Brantford Basement Renovation Masterpiece

Moving from Toronto to Brantford was a huge leap. I had decided to leave the IT company I was working for and start focusing on my own business in a similar field. The beauty of it was, I could work from my new home in Brantford and help with the kids when needed and we wouldn’t be in the hustle-bustle of the city.

My wife and I found a gorgeous house in Brantford where I would be able to renovate the basement into my workspace. The basement was already finished, but it wasn’t updated or functional to what I needed.

Luckily when we were in search of a local contractor there was one highly recommended in our town.

Finding the Right Contractor

A little moment here for our process of elimination. There are many contractors out there that do basement renovations. It can be really easy to pull the trigger on the cheapest one.. But, homeowner beware… You get what you pay for when it comes to home renovation contractors, so choose wisely.

Contractor Must Haves

• Great Reviews!
• Licensed Contractors
• Full Transparency
• Bonus* Financing
• Timeline
• Free Quote

Warning Signs

• Ball Park Number
• No/Bad Reviews
• Very Vague With Workmanship
• No Website OR Social Platform
• Takes Awhile To Return Message
• No Licenses

On top of those mentioned above, you really want to make sure that your personalities vibe well during your quote. Odds are your basement renovation will take weeks to finish and you don’t want to have sketchy contractors in your house all day.

Free Basement Renovation Quote

We initially contacted 3 different basement renovation companies in Brantford to compare. Only 1 company returned our message and promptly so. We had made the decision to just visit with this company then seek out 2 more for our quotes afterwards. Lucky for us, this company had time to squeeze in our quote that week.

My wife gave the face and eyebrow raise when we got the appointment so quickly. She of course was the one who chose that company for the job. Mine never even bothered to call back.

When our basement contractor arrived for our free quote he arrived in his company truck (Professional and on time!). He had brought his co-worker with him to help measure and brainstorm the ideas and costs.

We went downstairs and told him what I was ideally hoping to accomplish for a workspace/office. He asked me many questions about our intentions, budget, style and finishes.

I was super impressed when I found out I could completely gut out half the basement and have an open concept to make the space feel more breathable and less stuffy.

The basement renovation contractor even thought about how our renovation would flow with our current style upstairs. Something I would have never even concerned myself with… But my wife on the other hand… Loved that we could tweak the style just enough to be modern and still look like it belongs.

Once we finished up with our free quote consultation they took our email and said they would send the drawings and breakdowns of everything we talked about today by the end of the next week.

Pleasantly surprised with the quick turn around, personality, honesty and good vibes… We were pretty sure we weren’t going to seek out any other companies for quotes.

The Demolition And Reconstruction Process

After we gave the thumbs up to the quote we received we booked a start date. The contractor had 2 jobs to finish up before starting ours so we booked 6 weeks out. That gave us time to clear out everything we weren’t keeping and find storage for the rest.

We were definitely concerned about what type of mess this was going to leave the house during the process. He assured us that the team keeps a clean ship and tidies up after each day leaving minimal to no trace behind. I chuckled and thought “My wife will be the one who judges that”.

Our house is a split level home, the entry way has a foyer and a set of stairs up or down. The first day of demolition the contractor had his team cover the intake vents and put up a barrier to upstairs to prevent drywall dust going everywhere.

The basement renovations were looking great! He sent us photos at the end of each day to show us the progress and any interesting finds/hurdles.

The basement renovation was going by smoothly every day. The supporting beam was the biggest stressor, flawlessly the beam slid right into its place. We were amazed with how bright and open the basement had become from just one wall removal.

My wife started thinking we needed to make a family room down there instead of my office she loved it so much.

The contractor and I vetoed that REAL fast.

The basement renovation wrapped up a week sooner than anticipated. We didn’t choose any tile work for the bathroom, kitchen or laundry rooms. Tile work is one of the longest processes during any renovation.

I had the contractor install kitchen cabinets along a wall with a mini sink for a coffee station. Who knows when I will hire a coworker and need to provide some sort of office space stuff. The flooring we chose is a light luxury vinyl plank that looks like a like wood. Super easy maintenance and gorgeously brightens up the place.

Our Home Renovation

Now that we have all of my new office furniture and plants (My wife insisted) my business feels really real. It was different doing my days at home on the couch for the past few months. My new basement renovation has me super motivated and in the right mindset for a proper work day.

Of course my kids like to come down and visit me, spin on my office chairs while I work… I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I’d highly recommend anyone who is working from home or  simply looking to renovate their basement get in contact with these guys! My wife is already searching our house to find more renovations to do!

Contact Information

• Hache Construction
• 62 Harriett St, Brantford, ON N3S 1J2
• (226) 802-8648