Testimonials

My experience using North Toronto Renovations has been excellent! Working with Mike Roth was a pleasure.

He was professional in every way. He was always available and provided great knowledge. The trades-people that he sent were on time and very courteous.

I would more than recommend using North Toronto Renovations. Mike is an excellent contractor and his work is superb.
R. Roebuck

With over 250 stores across Canada finding reliable and efficient handymen/contractors can be a challenge. Mike and North Toronto Renovations have made this challenge in Ontario bearable.

We started our relationship with North Toronto Renovations in April of 2007.  We can place our service calls with confidence the work will be done efficiently and in a timely manner. The staff is professional and knowledgeable about the projects that are requested by us. The staff at North Toronto Renovations is courteous and take the time and effort to accommodate the busy schedules of a retail business and at the same time keeping us the customer well serviced and keeping in mind the delicate balance not to disturb our customers while the projects are being done.

I am glad to have found such a reliable company and would recommend them to others.

Tracy Smith
Maintenance Helpdesk Technician
Groupe Dynamite

– what kind of service was completed, for example, was it an addition, a kitchen reno or other? The initial job that we obtained a quote for from North Toronto Renovations (NT Reno) was for a kitchen reno and the full renovation of two bathrooms. However, it became clear to us that this was too ambitious for us to complete with a baby on the way (in terms of deciding on the finishes) so the bathroom reno has been put off until this summer (2013 with NT Reno). However, during the course of the kitchen reno, we were so impressed with the quality of work of NT Reno, that we further expanded the project to include renovation of our family room, laundry room and front foyer (in addition to the kitchen).

In terms of the scope of work, the kitchen was a full renovation which was done with NT Reno and California Kitchens. California did the cabinetry, Jules Flooring did the hardwood (because they had done the adjacent family room when we moved in and we wanted a perfect match in the kitchen) and NT Reno did all other work including rip out, repair, patching, painting, electrical, plumbing and finishes. In the family room, NT Reno knocked out non-structural walls to expand the space, ripped out an old fireplace, replaced it with a sleek, modern brick fireplace and did all painting and electrical (including installation of pots lights). In the foyer, the work involved rip out and replacement of floor tile. In the laundry room, the scope of work involved rip out and replacement of floor tile, painting, electrical (new light fixtures) and plumbing including installation of washer, dryer and new sink.

– was the project started and finished on time? Yes, the project was started and finished on time which was particularly impressive given the increased scope of the project as noted above. I would note that the end date of the project was extremely important to us because my 4 year old was going to be home on winter break for two weeks and I was clear before the commencement of the project that we had to have substantial completion before the start of her break, with appliances installed and working when I was home with her during this time. The entire project was fully completed two days before her break commenced and we were extremely pleased with this result.

– did they complete the project within budget? Yes. We had a quote for all work before it started and NT Reno did not deviate from the quote in any way. The amount that we paid was exactly the amounts quoted to us for each room in advance of the work commencing. Michael Roth was extremely up front about how much everything would cost and we found his prices to be reasonable compared to other contractors we met with. We were impressed (and relieved) that he never once used the phrase “something has come up” and then tried to hit us up for more money (which was an experience that many of our friends had had during their renovation projects).

– were there any substantial extra costs that were not expected? The only cost that I would say was unexpected was additional pot lights. I believe our initial quote was for 6 or 8 pot lights in the kitchen. The quote also specified the cost of adding additional pot lights. We ended up needing almost double the number of pot lights in the kitchen. However, I would attribute this to our designer who significantly underestimated how many lights would be needed. NT Reno’s electrician made it clear that 6-8 was too few for the large space and we agreed with him and did not believe that the extra cost was attributable to NT Reno. Other than pot lights there were no other substantial costs that were not expected. There was one minor additional cost at the end of the project as I had thought that our quote included installation of kitchen appliances and Michael Roth advised that he did not personally do appliance installation but had someone who did. I looked at our quote and in fact, it did not say that NT Reno would install the appliances so that was my bad for not asking the question at the outset (I had wrongly assumed it was included and proceeded on that assumption). However, Michael Roth quickly got us a reasonably priced appliance installer who was available and we were pleased with the install.

– how were any unforeseen problems on the job handled? (in a timely manner? cooperatively? well communicated with the homeowner?) Surprisingly, we did not have many problems on the job at all. One issue that comes to mind is the electrical panel. We needed lots of electrical work and NT Reno’s electrician determined that if we ran the electrical from our existing panel to the kitchen, it would involve substantial damage to our finished basement wall and stuccoed ceiling. This was communicated to us before the job started and we agreed to wait and see what we could do onsite. Once onsite, we were given a number of different options to choose from including different locations for a new panel. We were able to select the option that was most convenient for us and involved minimal damage to the basement.

Another issue that arose after the job commenced involved the fireplace. Once the gas fitter installed the gas fireplace, it became clear that it had been installed too far forward into the room and was taking up too much space. Michael Roth repeatedly met with us and the designer and the gas fitter to determine how far back the fireplace could safely go and he supervised the gas fitter moving the fireplace and then ensured that the brick was installed in a manner that was satisfactory to us.The way that he dealt with it made it seem less like a “problem” and more like an issue to discuss/resolve, if that makes sense – it was a problem without all the stress/drama that could have arisen from the gas fitter’s error.

We were very pleased with NT Reno who was recommended to us by Michael Lanys from California Kitchens. We were a bit nervous using someone that was untested in terms of references, but Michael Lanys assured us that if he made a bad referral, it would affect his business too and he reassured us that we would be extremely pleased with Michael Roth which we were. As an aside, after Michael Roth came to our house, he realized that he had actually finished our basement for the previous owners of the house (which we confirmed). This to us was a sign, because when we bought the house, while much of it needed work, we loved the basement, thought it was an excellent renovation and had held up well over time.

In terms of our reno, Michael Roth was always on top of things and very closely supervised his team. My husband and I both work full time and were not home to supervise the crews. Michael Roth would text/e-mail/call with updates, send me pictures of progress and/or things that required a response. He would meet with us early in the morning to accommodate our schedules and discuss the plan for the day and he managed his crew so that there was always work being done (we didn’t feel that he was too busy on other projects). In accordance with our request, his crew fully cleaned up every day and removed all sharp objects/tools or anything unsafe that our 4 year old could get into. His crew was courteous, respectful and had a great work ethic. I came home from work one day early to check up on the progress and found a full house of workers, with music playing and they were all working and singing together. That sounds kind of weird, but I don’t remember the last time I was so happy at work that I was singing – to me, that said something about all of them. They were very good workers and seemed to be happy and take pride in their work.

We felt that Michael Roth was extremely trustworthy, honest and diligent and we liked him because he just simply got the job done without any drama. We would recommend him without reservation and will most certainly be using him to do the renovation of our remaining two bathrooms this year. I will send you some pictures of the rooms by separate e-mail and I would be happy to answer any additional questions that you may have.

Sincerely,

Marni T

NORTH TORONTO RENOVATIONS

I confirm that we have dealt with Mike Roth of North Toronto Renovations since 2002 ,

during which time they have provided our business with a great support in different areas

of renovations and maintenance.

In the previous years, till present North Toronto Renovations has been taking care of all

our stores (West Coast, Officiel, Tristan) in the Ontario area.

Their work is always done efficiently and in a timely manner.

I can confidently recommend North Toronto Renovations as a solid and reliable supplier

and experts in their field.

Sophie Fevrier

Supply and Services

Tristan & Iseut Inc.

Working with Mike Roth, of North Toronto Renovations was an absolute pleasure. Mike is a true professional who fulfills his commitments. He was responsive, reliable, thorough and professional throughout our renovation. HIs trades followed suit. All workmanship was outstanding. I would not hesitate to recommend Mike for any renovation project.

Melannie A