Balm Built

We signed a renovation contract with BalmBuilt Ltd. in July 2020. The scope of work included new plumbing, electrical, kitchen, bathrooms, stairs and flooring. The estimated timeframe given for completion was approximately ten weeks.

Initially the project proceeded as scheduled. We remitted funds as requested and in accordance with the payment schedule. On July 23, 2020 we received an update from BalmBuilt stating “we are currently tracking to have you the house on September 11”.

On August 28, 2020 we were contacted by the electrician. He intended to place a construction lien on our house because BalmBuilt gave him an NSF cheque. He cancelled the electrical permit for the job.

BalmBuilt gave us numerous assurances regarding the completion of the project. To date the millwork company has not been paid the required deposit in order to start production of the kitchen. The bathroom fixtures we selected in July 2020 remain in the vendor’s warehouse pending payment. In addition the stairs have not been ordered. BalmBuilt collected funds from us for these items.

After nine months we terminated our relationship with BalmBuilt Ltd.

TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE. Deadlines come and go - 18 months and the project is still not finished. Trades show up here and there - virtually everything is unfinished or not even started. Poor oversight and project mngt. Materials don't get ordered (when we were told they have been) Trades haven't been paid. Our instructions and correspondence get ignored. Unresponsive. ABSOLUTE WORST-CASE SCENARIO - Contractor has your money, no sustained effort, unpaid trades, the trades are now coming after you.

Alex and team added a powder room to our main floor and a few other smaller renovations we needed when we moved into our new home. Alex was always very nice, brought great design ideas to the table and was beyond patient with our many indecisive last minute changes. We are beyond impressed with the end result, it looks beautiful. We're very happy with him and his team. They have also come back on short notice when we had a basement emergency when we could reach no one else.

Jaimie and I choose Alex Balm because of his calm demeanor and his great reputation in the beaches. He took the main floor of our old home right down to the studs and recreated an amazing living space for our family.

I have nothing good to say about this company, if you wish to save your nerves please stay away from them. Alex the owner of the company is unreliable and never answers his phone. I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy process but never thought it would be this bad.

We started a kitchen renovation with Balm Built at the end of November 2017.
After getting references on Balm Built, and a few meetings with Alex (of Balm Built) we decided to go ahead with this contractor. We were told that the project would be completed by Christmas 2017, in time for us to have everything back in working order for the holidays. That never happened, nor did a number of other scheduled dates in January and February 2017.
Balm Built’s communication was poor at best, and to keep the renovation going forward, I had to send updates multiple times throughout the project to let them know what had or hadn’t been completed. There were some weeks where a sub trade would show up only once to finish a single item on the list.
This project was generally disorganized and lacked project management – several times trades were working around each other and some sloppy work needed to be redone. It appeared as though this project was on the bottom of Balm Built’s priority list with the number of times I had to be in communication with him to get things done.
Two cabinet doors have been missing from our kitchen since the project started at the end of November 2017, and there have been a variety of excuses as to why they haven’t been replaced yet (it is now March 16, 2018). Additionally there are a few other minor items that remain unfinished, and we go weeks without seeing any effort to complete them.
The project – originally scheduled by Balm Built to be a 10 day project, is now in its fourth month and we are still chasing Balm Built to have this finished.

BalmBuilt was professional, responsive, easy to work with and, listened well to what we wanted. The project was on time and at points ahead of schedule. On two occassions, we came in under budget as BalmBuilt represented us so well with the suppliers and ensured we got the best quality product for the best possible price -- Alex is a wonderful advocate for the customer!

BalmBuilt was not just our contractor but the team became our friends. This was the first time our family has done a major renovation like this -- it was a seamless process. We are so happy with the finished product and will use BalmBuilt again in the future!

We highly recommend BalmBuilt for any major renovations -- excellent quality and service.