The Conscious Builder Inc.

My Crew And I have been doing framing for the conscious builder and it has been a great experience as a subcontractor. The Conscious builder crew are a great bunch of guys to work with. They are knowledgeable, pay a lot of attention to detail and are very qualified in their field of work. My crew really enjoys being on their job sites because it is always a good atmosphere. I highly recommend The conscious builder for any type of renovation or new build

My project was an energy retrofit, which brought the home from R8 insulation to R28++. The quality of workmanship and attention to detail was exemplary. Follow-ups were timely, and everything was done properly. Neighbours also commented on the excellent work done. All members of the team work together, and they know what they're doing. The house looks awesome and requires much less energy to heat. Win-win for me and the climate! :)

We were thoroughly disappointed in our experience with this organization. We hired “The Conscious Builder” (TCB) (previously “Cornelis Grey Construction”) to renovate our family home for our 3 young girls and ourselves, expecting a high quality of workmanship. As the work progressed, we began raising a range of issues to the foreman and the owner. Months into the work, we asked some third party trades to come on site to give their views on a few issues. In our opinion, they validated our concerns. Then, having already been paid approx. $289k, TCB claimed the job was at substantial completion, final payments were due (i.e. substantial completion, followed by lien holdback; totalling approx. $61k), and they would stop all work if we didn’t pay. Because of the amount of outstanding work/deficiencies we thought remained, we didn’t pay the final payments. TCB abandoned the project, placed a lien against our home, and sued us. We hired a dozen trades to fix and finish the work (more defects were discovered in the process), and launched a counterclaim. Although we weren’t successful in all of our claims, a Superior Court Judge ruled in our favour and determined that the cost of completing the work that should have been done under the contract was $116k (e.g. approx. 36k for roofs/roof structure, 10k for wall/floor framing, 10k for paint/drywall, 8k for insulation/vapour barrier, 6k for exterior doors/windows, 5k for interior doors/trim, 4k for kitchen, 8k for foundation/piers). In our opinion, key statements from the Court decision included that “there were persisting and ongoing deficiencies of both a major and minor nature not all of which the contractor was prepared to recognize or rectify”, the “contractor should have known he was wrong in asserting that substantial completion had been achieved and demanding release of the holdback in the face of significant deficiencies”, and the “contractor was negligent and careless in performance of the work and was not justified in abandoning the job.” However, the full Court reasons for decision (released February 2018) can be found online through the Canadian Legal Information Institute.

We had called Richard in a desparate attempt to have our renovation-gone-wrong fixed after seven months of contractor issues. Richard sent Shawn and Nick in with Samir to top off the painting and we had our staircase finished and trim and finish work completed in a week and a half. We were super pleased with the team and will use them again should our situation call for it. Thanks so much guys!

After over 35 years in our home, we decided that it was time for a refresh! We hired The Conscious Builder to completely gut and remodel our kitchen and refinish and paint every surface on our main floor – living room, dining room, hall, powder room, and family room. Popcorn ceilings were removed, crown mouldings and new baseboards installed, doors widened, hardwood floors sanded and refinished, and stair railing and lighting updated. Our small kitchen went from a space with minimal counter and storage space to multiple workstations and ample place for everything. We are thrilled with both the reno process and the final result – on budget, on time, and even beyond our high expectations. Working with the on-site manager, Richard, was a pleasure with his professional and positive attitude, constant communication, precise scheduling, and high standards. The work crew cleaned up after each day and we even had use of our range throughout the entire 10 weeks. Although, as with most renos, we experienced some surprises, none were insurmountable but were solved in a timely, calm, and efficient manner. We always felt that our reno was treated as if it was their own home. We would highly recommend this company.