The English Carpenter.Com

We had been living in our home for a few years trying put plans together on how to create an open concept are which included a powder room.
We noticed that our neighbour had employed Paul to do a similar renovation, after discussions with them and viewing the work we decided that Paul would be a good match for what we wanted.
He came by at a time that was convenient to us – something that the other contractors were hesitant to do.
After sitting down and discussing the options we were satisfied that his company would be the best choice for us.
He set us up with an architect and engineer who created plans based on our needs, as soon as we had the plans we were able to sit down and figure out a budget with Paul and the work proceeded within weeks of the permits coming through.
The renovation lasted a couple of months and although we were living there at the time his crew was sure to clean up and allow us to move freely throughout the home at the end of the day.
He also brought in an Electrician and Plumber that he uses frequently and again they were a pleasure to have working for us as with Paul.
The final result was above our original expectations and our family and friends were amazed at the transformation.
We now have what we have been wanting for many years and enjoy the new freedoms that the renovation has brought us.

Will we hire them again? Yes, we are looking forward to next spring when they will come back to build a new deck.

Paul and his team did a great job on my basement renovation. They worked closely to my specifications and were punctual, up front and pleasant to deal with. Paul was very easy to communicate with and explained steps clearly. I have worked with many contractors in past and will work with Paul again.

We hired Paul to replace our exterior front stairs and interior basement stairs after receiving quotes from two other companies. Paul was professional and detailed. On both days, he was punctual. His rates were competitive and he was available at fairly short notice. He completed the jobs quickly and satisfactorily. He was exceptionally courteous and neat. The workmanship was satisfactory, but the front steps were not exactly to our specification. While Paul was willing to correct this, we needed the job completed for an event, so we have lived with the slightly different configuration. In retrospect, we would have asked him to double-check the job before it was completed so that we could have made the necessary corrections.

Scope of Work: Conversion of a duplex into a family home,. A complete demolition of the floors, walls and the roof, including rebuild of the structural system, complete framing, new roof through to the finishing stages of installing doors, trim, baseboards, stairs, decks and even a custom counter in our basement and a garbage storage "box". Work delivered: Where to start? Professional, communicates and sets expectations, meets expectations, tidies up, goes the extra mile, quality work, ensures his team follows his example. We interviewed several contractors, but Paul stood out. He was engaged from the start. We could always count on his honest opinion. When he estimated his efforts, the work was done not only on time, but often ahead of schedule. He always made himself available and was forever patient with my numerous questions. On numerous occasions when problems resulted due to the plumber and other trades, Paul not only rushed over (a number of times on a Saturday, and once on a Sunday morning, to fix them). Not only did he identify the problem but fixed what the other trades were having problems with. He took the time to give us the pro's and cons of some of the more complex decisions. The quality of work I believe is exceptional. Renovations are always stressful, but whenever Paul was on site (and even when he wash't he was only a phone call away) we knew that everything was going well and that the final product would exceed all of our expectations. This is what we will always be thankful for - the peace of mind knowing that everything was going well. Would we recommend Paul? The answer 100%.

We needed someone to cut into our ceiling to enlarge our attic access hole so that we could get contractors up there to install an air conditioning system and to re-wire the house. A small job but it needed to be done properly, since cutting into ceiling joists was involved. I found Paul on Homestars. He was very pleasant and a true professional. He came to the house first to assess the job and to provide a quote and came back as planned to complete the work over the course of a day. He communicated clearly about what was involved, taught us about the structure of our ceiling and attic, and was transparent about how he arrived at his quote. His work was excellent and he did exactly what he said he would do for the price he quoted, no surprises. He was meticulous in protecting our house from durst and in cleaning up afterwards. We will call him again when we move to bigger projects.

I was in a difficult spot that would have been very easy to take advantage of - the metal workers had ripped out the old gutter to find rotten wood underneath, a problem that I should have foreseen. As their scaffolding had already been set up, I needed the wood fixed asap. Paul was recommended to me by another contractor. He was extremely quick, efficient, easy to communicate with, and honest. He started as soon as he had an opening, began the day at 7:30 in the morning and got the job done without delay. He then showed me exactly what he had done - it was solid work. He stuck to his rate and showed me the receipts for the materials without me even having to ask for them.

His rate was competitive and his workmanship outstanding, but what was worth more was the peace of mind that comes with working with someone this trustworthy.

I am really delighted with the work that Paul did. He solved a complex design problem in order to create a beautiful and elegant mantlepiece in my Victorian house. From the beginning of my interaction with him, Paul was courteous, professional, knowledgeable and accurate. He did what he said he would do, on time and on budget, and the result is perfect. I recommend his work very highly and plan to work with him again on a much larger renovation project.

We recently decided to renovate our dated kitchen, and Paul was recommended to us by a friend. Paul completed much of the work himself and brought in other skilled professionals to do certain parts of the project. He always arrived when he said he would and was willing to put in long hours to get the work done, if need be. He was very quick at returning phone calls, emails, and texts, which is obviously important and appreciated when dealing with a renovation in your home. If any issues arose with my original design ideas, Paul was great at problem solving and coming up with solutions quickly. He was also always approachable and was willing to make any changes that I felt were necessary. He included me in decisions as they were being made to ensure that the work was completed in exactly the way that I wanted it to be, which was especially important as the project wrapped up and there were a lot of small details that came down to personal preference. The quality of the work was also great. Everything looks 100% professional (as it should!) and Paul even removed, altered, and re-attached some of the original 1930s wainscoting on one of my walls to maintain the original look of the home. Renovating a kitchen is obviously not a cheap job, but I always felt that Paul's prices were fair, and he was easily able to explain any breakdown of costs if I had any questions. I have heard so many reno horror stories from friends in the past, so choosing someone to complete this job felt a bit like taking a leap of faith! But it turns out that I had nothing to worry about, as Paul made things very easy for me, walking me through things as they came up and solving issues for me so that I didn't have to worry. I would definitely call Paul again for any future projects that may come up in our home, and I would not hesitate one bit to recommend him to friends and family. He is professional, honest, and friendly, and very easy to work with. Before and after pictures included below.

Paul recently built us some new front porch steps and we couldn't be happier with the result. The look was exactly what we were hoping for and the work itself exceeded our expectations. I think the curb appeal of our house has improved ten fold! Very professional and easy to deal with, and just a fantastic job all around. I recommend Paul the English Carpenter and would hire again without hesitation.

I was extremely happy with Paul and his work. He completed the job while we were on vacation and provide email updates as the work progressed. He is always available to answer questions even long after the work has been completed. I would definitely work with him again and would not hesitate recommending him to others.