Green Maple Home Renovations

Green maple home renovations renovated my basement. It looks great! They were professional an respectful while dealing with us. Ariel provided good suggestions to maximize space and function for a small basement. He listened to my concerns and addressed things as soon as possible. Also he fixed a few things that weren't meeting our standards without any problems. Overall we are satisfied with the job and recommend green maple to friends and family.

Ariel helped design and built a laundry room for me in a previously unfinished portion of the basement. They did excellent work. And it was done on time and on budget.

Second time with Green Maple Renovations, this time to install our new kitchen, we completely remove the old kitchen and one wall to install and island. We got new flooring, and cabinets from IKEA, again a very good job, the kitchen looks really good. Thanks Ariel for your hard work.

In the winter, the basement room was too cold. The room was finished four years ago by another contractor. Green Maple replaced one wall to put in more insulation and the vapour barrier, which was not there. To improve the room, they added another heat vent and caulked the air drafts from the walls. After 3 weeks renovation, the basement room is better for the winter. Thanks to Ariel and Green Maple.

I interviewed a total of 5 contracting companies who all received excellent reviews from HomeStars for our basement renovation. I decided on Green Maple Renovations not only because of the reasonable price, but mainly because I had a good feeling about Ariel, the owner. He was the only contractor who identified that we had asbestos in our basement that needed removal. He also identified issues with finishing a cold room (my request) and risk of mold growth; whereas the other interviewed contractors did not mention. Ariel was also very responsive via email/text/phone to any questions, concerns that I had. I felt that he really had our best interest in mind and wanted to do things the right way. Ariel and his team including Andre and Alberto are so hard working, arriving every morning around 8-8:30am to get as much work done(sometimes working 10-12 hour days). They cleaned up at the end of each day and tried to minimize dust as much as possible. They even went above and beyond to fix issues in the basement which weren't included in the contract: few water pipes, creating a water trap for drain, mounting tv bracket and electric fireplace, install shelves and counter above laundry machines. His Master Electrician Laureano was just as reliable and professional and did additional electrical work in our house. The only issue I had was that some of the finishes (i.e. painting, some tiling/grouting, staining/painting of the stairs) were slightly messy. After letting them know of my concerns, Ariel did return within 2 weeks of finishing the basement (final payments were made) to fix some of those issues and I'm waiting for him to return again to touch up some painting. We are so happy with our basement and the beautiful living space created. I have already recommended Green Maple Renovations to many friends and co-workers and wouldn't hesitate to contact them again for any home renovation need.

We reviewed our basement renovation project with several contractors (and their references) found on the Homestars website. After careful review of costs and availability, we decided to hire Green Maple because of their alignment with our vision. As we had an older home, it required demolition of existing finishings that uncovered problems along the way. Green Maple was flexible enough to allow us to work with other contractors (also found on this website) for specialty areas such as: storm water drain cleaning/backwater valve installation, foundation repair, kitchen cabinetry, and structural beam work. Green Maple expertly integrated their activities allowing us as the homeowner to coordinate schedules.

Ariel, with a mechanical engineering background, was very collaborative throughout the reno. He was responsive and helped us verify our tweaks and communicated changes to the crew. Alberto was meticulous with the finishes in our bathroom and kitchen. Andre worked tirelessly to keep us on schedule (including working weekends – thank you). Laureano was a master electrician and made excellent lighting suggestions (number and locations). Extras (additional pot lights, new windows, custom shelving) were all reasonably priced. As there was a lot of work involved, at almost 1200 sq ft, there were some issues found. But, Ariel was willing to listen and help resolve them within the timeframe/scope (which was thoroughly documented as a contract). Ariel was wise to allow the homeowners to purchase their own final finishes (with no limitations) such as: paint/stain, flooring, and tiles. We are now enjoying our beautiful basement. Thank you Green Maple!

This was our second bathroom renovation with the Green Maple crew. This basement bathroom, although smaller, was more challenging due to its narrowness, layout and different ceiling heights. Ariel provided very useful suggestions to the size and layout of the new shower and vanity to help us utilize the space to the max and yet not feeling constricted in the space. The results are great – we have almost never used this bathroom before, it is now used on a daily basis. Just like the first time, they were very attentive, careful and polite, left the place clean every day and finished the entire work faster than we have even hoped for. Thanks Ariel and Alberto !

Green Maple was one of three contractors who provided quotes on a not-so-glamourous basement job: addressing the long-term effects of excess moisture and residual mold, replacing fluorescent light boxes with recessed lighting, and creating a clean and easy-to-maintain laundry/storage/utility room from a space with flaking walls and a crumbly concrete floor. Ariel's quote for the work was slightly lower than the others, but my main reason for choosing him was the clarity and openness of his communication, the priority he gave to questions of safety, and his constructive suggestions for ways of addressing the problems I wanted to solve. He inspired confidence from the beginning of our interactions: quick responses to emails, showing up punctually for the initial walk-through, and asking smart questions.

My confidence was further boosted when it came time to seal the agreement. Green Maple prepared a highly detailed contract specifying the scope of work and the schedule of payments. There was no risk of the homeowner's nightmare of an ever-expanding job, or of disagreement over what was included in the contract.

Within the first day of the job Ariel and his crew discovered that the mold problem was much more serious than I had realized: the wall behind the washer & dryer was badly infested. Safety and clarity of communication were his top priorities. He sent me photos of the mold and told me of a company he had worked with that does testing and analysis of hazardous substances. They confirmed the presence of "toxic black mold" and prepared a plan for removing it safely. Ariel prepared a quote for the additional work, which my research showed was more than reasonable, and conscientiously procured the protection gear for his crew and the air filtering systems needed to remove the mold-infested materials without risk to his team or to me and my family. (This included hazmat suits and sealing off the basement from the rest of the house.)

The job included tiling the floor with porcelain tile, painting the walls with mold-killing paint and treating the entire space with concrobium (mold-reducing spray), as well as installing a moisture barrier, reframing and replacing the wall that had to be removed, and much more. Ariel and his team worked long hard hours and completed the job in just over two weeks, exactly the time he predicted the job would take. There were no cost overruns, even though Ariel exceeded my expectations in adding details to ensure the work met his own high standards.

After many years of owning an old house, I've accumulated a lot of experience in working with different contractors on jobs large and small. Now I will never have to look for another contractor: I have never had such a positive experience. Ariel is a person of impeccable honesty and integrity. He doesn't cut corners but takes pride in doing the job right. His team -- Alberto and Andre -- are skilled and conscientious, and share Ariel's ethic of honesty and care. The peace of mind that comes from working with such good and dedicated people is priceless.

Green Maple recently completed some bathroom renovations for the powder room and the main bathroom. From the outset, Ariel was polite, caring, and open to our concerns and expectations. He was professional: providing suggestions, quotes, and a contract with well defined deadlines and detailed lists. We were impressed with their cleanliness and workmanship. It was easy to work with both Ariel and Roberto. The work was done on time, and their attention to any issues or concerns were dealt with in a timely manner. To fix another minor issue took a bit of time, but it was done after another project in our house. We are delighted with the results.