Project Review: Fulton Home Renovation

Design-Build-Fulton-Basement

Woodsmith Construction Project Journal: Fulton Home Renovation

 

Our Fulton home renovation was located around the Pape and Danforth area of Toronto. This neighbour is a very sought-after place to live, and for good reason. Whether it is the great schools or the shopping and food on the Danforth, everything is right at your doorstep in this community.

To continue our discussions on various projects and how to better formulate renovation budgets. I thought this project would be a great one for anyone considering doing a basement renovation. This project actually started out on the small side and ballooned, as they sometimes can because of what we found under the floor and in the walls.

As with any successful renovation we do our goal is two fold. Firstly we want to make sure that whatever problems are found, get fix properly. Secondly we want make sure we leverage all additional funds as much as possible.  Making sure we end up with more finished product throughout the home at the end of the project.

There were two areas on our Fulton home renovation that came to light during the job and forced us to increase the scope of work. The first was water infiltration and the second was mold.

Water Infiltration

This basement project started out as a simple laundry room rework and an existing basement entry fix. Simple enough it would seem but once we start to remove the existing wall cladding. We realized we were going to have to do more than we had originally planned. Our Fulton home renovation project had a leaky foundation and because it was mostly a finished basement. We could not see how much water was actually coming in. The renovation budget lesson here, was always make sure that no matter how nice you basement might look to start. Make sure that if you are planning to do work on it, always cut out some sections of the drywall through out the basement to see if there are any bigger problems at work.

Mold

Mold is probably one of the most common things we deal with in any older finished basement. Given the environment is usually perfect for the continued production of mold. It is always a safe bet, that if you have a damp basement you will have some mold. It is also usually a good idea to just plan to gut any basement that has signs of mold or has any musty smell. Our Fulton home renovation was no exception to this rule. In the end what we had thought was mold in our potential laundry area. Turned out to be heavy mold throughout the finished basement. This was an area that the family used regularly and was completely unaware of the danger that was behind their walls. Always budget to explore for mold and remove mold in any older basement renovation.

Cristina Blesa
Cristina Blesa2023-12-06
Google

We worked with Chris Smith and Woodsmith Construction Inc. on a large-scale renovation of our east-end semi and we couldn’t be happier with the finished product. The project included adding a third floor, underpinning the basement, and updating the interior throughout the house. Chris handled both the design and the build, and he is incredibly knowledgeable about all stages of the process. He was professional and responsive and always had our best interests at heart. His team was hard-working and respectful and they were all a pleasure to work with.Chris was professional, calm, and reasonable in working with our neighbours at all stages of the process and earned a very positive reputation among people on the street who saw the process and admired the result. The final product maintains the same exterior character of the home while updating the interior and making it a hundred times more functional for our family. It is a total transformation from what it used to be and we thank Chris for his vision and guidance throughout the process.Chris and his team were organized, professional, and always on top of the details. They kept us in the loop throughout the project and made sure everything was done to the highest standard. We would not hesitate to recommend Woodsmith to anyone undertaking a residential renovation – he is one of the hardest-working people we know and we are very grateful for his expertise and dedication.

D Volpe
D Volpe2024-12-01
Google

Woodsmith construction just completed a gut job and garage addition for my husband and I and it was the best experience I could have hoped for especially given all the renovation horror stories we have heard. They were so professional, helpful, diligent and responsive and the quality of the renovation was first class. I would recommend anyone to hire Woodsmith construction for all their needs whether it is a renovation or a new build. We could not be happier with the outcome and our newly renovated home.

Woodsmith Construction completed a project for us in a timely and professional manner. The quality of their workmanship is superb. Communication between them and us was informative, courteous and collaborative. We would highly recommend them.

Rick Wilson
Rick Wilson2020-03-31
Google

Emmanuel Moysis
Emmanuel Moysis2019-03-31
Google

Woodsmith Construction is first and foremost one of the leading contractors serving the GTA. We at Rigid Frame Structural Engineers Inc. provide structural engineering consulting for them. Woodsmith always adhere to the drawings and regulations in all of their construction projects. We also find Chris and all his crews to be very respectful. We recommend Woodsmith to all our clients who like to tackle renovations.

We worked with Chris Smith and Woodsmith Construction Inc. on the design for a garage addition, and the experience was fantastic. The project included adding attic trusses to create a new walk-in closet and laundry room that seamlessly connected to our existing main bedroom. Chris’s goal was to make the addition feel like it had always been part of the home, and he absolutely nailed it.From the start, Chris took the time to understand what we needed and came up with a design that not only maximized the functionality of the space but also kept the style consistent with the rest of the house. He paid close attention to every detail, from the layout to the finishes, ensuring everything worked perfectly with our main bedroom.The design makes such smart use of the space, and it feels like a natural extension of the home rather than an afterthought. Chris was great to work with—responsive, creative, and incredibly knowledgeable. He even provided advice on how to approach the construction phase, which made us feel confident moving forward.If you’re looking for someone to bring your vision to life with a thoughtful and practical design, we highly recommend Chris Smith and Woodsmith Construction. The design he created for us has truly enhanced our home. Our construction is well under way and we are already seeing the great design come to life!

Steve F
Steve F2024-12-03
Google

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