Harmony Basements

Harmony finished our basement reno in mid-September and I decided to wait on writing this review until we had a chance to use the basement for a while to see if any problem issues would arise. Thankfully nothing has! We've used other contractors in the past where this was not the case.

The best thing about the basement...it is WARM. This is due to the combination of using Roxul wall insulation, the DryBarrier subfloor and the Torlys luxury vinyl planks (w/ cork backing). When I walk on this floor with the current winter weather we are having, my feet are toasty warm. I've been in other basements where my feet are freezing and I know the contractor either didn't do a subfloor or didn't use a good product. The DryBarrier product is great because it very thin while still providing a thermal break and doesn't use up the limited headspace I have in my basement.

The basement looks great and feels great so my wife and I are happy with the end product. Have a look at our photos! That doesn't mean things went perfectly though. So to be fair, here are my criticisms. First, we were told it should be a 5-6 week reno no problem. Given how simple our basement design is, this really should have been the case. In the end it took 10 weeks from start to finish. Secondly, related to this delay, we were never certain when workers would show up. Some days it was bright and early. Other days it was late morning or early afternoon (or in the evening!). And there were quite a few days where nobody showed up at all. I understand that there are often other jobs happening for contractors/subcontractors but it would be nice if we were told in advance who was coming and when to expect them. Lastly, the order of operations was 'odd'. My father was a plumber and I worked with him in my younger years so I have a decent understanding of how construction process should work. I think Harmony did things as subcontractors became available which meant the ideal work flow was not adhered to...at least in my opinion. This doesn't necessarily affect the quality of the final product significantly but it is not what is typically expected.

I'll wrap this up with some positives. Mold resistant materials!!! Roxul, Drybarrier, vinyl floor planks, moisture resistant drywall, Kerdi membrane behind the shower tiles, steel stud construction...that's all quality stuff! Also it was built with a proper building permit where many other contractors will try to dissuade your from going this route. The folks at Harmony were a pleasure to work with. Diego, Mark and Lawrence are friendly, fun guys at the main office who helped us get this project within a fair budget. There are alot of basement finishes to choose from at their headquarters and Sasha was very helpful there. The bonus is that we were able to supply some of our own finishes and receive a credit on that. All the subcontractors were very friendly, courteous and respectful so we didn't have a problem with them being alone in our home even while we were at work. Lastly, Leo is a very easy to work with project manager and always available by phone or text message.

I really wanted to give Harmony a 10/10 on Homestars. Unfortunately, unless a project runs start to finish without any hiccups and without me having to stress over any aspect of the reno, there's no way anyone should be giving 10/10. So my 8-9/10 still reflects a very good final job done by Harmony but deducts a few points for late completion and a bit of poor work process.

I do recommend Harmony based on the people there and the quality of the materials used in the construction. We have used other contractors in the past for our main bathroom ensuite renovation and business office reno...Harmony exceeded them in every way!