Newsam Construction

What an amazing experience! We initially hired Newsam in 2019 to do a complete renovation on our new home. We were so satisfied with the experience, we recently had them renovate our rooftop terrace. Newsam is a professional company. The estimates were bang on. All the workers that came by our house were very professional and courteous. The project manager was always on top of things, and when I couldn't reach him the owners were happy to step in. I highly recommend Newsam

From start to finish, the entire team at Newsam was a pleasure to work with. They were very professional in their approach and presented us with a thorough budget for review based on the scope of work. They also guided us though the various quotes that were tendered for each aspect of our project so we could make the best decisions based on our needs. They put together an amazing team of trades and kept us well informed as they worked through each stage of the renovation. Everyone on the team was polite and courteous, and the carpentry staff in particular kept the job-site very clean and well organized. They brought experience, creativity and innovation to our duplex conversion project, and keep our renovation on-time and on-budget. A major renovation can be a daunting task, but for us, the team at Newsam made our construction project go exceptionally smooth. We would highly recommend them.

They're not the cheapest and they're not the most expensive, but they're the best. For renovations, construction projects and any work to be done on my home or investment properties, there is only one company I will trust: NEWSAM. Dedicated and passionate team, high attention to detail, and responsive to the finish line and beyond. I highly recommend. In these types of projects, the most important aspect is the finish line, and this is where most companies fail in my experience; they slow down or stop when the majority of the work is done and then they move on to the next big and more lucrative project. This is where NEWSAM is different; they shine in the follow through.

We signed with Newsam in February 2021 for a basement renovation that they said would be finished in 2-3 months. Here we are in November with a still unfinished job. 1) Cost: The quote was for $74k. We added/removed a few things later and brought the total price down to $69k. Towards the end of the project, without warning, Newsam asked us to pay $101k. Some examples of why the costs are higher: •They stated that their quote was irrelevant in the end and it was just an estimate, and they bill time and materials. This was not discussed at the beginning of the project and the contract is not clear on this (e.g., it states explicitly that it is a “quote” with a “total price”). •They asked their plumber to provide a quote for some potential additional work, and instead of giving a quote, he executed the work. Newsam asked us to pay for it anyway. •They want us to pay a new significantly higher electrical quote ($11.7k vs $7.5k) that they never asked us to approve. After several slow back-and-forth exchanges, Newsam agreed that they would come fix their (18) deficiencies if we pay $85k. We are unhappy with this amount but we agreed to pay it as a compromise to have our basement renovation finished. 2) Our safety During demolition, Newsam filled our entire house (two floors on top of basement) with a huge amount of dust (no joke, it was like an explosion, with even clothes inside boxes two floors up from the reno were covered in dust). Despite our repeated requests to address the problem, Newsam did not install proper dust control and my wife had repeated asthma attacks. We were forced to move out to an AirBnB on short notice which was very inconvenient. 3) Quality of work Mid-July, Newsam stated that they completed the work, but we found more than 30 deficiencies (e.g., doors not closing, obvious holes in the walls, heating cable for drain not installed). Newsam and their sub-trades were generally sloppy. A few examples: a)Without authorization, Newsam's plumber (sub-trade) drilled through our stone foundation to the front of the house. b)The bathroom sink and faucet are not aligned. We mentioned this to Newsam before the walls were closed but they forgot to fix it. c)We had to remind Newsam at least 4 times before they fixed our stairs’ handrail. d)We asked Newsam to remove a pile of bricks from our house, and we received two emails that this will be done. However, this was not done. e)Newsam lost two finishing caps from our toilet. Newsam claims to provide high-end services but they told us it’s just a finishing cap, it would be a hassle to find a replacement, and suggested we try to find it ourselves. f)The electrician (sub-trade) came on site unaware of many details that we have agreed to with Newsam and he had no electrical plans. We had to direct him as he undid his work to fix things. g)Our doors still do not close properly, despite several back-and-forth exchanges with Newsam. h)Documents Newsam sent us often had mistakes. 4) Strange bill Newsam asked us to pay $2.5k, which they claimed were plumbing fees because our furnace had an original error in installation. We do not believe the plumber was on site nor that the furnace had an error in installation. We challenged this bill and Newsam waived it. 5) Timeline The deadline for the work continuously pushed further. 6) Final note We went with Newsam instead of other cheaper contractors so we could have the full-service experience, and have a peace of mind with an experienced high-end company that takes care of all the details and respects our budget. Instead, it has been a long, drawn out, time consuming, very expensive, and emotionally draining experience.

We hired Newsam to redo the main floor, update the floors upstairs, and a bathroom. They originally said it would be $120k and 3 months. The project cost over $230 and took 11 months. Seriously, 11 months. The project management was so bad; it was a constant struggle to get any progress out of them. The project manager Nick would tell us that somebody would be coming the next day, only for them not to show up until several days (or a week) later, and then they'd do half of what had been planned. Then they'd show up the week after that and do a quarter, of the remaining work. Then 2 weeks later for one item.... and still not be done what had been promised months earlier. They mismanaged the project at every turn. We needed to buy a new bathroom sink because the original one wouldn't work even though we'd confirmed the specs with them before buying. They didn't have the cabinetry built when the countertop people were scheduled to measure it. The siding on the sunroom was wrong and needed to be redone. They left a giant scratch in the brand new floor (though I did demand a credit on the invoice for that). That's just off the top of my head. But what really got me was how they hounded us to pay them the final payment constantly, while the project was incomplete. They were trying to tell me we needed to pay in full back in the summer, 5 months before they finally finished the project. I'm sure that if I had done that, it still wouldn't be done. From other reviews, it seems like they're capable of doing smaller jobs, or perhaps they have better project managers on other projects. But my advice is to avoid Newsam if you have anything bigger, or if you care about the timeline or cost.

The team at Newsam Construction did a major renovation for us in 2019-2020, converting our duplex to a single family home. We absolutely loved the quality of work they executed, as well as the professionalism and experience the team brought to our project. When it came time for us to do our deck remodel, we knew who to call. In 2021, the Newsam team did an outstanding job building us a spectacular two-level deck as an extension to our home. They offered expert advice on materials and landscaping options, while staying within our budget. The carpentry and landscaping team did a fabulous job executing the build and ensured the design plan was mirrored in the finished project. Once again, the work was completed on-time and impeccably executed adding so much value and living space to our home. This project is a wonderful extension to our home, truly bringing the 'inside - out'! Kev & Kat

I have worked with Newsam Construction on several projects on different properties from large to small over the past 15 years. I have always been impressed with the quality of workmanship and excellent service. The people working on our jobs have always had polite and professional which made us comfortable that we could trust them working in our homes. I strongly recommend Paul and his team for any size project.

Originally called them in to assess a mold issue and ended up having Newsam take over the whole project. Our first contractor was clearly in over his head and luckily Newsam was able to quickly takeover and complete the renovations within a tight deadline. Both the owner and project manager were just a phone call away. We did surpass our original budget by about 10% but it was worth it, considering that they were a professional outfit and were able to make the necessary changes and deliver the project on time… beautifully done.