Just Basements

Just Basements was the forth and last contractor I screened prior to this extensive project.

From the point when he presented the "Project Proposal" I knew I was dealing with a pro... and I wasn't disappointed.

Reiner is an above board business operator and his staff were just great.

What impressed me during the project was the cleanliness that they left at the end of each day.

We love our basement - finished entertainment area, laundry room, three piece bathroom, and a lot of storage.

Great job... hire Just Basements confidently.

Just Basements finished our basement for us. The quality and design that they did is just amazing. The crew is very friendly and they explained why they were doing what they were doing every step of the way. We are extremely happy with the finished product and have received nothing but amazing feedback from friends and family. They all want their basements done now.

We have a 40 year old raised bungalow. We had Just Basements gut the entire basement, replace a supporting wall with a steel beam, spray foam insulate, install a full bathroom with shower and finish all drywall, paint and carpet. We used another HVAC contractor to relocate and replace the ductwork and furnace. Reiner was very good to deal with from the beginning quote to the final payment. He is exceptionally well organized throughout the process. His quotation was itemized in detail and reasonable. He provided oversight of all work and used licenced trades as well as a civil engineer for all structural redesign. Reiner integrated with HVAC contractor of our choosing. All unexpected conditions discovered were addressed with effective and fairly priced solutions. Reiners employees Glen, John and George demonstrated the highest levels of workmanship and customer attention I have encountered. Building permit inspections were more like a social occasion as his reputation for doing the job right is well known. If you want the job done right from the ground up with quality finishes then Just Basements will deliver.

I found Just Basements and Reiner Ehlers through Home Stars and, coincidentally, had heard good reviews from a few work colleagues. After evaluating quotes from six other contractors in the Durham Region, Reiner Ehlers took our basement vision and contributed valuable ideas to ensure we made the best use of the space available on the ground and overhead: Reiner was the only contractor to suggest realigning the ductwork (HVAC) to improve headspace and one of the few contractors to provide a line-by-line, item-by-item quote. When I met with other contractors, they appeared to be listening but returned with floor plans that required multiple revisions to meet my preferences or quotes that were too general (i.e. a hundred dollars here, a thousand dollars there). Reiner’s cost was slightly higher than others, but it wasn’t unreasonable: you’re paying for a professional, well-established and knowledgeable contractor and crew to produce a quality product. “You get what you pay for,” and in this case you won’t be disappointed. Reiner is also very fair in his charges -- in our case, Reiner had to build an extra decorative column (to hide an exposed support pole) and didn't charge for it since he underestimated in the original quote. During construction, a few unexpected surprises were exposed: our gas line needed to be enlarged, water heater vent fixed, the electrical box expanded and bib of an external water pipe raised. Reiner took care of it, no problem! There were a few delays, but none that Reiner could have forecasted: custom material (e.g. French doors and custom carpet for the basement stairs) were delayed in transport. After three months of construction, Reiner's crew built a professional, high quality living and recreational space which includes a home gym, a sewing/craft area for my wife, a kids’ play area and finished hiding space under the stairs, an open TV/family room, and unfinished storage and furnace rooms. With our basement now the crown jewel of our home, my wife and I are eager to refinish our main floor. Reiner does not only build "just basements", he also does custom cabinets and built-ins. So, when our renovation fund has been replenished, we’ll likely call Reiner to finish our reading and dining rooms.

From quote to clean up Reiner and his team did an excellent job. They came in on time and on budget. He did not over sell things that were not needed and provided valuable tips like moving ducts instead of taking the easy way out which in the end would have made the final product not as enjoyable as it is today. Our family spends much of our time in this great new space.

After extensively researching and having interviewed several potential contractors to finish my basement, I was drawn to the fact that Reiner provided detailed plans for any project he does. I had him view my basement and he was the first contractor that did not push me to change anything of my plans and the only one that agreed to modify existing ductwork to make it less intrusive. He gave me a detailed breakdown and quote for the project on his first visit.

Once the project got going, work proceeded swiftly and Jon, George and Glen did excellent work with demolition (the basement had one finished room) and construction. In fact, all people involved did extremely good work. I would especially like to thank John Young for his exceptional work in the bathroom: a work of art he can be proud of!

We did not set a project completion date, since my main concern was with getting it done right. Although the project dragged on a bit, most timing related issues were due to material that I provided and could not get in time. Nevertheless, the end result was worth the wait and I have gotten compliments from everyone I have shown the space to.

Everything was finished within budget, with no surprises.

I highly recommend Just Basements for any job, large or small. You won't be disappointed.

We were very impressed with the job Reiner and his team from just basements finishing our basement. The quality and detail were most impressive. We could have gone with another company for less money but are very glad we didn't. Would recommend to anyone.

We were in the market to finally build out our basement but wanted to make sure that the finished project was done to our standard. We saw several contractors and Reiner from Just Basements was far and away the individual that had not only the vision but the approach and confidence to earn our business. Reiner was very upfront about what he would and would not do as part of the project to maintain his standard but was also flexible to accommodate changes. All the people that worked for him on the project were excellent and the final product was stunning. We are very happy with our choice and would recommend Just Basements to anyone who asked.

After having another contractor try to significantly "adjust" his price (apparently all-in including HST didn't include HST) at the time we were going to sign the deal, we continued our search and ended up selecting Reiner and the Just Basements Team.

Reiner took a disjointed layout and came up with a functional design that flowed and made use of every inch of space. He even identified some problems in the work done upstairs by Kitchen / Bathroom contractors and included fixing their mistakes in his proposal.

From the complete tear out to the completion of the finished product Just Basements was on-time and professional with an attention to detail and quality that we have never experienced with other contractors. They gutted the existing space, replaced stairs and a banister, cut a new opening to make better use of the space, put in an egress window, coordinated the movement and installation of a new hot water tank, furnace and a/c (including the discovery of a less than sound gas line that had to be replaced), fixed mistakes made by the original homeowner and prior contractors, moved a bathroom, moved a laundry room, installed a "serving/bar area", added a gas fireplace, coordinated home theater installation with Whitby Audio, new windows, walls, floors...the space is 1000% better than it was before.

There were some glitches - Reiner communication could have been more timely (sending an email on Sunday saying we needed to get something for Monday doesn't give tons of time) and completing the window well when it was dug out instead of several weeks later would have prevented a mudslide and some drainage issues, but things happen.

In the end it is not always about being perfect all of the time, but also effectively dealing with problems when they happen. Reiner's Team was almost perfect and when they weren't they worked hard to resolve the problems in a timely and satisfactory manner.

Professionals! Every aspect of the process with Just Basements was done in a professional way. It started with our first meeting with Reiner at our house. We had a layout in mind and discussed our vision with him. He quickly assessed what we had to work with, prepared dimensioned digital drawings of the layout, and a very detailed itemized quote. There were no surprises along the way! Communication throughout the project was fantastic. The crew was professional and respectful of our home and schedule. They advised us what they would be doing, when they'd be arriving, and then they delivered on it. They answered our questions along the way. The quality of their work is top notch and we are very happy with both the process and the finished product. Our friends and family have been quite impressed with the level of finish and craftsmanship of Just Basements' work. I would recommend Just Basements (and already have). Thanks Reiner, Glen, Dave and John. Job very well done!