Reviews of Penguin Basements Renovations (Basement Contractors) (Contractor)

Alexander Henderson

Friendly and hardworking staff. Nice people in the office too when they answer your questions through the Penguin Basements app, super convenient! Josh is also a workaholic and pushed our project through in 2 weeks without sacrificing on quality. Love it!

William Johnson

We had an unfinished basement we wanted to transform into a second suite to rent out but we didn’t know where to start. At first we were hesitant to go with Penguin Basements but as soon as our consultation began, all those fears went away. They gave us an expected time frame of only 2 weeks and amazingly, they kept to that timeline. Although there was a problem of some miscommunication between the management and installation team, Vince was able to solve all the glitches before they could cause any trouble. Big thanks to him and love the installation!

Edna redn

Me and my wife had never done a basement reno before so we were nervous as to how it would turn out. Thankfully, Rick gave us some awesome design options to work with that helped us find the perfect basement for us. A massive game room where we put in a ping-pong and pool table, a separate playroom for the kids as well as a bar for night outs with friends. Our basement has everything now, it’s the best part of the house!

Jill Walker

We wanted to turn our basement into a second suite and were recommended to Penguin Basements. Once we booked an appointment, their team was all over the project. Whenever we had a concern, we’d always receive a reply within an hour no matter when. Their team helped us through abiding by city regulations and building a beautiful bedroom with hardwood flooring, marble kitchen with countertop and tiled flooring as well as a massive bathroom with a tiled shower. Thanks, love it!

Birikti Kiros

We’re almost done with our basement reno and although there were a few instances when the project had to be delayed, by a week in total by the end of it, it was totally worth it. The design team was great in showing off the kitchen, living room, bathroom, bedroom and dry sauna with the 3D virtual layout tour. The installation team also came on time every day and worked non-stop until they went home and the end result looks amazing! Big thanks to Marlon for getting us over the humps.

Robert Stevenson

Great experience with Vince, he was always there tio answer any questions we had. Now we have a great 700 sq.ft finished basement. We managed to fit a pool and ping pong table into the basement along with a bar and couches. Now we can party with our friends and not bother the kids.

Shawn Ahmed

After finally getting a hold of someone on the phone (Ryan), I was told I'd get a call back for an initial consult. It's been weeks. I even followed up with blueprints and reno proposals to get a rough estimate by email. Nothing. Guess business is going so well they don't need new customers.

Bernard Sallee

Professional, effective and quick installation. Easy design process, very informative and patient project managers and great communication/customer service. IOf you need a new basement, come here.

Johnson James

Great customer service, if you ever have an issue, text them through their app and they’ll always get back to you ASAP, no need to wait to get a call back after your voicemail or receive an email. Big thanks to Marlon for making sure that our project went through on time and turned out EXACTLY how we wanted it to. Talk to him if you want your basement done.

James Read

Living in an older Toronto home, built in 1973, and having a nearly 40-year old basement made the whole project more difficult so this year when renovating the whole home, we chose Penguin Basements for our basement. We knew that there would be a lot of issues they’d have to face but our project manager Vince went above and beyond accommodating to our basement to help us make the most use out of what we had. Now instead of the creaky floors, cracked tiles and visible rusty pipes we have beautiful hardwood, sleek tiles and marble. Big thanks to Chris as well in the office for helping us out with our questions whenever they came up and with financing! Love the new basement!

Allison Morris

Loved the Penguin Basements team right from the start! Scheduling the appointment only took one quick phone call and we had Alan come over 2 days later to take a look and give us a rough quote on the time and price tag. As soon as we learnt about their approach to manufacturing and installation and we were given our quote, we knew we weren’t dealing with some shady project manager trying to get us buy quickly without even knowing what we’re in for. Alan did a great job taking us through everything step by step and answering all our questions. The whole project was finished a month later. We love the décor, extra finishing touches and the feel. The basement feels twice as big as before!

Mishup Park

Our service rep Alan was great at keeping the project on schedule and bringing us what was promised. The stone tiled walls, the beautiful hardwood flooring and sleek walls look great. All of the installation crew came in on time and were very dedicated and meticulous in what they were doing, I also love the authentic craftsmanship. Thanks for the quick service and beautiful basement!

Thelma Ford

No problems from start to finish Vincent was there from the beginning helping us out with the flooring, lighting and lighting. The advisors and installers also did a great job inputting their feedback and I ended up installing a second suite. Now I have a great shower, kitchen, living room and bedroom! You’re the best guys.

Adrienne Klopman

Site manager always made sure that we were comfortable by constantly informing us of the next steps and the goals set by the team for each day. Super professional and organized, we got the project finished in 2 weeks. The DIY option to finish the basement yourself was also a great help for saving on the painting of the walls.

Mary Mia

Really happy with our new basement! Thanks to Dan, Sergei, Walter and more for the amazing work! They did a great job making it as spacious and comfortable as possible for our family. Big, expansive rooms, soft and smooth flooring and a wonderful closed off movie room with sound-proof walls to have Friday movie nights together! Also great aesthetic and design for resale and/or renting it out in the future. Loving it!

Pamela Baker

We had already called and had made appointments with 3 basement renovators before booking a consultation with Penguin Basements but after hearing their service representatives and looking at the attention to detail they have in regard to basements, I went with them and they certainly didn’t disappoint. My wife and I love it, the living room, movie theatre and play room are perfect for the kids!

Alexander Phillips

Super professional service from start to finish. Quick, responsive crew. Vncent always there to give his advice and Roberto was a joy to work with when designing the basement. I got a fitness room and movie theatre in the basement. Great flooring and love the dark, exciting theme of the theatre.

Sarah Paul

STEER CLEAR OF THIS COMPANY. Please save yourself the stress and headache. We hired them to finish our basement 550sqft - a rec room, bedroom, bathroom, storage area. Quote was similar to others we got, but at the time they offered a “half …

John Summey

Super quick service and great installation. Friendly and easygoing team and very knowledgeable but not pushy project manager. We were even able to save by choosing to do the painting ourselves! Thanks to Penguin Basements for making it …

James Walton

We got our whole basement made in 3 weeks, we wanted to have a game room for the kids and the project manager was great at leading us through selecting from the million different floor and wall designs. At the end of the day, we have a nice hardwood flooring, blue walls and a separate bedroom! Thanks!

Shameka Pinkney

Huge thanks to Matt for taking us in after a horror story basement renovation we had with another basement reno company. He reassured us that our basement can be made new and beautiful again and got to work. Very smooth communication, any …

Mahirima Jonas

Love the finished basement! Even though COVID made things difficult when it came to shipping and supply delays, they were still able to complete everything within a month and a half and be respectful when it came to social distancing regulations. The designer and project manager were always eager to add another piece to our ever-evolving basement, they were never content with the basement just being okay. Now I have a wonderful living room, kitchen and bedroom downstairs. The financing also helped out a lot.

Jason Benoit

My wife was pregnant and about to deliver; Penguin was willing to work around the schedule. Even more, they were ready to do whatever necessary to have the basement completed before her coming home. It takes confidence, competence and …

Charles Murphy

Super satisfied with Vince, our project manager. He was always available for questioning and super informative on design choices and the hardware specifications. When there was a delay in shipping the supplies, he informed us right away in advance and worked around our schedule to come in for overtime and still complete the project on time. Thanks! 10/10 service, basement looks top-notch!

Lori Phillips

Very pleased with how the basement turned out. Big thanks to Josh and his team for going above and beyond with the work. Great flooring, walls and custom LED lighting works great with the bar and kitchen.

Mary Neale

Tony and Marlon were a pleasure to work with, great guys to talk to and made sure that every detail that we wanted included in our basement was covered. The 3D virtual layout was a big help in visualizing it all. The warranty is also a great guarantee so that we don’t have to stress anymore in the future.

Kennth nixon

Loved the new work, Claudio brought the whole project to a 10/10. Great work, quality materials and a project manager that is always on top of everything and ready to address whatever concern you have, no matter how small it is. Love how the design turned out, the beautiful hardwood flooring and tiling for the bathroom and kitchen looks wonderful!

Edward Nida

Love the quality of workmanship on display, they don’t sacrifice anything when it comes to quality and design. Fabio was a huge help in going through the entire planning phase and not wasting a moment in getting down to what I’m looking for in my basement. Thanks to him, we were able to hash out any misunderstandings before they turned into problems. Now the colourful flooring and sleek walls look amazing and the whole basement feels like a second home! If I never need something else, I’ll be sure to come back!

James Saechao

We wanted to open up a second suite to rent out our basement and needed to design a good one. Penguin basements right away brought us in with their free consultation that we received the next day. It was long, but very informative. We then had a project manager assigned that helped to finish the 700sq ft. of space we had in the span of 3 weeks. He really helped us pick out the best materials and design for our basement as well as making sure we complied with all the regulations to rent our basement. Big thanks, we got an amazing price for it!

Jon Daltonm

Really impressed with Penguin Basements, no hidden costs, no fooling around, they let you know what will be done with your home straight up from the very beginning. We even discovered some other issues I had in my old basement that needed fixing that the project.

Marvin Young

We had an older home that didn’t have the proper electrical infrastructure in the basement when we did the makeover for today’s homes. Thankfully, the team came prepared by inspecting our home during the consultation and working around the limitations of the 400 sq.ft basement to give us a beautiful sprawling living room as well as bathroom with a tiled shower included! Thanks to Vince, Roberto and more for making it possible!

Tenisha Janese

This place doesn’t deserve 5 stars, they deserve 10. I was lucky enough to have my consultation/estimate with Guy Solomon, who is very personable and keen to help my family do our dream basement on a budget. He advised us on all the ways we …

Mary Livingston

Super professional, the Penguin Basements team did a great job showing su the ropes of basement renovation and worked hard to make sure that all of our worries were put to rest when we took a look at our finished basement. 5 stars!

Brenda Smith

Their team worked hard to push our basement through in 2 weeks. Super impressed with how they were able to finish it on time, they were super efficient at work while at the same time, paying attention to every detail. Good quote, innovative design and the installation is awesome! The games room and living room are perfect for the kids now!

Lisa Tavernaris

Me and my wife were looking for a basement reno company and after 3 quotes, we went with Penguin Basements. Roberto was a great help in designing the basement and Vinecnt was always there to make sure that everything was done up to standards and on-time. From day 1, all the installers were super respectful, hard-working and made sure to clean up after themselves every day. The project was delayed and it took 6 weeks, but it was definitely worth the wait.

Common Sense

I don't know if this is a one time anomaly, but here is my experience that did not lead to hiring them for our basement project. It started with unannounced and unscheduled employee that arrived at our door to complete measurements and 3D imaging. Sergio was nice and professional and he was apologetic as he thought someone from Penguin would already notified us of his visit. I told Sergio that no one called nor emailed us in regards to his visit. I still let him in as I work from him at the time, but I could not entertain him or be with him as I would like to. I informed Ryan about this issue and he was apologetic and admitted that it was his mistake as he thought someone else would have notified me about Sergio's visit. He assured me that it is not how Penguin work and it won't happen again. He called me to reschedule our zoom meeting from 12 pm to 3 pm. I accepted it. Saturday at 3 pm came. I still did not receive any zoom meeting link from anyone and I did not know the name of the person that I will be meeting. 3:15 pm and still no zoom meeting and no call. I sent email to Penguin. 3:30 pm and still no zoom meeting and no call. I tried to call Penguin using their 1-866 phone # and press option 1 and option 3, and no answer. Sent an email to Penguin and let them know how unprofessional they are as we already set aside time for them. At 3:50 pm, Guy Solomon sent email with zoom meeting and called me and apologize for being late. I told him that we can go ahead with the zoom meeting. He said that he messaged someone else to call us that he was running late. I told him there was no one called us. It made me wonder why would he messaged someone else to message us when he has our phone #. I told Guy that Penguin seems to keep messing with the appointments and told him about the unscheduled and unannounced visit by the 3D person. I told him that we can start and Mary Jane was here at 3 pm and she could not join us any longer. He flatly said "no" and he wants all stake holder to be present. He said that if a company missing appointment, he would discount that company and go with another company. He made it clear that Penguin is booking for December and very busy and there are hundreds of contractors out there. I got his message that he does not care for our business and we can go to anybody else as they are already busy as it is. Well, they should have refused new business from the get go and not send people to come to our house unannounced and take pictures and asked us to set aside 2 hours of our personal time in the weekend for a meeting that was one hour late. Remember what the old saying people, first impression counts! Guy Solomon is right that there are many contractors out there that will appreciate your time and business. Other options I can think of is AGM basement, Harmony basement, and other smaller companies. Update:Sep 20, 2021 Just realized that Guy Solomon who showed up almost one hour later to our meeting and then denied to continue with the meeting was actually the CEO of Penguin. Now this speaks greatly of the type of company he is running. Thank God I didn’t go with them. He certainly doesn’t have common and business sense at all.

Newlin Eugenio

Love the FIY option they give if you’re someone who wants a good basement while also being able to save. Big thanks to the electrician as well as Vincent, the supervisor for making sure the design and installation process went smoothly, everything was finished in just 2 weeks!

Chad Wesley

We wanted to have a second home but didn’t want to spend all the money to get one. We hired Penguin Basements to change our unfinished basement into one. The whole project was finished in 3 weeks thanks to the installation team being so hard-working and Fabio being a huge help in organization, planning, and co-ordination. Thanks to his advice, we were able to make a beautiful kitchen, separate movie theatre and massive bedroom and salon with authentic hardwood flooring.

Wells Romeo

Vince and Andreas were amazing and made sure that we didn’t have anything to worry about. They talked us through the entire renovation design and planning process as well as making sure that the project stayed on time. Thanks also to Eric and Oscar for the installation and picking out the beautiful baby blue coloured walls. We didn’t know if it would work but now that the project is done, it looks fantastic! If you want to renovate your basement, call these guys.

Matthew Williams

The Penguin Basements team was great throughout super quick and responsive with a crew that always addressed my concerns as soon as they popped up. I had the project completed in the 3 week timeline and having ajn online schedule really lessened the anxiety and was helpful to see the progress being made daily.

James Winfrey

Beautiful job with the basement; the bedroom, movie theatre and living room are all fantastic! Sleek floors, beautiful bathroom and financing that makes everything much easier. Top notch professionalism, the installation and service team were great to work with, always ready to adjust the project to fit my needs and ready to answer any questions I had.

J C

I had my basement done in 2017. I was happy with the work done until I was notified by the city in 2020 that there were outstanding permits (HVAC, electrical, plumbing) on the basement. I have been trying to contact Penguin Basements to get this resolved with the city but have had no response.

Tommie McKeel

From contact signing to design elements to installation, everyone helped out along the way to bring us an awesome hardwood floored basement. Thanks to Robert for coming up with the amazing design and Roderigo for keeping the project on budget and on schedule.Thanks to everyone else for the installation as well! (P.S. sorry that I don’t remember your names).

David Ronger

Big thanks to Alan for making everything run smoothly. Most companies are eager to get into your basement and wallet as soon as possible but not Alan. He was determined to show us through the maps and design layouts of what we wanted and what we could add to give us a perfect view of what we were getting so that there wouldn’t be any misunderstanding. We installed a private movie theatre, massive living room and a steam room to boot! The whole basement looks great, we’ll make sure to use it!

James Smith

Intuitive design process, Penguin Basements made it easy with the designer's expertise and advice helping us through choosing the best flooring, wall, ceiling and lighting for the basement. We ended up separating it into a main room and a movie theatre. The installation was delayed but after 3 months, the result of it all is totally worth it!

Jamie Lopes

Very nice to talk to and respectful staff that always clean up after themselves. They managed to keep the project on time (3 weeks) while still making it look 10/10 beautiful. Great work, thanks to Josh and the install team for making it happen.

Bever foxen

Loving the newly finished basement! Both Walter and Vince were great. Walter was there from the start to help us with design and planning. The 3D virtual layout and tour of the finished basement that you get in the beginning is perfect for seeing exactly what your basement might look like before having to commit to anything. Once installation was going through, Vince was always there day and night to keep the project on time and looking top notch.

Maikel Clark

The project manager gave us an easy-to-understand process, timeline, and payment plan since we just bought our first home and decided to finish our basement. Now we have an extra 1400 sq. Ft space and the financing program doesn’t force us to break bank to pay for it all! At the end of the day, the living room, bedroom and kitchen look great and we’ve received compliments from all our friends who’ve come over, thanks!

Lorenzo Brown

Ernesto was great as the finishing project manager, he made sure to correct some of the imperfections some of the crew had made and fix them before they messed with our final design. Walter was also great as the framing supervisor to ensure that the first steps of designing and planning were taken care of. I love the new work; you can tell that they take pride and actually care about the quality of their work instead of just coming for their paycheck.

Duke christina

Super pleased with the new basement design and install from Penguin Basements. The renovation took us 3 weeks to complete and Josh made it much easier than it would have otherwise been, constantly talking back and forth between the different departments and us to make sure that everything stayed on track and on schedule. Big thanks to him and the installers for making it happen! Cheers.

Dennis Murray

We did a full basement reno with Penguin Basements a couple months back. Loved how it turned out, the hardwood flooring is pristine and the smooth walls are great for sound proofing while also making the whole floor feel like the most spacious and cleanest one in our entire house. Super happy with everything and would highly recommend them!

Barbara Wilkinson

Chris was a great project manager, made sure to take into account all our questions, concerns and opinions and was always ready to give us an in-depth consultation or progress report on the project. Rodrigom was also a great design advisor when it came to making the perfect basement design, we love it. It’s been 2 months and it’s finally done.; We’ve had our friends finish their basements but all of them have had problems afterwards. For us, it's still perfect. :)

Thomas Pascoe

The first meeting/consultation that you have is a drag, took us 3 ½ hours but thankfully, it was all worth it. The staff are always ready to take the extra mile when it comes to design and installation to blow you away. The project manager and workers were really approachable and nice to talk to and they all gave tips on how I could improve my basement. Thanks to their advice, it now looks a palace, thanks guys!

Micheal Martin

Had an online consultation over Zoom and decided to choose Penguin basements after they offered their quote. Always able to co0me up with new designs so make my basement bigger, brighter and better. The whole team was super flexible with whatever I wanted and were willing to work around me to fit my needs. At the end of the day, we got a playroom for the kids, living room for movie nights and an extra bedroom in our 900 sq.ft space. Before it felt like a cavern with concrete flooring but now it feels like a wide open mansion! Love it!

Mike Gomez

Our cluttered unfinished basement got transformed in the span of a month and a half to a paradise. The kitchen, living room, bedroom and even a sauna was all in reach. Want to give a big shoutout to the installation team as well as Fabio for going through all the planning and design beforehand to make sure we were getting exactly what we wanted and he could give his recommendations.

Janice Patel

Delighted with the new work, all of it was completed in just 2 weeks! Vince was always there to update me when the app was glitching out and was always at the ready to answer my barrage of never ending questions. He also helped put in the finishing touches I wanted at the end to give the basement that homey feeling. Loved the service and product!

Taylor Rogers

Penguin Basements was super careful to take all my design choices into consideration as well as regulations into account to build us a beautiful second suite basement. A beautiful hardwood flooring for the bedroom, fireplace and stone tiled wall for the living room and marble tiling for the kitchen. Fantastic!

Vicente Long

Loved the service, loved the staff. They’re always willing to stop what they’re doing and explain everything to you from scratch so that you always know exactly what;s going on in your home. They actually take the time to listen and help you out if you're unsure. Great professionalism and awesome install work!

Ronald Bowman

Just transformed our basement into a one bedroom apartment suite and it looks great! We had Josh as our project manager help us with design and without his help, we would’ve had no idea what we were doing. The pricing was substantial but we were also able to put up a high price for renting because of the basement being top-tier! Love the work, 5 stars.

Anthony Currier

Project completed on time, communication consistent throughout and great design advice and oversight from Vince to make sure the basement was as good as can be and completed on time. 1 month later, the basement looks great!

Jamie Barney

We dealt with Penguin Basements from Day 1 and throughout, from the quick consultation to the certified hardware they used to the great customer service and communication throughout, there was nothing to complain about. We were able to finish our basement in 3 weeks with hardwood flooring and a stone tiled wall with a built-in fireplace. Looks great, now we have another half a home compared to the cellar we had before with the unfinished basement.

Alishah Jiwani

Horrible warranty response. I submitted an urgent claim and followed up with multiple phone calls. No one called me back or responded in any way. Ended up paying out of pocket for something that could potentially have been covered under their warranty.

Tonya N.

5 Stars! Had Penguin build a second site for family. We had our own ideas and Penguin steered us in a better direction. In some ways our new basement suite is a better place to spend time than the main home upstairs. Thanks Penguin ;-)

Mark Rubio

Already had a home for 10 years and wanted to finish our basement. We had a 800 sq.ft space and got in touch with Penguin Basements. Got our free quote and consultation with Roberto and it was smooth sailing from there. The team did a great job letting us in on the best layout for our basement and we got our basement finished after 4 weeks. We now have shining hardwood floors, sleek marble tiles, a kitchen, living room and bedroom with a bathroom. 10/10

Bennett Roland

Love the innovation, design and service! Great install team and great designer to help show us the ropes of basement renovation. We installed a living room, bedroom and bar for stone-tiled walls as well as marble flooring in the bar and hardwood flooring for the rest of the basement. They put a lot of work into making it a reality, and I’m glad they did. Super meticulous work and a great end result! Great company and good pricing!

Amy Pan

Loved Josh, he always puts you as the first priority. Everyone was super quick, professional but laid-back at the same time. Love the new bedroom, living room and kitchen. The bathroom also looks great, we’re now getting more than $1000/month for the second suite! Thanks!

Mark Sanders

Loved how the basement renovation turned out! Josh and his crew were very courteous with them going above and beyond to recommend us new and innovative styles we had never thought of before as well as fixing some old structural deficiencies in our old basement.

P B

Who ever was driving your car #12 today ( 29th Nov 2021) almost side swiped me on the Niagara bound QEW. He was talking on his phone well driving, completely oblivious to the fact he wasn't holding his lane. …

Ron Hanes

Vince was a great guy to talk to and helped make the project as quick and as hassle-free as possible. No last minute adjustments, no miscommunication, just a quality basement. He even stayed late on some nights just to make sure that the goals for that day were met and the project stayed on track. It’s been 2 weeks so far and the project is almost done and I’ve got to say, it looks amazing!

Kevin Hunter

The staff at Penguin Basements is a joy for any first-time renovators. As soon as we sent an email requesting more info, we received a call back and were scheduled for an appointment. The appointment was a long one but it covered every single detail of the project so that there wasn’t anything left that we were left in the dark about. The new basement looks great, the playroom, living room and kitchen are all perfect!