AGM Renovations

Keeping a review for a full basement renovation brief doesn’t feel the easiest thing to do, as its generally a sizeable investment and one always tends to have commensurately high expectations. We went with AGM as we wanted a known quantity and their standing in the basement renovation landscape is solid. We were not disappointed: even though there always going to be imperfections and minor budget enhancements along the way – it was always reassuring to know that the company’s size and reputation meant nothing was ever going to go too far south.

From the initial set up with Mike through the design stages with Gloria, to the calm, patient and unwavering project management hand of Carmen, as well as a generally solid team of contractors used for the various work elements, looking back on it in hindsight we realize that the transformation of our basement from barely-hygenic-junk-pile to home office, living room, gym, bathroom & pantry, our experience was a breeze compared to what it might have been.

Any time we had a question, someone was on hand to answer. Any time there was an issue – for example with materials during CoVid – the resolution was quick. And on several occasions subjective calls needed to be made regarding the contract scope vs finishing touches, Carmen and the team were able to find a solution that fulfilled our vision without putting themselves out of business :-). If we were to have any advice, it would be to take time during the (excellent) design process to be sure you know what finishes will be applied, whether it be paint or fixtures or model of fireplace or what is good practice / convenient rather than the bare minimum for light & electrical outlets, and if you are not sure, *discuss the pros and cons* with the team. And in this modern work-from-home-era, think about running network cables in the walls for max network speed in the house.

Otherwise, everything ended up great. Always assume your last 20% will take 50% of the time. But perhaps the best compliment we can pay to AGM is that when several of our friends who have been through similar basement renovations have visited to see the basement, they all express surprise that it didn’t cost us more. We would absolutely come back to AGM again. Once we’ve recovered from our renovation fatigue :-).

p.s. Kudos to AGM for honouring their pre-COVID price commitments to us, despite the fact that everything got more expensive just before the job started. Thanks guys. And a huge shout out to both Carmen and Gloria. And Mike for the initial setup. Best wishes everyone.

A & N, Vaughan, ON