Penguin Basements

It's been 6 years since I moved into this house and I wanted to finish the basement ever since. Hearing various stories of bad experiences with contractors made me wary and careful of choosing the right one for the job. After setting my mind to finish the basement(finally), I started thorough search and came up with few number of candidates. One of the major factor I chose Penguin was the material they use. I wanted my basement to be integrated into the rest of the house as a full functional space. The fact they use magnesium oxide board with steel frame peaked my interest the most. These boards are stronger, mold/mildew free and provide superior fire resistance.

After contacting the office, they set up an initial consult, which require 2+ hours at my house. David, the designer arrived on time with material samples to be used, and did very thorough examination of work space. He was very kind and courteous. He took time to answer all the little questions I have regarding the renovation and provided very detailed quote. I had a good feeling about the company already at this time, judging from their quote system and professional teams that would take care each category of jobs separately. I especially liked the fact that they don't rely on subcontracting, which could cause so much problem.

At the initial meeting, I signed the contract and was set to go. Project manager was assigned to me and contacted me to set up a meeting at their designer center, where I would select materials to be used(color or floor, door, etc). It was quick and easy process. The only thing was that their supplier for the floorboard did not have stock for the exact color of floor I wanted at the time. However, it was not a major issue and rather than delaying/waiting, I wanted the job to be done before winter, so I chose alternate color that works as well.

The actual process took about 4 weeks, that includes framing, board, floor, staircase carpeting, electrical wiring, painting. I also chose open ceiling where beams and wires are exposed but all painted.

Each team/person for the job would arrive as per the schedule(the details and any changes to work order, payment info are posted on Builders Trend site), and project manager(Juliano, in my case) checked in regularly to oversee the job. Any changes to the initial quote would be posted on the Builders Trend in the form of work order. I really liked the professionalism of the whole process.

Their onsite teams are comprised of well experienced crews. Each team will come in the date they are assigned and finish the job quickly and neatly. I could see they are very skilled and have good knowledge about finishing basement.

The only little problem I had was with wiring. I requested additional outlet for coaxial cable(for cable modem), but after the job was done it was not properly connecting. I investigated the problem myself and figured that the electrician did not properly stripped and installed coaxial cable/connector. Since the cable itself was all installed behind the wall and up in the ceiling, I simply finished the job myself, re stripped the coaxial cable and attached the connector securely. They would have sent me the electrician to solve the problem but I did not want to wait :) The coaxial cable outlet for the cable TV also have problem connecting, I suspect it is the same problem. The electrician assigned to my house did a good job regarding electrical wiring and installing dedicated lines. However, I don't think he is very experienced in network wiring.

Asides from those minor glitch, I am very satisfied with their quality of work, the whole process and systematic quote/work order. Penguin is definitely not cheaper than other contractor, but The material and workmanship are worth the money. I suggest anyone who is planning to renovate basement to have clearer vision in their mind regarding the space they want to create. The more detailed your plan is, the less changes to the work order, hence quicker and smooth process.

My daughter, who rarely came down to basement, now would not leave the newly renovated basement. After renovation, it not only became very integrated part of the house, it actually became main family hangout area.

Thank you for your great job Penguin guys!