The Underpinners Inc

This was a 2+ feet basement underpinning. I cannot say enough good things about Daniel and Stephen and the rest of their crew. This was a technically complex and difficult job due to a number of annoying factors. The guys took charge from the beginning and organized the architect, the engineer, and invested a lot of time into the planning stage. What I loved about them:

Most important, quality of the work. The job was done perfectly and on schedule. I love my new beautiful 8' basement.

Knowledge: they know their stuff. There were issues they spotted and explained that others did not even see. I felt confident in them from the first meeting right up until the end.

Communication: they are extremely quick to respond to questions, usually within minutes. Very friendly and wanting to help. They keep you apprised at every step of what's happening so you're not wondering. They're also completely straight up and forthcoming with never a touch of dishonesty which I have had with almost every contractor I ever hired.

Professionalism: the whole crew was professional. The boss is almost always on site, not just sending a crew of labourers in. They were clean, and left the site in good shape every day. They were respectful of my neighbours, and went so far as to communicate with them directly when they had (unreasonable) concerns.

Again, I cannot say enough good things. Theirs was not the cheapest quote, but also not the highest, and I have heard horror stories from underpinning companies, even ones with high ratings on this site. I have complete confidence in them and I'd recommend the Underpinners in a heartbeat.

Daniel, Stephen and their crew were incredible. Underpinning is a big job! I quoted 4 people for the job and Daniel had a fair price and gave me the most confidence (by a LONG WAY). They executed with a ton of professionalism but more importantly they were really respectful of us and our neighbours. They had all the required safety gear on site, they brought their own on-site toilet and they CLEANED THE FLOORS WHEN THEY LEFT. Really above and beyond! “

We initially hired the Underpinners to carry out a 3’ underpinning and a rear addition in the Yonge and Eglington area. Very soon into the project, we realized that the current house (actually the whole block) was sitting on an old creek that was infilled by the city over 100 years ago. The house had experienced settlement over the years which resulted in severe cracking in the walls. The Underpinners brought a wealth of knowledge to the table from prior experienced and dealt with both the soil engineers and structural engineers to come up with a bulletproof design which would not only increase the integrity of the structure but prevent further settlement from occurring. The underpinning changed from 3’ to 7’ in order to find solid ground. They also reinforced the existing foundations significantly to prevent any further movement. Between the addition, underpinning and reinforcing of the wall, the experience was pretty seamless. His team is educated, professional and pleasant to deal with. The site was left clean and secure at the end of each day and I would receive updates on a weekly basis so I could plan for the next trade. Although the budget increased due to the increase in scope as a result of the unknown subsurface conditions the extra pricing was extremely fair for the work that they had to put in. As a builder and project manager I would be hard-pressed to find someone like Daniel and his team to carry out such a complex dangerous project in such a safe methodical way. I will be using them again!

Flush Underpinning of 3 Storey Beach Semi. I have worked with many contractors over the years. The Underpinners and Daniel are without a doubt the best Contractors of any type I have ever worked with. They finished the job early. They were kind and considerate throughout. The job site was clean. They answered every question I had. Every one of the tradespeople onsite treated my home as if it was their own. They were efficient and knowledgable. I am absolutely thrilled with the outcome of their work and would highly recommend to all of my clients and friends. I received quotes from 4 different companies before starting the work. The Underpinners were fair in their estimate. After seeing the quality of their work, the investment was worth every penny.

I purchased a property in the Harbord Pillage area that included an old Victorian and detached legal-non-conforming coach house. Both houses had tremendous structural limitations and deficiencies and were in a complete state of disrepair.

The brick foundation of the front Victorian was only 1 coarse thick and bowing inwards due to lateral pressure. The biggest challenge for replacing the foundation of the front house was shoring and supporting the existing upper two levels of the house, alongside not disturbing the neighboring structures. The Underpinners supported the bowing brick foundation, sequentially replacing it by cutting out sections and using Insulated Concrete Forms to pour a new foundation. In the few areas the existing foundation walls were in tact, Daniel and his team underpinned the walls and applied a liner wall to reinforce the existing foundation. The finished basement ceiling height is 8’ 6” with a walkout entrance.

The coach house behind it was an old fishing lodge dating back to the early 1800s and in even worse shape. The foundation, where there was one, was completely falling apart and needed to be entirely replaced. When it rained, water would pour through the mortar joints in the degraded cinderblock. The challenges at the coach house were many. Among them, the existing 2 storey structure was sitting on rotted log beams and the remaining foundation needed structural reinforcement and/or complete replacement. As it was a legal-non-confirming building, the project required extensive shoring to keep the existing structure intact and safe to work under while the foundation was being replaced. Using steel piles and solid lagging, the Underpinners shored along the property line to support the neighbor’s garage and 12 feet of soil. This was done in order to maintain a safe work site for their employees and sub contractors. They then supported the entire house on temporary jack posts while forming and pouring new footing and foundation walls. The finished basement height is 8’ 2” with radiant heated polished cement floors and a walkout.

The project was complex and extensive from the start, with many logistical and unforeseen challenges. I interviewed many companies to contract out this large body of work and, after numerous estimates and site meetings, the only contractor I felt comfortable taking on the project were the Underpinners. In addition to being stand-up guys, both Daniel and Stephen have extensive construction knowledge and a thorough understanding of foundation, shoring and underpinning. The Underpinners completed both projects efficiently and safely, working alongside engineers and sub trades to ensure everything went smoothly. The Underpinners operate with a level of professionalism, honesty and integrity that is oftentimes lacking in the construction industry. It was a complete pleasure working with the Underpinners on this project and on others. I would very much recommend their services and continue to use them on my projects throughout the city.

We were undertaking a major renovation that included a second storey addition. Before we could do anything, however, we needed to get our foundation underpinned, the basement lowered, and all of the drains replaced. It was by far the most significant portion of the entire renovation, and I was very anxious about finding a capable contractor. Daniel at The Underpinners Inc. immediately put me at ease and it quickly became apparent that his crew was competent, experienced, and perfectly suited for a job of this magnitude. I was not disappointed. All of the work was completed on time and on budget with no unexpected problems or costs. The crew went out of their way to be courteous and respectful towards the neighbours, and they kept the jobsite safe, neat, and clean at all times. Dan and his supervisors were always on site and were available to answer any questions that would arise. I would highly recommend The Underpinners Inc. to anyone looking for an honest, capable, and fully reliable underpinning contractor. They would be my first choice in the future.

I recently worked with The Underpinners on the underpinning of a small townhouse in downtown Toronto. While initially worried about the nature of the project (attached on both sides), I was definitely glad we brought them in.

The quote I received from them was lower than another company and after meeting Daniel, I was confident this was the company I wanted to work with. The final work came in at nearly exactly what they'd quoted me, and was completed quickly (all in all, about 6 weeks). Daniel and/or Steve were always on site and happy to answer questions and solve any problems that came up.

The final work was quite thorough and I've since had a few people who have underpinned or worked in the industry (and are more familiar with it than I am) remark on it positively.

I'd recommend them and have since referred them to a few friends looking to do the same.

My family and I were looking to gain more livable space, so we decided to dig out and finish our 100+ year old home's basement. We luckily chose The Underpinners Inc. for the underpinning work.
I'm more than satisfied with Daniel, Stephen and the entire team's work. They managed my expectations throughout, were extremely responsive to all of my communications and most importantly, their work was outstanding. I even had subsequent contractors that worked on finishing the basement comment on how exceptional the underpinning work was.
I would definitely recommend The Underpinners to anyone looking to underpin their home in the future.

Daniel and Steven just completed an incredibly difficult job for us. We started with bad drawings from our engineer that Daniel identified. After commencing digging we discovered that our house was built on a river that the city filled in 115 years ago meaning that we needed to completly change our approach.

Daniel worked with our new engineers to come up with a new solution that allows us to get as much depth as possible with our compromised soil conditions.

We ended up hiring a helical piers get company to support our house. This company was very difficult to work with and actually undermined our foundation. Daniel came and immediately helped us by shoring up the foundation.

Once the piercing was completed Daniel and Steve were immediately back in the house and got the job done in three weeks with the new plans.

Despite not being the general contractor on our job he worked with us through the whole process providing insight and suggestions on what we could do to achieve the results we wanted.

Having worked with lots of contractors, you will be hard pressed to find a company that is so commited, and has such a friendly and hard working team that would often stay late to keep everything on schedule.

In term of cost, the underpinners are not the cheapest quote that we received, but the value from their dedication to doing our project right, and not just blindly following drawings and getting in and out, but being true partners made this the best decision of our project.

After meeting with and getting quotes from a few different underpinning companies, we selected The Underpinners to excavate, underpin and waterproof our basement. We had never done any major renovations on our house, so our biggest fear about undertaking this project was how it was going to impact our home life – whether it be noise, dust, or just the general unease of having total strangers working in our home. Throughout the project, we never once felt uncomfortable or inconvenienced.

The crew was punctual, well-organized and very personable. Once we had a firm start date, they showed up on time (in the middle of a snowstorm, no less), ready to hit the ground running. We had numerous compliments from neighbours – some of whom we had never met before – about what a wonderful crew we had working at the house. The guys were courteous enough to help my pregnant wife and 3-year old son navigate through dumpsters and discarded waste when they returned home in the evening. They also stopped working outside when the local daycare would walk their children past the house.
Inside the house, they were efficient and worked incredibly hard. Every night, I went down to the basement and would be amazed by their daily progress. The dust was very well contained, and the site was always cleaned up before anyone headed home for the night. Most evenings, they slipped out without us even knowing they had left. Daniel, Stephen and their entire crew were always available to answer questions or provide us with updates as the project progressed. The few issues that did arise were always discussed and addressed in a timely manner.

Our basement in its original form was damp and unfinished, with approximately 6 feet of clearance. We now have a completely waterproofed basement (including a new sump pump, new weeping tile and a sewage ejector pit), plus over 8 feet of clearance. The difference is unbelievable.

The work was completed to the highest standard with minimal upheaval. Almost as importantly – it was completed on time, on budget and to the exact specifications of our architect drawings.

We are so incredibly pleased that we selected The Underpinners to dig our basement, and thoroughly enjoyed working with Daniel, Stephen and their team. We would highly recommend The Underpinners’ services for any of your underpinning and waterproofing needs.