While we don't often post reviews online about personal projects or providers we work with, we're…read moremaking an exception here as we believe that more people need to hear about the incredible work done by Oakwood, Design Candy and their related teams. I cannot possibly stress how much of a difference having the right partner to work with for a renovation can make an impact. First off, when Steph and I bought our first home together it was a stressful process as I believe it is true for any first-time home buyers. There is so much going on between mortgages, moving, inspections, work and balancing all of it, just that process alone can be a nightmare. Add to that the rather ambitious idea that we wanted to renovate some key elements of the house /before/ we moved in so that we didn't have to try and balance living and renovations at the same time. Enter: Oakwood. We've had a great relationship with them for a long time (They previously renovated Iversoft's newest office) and we have always visited their design centre just off of trim road in Orléans with envy. When we bought a place down the street from their design centre, they were a natural choice for a partner. We were working with a close friend on the design and inspiration for our planned renovation and Oakwood's team was absolutely amazing at working with us. They were able to provide their own recommendations and design insight while working within the vision Design Candy had presented and, unbelievably were willing to work with the insane timeline we'd set for ourselves (a little over 4 weeks!) Start to finish. Let me also say right now, EVERY single person we spoke to going into this renovation told us that renovations run over time and over budget and no amount of praise for Oakwood or belief in their process and teams was going to change that. (Spoilers: They NAILED the timeline!) The Job: Completely demo and renovate Kitchen Upgrade home electrical service from 100A to 200A Sand and refinish ALL hardwood in the house Disassemble, sand, refinish the main staircase and replace all wood spindles with new metal ones Update most major lighting fixtures Repaint the entire house Timeline: 4.5 Weeks until we moved in (Start to finish) Conclusion Since the renovation work was completed and as we've settled into our new home I have not yet missed an opportunity to talk about how great an experience working with Candace, Sharon, John, Marc and the entire Oakwood and Design Candy teams were. When you're dealing with a world of chaos in a renovation where every timeline is dependant on another, suppliers and work can so easily be tripped up by simple mistakes or oversights, Oakwood stands head and shoulders above any other company we've ever spoken to. They have detailed reporting and processes to keep owners involved in every step of the process while also giving a ton of confidence that everything is happening just the way it is supposed to. They easily adapt when the unexpected happens and were proactive in helping manage our expectations and mitigate our stress throughout. This was easily the largest personal project either of us has ever taken on and overseen as customers and we cannot speak highly enough of the professionalism, results, and efficiency in which everything was delivered. We're looking forward to our next project with the Oakwood team and are happy to act as a reference so others can avoid the renovations headaches and nightmares we've heard so much about from other companies and contractors! ~Graeme & Steph https://medium.com/@graemebarlow/our-oakwood-design-candy-experience-49ee04206eb4

My husband and I met with Oakwood's President/CEO, John Liptak, to explore the possibility of…read moreacquiring Oakwood's services to build our new home. Not only is John friendly and professional, but he is extremely knowledgeable in every step and detail required to build a high quality custom home. He gave us a tour of the facility and introduced us to team members. His confidence in the quality of Oakwood homes and his team is evident and his honesty about pricing and add-ons was also much appreciated.

VS Landscaping designed and landscaped the garden of my newly built home in Kemptville. Their…read moreservices included the full design of the yard, construction of a walkway, installation of an interlock patio in the backyard, grading and ground preparation followed by establishing the lawn from seed, sourcing and planting all the plants and stones, and installing my water fountains. They worked with me at every stage -- from design through the selection of plants and stones -- and thoughtfully adjusted the plan to fit my budget. Thank you very much, Tom, Seamus, and team, for the wonderful work you did. VS Landscaping turned my vision of a welcoming garden into reality, and I would not hesitate to return to them for any future work. I especially appreciated Tom's continuous, collaborative coordination throughout the project -- from the initial site visit and sketching a design that reflected my ideas, through to construction and planting. The entire team was highly professional, dedicated, and clearly passionate about their work. Their expertise and creativity showed in the attention to detail of the design, the overall landscape layout, and the plant selection. The crew's workmanship was of exceptional quality, and they were always friendly, professional, and flexible in incorporating my ideas. Everyone at the company, including the administrative staff, was a pleasure to deal with, and communication was excellent throughout the project. After my first winter, a few of the trees did not survive. VS Landscaping honoured their warranty and replaced them all without hesitation. A year later, I remain extremely happy with the results. I wholeheartedly recommend VS Landscaping to anyone seeking beautiful, high-quality landscaping and a responsive, dedicated, and professional team. VS Landscaping designed and landscaped the garden of my newly built home in Kemptville. Their services included the full design of the yard, construction of a walkway, installation of an interlock patio in the backyard, grading and ground preparation followed by establishing the lawn from seed, sourcing and planting all the plants and stones, and installing my water fountains. They worked with me at every stage -- from design through the selection of plants and stones -- and thoughtfully adjusted the plan to fit my budget. Thank you very much, Tom, Seamus, and team, for the wonderful work you did. VS Landscaping turned my vision of a welcoming garden into reality, and I would not hesitate to return to them for any future work. I especially appreciated Tom's continuous, collaborative coordination throughout the project -- from the initial site visit and sketching a design that reflected my ideas, through to construction and planting. The entire team was highly professional, dedicated, and clearly passionate about their work. Their expertise and creativity showed in the attention to detail of the design, the overall landscape layout, and the plant selection. The crew's workmanship was of exceptional quality, and they were always friendly, professional, and flexible in incorporating my ideas. Everyone at the company, including the administrative staff, was a pleasure to deal with, and communication was excellent throughout the project. After my first winter, a few of the trees did not survive. VS Landscaping honoured their warranty and replaced them all without hesitation. A year later, I remain extremely happy with the results. I wholeheartedly recommend VS Landscaping to anyone seeking beautiful, high-quality landscaping and a responsive, dedicated, and professional team.

We hired this company for a major landscaping and front patio project almost three years ago, and…read moreinitially we were very happy with the results. The work looked great, and the overall experience during the installation process was positive. Unfortunately, the front steps have now started falling apart, creating what we believe is a serious safety hazard. We contacted the company hoping they would stand behind the workmanship or at least help address the issue, but were told the work is outside of warranty and that we would need to pay for repairs ourselves. We understand warranties have limits, but we are disappointed that such significant deterioration happened in less than three years and that there was little willingness to help resolve it. Given the cost of the project, we expected the hardscaping to last much longer. I'm leaving this review because while the work looked excellent at first, long-term durability and post-project support matter just as much.

Northco managed a kitchen renovation for us. The end product was very good, but the process was…read moreless than ideal. Their recommended countertop supplier was non-responsive at the outset and despite trying to pay for weeks, the original countertop we wanted was ultimately no longer available. There were many days where trades were supposed to show, but didn't and we were forced to unnecessarily pay for animal care which was not compensated by Northco. Several of their trades did not clean after their work and we were forced to do so. The worst of which was the countertop trades which left significant amounts of dust inside and outside of our home. There were several complements that weren't ordered prior to the start date, which delayed the overall project. What was supposed to take 3 weeks ended up taking six. I would not recommend them.

I have a large, heritage home with extensive trim - lots of decorative work. NorthCo contracted to…read moredo the job and it became bigger than they (or I) expected. Despite terrible weather and a few unexpected surprises that required carpentry, NorthCo restored the trim on the house to a very high level and the result is the best I have had in 20 years. I gave NorthCo this job because of the quality of an interior restoration where serious water damage in a bedroom was addressed with incredible drywall patchwork. NorthCo is also one of the few window cleaners that are able to bring 40' ladders to reach all of the windows on my home.

Not only did these guys do a great job installing our new roof, but eight years later, when we…read moredecided to sell the house, they were so accommodating in providing us with a copy of the original contract and of the warranty. Done instantly and with a smile. I would not hesitate to recommend them.

If you've ever heard the statement quality shows itself; it originated with these folks in our…read moreopinion. They were courteous, responsive and patiently answered all of your questions. Our roof turned out to be quite the undertaking, requiring them to remove multiple roofing systems that had been overlaid on top of each other. They meticulously fixed a few issues with the roof decking and installed nice, durable shingles as well as a metal drip edge. They kept the job site immaculate; using magnets on the roof as they were tearing down to prevent nails and screws from being littered everywhere. Once the roof was completed, they did yet another thorough clean-up of the property. We would have absolutely no reservations recommending R&G Eastern to anyone.

Ryan's work is above the industry standard. He pays close attention to detail, and doesn't accept…read moreanything less than perfect from his work. I was very pleased with the upgrades he did to my home and I will bring him back again when I need more work done.

We reached out to Alyve Contractors to work on our basement that got flooded recently. They were…read morequick to assess the work and provided a detailed estimate and good price that our insurance company approved quickly. Their work is impeccable and they go over and above to provide a great service. They take the time to explain the process and always provided a daily update on the status of their work. We have done several renovations through the years, and rarely have we seen this level of quality of work AND service in this industry. We will absolutely use their service again in the future and will recommend them to anyone that would need Drywall/Insulation work done in their home or business. Thank you again!