My experience with To Do Done was disappointing. They provided an initial estimate, then indicated…read morethat any additional work would require a "change order". Their estimate was a bit higher than other companies, but I decided to go with them since their reviews were so positive. Unfortunately, after they had completed demolition, I was advised that they had forgotten to include the cost of labor to tile the shower (the main element of the project) so I then received a "change order" of $3300 for that work. There were several occasions where I was provided with a change order that was over double the cost of what I was quoted, and they would then reduce it with no explanation when I questioned the amount. At one point they attempted to charge me for labour to install a vanity when I had already paid for that in the original estimate. I'm not sure why this problem kept occurring, but had I not been diligent in asking for clear breakdowns of the change orders, the renovation would have definitely cost a lot more.
At the outset I made it very clear that project management was important to me, as I was renovating my only shower and needed to find alternative accommodation. I was told that I would need to be out of my home for approximately three weeks, with a five-week duration for the entire project. Unfortunately, it progressed so slowly that I was out of my home for almost seven weeks, a huge inconvenience. I understand that delays happen, but at one point I was informed that my designer did not order enough tile for the shower. Inexplicably it took them over a week to get more tile from Toronto, resulting in me being out of my home for an extra week. No apologies or acknowledgement from the company for that mistake. Everything ran late, and it was two months before I even had sinks in my bathrooms. They eventually tried to blame the delays on my ordering custom bathroom vanities, which would have been believable had they ordered the vanities early in the project, which they did not. Overall, it ended up taking an unbelievable five months to complete my five-week renovation. In fairness, the last six weeks were primarily a negotiation about the damage they caused to my hardwood floor during the project. They ripped up the varnish with their tape, attempted to repair it many times only making it worse, and then had the audacity to send me a change order for $3000 to refinish the floors. We eventually came to a resolution on that issue, but it was a very painful process.
For all the frustration experienced during this project, thankfully the work turned out well, aside from a few minor mistakes. There were certainly glitches along the way, such as both sinks leaking upon installation because an apprentice did the work with no supervision (again, no acknowledgment or apology, just business as usual I guess), but overall the quality of work seems good. However, if you are looking for competent project management and a company that takes accountability, I would look elsewhere. Twice during the process I contacted the owner to express my dissatisfaction, but that achieved very little. The first time she blamed everything on the designer that she fired mid-project and did not replace, and by the end of the renovation she blamed everything on her project manager. It was surprising that a reputable company owner wouldn't understand that she's accountable for her own employees. Despite the many problems and delays I experienced and the fact that she told me she was "embarrassed" by the project, she did not offer any type of meaningful compensation. She did not even offer to waive the $2400 "design and management" fee, even though she fired my designer, and the project was clearly mismanaged. To the contrary, the project ended with her trying to get me to sign an agreement to not post a negative review, which certainly provided me with clarity on why their reviews are so positive.
