Mclaren Custom Homes

Mclaren custom homes did an incredible job transforming our bare bones basement into a beautiful and welcoming space!
The whole process with Jon and Ross from initial discussion, design and planning to the final day was excellent. They are a class act and a true pleasure to work with. Every large project has its challenges and this was no exception with COVID lock-down hitting early on (!), but jon and Ross worked within our comfort level and after a short break, took on much of the work themselves to ensure we got the project completed without significant delays.
The end result is fantastic - the quality of work is first class and we are getting a huge amount of use out of the space already. (The custom wine storage in particular is getting use!) This is the third time we have used McLaren Custom Homes and they will always be the first call for future work we have and first recommendation to friends looking for a company that produces top quality work, with a true focus on customer experience and satisfaction.

We contracted Mclaren Custom Homes October 2019 to renovate our upper level 4 bedroom Mississauga home and we are extremely pleased and proud of the results. Over a 4-month timeline Jon of Mclaren Custom Homes and Ross transformed our upper level from dingy, outdated and unappealing to bright, modern, relaxing and pleasing to the eye. The renovation included gutting to the studs, insulating and re-drywalling the master bathroom, and expanding a 2-piece bathroom to include a shower. The main upstairs bathroom was renovated by Mclaren Custom Homes 2 years previously according to the same standards. The popcorn ceilings were removed, the door frames and baseboards were replaced. Pot lights were installed in the master bedroom, and all bathrooms; the master closets were expanded, and new light fixtures were installed in the bathrooms, bedrooms and hallway. In addition, the main staircase was capped, railing replaced, and hardwood flooring was installed. Extra insulation and baffles were added to the attic space.
All of Jon’s trades people: carpentry (Ross), licensed electricians, plumbers, plasterers, tilers, painters, shower glass installers, hardwood floor and stair installers were skilled, knowledgeable, and professional and demonstrated years of experience and pride in their work. The electrical work was inspected by ESA. Jon’s choice of trades people is evident in the final product.
Ross designed and built the master closet and linen closets as well as doing the framing, drywalling, door frames, baseboards and spray insulation.
Work was done to code and scheduled and completed according to the contracted timeline with only minor variations. Jon is easy to work with, is trustworthy, competently experienced in home renovations/building, and explained each stage thoroughly to us. Our questions were answered, and any concerns were resolved satisfactorily. Our upper level of our home after the renovation is now comfortable and a pleasure to be in and adds value to our home. We can confidently recommend Mclaren Custom Homes and his trades people to deliver a home renovation to be proud of. The final product of the renovation demonstrates that doing things correctly is the best policy. In the years to come we hope to contract with Jon again to renovate the main level of our home.

We needed our fence replaced. John came out quickly to provide us with a quote and scope of work with a timeline. He kept us updated throughout the completion of the project.
We will definitely hire him again and have already recommended him to others.
David C.

Jon and his team worked diligently on our beautiful home, for almost an entire calendar year, through the winter, spring and summer. Aside from the finished product and the execution of our dream home, we would hire Jon again because he has EMPATHY, and provides the necessary customer service that is needed when going through a massive renovation, on top of a special work ethic. Highly recommend.

Complete interior demolition, including concrete basement floor. New concrete floor and dimplex waterproofing in basement, and new hardwood floors and structural walls throughout the house. All new HVAC, electrical, plumbing, gas lines, and insulation. Construction of two new kitchens (one in basement), 3.5 baths, and new staircase to basement. New roof, hardie board siding, cedar shingles, and new front porch. Essentially an entire new house, other than the exterior brick walls and a refinished wooden staircase up to the second floor.

We had a pergola over this area of the patio. To give us more flexibility with it's use, rain, evenings, shoulder seasons, we felt a fixed roof would be the solution. Jon and his team took down the existing pergola, and re-used a considerable amount of the lumber to build the trusses for the new roof, saving money and trees. Also included was lighting and a centre fan. The end product is a great improvement. Jon and his team were great to work with, setting expectations of when and what be done, and meeting those expectations - time and budget.

The kitchen design was perfect for the space and the execution is amazing.
Cabinetry, painting, windows, new island, beautiful quartz countertops, maple floors throughout the main floor, rad covers... Detail work is impeccable. Trustworthy team. I would recommend Jonathan and his team in a heartbeat.

Jon from McLaren Custom Homes was a pleasure to work with. Jon and his team completed a large Kitchen Renovation in my home and from start to finish were professional, friendly and efficient. We had a bad experience with contractors in the past, so were hesitant to do another big renovation but Jon assured me this one would go much smoother and he was true to his word. He was always available to answer questions and consistently provided updates throughout the renovation on status of work. We are very happy with our new Kitchen and I would definitely recommend McLaren Custom Homes.

I hired MMR on 2 separate occasions. The first time they were hired to assemble and install IKEA Cabinets in a Basement Kitchen. This required some building out of a knee wall to accommodate a plumbing and a deeper countertop. They also installed approx. 10 doors and all trim i.e. door casings and baseboards. The second project was contributing to a Basement Steam Room. They installed the exhaust to the outside, installed green and concrete board, augmented existing framing in preparation of tiling and installed required insulation on exterior wall. I found Jon and his crew to be professional and respectful. They are organized and come prepared to complete the job at hand. They also do a great job of cleaning up after themselves. I look forward to bringing them back in to complete the trim refresh project for the rest of the house later this year.

THE COMPANY
From first contact to project completion, it was a pleasure doing business with this McLaren Custom Homes.

When we first met Jon, we knew that he was going to be the right person for the job and that we would get along great. Within a week, Jon provided a clear and well-thought out estimate along with a detailed, realistic schedule.

We had a handful of companies quote on our job and although Jon was not the lowest bid, he was certainly not the most expensive one either. Nevertheless, Mclaren Custom Homes was the clear winner due to the great communications and customer service Jon demonstrated in taking the time to understand our detailed project requirements, carefully go through our follow-up questions, and demonstrate flexibility on the pricing by agreeing to do part of the job as fixed price and some as time and materials.

As skilled as Jon is at carpentry, he is an even better project manager and communicator. Throughout the project, which spanned 5+ months, I was regularly in touch with Jon and always felt that I knew the current status and plans for the near future and had confidence that Jon's team could successfully resolve all day-to-day issues that are encountered during any renovation.

Jon only hires people he can trust to be as meticulous and skilled as he is himself, resulting in a strong team, able to work well together and problem-solve as necessary. The work that Jon subcontracted (insulation, taping, and electrical) was also completed on time with high quality results.

THE WORK
We hired Mclaren Custom Homes to renovate 3 bedrooms and the garage, and to fix up shoddy/incomplete work from a contractor who had renovated the main floor and basement a couple years ago.

The bedroom work involved opening up the current closets side-to-side and at the top to prepare for built-in cabinets. In addition, the existing flooring was removed and sub-floor replaced. Walls were skim-coated and new base-board and trim were installed. A heating duct was eliminated in the master bedroom and all bedroom light fixtures were replaced.

In the garage, the ceiling was removed and insulated using spray foam. There was very little lighting in the garage so 4 more LED fixtures were added and existing messy wiring runs were cleaned up and hidden in the ceiling as much as possible. The ceiling and back wall of the garage were framed and drywalled.

Remedying the previous renovation deficiencies involved replacing all bedroom handle sets, fixing the basement bathroom pocket door trim, and replacing a warped cold room door with a custom weather-stripped steel door.

During the project, we extended the scope to include building a couple platforms to better level the floor, installing several NewAge Pro Series 3 cabinets, and about 25' of Pro-slat walls. We also added on the installation of live edge rail doors for the master bedroom closet.

Jon's team showed up on time, worked full days, and kept on schedule throughout the project. We are very pleased with the results - the garage now looks like a place you would want to lounge in and the bedrooms are modernized, more functional, and have gained a lot of storage.

Jon and his team proved to be reliable, talented, and took great pride in their excellent work. Mclaren Custom Homes delivered everything within scope and calmly handled any scope change requests.

THE CUSTOMER SERVICE
Any time we had questions about why something was done in a certain way during the project, Jon was quick to respond with answers that made sense - he always had a plan. On the rare occasions where something was not done satisfactorily, Jon took immediate ownership and worked with his team and subcontractors to make it right. McLaren Custom Homes stands behind their work and deserves an A+ for customer service.

We always felt that our best interests and best value for our money were taken into account throughout the project. Jon was very helpful with selection and recommendations on lighting, finishings, and other products but he never sought to make a profit at our expense. The company earned its money on the work and in several instances, even picked up products for us without a mark-up or delivery charge. Over the course of the project, Jon, Ross, Chris, and Will treated our house like it was theirs and became part of our extended family.

We are so pleased with McLaren Custom Homes that we have recommended their services to neighbours who have now booked them for phase 1 of a 4,000 sf home renovation. There are another half dozen friends who will also be contacting McLaren Custom Homes for their next renovation work.