First off, let me state that I have gone through renovations in my home on several occasions, one of them a major renovation, and I have never been treat as badly by any of my other contractors as I have by Planit Builders. Planit Builders turned me away the first time I approached them as they explained they do not do Basement Suite renovations. I accepted that and was on the look for other Contractors. I received a phone call by Sonny near the end of January, and he stated that they did do the kind of renovations I was looking for. Mr. Belanger and another young man came into my home on January 29, 2014 and proceeded to do their sales pitch. We came to an agreement and I signed a contract with this man, with the understanding that before demolition on my basement could proceed, they needed to renovate my master bathroom to accommodate a separate washer and dryer. After 3 separate estimates were done (prices were outrageous for what I wanted, and I have 2 full custom designed bathrooms in my home that cost me the same amount as what they initially wanted to charge me.) I did some compromises on the way I had originally wanted the bathroom done and we finally came to an agreement. ( I am so glad that I insisted on the bathroom being renovated first, before demolition to my basement, or I would be in even a bigger mess than I am now.) The problems started with the plumber and proceeded from there. I found out only after some of the renovations were partially done, that they dictate how they paint and what outlets they use. ( These were only two issues that I encountered about how they do things, can't imagine what other ones would have cropped up in my basement) Now I have a white round electrical outlet that does not match the existing outlets in my bathroom(both are rectangular and beige)my walls and ceiling are all one color (my other ceilings are white as that is my personal preference.) I had choices with my past contractors, but apparently, I don't have the same choices with these guys. That is what they use and how they paint, period. I don't have the right to chose, even though I am the one paying the bill at the end. Who would have thought. The biggest concern I had was after the subfloor and Lino was installed. I picked up right off the bat that my floor behind my toilet was higher than the rest. All of my concerns along with the fact that my door trim was not going to match the new (was told by Beau Nyncha that I told him not to touch the door, guess the trim on the inside of my bathroom is part of my door) were discussed with Clifton Adams the site supervisor and completely disregarded. I felt that since my concerns were not being addressed, especially with and where the unevenness of my floor was, and the way Planit Builders chose to handle my concerns. I stopped the work and called in a separate contractor to inspect the bathroom to either confirm or put to rest my issues and concerns. Well, it turned out I was right about the floor and a few other issues came up with regards to the installation of my toilet with this inspection. No Names were given to either party. I informed Planit Builders of the new concerns that were brought to my attention along with the solutions and the problems that would be caused by the solutions. Planit Builders have now decided not to finish off this renovation as they say that it is not up to my standards and it falls within the guidelines of the Alberta's New home warranty guidelines and they trust the work that their subcontractors do. What Rubbish, they got caught and they do not want to fix the mess they made. All I am and have been after is to have the renovations done right and properly. I also learned from the other contractor that my basement did not need to be completely demolished, to have the basement suite done. Wow, I just saved my self a whack of money and a whole lot of misery. These guys might be right for all of you who have unfinished basements and who don't mind having no say in the finished project. But if you want to have freedom of choice in what you want in the end and for your dollars, then rethink this company. One other thing I learned along the way, (and only after the problems started) Read and re read the bad reviews first. They will give you food for thought. These bad reviews gave me a preview of the problems that I am now going through, and I ignored them Do not rely only on the good. So another suggestion is to get a list of their subs before you start and check the sub out also. That way you will know what to expect. These guys definitely do not like you to monitor their subs, and you do have that right to ensure that these guys are doing the job properly and the right to ask questions if you feel something is not being done right. If they refuse to give that list to you, then have second thoughts. I will be going back to my other contractors to have my basement done. FYI, my basement renovation was going to cost me $70,000.00. With the other contractor $38,000.00 to 45,000.00. With the money I save I can take my grand babes to Disney world and have a good Holiday. Think Twice and then think twice more about this company.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $4,477.55