Laurysen Kitchens, on Carp Road near the exit for the 417, has been in business since 1970, so they…read morereally know what they are doing. If you are looking for something better than a hardware store box kitchen (which would be fine in some circumstances, but sometimes you need something a little extra), this is a good place to look. Their displays are beautiful, and incorporate good use of space. It's those little, finishing touches that make such a big difference, such as: access to the back of a cabinet that divides rooms, like an island, or an L-shaped counter where the back is exposed to another room. We are looking for some way to add a little more storage to our house, specifically the kitchen, without losing the integrity of the space. We wandered around Laurysen looking for ideas; it would be very tempting to replace the kitchen entirely! I need to go back again, to look at the selection in the lower level. This is an excellent show room for anyone who likes to see things in person, as opposed to shopping from a catalogue.

The designer was fantastic and the functionality of our renovated kitchen is top notch…read more Unfortunately, Laurysen has been installing my kitchen for 7 weeks (it was supposed to take 2 days), and there are still a number of outstanding items ... with NO end in sight. Heck, I still don't have the correct nobs on my drawers (and I had NO nobs until I got pissy and they sent someone out to slap random handles on until they can get their act together)! Multiple days taken off work - and at times, for some guy to come out and literally do nothing ... seriously. Nothing. I would expect this from a low budget company, but Laurysen isn't cheap. 60% down payment over 5 moths ago to get it all started, and they WOULD NOT even unload the cabinets from the truck upon delivery without the next 30% deposit. I haven't even mentioned the 3 garbage cans (which I filled) of material that was left in my garage after installation. Love the look of the kitchen, but in hindsight, I would have negotiated the payment plan better to withhold 20-30% of final payment ... that might actually motivate this company to be a little more punctual with finishing its job.

I had a plastic window adapter that needed to be cut to fit my window. I couldn't find any workshop…read morein Ottawa that would agree to do it for me. I called My Urban Workshop expecting another no. But instead, Greg agreed to take a look first and see how he could help. He did and he didn't charge me for it. Thank you so much for your helping mindset...I am truly grateful. Next time, I would definitely come back for the right projects.

While I've put down "Carpenters" and "Cabinetry" for categories, I only chose these as I couldn't…read morefind a closer fit. This business makes custom wood furniture, but also has courses on woodworking and allows you to make use of their extensive selection of power and hand tools by purchasing block of time. e.g. 10 hours of time in the workshop for $150. You are required to take a training course for each of the power tools before you can use them, and the cost is $20 per course. I've taken several and found every course to be helpful, both int terms of learning how to use the tools safely but also to get a sense of the best ways to use them. There is even a laser cutter which can be used for project such as engraving . 16+ for hand tools and 18+ for power tools. I took one course on making a wooden cutting board and would highly recommend their courses for anyone that wants to give woodworking a try They are within about two minutes walk of a specialty lumber store called KJP Select Hardwoods which is quite convenient.

A nice store with a great selection and really helpful staff. I had a shower/tub/tiling job done by…read morethem and what was a 3 day job took 7 days straight - they sent someone who had clearly not really done this before. Even the shop came by to take their sign off my front lawn by day 3 since they didn't want to embarrass themselves. Do your research before you commit to a reno with them - find out exactly who will do it and how much experience the person has because they contract out the work.

A tip of the hat to Kitchens and Bathrooms First on Industrial Ave. They remodeled my mother's…read morekitchen and bathroom. They were very professional. They provided a very competitive and comprehensive quote - which they stuck to. Timelines were speedy and adhered to; products were first rate and the service was fast, efficient, and pleasant. They listened, knew their products, gave good advice, cleaned up well and wanted me to be happy. Both my mother and I were completely happy. Thank you.

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.