De Taeye Designs

Great experience! we had the pleasure of working with these fellas over the summer/fall of 2020 after they came highly recommended.
We unfortunately had numerous leaks throughout our basement, Shawn came out within a couple days and gave us piece of mind and a fair quote which I will add was less than the other two quotes we received.
Shawn gave us the most information and detail. upon completion we decided on hiring these same guys to completely renovate & restore our basement. We were kept informed throughout the projects from their office as well as detailed invoices. Very efficient.
Overall we were pleased and will not hesitate to hire them again.

Huge mistake.
A 6 week job took 7 months. Very good sales pitch followed by excuse after excuse. Had to employ another contractor to replace shoddy workmanship.
Don't be taken in by the nice guy demeanour. Shawn is first and foremost a salesman. A very good one.
The project went well over his estimate. He told us that he would keep us informed of cost overruns. Never happened. In fact communication with him or anyone at his company was almost non-existant. His voice mail was almost always full.
He was rarely on-site (except to pick up money). Very quick on that score.
If you do decide to give him work, and strongly advise against it, make
sure you get everything in writing.
We are seniors and feel we were taken advantage of. Our experience was stressful, never knowing when an employee was going to show up. Often when they did it was for a couple of hours, here and there.
In a word, our experience was a nightmare.

I cannot begin to express how impressed I was with my kitchen reno! Between the owner shawn and his staff as well as danielle in the office, they went above and beyond from day one. The plans were discussed, delivered and on time. Everything was completed with no issues or complaints. By the way, the kitchen looks ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS! Thank you so much to Shawn and his team! I have some more Reno's coming up and I will be contacting them! :)

HOME OWNERS BEWARE! Over promised and undelivered….

Below is a true account of our experience dealing with contractor DeTaeye Designs.

What was quoted to be a 7 to 10 day job was not completed within a 3 months + timeframe and is still not completed. We have had to get quotes from other deck contractors to complete and fix the deck that DeTaeye Designs has been left incomplete.

We contacted Shawn from DeTaeye Designs (owner) on May 8, 2018 to come and provide us a quote to redo our deck. He was recommended by a co-worker who said he did a great job at her house. Shawn was very friendly and seemed knowledgeable as he made suggestions to make the deck bigger, had ideas for the railings etc. He said that he would provide 3D drawings (we never saw those). After consideration & research & based on Shawn’s knowledge and his self-professed work ethic we awarded the project to DeTaeye Designs. We received a quote May 15, 2018.

WHAT A MISTAKE THAT WAS!

May 20, 2018 Shawn set up a time to come by to discuss the deck & the quote but he never showed or called. I followed up with him on May 21, 2018 stating that we were disappointed not hearing from him as we waited around all day- his response via text “My girl in the office was to contact you to see if we could move the date to Monday; I do very much apologize for this rocky start and assure you that this is not traditionally the way we operate . All of our jobs run smooth and problem free. We will not further disappoint you.” I had asked if we should postpone our deck due to his scheduling and he said “no – they could do it.”

During our consultation I asked Shawn his pricing milestones his direct quote was “ I do not take any money, until the job is completed and the customer is happy with the job”. Only one week after that conversation we received an invoice from Shawn’s office manager for $5,000.00 explaining since this is a big project we need a deposit “we usually ask for 50% upfront but don’t know what Shawn has discussed with you so I need a 5K deposit” – I thought this made sense. I sent the $5,000.00 via e-transfer, a week after that another $5,000.00 invoice came through stating now that demolition has begun we need another payment to cover some of the costs of material. When I questioned Shawn about the second invoice he told me – “just ignore what Danielle sends I treat all my staff like mushrooms, I keep them in the dark. “Just pay this one and it will cover some costs.”

The job of demolition started a week later than we had planned. We then had to wait another week for posts to go. We sat with no access to our yard from patio doors for a week.

All the while there was excuse after excuse as to why work was not progressing – it was too hot, they did not have the proper material, his main guy has diabetes so needed to go home. I was told by Shawn he has nine crews of people working for him yet on our job he used only one guy and an apprentice.

Shawn stated he would bring samples of deck boards on June 16, 2018 and we still had not seen anything for another 2 days. Then on June 18, 2018 when I asked if he booked the electrician he said he had, but when I personally contacted Matt the electrician he said he was not booked.

Finally the first deck went up. The workmanship was so bad and the boards used were of inferior quality (especially since Shawn sold us on how he himself spent 4 hours hand picking every piece of deck board). When questioned about the quality of boards he said that “they were just ordered and were the first pick off a slab”. So his statements were not factual.

Another thing Shawn told us that convinced us he was the right contractor for the job was that he would be onsite every day to see how the work progressed; he also stated that he checked to ensure no nails were left behind on the grass and surrounding area (to ensure safety for children and pets). He said that he charged his guys $5.00 for every nail left behind. Shawn was not onsite every day and we found dozen of nails left over—we kept them in a bag to show Shawn. Shawn was hard to reach and would promise to pop by because he lived in the neighborhood. He would schedule a time and not show up – he did this often which caused much frustration.

The first deck boards were terrible and the stairs were done incorrectly. They had to pull all the deck boards off and start again. We then started to have problems with Shawn’s employees. Shawn’s employees starting speaking disparagingly about my husband and I despite our efforts to be friendly (including providing snacks). Additionally they tormented my dog because she was barking.

Once the second round of deck boards went up there were still problems with the boards; we had asked that he use longer boards so there would be fewer issues. I called the store to find out if they had longer boards in stock— they said yes. Shawn agreed to purchase the longer boards but never did. The spine board needed to be replaced so they came and took it out and left a hole for 3 weeks. After three weeks my husband called Shawn again and asked that this be fixed as we had company coming over – he sent someone and the piece was not wide enough. They installed it regardless leaving gaps on either side of the boards – creating a serious tripping hazard. I called Shawn and sent the photos to him, and he did not respond.

We decided to go with a glass railing system (Crystal Rail) as per a picture Shawn showed us from a Canadian magazine. Shawn told us he was going to become a distributor for this company so that he would get a better price. He said that he placed the order at the beginning of July. He kept saying that there was a delay and our glass would not be in for a couple of weeks. One of the reasons he gave for the delay was that it was a small order and that it would be processed once sufficient volume permitted. We continued to follow-up but still no glass. Finally at the end of July he stated he had the glass in his shop but wanted to put together a piece to see how it would go. Funny thing about that is, when we called Lowes the end of August to find out about some other pieces that were not ordered, the Lowe’s employee told us that all that was ordered was the glass and it was ordered on Aug. 10 and picked up by Detaeye Designs for our job on August 31 .

Shawn had suggested that we put a fire-pit on the extension of our deck. He said he would need to get our gas line moved, but not to worry as this is a charge he would take care of it. He also instructed me to look at fire-pits at a local store Fireaway and pick one. I did and offered to purchase it and Shawn said “no let me buy it as I get a discount from Gail she is good to me, she gave me a similar fire-pit for $800.00 for my moms place.” He said that he could pass on the discount to us. The fire-pit ending up costing me more than the quoted price from Fireaway. I was quoted $1250.00 and Shawn charged us $1490.00 plus tax (store would not tell us what discount they gave Shawn but said a discount was given). I called to find out the price of the fire-pit after we started having suspicions. The “free” gas line relocation cost us $600.00 plus tax – when questioned Shawn just said that there was more involved than he initially thought….. I paid thinking he was genuine in his words.

We asked Shawn if we had enough room to put the brackets in for the glass railing. He responded, - ” we are not going to put the brackets in we are going to use a different kind of bolt and it will be fine-it will pass inspection – don’t worry” We contacted the manufacturer and the City Building Department and both confirmed that the railing system has to be secured with bolts and mounting plate through 2x10s secured between joists. This meant that we would need a least a foot extension onto the deck. We constantly asked Shawn if we needed more room and Shawn reiterated time and time again that this was not needed to pass inspection. The building department said the railing would not pass inspection unless done as per the drawing.

Only one piece of glass railing was installed because Detaeye Designs did not order the required clips – he stated that he thought since we wanted frameless glass we would not want the clips. In reality the clips are there to provide stability. All of the issues Shawn has is always someone else’s fault; he never takes ownership or accountability for anything. We had confirmed that the clips for railing were never ordered. Shawn stated he ordered them from Lowes then when confronted he said “I ordered them from a distributor”. He never ordered them period.

DeTaeye Designs said they would power hose the gazebo and fence to get rid of sawdust—which they never did. He said that they would put new grass down where they kill the grass from working – they put in a dead piece of sod (which we have now been replaced). They also said that they could provide gravel for the side of our deck, which was never done.

The most disappointing thing about this besides, the $15,000.00 spent and of course not having a finished quality deck, is the fact that Shawn played on our emotions. He said “what I love most about my job is helping people and taking any stress away from the project. I will never leave anything unfinished or you unhappy with our job”. Well he has left us with holes on the deck boards, no railing, stairs that need to be fixed, missing deck boards surrounding the deck, uneven boards, an unsquared deck frame, missing 2 x 10 perimeter blocking for the Crystal Rail system and more.

It brings me no joy to write this review; I do so only to protect future customers who are considering working with DeTaeye Designs. I write this in hopes that DeTaeye Designs will not do to someone else what they did to us. Shawn DeTaeye is very convincing and as a self-proclaimed salesman, he has the gift of smoothing things over. I hope that others read my review and protect themselves from his manipulative ways.

I was so fortunate that Shawn and his guys could help me on short notice... The wind and rain caused an awful leak in my home and they came and quickly assessed where the leak was coming from and had it patched up in no time. I am so thankful. Highly recommend!

I can not even begin to tell you the level of incompetence and dishonesty that they have shown. Example: They didn't seal a vent stack for a powder room and we had a huge leak. They said they came and fixed it, but then when the snow melted this spring, we had a massive leak that ruined the interior on 2 levels. I called a roofing company who just advised that the VENT WAS NEVER SEALED AND WE HAVE A GAPING HOLE AROUND THE VENT. Even worse? Not only did they not fit it, they took the part they were supposed to use to cover the hole, scrunched it up, and stuck it in the vent!! This feels intentionally malicious to me. This has caused thousands of dollars of damage.

We have ripped waterproofing, and upon closer look they actually waterproofed an interior wall!

Lat week we received a notice from the Electrical Safety Authority that they had not complete their electrical inspection - which I was told was done and paid for. I now have to cover yet another bill for them.

The quality of work is poor - lifting tiles, poor drywall finishing, nails used for laminate counter where glue should have been used.

The crew never comes when they say they will, and when they do, it's for an hour here and an hour there. They are completely unreliable, will no-show without warning, and will avoid your calls.

A certain main member of the team is also incredibly unprofessional and flirtatious. Really unpleasant.

Do yourself a favour and call ANYONE else. They are quite convincing, but you will find yourself in a nightmare with Detaeye Designs.

Met Shawn at the Whitby Home show last year and was impressed with his display. Mentioned that I had a leak in my basement and we set up an appointment for him to come look at it. The leaks were mainly along the back wall and a couple along the walls adjacent to the back wall.

Pleased with the initial estimate, we decided to move forward.

On the day of the job Shawn came himself to do the work with one of his new helpers. Shawn instructed his helper to remove all of the blanket insulation from all the walls, even the ones that were not exposed to the outside and would not cause any leaking. when I asked about this, he assured me that this was necessary to ensure we addressed all leakage issues, but that I shouldn't be concerned because if I selected him to finish my basement, that the cost of fixing the leaks would be used as a down payment to the cost of finishing the basement.

Fast forward a few hours and the leaks are all plugged. Of course there were no leaks on the walls that were not exposed... but again Shawn took measurements for finishing the basement and assured me that the cost for the day would be used as down payment for finishing the basement.

Over the summer I called a number of times to follow up on the estimate to finish the basement, with no success.

This fall I did receive an email from his company asking me I wanted to proceed with fixing the leaks in my basement. On receiving this email I called Shawn again, to ask him to quote me on replacing the blanket insulation that he took down. He suggested that I look at spray foam and that it would be part of the cost of finishing the basement. When I said that I had never received his quote for finishing the basement, he claimed that they sent it back in the spring and were waiting on my response. When I said I never got it, he asked me to send him an email to ensure that he was sending the estimates to the correct email address.

I sent him an email and he confirmed receiving it and said that the girl in the office would send off both estimates.

No estimate received to this day.

Instead I have to pay another company $1,700 to replace all the blanket insulation in my basement. so total cost to date = $5,200

I'm thankful that my basement no longer leaks, but will not be recommending Shawn and De Taeye Designs for any future work.

Funny enough, while he was doing the work in the basement I did ask him about the few negative reviews, about his lack of communication/follow up etc. and he took full responsibility for it. I guess I didn't think I would be the next lucky person.

I work for a local window manufacturing company who, in the last year, have had the privilege of dealing with Shawn De Taeye.
Through these meetings with De Taeye Designs, I feel compelled to recognize them for their professionalism, attention to detail and punctuality regarding their work.
Having the opportunity to work with people with such a vast knowledge of their trade and not to mention a great attitude, is very refreshing! In every conversation, Shawn shows that his genuine goal is to take care of his clients to the best of his ability, and he does exactly that.
I would recommend De Taeye designs to anyone who is looking for high quality work at a fair price!

We had a very unique leak in our basement coming from black line flexible piping coming out of the foundation during heavy thaws and rain. In the meantime I rigged something up to catch the leak and divert it to the sump pump.
During a dryer spell, I called a few companies to get a few different opinions to fix the problem. DeTaeye Designs was one of them. Shawn, got back to me within a few hours and came over within 24hrs. He explained what was happening and suggested some things to try and gave us a quote to fix the problem.
Out of all the companies I met with, Shawn impressed me the most. He explained everything very thoroughly, gave me some options and really seemed knowledgeable in this area. I didn't feel pressured by sales tactics or gimmicks.
Unfortunately, the next time it rained, it really rained. My little set up wasn't working as there was too much water in the ground and nowhere for it to go except out this pipe. It was not just coming out of the pipe anymore but other areas around the pipe in the foundation. We had water everywhere and were emptying recycling size bins of water every 2hrs.
I called Shawn immediately that evening and he was over the next day trying to fix our very bad situation.
When the first option didn't work as we had hoped as promised by his guarantee he immediately came back to rectify the situation.
In the end we had to go with the second option of an interior drainage system in the problem area. We'll have to do the rest of the basement before finishing it but thanks to Shawn and his team our basement isn't flooding, we are able to sleep at night and have peace of mind.
I highly recommend De Taeye Design for foundation repairs and problems.
Life savers!

After discovering a leak in our foundation we reached out to a handful of contractors to help us get it fixed. During the process we’ve heard all types of advice, methods and price ranges to help address the issue. We decided to go with Shawn from de Taeye Designs because of his knowledge and expertise, and modern method of fixing the leak from inside the house.
Shawn clearly explained to us what the issue was, what caused it and how it will be fixed. Impressively, he knew exactly where the foundation crack was, size and the angle of it without even tearing out the drywall.
After tearing out the drywall and removing insulation Shawn and his team also discovered a couple of other cracks that all needed immediate attention.
During the day of the repairs, Shawn and his crew showed up a little bit early to get a head start. All were very personable and professional. They removed all the drywall, insulation and flooring to make sure there were no other cracks or pooling water. After fixing all the cracks they cleaned up the area and removed all debris.
We’d highly recommend Shawn and his team for their expertise and high quality of work.