The Underpinners Inc

We signed up for the contract 6 months before it started. And six months later, we were bombarded with so many things in our lives that I thought getting a basement underpinned in the mist of all this would be a nightmare. But I was wrong. Through it all, I never really had to do much, the Underpinners took care of everything. I felt relieved after the first day when I found out they didn't have to call me to ask my neighbor if they can temporarily take down the fence panel to do work. They just went ahead and took care of business and my neighbor were happy they were polite and caring and did something nice in return for the inconvenience.

After that, I just had to take care of my own business knowing that the basement would be done well. And it was! Daniel and his team are very knowledgeable and caring. They really do care about you! Highly recommend+++

During what we thought was a cosmetic basement renovation, a large hole was discovered in our foundation. A structural engineer was brought in, who then determined we needed a new foundation.

Enter the Underpinners, who were one of three companies recommended by the engineer. We live in Riverdale, where the houses are old, the soil is sandy and your neighbor is just a few feet away.

Daniel was great right from the start. We got a detailed quote and explanation of the process. Instead of shying away from a difficult job, the Underpinners embraced it and made it seem easy.

Throughout the entire project, Daniel was either on site working or just a quick phone call away. He was very accessible even late on a Sunday night when we had questions. Working in such close proximity to neighbors, the crew were always really polite and went out of their way to keep them happy.

The main crew were always respectful and tidy. If outside trades were brought in, Daniel supervised and made sure no one smoked in the house.

We ended up digging down and underpinning the house as well and Daniel put us in touch with someone who could lay the radiant heating, install a combi boiler and polished our new cement floors. We are extremely happy with the results.

Our basement now has 8 ft ceilings and new windows. It doesn't even look like a basement. The polished cement floor looks amazing.

While it was a difficult process (unexpected & expensive renos are never fun), Daniel never failed to impress with his knowledge and readiness to help. I have no hesitation in recommending The Underpinners. In fact, we have already recommended them to 3 more houses on the street.

With the help of the Underpinners Inc, we turned a dank, five foot tall, 100 year old basement into a comfortable, eight foot high living space with laundry closet, 3 piece bathroom, entertainment area and play space for kids that we utilize on a daily basis. Daniel, Steve and the entire crew were extremely professional, clean, didn't smoke or swear, and the project happened exactly as advertised, with accurate cost and timeline, and included post-project visits for small trouble shooting. I would highly recommend this company.

In my opinion The Underpinners Inc is the best in the business in Toronto. The owner Daniel is easy talk to about the intricacies of the job. He was able to refer me to an architect and an engineer as well. Daniel gave me a quote that outlined the details of the job giving me a clear idea of the costs to underpin to differing depths. The job was carried out precisely and safely ensuring the structural integrity of my home. Daniel was always available to discuss any details and to ensure that I was comfortable and knowledgeable throughout the process. Daniel was able to refer me to a number of good professionals who did the work of welding, plumbing, in-floor heating and building an insulated concrete form (ICF) retaining wall. After the main work was done and Daniel was busy with other jobs he was a phone call away with advice. I cannot praise Daniel enough for his professionalism, his attention to detail and his willingness to go above and beyond to coordinate and meet deadlines for the job.

I highly recommend the Underpinners Inc. for the excellent job they did in our basement. Every task was completed on time and the quality of job is amazing. Considering underpinning as a risky project specially in an old house like ours, we are really in peace of mind since it was done by very professional people. Thank you Paul and Daniel!

I was looking at doing a major renovation on my downtown property and lowering the basement was on my bucket list. I contacted Paul from the Underpinners and arranged a site meeting. We clicked from the start. Paul came across as extremely knowledgeable on all aspects of underpinning a basement and construction as well. He walked me through the steps in an easy and informative way and provided me a detailed contract outlining the scope of work for the job. Seeing as this was a large and costly project, I contacted 3 other companies to get competitive quotes. Not only were the Underpinners the lowest quote, their contract outline and scope of work was far superior to the other companies and their communication skills were excellent.
When Daniel and the crew came to start the job I almost mistook them for university students. They were all young, handsome and very communicative. My partner Elizabeth fell in love with them. But when it came time to work they were a well oiled machine. There were many on-site meetings with detailed explanations of the progress and what they uncovered and believe you me when you dig out a 120 year old basement you find a lot of interesting things. During their work Paul and Daniel noticed the variations in soil conditions in different areas of the basement and recommended a geotechnical engineer assess the situation. That was a very good move as the analysis recommended 2 sump pits and pumps were needed in different locations of the basement.
With their knowledge of the construction industry and related trades Paul and Daniel were able to recommend a framer and electrician for my project and both choices worked out brilliantly.
I would highly recommend anyone contemplating doing a basement underpin or lowering to contact The Underpinners Inc. You will be glad you did..
PS. They are experts in working with downtown properties that most other contractors try to avoid.

We decided to underpin our 160 year old victorian cottage townhouse to gain more living space. We had a 3 foot crawlspace under the house in addition to a 10 by 10 by 5'6 mechanical room. Our house has two share walls, the neighbours on either side of us are already underpinned.
We started with a well known company who offered both engineering, architectural and underpinning services. We were to say the least disappointed by this company, so we requested quotes from 3 other companies. One well known underpinning company declined the job citing too much oversight required and high expense.
The Underpinners were the only company during their visit to notice that engineering plans did not account for our house resting on pillars, not the foundation.

The Underpinners did a test pit and had our soil analyzed to give a more accurate quote.

The Underpinners got the job.

Our job required aproximately 4' of underpinning. We contracted for 8'3, we ended up getting as much as 8'6 for no additional cost.

Danel, Paul and the Underpinner crew were professional, courteous, on time, as neat as they could be and they knew what they were doing. They kept us informed at all times. We are very pleased with the results and we highly recommend them.

Paul and Daniel were already recommended to us by two interior designers who live in our neighbourhood before we got them to quote their price. Their quote, unlike the other two we got, was extremely detailed and laid out the steps, the materials and the pricing in an easy to understand format. Both gentlemen and their crew are personable, professional and highly educated (Paul was a full-on contractor for years before becoming solely devoted to underpinning and Daniel went to University to study construction!). The largest difference between the Underpinners Inc. and our other trades was that they said when they would start and they said when they would finish...and that was exactly what happened! They handled the permit, they handled the inspector and when things went a little off plan (we were putting in a partial metal beam in the basement but the demo revealed the previous owners had actually cut through another portion of the beam to make a doorway!), they called us and educated us on our options. They helped us change the scope of work and didn't try to stick it to us! They were transparent in all of their activities and loved to educate us on the process. Most of all, they were accessible to questions and concerns. The final product was beautiful and transformative. I will never worry about water damage or structural issues thanks to the Underpinners Inc.!

We had a pretty serious water damage in our basement and required some work done right away on a very limited time-line. They replied right-away, by visiting our house the same day. The job was completed precisely on time as well as the team was very courteous and clean. Thank You!