We undertook a major renovation of our old and outdated High Park home with M-squared contracting. From the initial consultation to the final handing over of the keys, I have nothing but the highest praises, gratitude, and satisfaction for the how the project was handled, and of-course the finished product!

After seeing a few signs around the neighbourhood and then seeing his work and reviews on Houzz, I gave M-squared a call. We first met Mike, after meeting with about 4 other companies. Within the first few minutes of meeting with Mike at our house, I knew he was the man for the job. He was extremely knowledgeable, professional, and punctual, and I could immediately see he was a perfectionist! His rough quote for the job was in line with others. Our goal was to take our 3-bed 1-bath, relatively non-existent kitchen, 102-yr old house, into a 4 bed 3-bath house, with 2 story addition, and finished (and deeper basement). I thought this was a relatively big job, but for Mike et al., this is considered ‘standard.’ I was further reassured when I saw that most of the work by M-squared has been relatively modern/contemporary in design, including Mike’s own house, which was the aesthetic we were striving for in our renovation (although they do traditional/transitional just as well). So we took the plunge and hired them!

My wife and I, in retrospect, often talk about how lucky we were to have stumbled upon those initial signs around the neighbourhood. Our renovation story was relatively quite easy. In fact, dare I say it, enjoyable. With M-Squared/Mike’s experience, the process of moving from concepts to drawings to actual buildings, with the all-important aspect of budget incorporated into these steps, was all organized. Mike gave us numerous, (very detailed) financial and time budgets along the project that kept us on track. His initial budget was bang-on to the final cost, except for the frivolous changes in design/products that I made along the way. I was most impressed with Mike’s commitment to timelines. He promised a move-in date of ‘labour-day’ which was quite important for us for schooling reasons. He stuck to this, and handed over the keys on August 30th, even though him and his team pulled ‘all-nighters’ the last two weeks of the project to make this deadline happen! Truly impressive! I also have to commend Mike and team on handling the minor, and major stresses, of the project without putting any undue stress on me. At the beginning of the project, Mike explained that his job was to “handle everything” and I was not to be bothered by city permits, project setbacks, faulty product, etc; he would do this all. And he certainly did plus more, including the extremely professional and dedicated manner of handling a notoriously difficult/sociopath neighbour in the neighbourhood. I can go on positively about Mike, but I’ll turn now to the rest of the team. If I did write anything more about Mike it would be biased by the fact that we have now become friends even after the project is done. But this too is important to highlight as it speaks to the ease and enjoyment of how this 5-month project unfolded. I dare you to find another home-owner and contractor who aren’t more than ready to divorce after 5 months of home building!

We met Beth Ann, the in-house designer, a couple of times. She too was bang on in her assessment of the look and aesthetic that we were going for, and on her first consultation nailed it down to the point that no changes needed to be made. Amazing! She does modern/contemporary proficiently, and looking at her pics of traditional/transitional, they look great too.

The crew that did the work (about 2-7 guys varying throughout the project), and in particular Rob, were also incredible. Their workmanship and attention to detail was phenomenal. In talking with neighbours, I was told they were courteous, clean, and quiet (as much as possible). Neighbours were very impressed with the work, and as I understand it, have already called M-Squared for projects of their own. I was most impressed that little things like an off-centred light switch or plug outlet would be corrected without me having to say anything. And if something did need to be changed, it was always answered with “no problem, we will make that happen.” At the beginning of the project, Mike told me they take each project as if they are building their own dream house, and want to make it perfect. In seeing how they completed the project, and refusing to take short-cuts, I can see that this statement was true to the word. Probably the most deserving of a compliment is John, the project supervisor and crew-lead, who without even once showing frustration, worry, or doubt, made this project go off without a hitch. He too understood the look and finished project desired, and I could trust him to make decisions on my behalf and alter plans on his own. Amazing work!

As for negatives, I really don’t have any say. As you can see, I more than recommend M-Squared for a building project. In fact, I have told Mike he can’t retire until I build my next dream house in 10-20 years. So if you are thinking of building, do yourself a favour and give them a call. They have a >1year waitlist (which only speaks further to their work).