Sonoma Contracting

This is the second time we have had Sonoma come in to do work in our house. This time, it was a basement and laundry room renovation. As usual they did outstanding work and I am again amazed at the level of craftsmanship. These guys really know what they are doing. Mike scheduled the various trades to come in seamlessly thus optimizing the overall length of time for everything to get done.

We are very pleased with our new basement and laundry room.

We recently had our whole basement finished by Sonoma Contracting.  The basement in our 1920's era house was totally unfinished and we'd started the process by having the floor lowered and the foundations underpinned by an exceptional company called True North Underpinning.  True North and Sonoma often work on the same basements, one finishing (pun intended) what the other started. True North had been a pleasure to work with and recommended Sonoma to us, so we were hoping that the basement work would come close to the standards set by TN.  

And there was a lot of work to do - electrical, new plumbing, in-floor hot-water heating, replacement and relocating of existing plumbing and heating pipes, framing, drywalling, painting, staining, tiling, finishing carpentry, custom built doors, new stairs, glass and mirrors, windows, spray foam insulation, low voltage wiring, building permits, etc.) Well, we were not disappointed. In fact, most evenings when my husband and I went downstairs to see what a day of Sonoma work had brought, we were absolutely delighted. The bulk of the work progressed extremely quickly and when there were delays, while we waited for over-height doors to be built, for example, we were always informed where things stood. The original quoted price was very detailed and charges were fair for additional items that we asked for and which were not included in the original quote. There were no "surprises."

All of the people working for Mike Flammia (the easy-going, dry-humoured, and utterly reliable owner of Sonoma) were, to a man, serious no-nonsense skilled professionals who even came in on weekends and put in extra time if needed. From their next-door vantage point, our neighbours were also impressed with how hard-working and courteous these workers were.  As with any large project, there were a couple of times when there were misunderstandings about what exactly we wanted but these were quickly cleared up and fixed.   Whenever we had contact with any of the Sonoma crew (Aldo, Marco, Paul, and Alex in particular), we got the sense that they were doing whatever they could to make sure that we were happy with their work. Mr. Flammia has been in this business for a while now and so seems to have separated the wheat from the chaff in terms of who he hires.

Finally, we have to mention Tony, Sonoma’s carpenter.  The one tradesman who is most involved in building is the carpenter.  Tony is an older Italian gentleman who appears to never be happier than when plying his trade.  His skills are extraordinary and we felt especially privileged to have him working away in our basement. Tony's strengths were apparent in every part of our basement, from framing right through to the little finishing touches around the stairs which made them fit seamlessly into the stairwell.  We really cannot say enough about this hard-working and humble craftsman, and I'll give the last words about him to a friend who said that Tony was "an artist" when she came over to see his work.  

As you can tell from this review, we were very, very pleased with the whole Sonoma experience and would heartily recommend this company to anyone with a basement.  

We contracted Sonoma to finish our basement. Mike and Aldo were extremely helpful in planning and making efficient use of space. The work started promptly and steadily progressed until finished. All the trades were very professional and skilled. They did an excellent job and any special request we made was fulfilled. All workers associated with this company were respectful of our home and there was no intrusion or disruption of day to day living during the project. At the end of each day the work area was tidied. The finished basement is perfect. Of the four quotes we received, Sonoma's was in the middle but offered much more in terms of a finished project. Things like relocating hot water heater, laundry tub, duct work, water lines, etc. were included. Whereas other companies did not . If your looking for a general contractor, look no further than Sonoma.

UPDATE: Three months after the final pay and the job labelled complete (the work was completed 3rd week of March '15), we are having problems with our new staircase. The landing trim has separated from its parts (something it had done earlier and they were informed about when they were still on the job.) We are still waiting for this to be rectified.
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The quality of our end result was high and we would recommend Sonoma to our friends and family. The scope of the project was to bench/lower the entire basement, finish half of it including a new set of oak stairs, and install a bathroom. Our design was unconventional, but they were able to deliver on all the points we required. We were working with a pretty tight budget, but they offered us the best value among other contractors and were able to amend details to suit as well. They developed an extremely fair payment schedule and we always felt comfortable discussing monetary details with them.

Mike provided a competitive quote and was very accommodating to my schedule. Mike and his team did a great job on the project and completed it on schedule which is always a bonus. He was very flexible along the way. I was very happy with the end result and will definitely seek him out in the future for any further renos. Thanks Mike and team!

Mike and Aldo picked up my basement project at the bare bones stage. I’d already demolished the existing structures, removed asbestos, replaced the main drain and established drain roughins, removed 5” of soil to lower, designed the new structures, replaced windows and obtained the requisite permits. Mike and Aldo took care of waterproofing, leveling, gravel, in-floor radiant heating, cement floor, stairs, framing, electrical, lights, plumbing, drywall, floor tile, doors and trim, custom shower, fixture installation and painting. They and their subcontractor tradesmen did a great job. I was consulted on an as needed basis. All tradesmen were friendly, respectful and trustworthy. Any issues were resolved promptly. Little extras were done without additional charge. Their prices were competitive. I’d recommend Sonoma without reservation.

Mike was one of five contractors we "interviewed" for the job. Not once during the process did we regret our choice to go with Sonoma.

Mike and Aldo did a fantastic job keeping us informed of next steps and expectations for each stage of the basement reno. They did a great job coordinating, on our behalf, with some secondary companies we used for our fireplace and built ins. The extended Sonoma team was friendly, hard working and professional. The project came in on time and on budget except for a few instances were WE delayed the process due to changes to the plan. Mike and Aldo were completely flexible and we appreciated the way they adjusted the timelines as new things were added. We love the reaction our basement receives from friends and relatives and it's our favourite place to relax and/or entertain guests.

I can't say enough positive things about Sonoma. Consider them for any work you may have. We have since used them again for a couple of small jobs and the experience was just as good as our big job.

Our basement was trapped in the 70s (wood panelling, upholstered bar, acoustic tile ceiling). Sonoma brought our basement into the 21st century. Mike and his team of professionals inspired our confidence from the beginning of the project to the end. They put up drywall, installed trim, replaced doors and hardware, and installed pot lights. They gutted our horrible old bathroom and installed a beautiful shower, tiles, and a new toilet and vanity. The process went smoothly and we are so happy with the results. It was a well-coordinated reno. Thank you especially to Aldo, but also to all of the guys who worked so hard to make our space beautiful.

We hired Mike, Aldo and their crews to rebuild our basement bathroom and replace a section of the concrete floor. The renovation included a high-efficiency furnace, electrical wiring upgrading and foam insulation behind new drywall on some exterior walls.
We knew about Sonoma Contracting because the company had done an impressive basement renewal for our son and daughter-in-law a few or so years ago.
We are pleased indeed with the quality of the work and with Mike’s efforts to keep us posted about what was taking place at each stage of the project. All of the crews were professional and took care to keep the debris under control and remove it as soon as possible.
We were especially pleased with the colleague Mike referred us to for the furnace replacement. He gave us invaluable advice on how to upgrade our cold-air return system should we eventually decide to do so.
We appreciated the detailed estimate. It showed the budget for certain items such as a vanity and laundry tub. We decided to exceed the budget in some cases. By having the estimate, we knew instantly what the additional cost would be.
Our project got off to a slow start because we had left our building permit application until the last minute. Mike was patient and understanding, and went ahead with the various stages of work only after the permit was in hand.
This was our first time working with a professional contractor on a job of any magnitude. So, what did we learn? We learned the importance of thinking through the design details of the space as thoroughly as you can. While a contractor will help you (Mike certainly did), you cannot expect the builder to read your mind. We also learned the importance of maintaining effective communication with on-site workers--especially supervisors such as Aldo--without breathing down people’s necks. We would hire Sonoma again.

Sonoma Contracting removed the concrete around my home that use to be a patio, they were polite, prompt, efficient and accomodating, I would highly recommend them to anyone and plan to use them for more work in the spring.