3 Stones Custom Homes Inc.

Don't think twice - hire these guys! DO IT NOW.

We tried to ask friends for recommended contractors and never had people that could truly recommend theirs. Common stories of: being over budget, being over time, too many projects at once, or not following up on deficiencies came up time and time again.

Well thank heavens we found 3 Stones! These guys are the epitome of professionalism, organization, accountability and I could just go on and one. Our project had everything to it and at no point did 3 Stones ever drop the ball. But let me try to paint a better picture for you.

1- Communication and Professionalism
From the very beginning, 3 Stones worked with us to answer every question we had before we ever signed a contract. I'm talking months! They emailed or texted promptly and their budget proposal was so thorough, it came with a gantt chart. Our neighbours even loved them because they were always so courteous with communicating what they were doing and why (and this is especially important because we share a wall with our neighbour). We met with them regularly throughout the project and they answered every question we had to put at ease any anxieties we had.

2- Accountability & Quality
3 Stones have built a business based on word of mouth and it shows in their pride for their product and overall accountability. They want happy customers and they do everything to ensure a project is successful. Some examples:

a) I wanted a special kind of aluminum interior door for my office that only seemed to come in at $$$$ unless you live in Europe. Bill & Chris cold called everywhere and managed to find me one at a reasonable price and also made the matching window themselves since they could a lot more reasonably.

b) we wanted to have this very moody blue bathroom and shelled out $$$ for some eye popping wall paper. Bill & Chris knew that to ensure we got the biggest bang for our buck, we should paint the walls a navy blue first so it would really pop. And it does so much I'm obsessed with it.

c) they would challenge the "on paper" design where it just practically didn't make sense and they were always right. If we didn't have 3 Stone and had a contract that just implemented the design no questions asked, I feel w would have absolutely hated some things in our home (e.g., they changed the stairs to the basement in a way that saved us a ton of space in both our upstairs and downstairs living rooms vs the drawings).

d) the tiling in my bathroom is a work of art. When the mirror the designer ordered was too big to fit between the sconces, 3 Stone was able to fix the tiling in a few hours and you would never know the wiser. Its beautiful, top to bottom.

These projects are complicated and problems arise but these guys are transparent, honest and trustworthy. They will solve the problem expediently and make sure the project keeps moving to a high standard. They have been quick to wrap up deficiencies and even still, if we texted them tomorrow, they would respond quickly. This is just the type of company they are.

3- Accurate
We received three quotes at the time we were planning our project and 3 Stones was the most expensive. But every time we challenged them on things, they would be able to explain the why so well that we realized the other bidders were underbudgeting things (and would just eat through contingency or more). Same thing for time.

I can't stress this enough: 3 Stones is giving you accurate budgets and accurate timings. We were back in our house to THE DAY they promised and were actually a bit under budget. Everyone I tell this to says this is unheard of and to them I say, no, we had good, honest contractors that know what they're doing. And think about the cost savings in that we didn't have to live elsewhere for months after their projected end date.

I'll wrap this up to say that there are those few decisions in your life that you just 300% know you got right. Handing over the keys to our house to 3 Stones is one of those decisions. They are the total package and I am so grateful to them for guiding us through this process and helping us build our dream home.

Can't say enough good things about working with Bill and Chris. I would 100% recommend them and can't imagine going through a renovation with anyone else. They were incredibly supportive, communicative and transparent throughout the entire process. Very professional, knowledgeable and just overall good guys. We are incredibly happy with the end product.

We hired 3 Stones Custom Homes to underpin and lower our basement as well as build a 3rd floor addition. I can't say enough good things about these guys. They were not the cheapest quote we got, but after examining the line items, it was simply because their quote was the most thorough. This meant that we weren't blindsided with additional costs once construction was underway. Their costing was transparent, allowing us to see and understand where every single dollar was being spent. They are excellent collaborators both in design, and budget, with great input on where to dial back costs when needed. When it comes to scheduling, they run an extremely tight ship, with regular meetings and updates. Our massive 8 month reno went over by a mere 2 weeks, on account of a single fancy railing which I totally consider acceptable.
The workmanship was top tier. We've been back in the house for over a year, and have had next to no issues.
The big big big thing about 3 stones however, is their customer service. They made this entire process so easy, and dare I say enjoyable. They are SO easy to work with. They are on top of everything. They are incredibly professional, and wen't above and beyond to ensure that we (And our neighbours) are all in the loop and at ease at all times.
I would not hesitate for a second to work with them again.

Can I give more than five stars? 3Stones is the dream renovation company. Chris & Bill are wonderful human beings and were amazing from beginning to end. They did a full gut and renovation on my home all inside 8 months. From our first meeting, they were friendly, easy to deal with, great with the neighbours, and completely transparent and accurate about the costs and timing of the renovation. They provided detailed spreadsheets with separate line items for the cost for each and every piece of material used so that I could track how design decisions I made would affect the cost of the project. The budget was updated every two weeks with copies of all invoices so there were no mysteries. They did excellent quality work. They run a very well-tuned business, coordinated their tradespeople expertly so there was no wasted time, and the respect they have built is evident in the long-term relationships they have with their tradespeople. I couldn't be more pleased.

3Stones did a major renovation and redesign of the second and third floors of our old Victorian house. They provided a detailed day-by-day! timetable and quotation of the work at the start. Every two weeks progress of the work and the budget was reviewed on site, detailed invoice for payment, and receipts were provided. Except for structural surprises and agreed-on savings as the work progressed, they kept completely within budget, and within the timetable. The work by all trades was excellent, progress meetings valuable and instructive. We feel very fortunate to have them do our work in such a transparent and excellent way.

We have done multiple renovations over the years, this was our first renovation with Chris and Bill of 3 Stones Custom Homes and our best experience.

During the initial interviewing process 3 Stones was highly professional. They did a thorough walkaround, listened to our key requirements, and prepared a detailed budget and timeline. Communication was great for both my husband and I.

With 3 Stones, we used a time-and-materials contract instead of the more typical fixed-price contract. All renovations have surprises and unforeseen issues after the demolition starts and these can cost extra regardless of the type of contract. A time-and-materials contract can be more effective when a homeowner and contractor are collaborative, mutually trustworthy and decisive. The original projected 7 month project was fully complete in 7 months + 3 weeks, despite Covid issues and material availability issues due to supply chain disruptions.

Throughout the renovation process, we met with Chris and Bill at least every 2 weeks. They provided detailed times when decisions were required, construction alternatives when various issues arose, useful recommendations based on their past experience, and typical costs associated with the alternatives. As our renovation happened during Covid, there were a few estimates that were off that could not have been anticipated, but Chris and Bill were effective at helping find reasonable alternatives in each case (e.g. substitute joist type, different vendor, modifying an existing fireplace, etc). At all times we felt we knew how, where and when money was being spent. This approach let us work out details and changes on the fly that resulted in a much more effective and great-looking renovation.

They continue to follow up effectively on details after project completion.

Chris and Bill are highly experienced and have great long term relationships with their trades. They are highly people-focused and a pleasure to work with. We are highly satisfied with the result and highly recommend Chris and Bill. We feel lucky to have worked with them.

We hired 3 Stones Custom Homes for the gut renovation of our house in Little Italy.

It was a very complicated project since the house was in very poor shape structurally and on very bad soil. Not only that, but all of the framing in the house had been warping for a hundred years, so there were no straight lines.

We were the architects on our project and we worked directly with 3 Stones for structural engineering. They also managed the construction of the project.

As professionals who have renovated a few houses in Toronto, I have to say that our experience with 3 Stones was extremely positive and we hope to work with them again soon. Throughout the process there were several aspects of working with 3 Stones that made it so good:
Realistic estimates of schedule
Realistic and real time estimates of budget
Quick estimates of costs of design changes (we made a lot of design changes)
Openness to changes and to all of the one of a kind details that we designed
Professional demeanor
Friendly and positive attitude
High quality work

3 Stones has a schedule and budget update issued with every invoice. This helped us to adjust our expectations and to understand the consequences of the design changes we were making. Throughout the project, we also kept finding little opportunities for improvement on our design; 3 Stones helped us evaluate each of these potential changes in very fast estimates. We were always really impressed with the way that Chris could usually do the math on most of these changes in his head and let us know what it would set us back right after we explained it.

They were also always upbeat and open to anything that we proposed. Our experience with some of the other contractors that we interviewed for this project was that they frowned a lot in order to seem competent. They had a demeanor that gave us more confidence because it was clear they were up to the challenges.

On the whole we were really impressed with the work that they did. Their teams were extremely friendly, efficient and talented. All of the interior finishes, mechanical systems, millwork and trim were done with such an incredible amount of care. Our house now looks beautiful but also feels solid and well made. We can’t recommend them enough.

We are so pleased with our renovations and highly recommend 3 Stones Custom Homes!! Chris and Bill are a perfect team and an absolute pleasure to work with! They are highly skilled with many years of experience, extremely organized and truly care about their clients and doing a good job. Throughout the renovations, we always felt confident that we were in very good hands. Chris and Bill worked very well with our designers and have obviously built excellent working relationships with all of their trades’ people over the years as all of them are knowledgeable and work well together in a timely and efficient manner. Chris and Bill are always very responsive. They get back to calls and texts immediately and are good at fixing any small deficiencies in their work without delay. We especially like that Chris and Bill provided us with a detailed break down of all costs and expenses, along with a chart setting out the timing for different parts of our various projects, so that we could keep up to date with exactly what was being done and how much was being spent. They scheduled regular check-ins to go through progress, solicit feedback and provide updated charts so that we continuously felt satisfied that things were getting done in best way possible to meet our needs. The results speak for themselves! Our top floor master bedroom with walk-in closet and bathroom is particularly lovely. Thank you 3 Stones!!

We did an extensive renovation project with 3 Stones that included fully gutting and rebuilding the basement and third floors and rebuilding our front porch. Chris and Bill always provided expertise and great advice as we went, which was especially helpful during the permitting process with the city. Of the three quotes we got at the beginning of our project, they actually came in the highest, and we were nervous about that, but in the long run we were reassured by their open-book budgeting process, which meant we knew exactly what we were spending, and on what. Remarkably, they came in slightly under budget, despite some scope changes along the way.

Overall, it was a real pleasure working with Chris and Bill. They and their tradespeople were always efficient, courteous, and kept the place clean as they went. On top of that, they always showed up when they said they would. This was a real change from our previous renovation experiences! They brought a great depth of knowledge and imaginative solutions to their work with us. We can't recommend them highly enough.

We hired 3 Stones Custom homes on a referral from a friend. 3 Stones is a Toronto-based high-end renovation and new-build company. The scope of the work was a new basement (including waterproofing), an expansion of the kitchen, and a new interconnecting stair in the centre of the house.

Chris and Bill were excellent. There were 3 things I appreciated most:

1. Open and clear communication: Chris and Bill are available, literally, at any point to answer any questions about the work. We did not live in the renovation at the time, but Chris and Bill spent 2 hours every Saturday walking through the past week's work, the next 2 weeks, and asking us for input on any design decisions.

2. Follow-up: Chris and Bill have been diligently following up nearly every month since the work was done to make sure we are satisfied.

3. Design chops: Bill is a structural engineer and Chris has good design sense. Changes to designs, especially related to structure which is critical in a renovation, are quick and painless.

The work was high quality and we would highly recommend the team.