Chatterton

After spending January, February, and March 2015 on Vancouver Island to escape a Winnipeg prairie winter, we made a “snap decision” to purchase a 1600 sq. ft. condo in Victoria. An excellent local realtor helped us select an appropriate property even though we realized that considerable work would be required to enhance the 18-year old unit.

With a quick purchase on March 13 and an April 1 possession date, we immediately began the search for a general contractor to help us complete our renovation dreams for our new home. Without time to spare, we had the very good fortune of meeting Paul Greenwood near the end of March 2015. Paul did magic and made it all happen for our June 2 arrival to live in our new home.

Our renovation was a major project. While our strata is a highly desirable complex in the Broadmead area of Saanich, there had been very few updates in the unit since its construction in 1998. Accordingly, our intent was to do a complete makeover with modern finishes as recommended by our interior designer back at home.

Paul visited the condo with us and prepared detailed information for us to study in his initial quotation for the scope of work requested. We were highly impressed with his attention to detail in this initial aspect of his work, which served us well through the entire project. Some quick reference checks assisted in knowing that Paul was the right general contractor for this project and our required time-lines. We hired Paul, drove back to Winnipeg, sold our home, and prepared to move to Victoria in late May.

As promised, Paul began his work on April 1, possession date. From the very onset, Paul communicated regularly by email, “telephone meetings”, or text message – frequently sending me photos of the work in progress. As often happens, we thought of additional betterments for the property as we reflected on the purchase. Paul was always quick to cost these possibilities and open to adjusting his scope of work to incorporate our new ideas. His desire to collaborate effectively with us (and our interior designer in Winnipeg) was evident from the onset of the project.

We found Paul to be professional, reliable, hard-working, and highly skilled. He quickly assembled his strong team of tradespeople for the components of the project. Indeed, when we arrived in Victoria on June 2, we had the opportunity to observe Paul in action, to watch the “finishing touches” completed on our new home, and to meet many of these professionals who provided their expertise to the project as they came to finish touch-ups, details, or minor additional work requested after our arrival. Paul and his team were professional, courteous, attentive to detail, sincerely wanting to please, and very well-organized.

This was a “whirlwind experience” for us as we had not planned to move to Victoria when we came to the Island on December 31, 2014 for a three-month stay. If the renovations went well, it is due to the work ethic, professionalism, and collaboration of Paul Greenwood. We believe that we “lucked out” the day we met him in late March 2015. Two months after moving into our new home, we are 100% satisfied with the work that Paul did for us in this major renovation. We would not hesitate to hire him again or to recommend him to others. It’s also great to know that Paul and his team are only a text message away for any of our future needs.