I first met Tom with GoodLand Homes when My wife and I were looking to build a House. Our plans changed and we eventually purchased a move-in ready home that we wanted to do some renos on.
What my wife and I liked about Tom was that he was willing to take our ideas and put them to paper. The other Contractors really just wanted to do a quick cookie cutter job without moving anything, when in fact we really wanted a complete gut that would add functionality.
Description of the Old Bathroom: It was a 4 piece bathroom. When you walked in on your Right, there was a shower/tub combo, and a toilet behind a false wall where the water supply fed to the shower/tub. On the left was a cabinet and single sink. Our house only has 1 bathroom on the second floor and we wanted to make it as functional as possible. There is also a bathroom in the basement with a shower that we would use while the upstairs was being reno’d.
The ASK: If the space permitted we wanted a separate shower and tub, double vanity with as much storage as possible and a toilet topper for the items that would typically clutter the sink. We have two young children that like to take baths, so we did not want to get rid of the tub, but we also do not like shower curtains OR enclosed glass shower/tubs.
The two other contractors that made the final 3 really did not want to move everything around and made suggestions that really didn’t fit what my wife and I were looking for. Tom on the other hand offered a few ideas but wanted to have his plumber come in to check some things, specifically the false wall where the pipes were for the existing shower/tub, as well as this weird corner section behind the toilet that took up a bunch of space. As it turned out a plumbing stack was in there. After checking those items over, Tom provided a couple of options, of which were all dependent on being able to adjust the location of the toilet and plumbing stack. At this point we chose Tom with Goodland homes to manage and complete the Bathroom Reno. He also completed some work in our hallway and main bedroom (Trim/Doors/Closet removal).
Tom provided a complete budget with a Project Management Agreement. My Wife and I were in no rush to complete the reno and Tom worked at our pace. Once we decided on the layout we took a couple of months to choose all of the fixtures/finishings. Again we were in no rush and Tom was super patient with us. My wife works shift work, I work your typical office job and we have young kids, so we had to plan around all of that. Once we had everything selected, we signed the agreement and the work started a week later.
Once things started it went really fast. Tom was onsite to meet all the trades that came and he would always return to make sure the site was cleaned up at the end of each day. *I should note that all of the trades that Tom brought in were super nice and took a lot of care in the work they completed, most of the time there was no need for Tom to double check things because they cleaned up well before they left the site. We actually had some additional work completed on the side after they did the work in our washroom (Kitchen Sink/ Faucet replacement).
So our Reno started at the end of January and was estimated to take 6-8 weeks, Mainly for the custom vanity and countertop to be made. Now near the tail end of the reno COVID hit. We were lucky enough to have all the water hookups done before everything shut down which was great, and I believe this happened because Tom knew things were about to shut down and he had everything arranged to get it done. Throughout the shutdown Tom checked in with us to make sure everything was OK and we maintained regular contact during the down time. Once things started to open up he returned with his contractors while all following proper safety measures.
Tom checked off literally everything we wanted for the bathroom: Separate shower and tub, double vanity with pullout drawers, toilet topper, heated floor. We initially were not sold on the idea of a custom cabinet and vanity, but after shopping around with Tom we decided to go with custom, which ultimately fit within the budget. The heated floor was also new to us and Tom said we would regret not putting one in. (We do love it). One the the best things about the bathroom now is with the false wall gone, the space is so much more open. The Glass + curbless shower also makes the space feel very open and sleep vs the old layout which as really dark and not nice.
Addon items: We had some Trim updated as well as the 4 doors for the upstairs rooms (including bathroom). Our master bedroom Window Sill was also updated with a nice ledge and the return vents in the hallway were also given a wood finish treatment.
In Summary we couldn’t be happier with our Bathroom Reno. The work came in on time when considering Covid and within budget, which was a bit of a surprise considering we added a fair bit to the scope of work. Tom did a great job managing costs to keep within the budget given to him. One of the many things I liked about working with Tom is that the payment schedule always worked out so that we only paid as the work was completed.
Our only regret here was not going with Tom for a larger project like a whole Home build. We will definitely be using Tom with Goodland Homes to manage any of our renos in the future and would highly recommend him for any Renovation needs :).
Cary & Andrea
Photos Attached: Included are some of the images we used for reference when working with Tom, as well as some before shots of the spaces.
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