal with.

We highly recommend the Moose Team and highlight the hard work and dedication of Daniel Borok in particular. He was fantastic and made a complicated reno during a very challenging time pleasant and professional.

Signed a contract with moose group and it took a year of badgering to get it started. Once we moved out they demanded an EXTRA $40,000 to start the project due to “covid costs”. Never did anything and they never return calls. Taking them to court.

Please, everyone who reads here should judge carefully. The original schedule was never followed and the deadline continued to be postponed. It unilaterally took twice as long as the initial schedule without any particular explanation or apology, and it was not completed nonetheless. Never trust the schedule the Moose Group is talking about. If you believe that and make and implement your schedule, you will be in great danger. Not only the schedule but also the initial designs were not kept, and communication between Moose Group employees was not smooth. Most of the promises were not kept and caused extreme stress throughout the project. The level of completion of renovation is also very low. You can't even have a basic life.