K H Davis Engineering Consultants Ltd

Structural Engineering
Toronto ON M4J 1N4
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Structural Engineering
K H Davis Engineering Consultants Ltd
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Reviews for K H Davis Engineering Consultants Ltd

Average customer rating:
9.8 10 (99 reviews)

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orafiq in Toronto
orafiq in Toronto
1 review Toronto, ON
10/10

Ken's great

Ken is a great guy, and an excellent engineer. He took a very messy situation, in which the neighbour who's a developer was trying to push me out by using the city as a tool to put an order on me to prove my place was 'safe'. Unlike other engineers, he had the relevant experience in Toronto to understand what needed to be done and put it in an easy to understand report so that I could get the matter resolved with the city. In addition, understanding my budget he was looking for cost effective solutions that made sense, overall the best experience I could have hoped for out of a muddy mess.

Approximate cost of services:
$3,000.00
What could this company do to improve their services?
Any advice to offer fellow homeowners facing a similar project?
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Company Response

Thanks for your kind words. We are glad that we were able to help get your problems resolved.

Carly Thorne from Toronto
Carly Thorne from Toronto
5 reviews Toronto, ON
10/10

Drawings for structural work

Mike at KH Davis was great. Friendly and punctual from the start, they came quickly to take measurements and helped make recommendations for changes to optimize the structure of our house as well as do drawings to bring an old staircase up to code. He gave us an approximate completion time that included the length of time to recieve the permit from the city (they submitted this for us at an extra but nominal fee). His approximation was bang on. Highly recommend! Thanks for everything.

Approximate cost of services:
$2,800.00
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Company Response

Thanks very much for your kind words. Yes, Mike is a great asset to our team! Mike manages our Architectural Technology Services group (projects which involve more than just structural changes to a house) and he is very knowledgeable on all aspects of getting building permit drawings prepared and approved for our clients. Glad that we were able to satisfy your needs.

Amanda in Toronto
Amanda in Toronto
2 reviews Toronto, ON
10/10

Engineering drawings & permit approval for home renovation

Mike did a fantastic job preparing the engineering drawings for our main floor and basement renovation. We're having extensive work done in our basement, including underpinning, structural beam work, and new walk out. Not only did Mike provide a sound engineering plan for our basement, he also worked with us to create a new basement floor plan that suits our family needs and maximizes every single square foot of our urban small basement. As for the City permit approvals, Mike over delivered in every way! He was able to get the permits approved in one day, including approval for the contentious new windows for our living room. Overall, we're extremely happy with K H Davis. Mike is great to work with, is attentive and goes above and beyond to help his clients. We highly recommend K H Davis.

Approximate cost of services:
$3,000.00
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Company Response

Thanks Amanda,
Yes, Mike is very customer service oriented and we get great feedback from his clients. We're not perfect but we all try our best. I'm really glad you were pleased with Mike and his team. Don't hesitate to reach out to Mike or to any of our engineering or architectural design staff again if you need further assistance!
Ken Davis, P. Eng.
President

Gail in Toronto
Gail in Toronto
19 reviews Toronto, ON
10/10

Site Report, Installation of a cranked beam, and rebuilding staircases

My previous contractor made a critical error; rather than call in a structural engineer when needed, he followed his own instincts putting the integrity of the staircases in my 3 story house at risk. When it became apparent that the stairs/landings had become significantly out-of-level, I went to homestars.com for help. I found that Mr. K H Davis, a structural engineer who specialized in old homes like mine, had the best ratings and reviews, and booked an onsite consultation.

It was apparent from the start that Ken was an expert. Following a long and informative onsite visit, he provided a very detailed and helpful report including his recommendation to give it some time to see if it stabilized or got worse. When the stairs/landings continued to shift, I contacted Ken again hoping to hire his company to fix it. Ken took the time to further analyze the problem and explain exactly what was needed to stabilize the structure, but then suggested I find someone else because their schedule was full and they wouldn't be able to get to it for months. So, I got other estimates to put in a “cranked beam” and build two new staircases. When the new contractor repeatedly failed to show up, I called Ken again, almost begged him to do the work, and he finally agreed. Although H K Davis is by no means a bargain operation, his quote for the work was about two thirds of what the other guy wanted to charge.

Ken then had an idea that would save me even more money. Rather than build two new staircases, he suggested trying to rebuild the old ones using the original stairs as much as possible because they were oak with a lovely patina. It was, as he put it, “a labor of love.” While I was prepared to pay between $25,000 - $30,000 for the cranked beam and new staircases, in the end it cost only $17,000.

Unfortunately, while my project was underway, Ken injured his back and was temporarily incapacitated. Yet, things proceeded nicely throughout the project because Ken appears to have the talent for hiring excellent staff. I’d like to take a moment here to mention that project manager Luis was amazing. He was on site daily making sure that I was happy with each detail — and there were many details! While’s he’s clearly very knowledgeable and professional, his full commitment to the project was apparent from the start. In fact, on at least two occasions I text messaged him on a weekend night and he answered both texts that same night. He wanted to take care of whatever I was concerned about so that I wouldn’t worry about it over the weekend. I think that’s pretty rare.

There were, however, a few times when I wanted Ken onsite to help work through a particularly complicated problem. He never failed to show up, and,despite his obvious back pain, Ken maintained full focus while finding creative solutions to some of the more quirky problems.

My stairs are now level, safe, and look beautiful. I also find it a comfort knowing that this structural issue has been properly corrected, and enthusiastically recommend K H Davis Engineering Consultants Ltd without reservation.

Approximate cost of services:
$17,000.00
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Anna T.
Anna T.
1 review Toronto, ON
10/10

Kitchen and Bathroom Renovation

KH Davis Engineering Consultants Ltd. were quick in their response to my enquiry, an appointment was made in a very reasonable amount of time to attend and provide a site inspection. The report that I received and the follow up after the site visit was both thorough and efficient. This company has a real grasp on communicating with their clients and ask all the right questions all the while providing a response to each of the clients concerns. I would definitely recommend KH Davis Engineering to anyone that I know.

Approximate cost of services:
$100,000.00
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Company Response

Thanks for your kind words Anna !
Ken Davis, P. Eng.
President

Private User
Private User
Private User reviews Toronto, ON
10/10

Permits for multiple renovations to an older home.

After a slow start and many delays with another firm, I contacted K H Davis Engineering to do drawings and submit applications for several renovation permits from the City of Toronto. Mike answered the phone and promised permits within 3-4 weeks and he made that happen. They also submitted a HVAC design from another company on our behalf. We are very pleased with the outcome, would highly recommend K H Davis Engineering, and will use their services again. THANKS!

Approximate cost of services:
$4,000.00
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Company Response

Glad that we were able to get you the results that you needed ! It's true that the overall process can be complex and we often find that firms that don't specialize in houses sometimes miss things or or don't focus enough attention on small projects.
Houses are our speciality, and almost all of our projects are on old Toronto homes, so usually we get it right !
Thanks again for your kind review.
Ken Davis, P. Eng.
President

PeterGWall
PeterGWall
1 review Toronto, ON
10/10

Drawings and plans for house renovation

I contacted KH Davis after finding them through a google search. We are removing some of the walls on the ground floor of our house, and didn't want to pay the high fees of an architect / design firm. Luis and Mike at KH Davis were super helpful - they sent someone to the house to make the drawings, and then after a few emails and phone calls produced the necessary plans. We also hired them to submit the plans to the city, and they got our construction permit super fast. I would highly recommend them.

Approximate cost of services:
$2,500.00
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Company Response

Thanks Peter !
Yes, removing load-bearing walls and designing the new structural supports the most common design that we do in our office...everyone is looking for a modern open concept, especially in kitchen areas of older homes.
Glad it worked out well!
Ken Davis, P. Eng.
President

Brett from Toronto
Brett from Toronto
3 reviews Toronto, ON
10/10

Detached Garage Design and Permit Application

I had a custom design for an L-shaped detached garage and home workshop with an integrated pergola over the adjacent ground. Mike from K. H. Davis helped take my design idea to fully specified engineering drawings and an approved building permit. His guidance was invaluable when dealing with the planning department and zoning issues, as well as our decision to proceed with an application for a minor variance to stay true to our initial design vision. We're very happy with the resulting plans from K. H. Davis and now look forward to commencing the construction.

Approximate cost of services:
$6,000.00
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Company Response

Thanks Brett!
Yes, variances can be a bit of a pain ! Often designers forget that a proposed addition to a home may contravene local zoning by-laws and require a variance in order to get approval...so its not just about Building Code compliance ! Mike does lots of Committee of Adjustment applications and can attend the Committee hearing on behalf of our clients who are seeking a variance.
Gald Mike got everything sorted out for you !
Ken Davis, P. Eng.
President

Private User
Private User
Private User reviews Toronto, ON
10/10

Basement underpinning and addition

On the advice of our contractor we engaged Mike and his team at KH Davis. Mike is a very easy person to work with and was very prompt to reply to our questions. He and his team were thorough and worked great with our architect to ensure the integrity of the design was structurally feasible. Mike was also very quick to ensure our permits were processed ahead of the potential city strike.

Approximate cost of services:
$5,800.00
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Company Response

Glad to hear that all worked out well !
Yes, we often work with our client's architect or designer to get plans approved by the City. We specialise in structural engineering for houses and often we will supplement the design of "others" to get plans through the permit process.
Ken Davis, P. Eng.
President

george in Toronto
george in Toronto
1 review Toronto, ON
10/10

House addition at North Riverdale

Ken Davies and Mike Shirzadfar have been very methodical and helpful in both the engineering, permitting and committee processes. The Firm is professional and prompt in every stage of my project.
At some stages of the project we needed to make revisions to the structure in order to save space and money. Mike and Ken reacted promptly to these revisions and really made a difference to the project and tradesmen.

Approximate cost of services:
$250.00
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Company Response

Thanks George.
We pride ourselves in knowing the nuts and bolts of house construction quite well indeed and our best compliment is when the tradespeople appreciate our input on site.
Regards,
Ken Davis, P. Eng.

The reviews on this page are the subjective opinion of the Author and not of HomeStars Inc.

More about K H Davis Engineering Consultants Ltd

K H Davis Engineering Consultants Ltd are known for their Friendly and Customer Service oriented approach to Structural Engineering and Architectural Design services for Houses - We provide site specific structural engineering and architectural services (Code Compliance assistance) to homeowners, architects and builders. We prepare building permit plans for all kinds of renovation and additions to houses - removing bearing walls, underpinning basements, fixing problems in older homes, expert witness testimony and advocacy for homeowners dealing with construction problems. Members of Professional Engineers of Ontario and BILD.

Structural Related Construction Services also offered through our sister company K H Davis Construction Ltd. If you need a structural engineer, please contact us today!

CATEGORIES
Structural Engineering, Architects, Renovation Advisors, and Design/Project Management
PRODUCTS
Design, Permit Plans, and Construction Services for: - Removing Load Bearing Walls - Basement Underpinning (lowering) Design - Secondary dwelling units - General Structural Engineering for all types of houses and small buildings - Architectural design for additions, renovations, and new houses - Structural Engineering for any type of building project - residential, commercial, industrial, institutional - but we generally don't do structural engineering for very large buildings and condominium projects - we specialize in small projects which involve some sort of structural changes to a building or a building addition. We design many new homes each year for architects and builders.
SERVICES
- Structural Engineering Design - Full Building Permit plans for Part 9 Buildings - Generally having 3 stories or less, and a total square footage of less than about 1800 sq. m. ( 18,000 square feet ) - Site Visits to consult on structural problems with houses - sloping floors, cracked walls, foundation settlement problems. - Advocacy for Homeowners who have run into problems with a construction project.
BRANDS
Joists, Beams, LVL, Basement Apartments (Secondary Dwellings)
SPECIALITIES
Our Construction group specializes in the structural aspect of house construction - this includes removing load-bearing walls and installing wood and steel beams, shear frames, underpinning basements to provide for increased headroom, stabilizing houses which have settlement problems, re-structuring homes which were not correctly designed to ensure proper structural integrity, etc.
WEBSITE
https://www.khdavis.com
YEAR ESTABLISHED
1999
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES
5
PAYMENT METHOD
Visa, MC, Amex, Cheque, Cash
LICENSES
C. of A. from Professional Engineers of Ontario, Toronto Renovators License
MEMBERSHIPS
Professional Engineers of Ontario
LIABILITY INSURANCE
Yes
DIPLOMAS
B. App. Sc., P. Eng.
WORKERS COMPENSATION
Yes
PROJECT MINIMUM
Varies depending upon the scope of work and travel distances
PROJECT RATE
Varies depending upon scope of work and travel distances
WRITTEN CONTRACT
Yes
WARRANTY TERMS
1 year min.
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