P.C.L. Finishes Inc

From my first meeting with Rob to discuss re-siding my house with Hardie board, PCL has gone above and beyond what most contractors will do. Before even beginning the project, Rob provided three different quotes/options for the siding (it took me a while to realize Rob’s original approach was the right one), answered all my questions and generally displayed the patience of a saint. Whenever a problem arose or I changed my mind about something or expanded the scope of the project, Rob responded immediately and got his team or other contractors to sort things out.

As for the quality of PCL’s workmanship, it is excellent. My house is 130-years-old and there were a number of surprises and challenges along the way that got dealt with quickly and professionally: three layers of siding that had to be removed, asbestos, windows and doors that stuck out too far after removing that many layers of house, shoddy work from previous renovations and a lot of finessing to compensate for crooked everything. Rob’s team, led by Greg, who is all about the little details that kick things up a notch from a good job to a great job, took everything in stride. Greg always talked me through the problem, presented options and helped me make big and small decisions about what to do. With Greg running the show, a lot of angst and meltdowns were averted!

Regarding budget, this was a well managed project. The only person who blew the budget was me by constantly adding on extra work. When working through the scope and project quote, I asked Rob what sort of contingency fund I should budget for given the age of my house, neglect and unknown damage from water and carpenter ants, all of which were issues. Barring structural damage, Rob said 10 per cent would more than cover any problems that might need to be addressed. He was right on the money— including unexpected and pricey asbestos abatement, extra costs associated with the original scope of the quote fell well within 10 per cent of the total budget.

Finally, I have to give a shout out to Greg, Frank, Carlos, TK and Sergio who worked their magic and did such an excellent job. Working from home due to Covid, I can’t imagine spending 4.5 weeks with a better or nicer group of people taking over my yard, tearing my house apart and putting it all back together again. Their integrity, work ethic, skill and craftsmanship, camaraderie and good humour made a long, noisy, dirty and disruptive process a pleasure. They were also great with my neighbours, who watched the project unfold. Everybody liked the guys, was impressed with the quality of their work and have nothing but compliments about the finished product.

I can’t recommend PCL highly enough. PCL is not the cheapest company they’re worth every penny!