Sabina Peary sells houses for a living, which means she has watched a lot of renovations go wrong from the outside. When she needed her own basement finished as a rental, she came in expecting the worst.
Sabina Peary, Whitby · 3 min 57 · Full transcript below
“They came, they did what they promised to do, they did it ahead of schedule and they stuck to the budget. I found the whole experience very stress-free.”
Sabina Peary, Whitby
What she was worried about
“I was worried that they were not going to show up every day, that they would do a few days work and then disappear, come back, and have multiple jobs on the go. I was worried they were going to leave a mess in my home afterwards.” Those fears came from experience, not imagination. She had renovated kitchens and bathrooms before and been through it.
An older home, which changes things
Sabina had moved into an older Whitby property. Older stock in Durham means the basement is rarely a clean rectangle: lower headroom, mechanical runs in awkward places, and foundations that need looking at before anyone talks about finishes. That assessment happens before a price is given, not after.
Finished a week early
Quoted at four weeks, done in about three. “They showed up every day and even finished the job ahead of schedule.” The site was cleaned daily and handed back in broom-swept condition.
What actually surprised her
Not the workmanship. The system. “I was completely blown away by how professional their online system was. I had never dealt with a contractor that had such a professional online system in terms of diagrams, quotes and approvals.” Quotes, updates, colour approvals, all in one place, updated every night or two so she never had to chase anyone.
The result
“When I saw my new basement I was totally thrilled. It is so light and bright and modern, completely different than before. I knew it was going to be a rental basement and we would have no problems renting it. It is a one bedroom, and we rented it for top dollar because of how nice it is.”
Read the full transcript3 min 57
My name is Sabina Peary, and I am actually a real estate professional. I recently moved to Durham Region into an older home and I needed to renovate the basement so that I could rent it out.
Before I hired BCR, my fears and concerns were due to my previous experiences. I was worried they would not show up every day, that they would do a few days work and then disappear, that they would have multiple jobs on the go and it would take even longer. I was worried they were going to leave a mess in my home afterwards. That is just based on my past experience renovating kitchens and bathrooms.
None of those concerns came up. They cleaned up pretty much every day, and after the job was done the place was given back to me in clean, broom-swept condition. They showed up every day and finished ahead of schedule. They told me it would take maybe four weeks and they were finished in about three.
I was completely blown away by how professional their online system was. They send you the quotes, they send you updates, you approve colours. I had never dealt with a contractor that had such a professional online system in terms of diagrams, quotes and approvals. It made everything along the way very easy, because sometimes you cannot communicate every day. They would update the system every night or every couple of nights and let us know where they were in the process. I never really had any questions.
They came, they did what they promised to do, they did it ahead of schedule and they stuck to the budget. I found the whole experience very stress-free.
When I saw my new basement I was totally thrilled. It is so light and bright and modern, completely different than before. They made it all open concept. I knew it was going to be a rental basement and we would have no problems renting it. It is a one bedroom, and we rented it for top dollar because of how nice it is.
I would totally recommend BCR Basements. Their work is great. They show up on time, they deliver what they promised, they stick to the budget, and they are very professional from start to finish.
Sabina Peary, Whitby · recorded on site after completion
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