Hsg Consulting Inc.

We hired HSG Consulting to renovate our main floor ( kitchen, dining room and living rooms room, including stairs to the upper floor), our main washroom, and to create stairs to access our basement.

We spent well over $100 000. For that kind of money, one would expect the high quality workmanship they advertise. The consultation part started in November 2013, work started February 2014, more then 6 months after the the start, they refused to honour and complete our contract. We had to hire a lawyer, something we had never had to do before. They will probably say we expected too much. We expected what we had agreed on and the quality of work they advertise.

Since we had withheld the last payment, on the advise of our lawyer, we kept part of that amount to cover the costs of having professionals finish what they had refused to complete.

We would not recommend their services to anyone.

After a great start, we had to face the fact that we would uncover mistakes on a almost daily basis.

We will list some of the mistakes below. Even today, we still have to hire people to correct the poor workmanship.

To anyone getting renovations done, get a clause added to your contract that "all work has to meet or exceed building codes." Assuming that a contractor would do so is not enough
Glad we did that.
Also, it should be stated that the contractor is responsible for "any collateral damages".

And take pictures of everything that is being done. Best proofs you will ever have.

Confirm every detail and complain by email.
We had to print some when we were accused of changing our mind on things that had been agreed on.

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List of mistakes... Only documented ones will be listed to avoid defamation lawsuit.

Regular drywall was used instead of fireproof. Had to be completely redone.

Pot lights had to be moved at least twice after the ceiling was completed because of poor measurements.( cabinets were going to cover some of them)

Kitchen island had to be moved off centre to compensate for faulty measurements ( and plumbing extended to fit the new placement)

We paid extra to get the inside of our cabinets done the same finish as the outside... They were going to leave the inside of the doors white, they had to be redone.

Made the cabinets around our fridge to small to properly incorporate it. Our fridge is a standard 28" deep. They argued the fridge was too big, and door would not open until we showed them otherwise. Part of their solution was to "tape" the water pipe to the wall to gain space behind the fridge.

They refused to install a railing for the basement stairs they created. That left the stairs not passing inspection. ( we had the city inspector come again to confirm) They wanted extra $ despite their drawings and our contract.

Some walls had to be sanded and painted 3 times because it was never done to satisfaction.

Hardwood floor was installed with scratched, stained and split boards. It was also installed leaving gaps between planks. They refunded the full cost of the floor instead of correcting the work.
To fix some of the gaps in the floor, they used a light brown putty on a dark floor.
When we said it was unacceptable, they took the putty out with a needle and used a black marker to cover scratches that were done.

They changed the full shower system. 4 bodysprays, hand held shower and rain shower.
It now has to be redone as none of the plumbing was properly secured in place. That left us with knobs pushed inside the wall and bodysprays popping out the wall. On the same system, some of the components shoot colder water then the others and they blame the water pressure. A problem we did not have with the previous system.

By contract they were supposed to match our existing mosaic border in the washroom but did not.
Again by contract, they were supposed to match the existing granite in the washroom but did not (did not even get the edges cut to match the existing granite)

We resized a window, by contract they were to match the exterior house siding but did not.

They added support 2X4's in the basements, damaged the ceiling and carpet doing so and refused to fix their damages.

There is more, but we are sure those give a pretty good idea of what we had to go thru during our two months renovation that took six.

HSG did an amazing job on this major project. The kitchen was totally redone and reconfigured and we had the walls removed between the kitchen and the adjoining living/dining room. The design and planning turned out beautifully and fits well with the existing decor in what is now a large open space. Richard also arranged to have our hardwood floors refinished to fit in with the new kitchen floor and it looks fabulous! The workers were very polite and knowledgeable. Thank you Richard and Jennifer!

I hired HSG Consulting to do a reno on my outdated kitchen. Richard and his team came over and gave my wife and I an idea on what they think would look good. We were extremely happy with the finished product! I highly recommend that you hire HSG consulting for any of your renovation needs!

Thank you HSG Consulting Inc. for working tirelessly with us to get the perfect bathroom. It is beautiful, functional and has been enjoyed immensely. Richard, special kudos to you for ensuring we had a hard working crew that paid attention to details. Jennifer, your design sense was spot on!

Richard and Jennifer were very friendly and easy to deal with. All projected timelines were met. Overall job quality was excellent and they kept the workplace and surrounding area as clean as possible throughout the project. Richard went out of his way to ensure that I received the exact fixtures that were agreed upon.I would not hesitate to recommend their services and have given there name and contact information to a relative and work colleague.

We had our bathroom renovated by HSG in the summer 2013. We were very nervous going into this renovation because we were trying to find a way to make a really tiny bathroom in a small, old post-war home into a modern 21st century bathroom. The problem was that we had almost no space to expand because the house was already very small to begin with and that I did NOT want it to be the same size (about 30 sq.ft?). I wanted an actual countertop with the sink to put things on and storage space! Drawers, under sink cupboard, the like! As it was - there was ZERO storage and a small pedestal sink. We also didn't want a bathtub. And to top it off - it was an old home and it needed someone who could do things carefully and RIGHT. We sat down with Richard and Jennifer with our impossible needs and they surprised us with a design plan that actually addressed everything!! We took out the closet in the hallway that was next to the bathroom and made it into a niche right in the bathroom for the dream vanity/sink area with TONS of storage beneath. We had custom cabinets made from the floor to the ceiling with deep pull out drawers and big cupboards with shelving. I used to complain that I didn't have a place for even a tooth brush or ONE towel. Now I can't even fill the storage space up there is so much of it! They put in a high quality brand of toilet that was small and compact that made the space look even bigger. And to finish it off, they built us a dream walk-in shower that is so airy and seamless looking (no door needed!) that complete with our bluetooth shower head speaker that I play classical music on, I often feel like I'm in a spa! I love the bathroom.

Now as for the job itself - HSG are very professional with having a lll floor plans/designs/documentation written up and maintained. They are very busy, however, so to get the best results - it really is a must to be active in communication. We had a few hiccups that could have been avoided. The quality of shower tiling was a bit off - uneven cuts etc - and while they did an awesome job of making it work out with the quality of installation - you can still notice the awkward cuts and we wished we could have avoided this. It could have been avoided if we had all inspected the quality of materials before installation and discussed them. So this is what I mean by: be active in the renovation. If you pick materials, take the time to schedule an inspection with HSG. I am not sure if they do that now or not, but that is the only thing we were a bit disappointed with. It was fault on both sides for assumptions. But as a client who has no background in building materials/renovations - it should be a given that if we pick out the building materials - it is based purely on aesthetics and definitely needs consulting advice as to whether it is the right materials for the job! The project also took a number of weeks longer than stated - but I guess that is very common. It did not cost us a dime more because of that.

So overall, our renovation ended up with excellent craftsmanship and quality and was fun to work on with HSG. And despite the minor hiccups I mentioned, they were really, really good with working on that together as a team. So if you want to have a good renovation process, good craftsmanship, and a team that you can actually work with (as opposed to fighting against or having no idea what's going on), hire HSG.

The pictures attached are of our bathroom almost 1 year later.

We found HSG - Richard and Jennifer on Homestars. After reviewing their work and reviews we hired them for the project. I thought the estimate to be a tad expensive for a smaller bathroom but not out of line, and as I soon realized, these 100 year old homes present many difficulties for contractors.

The project started on time and the crew worked straight through Monday to Saturday's. Slated for 2 weeks it went on for a lot longer (stretching from January into May) mostly due to issues caused by sloppy workmanship all of which were sorted out by Richard.

The end product is great and on budget. I would recommend HSG to others (but the wife is still waiting for her wine).

Our main and ensuite bathrooms had not been renovated in thirty-six years. The goal was to remove everything down to the bare walls, and to completely upgrade the tiles and fixtures. In the ensuite, we planned to replace the tub with a walk-in shower. As usual, we began our search for a contractor on HomeStars where we were impressed with the reviews for HSG. Unlike some other contractors that we interviewed, HSG provides both design and contracting services. Richard and Jennifer readily understood what we wanted to accomplish, added some great ideas of their own, and provided a competitive proposal for their broader scope of services. We spent most of a Saturday morning at their showroom in reviewing a computer design of the bathrooms, and selecting in detail the products, styles and colours, to be used in the renovation. Jennifer was invaluable in ensuring that the selections blended together coherently to achieve the effect that we wanted.
Richard and his crew were well organized, punctual, courteous, and industrious. At the end of each workday, they cleaned as much as could be reasonably expected. Efforts were made to minimize dust migration from the construction zones with the use of plastic barriers. During the construction period of four weeks, we endured a three-day power failure resulting from the pre-Christmas ice storm. Nevertheless, the crew managed to complete the project in the scheduled time by working during the Christmas/New Year holidays. They were respectful of our privacy as they minimized intrusions.
With their experience, expertise, consistency and innovation, Richard and his team met any challenge that arose during the course of this work. The crew demonstrated impressive craftsmanship, as well as rapid response to any minor glitch or concern that we raised. The project was on budget and schedule. We would certainly recommend HSG to anyone wishing to undertake a quality, stress-free renovation.

My mid-town low rise older condo building had many challenges. My instructions were also challenging. I said I wanted everything UPGRADED as much as the building would allow, and I wanted it all new and shiny, BUT it shouldn't look renovated! Certainly a design challenge for the team! The design was very compatible to the Art Deco style of my building. It is the best kind of renovation that doesn't look like a renovation... it looks like it just fits in!! The older building with uneven walls and floors was challenging but the superb craftsmanship is evident in every perfect fit and perfect corner. THANKS!!! (and we have a few ideas for Dragon's Den after our experience together)

I contracted with Richard and Jennifer to remodel 2 bathrooms (full remodel of ensuite and partial remodel of 2nd bathroom) in August. The work was scheduled to start in late September and was completed on schedule. I LOVE the results. Jennifer designed a lovely ensuite; once we chose the granite countertop at the showroom Jennifer was invaluable in helping us select co-ordinating tiles, paint colour, etc. Richard had great ideas and was very responsive throughout the work. The workmen were very well organized and ensured there was no mess left behind at the end of the day. I have been pleased to provide a recommendation to 2 other clients who phoned to ask about our experience with HSG Consulting.