Urban Studio

We have decided to expand our current bungalow in North York and have interviewed 6 different contractors. Most came within a similar quote, a couple much higher and a couple much lower than expected, some seemed organized and others not so much. Joseph and team seem to be the right balance of a one stop shop between design and contractor as well as pricing right in the middle of the others in terms of quote. More importantly is an emphasis on doing the renovation the right way, detailed, not rushing, while listening to our concerns throughout the design process to help us not only get what we want but guide us to keep us within our budget. Dena (architect) is creative and provides great solutions to design and keeps the homes design flow top of mind which is important to us. As a Realtor I see A LOT of new and old homes that are poorly designed and this holds back their value and livability. Joseph & Dena are being patient with us as they realize this part of the process is important to us as well as the outcome of the project. Most of the work, the back and forth needs to be done before the build has begun so as to negate any suprises and not all contractors have this type patience. Joseph is a great problem solver and at times when required suggests alternative, creative ideas to help us achieve what we want. It's obvious he cares about the outcome of the project as he prides his work. In the first couple months we have worked with Urban Studio to start designing our home we are very happy with our decision and highly recommend working with them for anyone looking to do a home renovation. We will be updating this review when our home is completed. Thank you Joseph, Dena and Urban Studio team
Dec 10th, 2022

We hired Urban Studio to design and build a rear addition and a full gut renovation of our home. After visiting two of their projects and speaking to some of their references, we were reassured that they would put in great care and detail into our place. Joseph and his design team proposed an open floor plan which we didn't think could be achieved with a renovation, giving us the extra space we needed, an spacious kitchen, a practical laundry room, a serene master bedroom and bath on the second floor, and an amazing deck. We were happy to rely on their expertise in the design aspect as we didnt have any prior experience. Our family could not be happier with the overall result of the renovation. Being a large renovation project we were prepared for several months of construction and had to rent a home above standards price which increased our initial cost estimate. With a whole home renovation, I think it's inevitable that problems are going to arise. Urban Studio kindly dealt with every issue even when the company was not directly at fault. Joseph was patient throughout and made sure things we done to our expectation. I must add Joseph did everything he could to help with expenses, including helping us choose materials that would fit our budget, letting us use the companys suppler discount and provide alternatives that might be lower in cost but function just as well. We were able to move in 7 months after Urban Studio began work. The company is quick to respond to emails, calls and texts even with multiple projects on the go. Joseph kept us in the loop with the weekly progress and we did not feel the need to do any daily site check-ins as we had complete faith in Joseph and his great team. Thank you to everyone for all your hard work! We love our beautiful new home!
Jan 29th, 2022

We recently completed our renovation with Urban Studio and were very pleased with the end result. We purchased our 1913 workers cottage with the intent of renovating it as it was in dire need of some love and modern conveniences. The one storey structure had beautiful 10-foot ceilings and was on a nice sized lot but we needed more space for our growing family. Urban Studio assisted us through the design, a very iterative process, where I was able to infuse my vision into every square inch of what we wanted for our "new" home. We went from a one-storey 1 bedroom + den and 1.5 bath house to a two-storey 3 bedroom (+1) and 3.5 bath house. We gutted the main floor, underpinned our basement to 8 foot ceilings (previously 6 foot) and added a brand new second storey addition. Throughout the process Joseph was very hands-on and responsive to our needs and concerns. He was also very patient as I was a very hands-on client and was regularly at the house doing site checks and quality control/ contract administration. I had a very specific vision in mind for our home and Joseph and the Urban Design team helped execute exactly what I wanted, bringing my vision to life. We chose to renovate during COVID and while this brought a set of challenges (material cost increases, etc.) Joseph was very communicative and oftentimes took on any additional costs to see our project through to the finish line. We had anticipated a 36-week construction timeline and he pushed the team to maintain our timelines despite the uncertainties and material challenges throughout the pandemic. At the end of the project, we only had a 4-week delay which is near perfect if you've ever undertaken a construction project of this magnitude. Joseph kept us up-to-date on all things going on at the house, and took time out of his busy schedule to arrange for face-to-face meetings at the house on a bi-weekly and at times weekly basis. He provided a list of many suppliers which served as a great basis/ starting point for sourcing materials (flooring, tile, vanities, baseboard, moulding, etc.) and we had a great experience with many of his trades. Joseph's kitchen designers were amazing and very responsive to my vision. They not only delivered exactly what I was looking for but worked with me in their warehouse to design the perfect shaker cabinet fronts, custom cutting a shallow depth front. The cabinetry is very high-end and amazing quality, all soft close and wonderful built-in garbage, recycle and composting solutions. They were also open to my suggestions and accommodated all of my kitchen requests. The kitchen designer also built our living room built-ins and front entryway bench and shaker shelving. They took my hand sketches and turned them into beautiful, high-end pieces that add so much character and charm to our home. Following our move in, Joseph has also been very responsive in "fixing" any small details we may have missed, and was quick to send out trades to complete my check-list of items. He also provides a 5-year warranty on his services so we can sleep easy knowing that he will be there to support us down the line if anything comes up. All in all we are so pleased with the outcome of our project. We have received so many compliments from neighbours and passersby and oftentimes look out our window to find people admiring our new home. Thank you to Joseph and the Urban Design Studio team for being so great to work with, I know I wasn't the easiest client but they were patient, friendly and delivered on everything I dreamed.
Oct 12th, 2022

We have lived in Lawrence park for the past 12 years and with our kids growing up we decided that instead of purchasing a bigger home building an addition and renovating the existing space would be a far better option. My husband and I did extensive research and interviewed several companies. It was very important to us that the company we hire is reliable as this was a huge investment for us. The team at Urban Studio stood out from the rest mostly because of their transparency. They invited us to visit ongoing job sites and talk to the homeowners on the ongoing projects which put us at ease. Also, the contract lays out stages of payments which are due upon completion of different phases of the project which was very reassuring. The architect working with us was incredibly knowledgeable and gave us so many great ideas that we incorporated in the design. The permit process took few months and the build itself took about 7 months. Joseph our project manager wasalso incredibly knowledgeable and experienced when it came down to the build. He was very responsive during the build process and offered good suggestions. We did run into a few issues along the way which was inevitable due to Covid lockdowns restrictions. However, the team did their absolute best given the circumstances. Urban Studio worked incredibly hard to give us the home of our dreams even through the worst of the pandemic. The result was worth the efforts and big part of that comes from our satisfaction. We highly recommend them and cant say enough good things about the team.Thank you everyone! :) Elanie and Mark Service: Remodeling
Aug 26th, 2021

UPDATE March '22 - We wanted to follow up with our post-reno feedback, which has continued to be very positive. Even though the last payment to Urban Studio was made over 7 months ago, Joseph and his team have been excellent and prompt in addressing anything. We had identified a few minor fixes required, and in one case, a correction to framing around our fireplace - and in every case, Joseph has been just a text or phone call away and ready to schedule his crews in to assess and help fix. I should also add, it's all been done under the 5 year warranty, and we remain confident that Joseph and his team will be there if we need them to stand by their work and promises. ORIGINAL REVIEW- Fall '21 - We hired Urban Studios at the end of 2020 to complete a full house renovation in the Leslieville area (entire gut job: basement, main floor/kitchen, relocation of interior stairs, newly added windows/doors, new deck, all bedrooms, and 2 bathrooms). We had honestly been putting off this reno of our century home for almost a decade, because we just didn't know where to start and it made us anxious to think about tackling it. We began by interviewing a few local contractors and getting estimates, and were most impressed with Joseph and Urban Studios out of the gate. His estimated project cost was very much in line with others, but he was the most prompt in communication, provided so much more attention to detail in his proposed scope of work (ex: one other company gave us a vague 1 page quote, which to us, was unacceptable for a project of this size, vs Joseph's almost 10 pages for example). He also voluntarily provided us with many recent clients to connect with before we hired him, where others did not even offer. We felt much more comfortable with all this in place before we even started, especially as first time renovators. Throughout the project, we were very pleased with the level of communication we had with Joseph and his colleagues - he was readily available for calls, and very prompt in responding to texts. For us, this was a really important attribute in determining who we were going to work with, and he continued with this level of client service from the original estimate phase right through to completion. Urban Studio's very clear project milestone payment schedule also worked very well for us, and Natasha on the team was very on top of the finance side - also not always typical in the industry from what we've heard. Joseph's recommended suppliers provided us with great finishes and fixtures, some at preferred rates, and most importantly his trades teams were very skilled; the quality of the work throughout our home is very evident. Now, with a project of this size, a 100-year old city house and an ongoing pandemic... you just have to expect curve balls along the way. Whenever we did though, we were impressed with Joseph's ability to provide solutions to our satisfaction; he was great at hearing any concerns out in a timely manner and also more than fair in suggesting and accommodating changes as we went through the project. This was our first renovation of any size, and while it felt overwhelming at times, we were glad we had Joseph to guide us. Even now in the first few months post-reno, with all our payments complete, if we notice small things that need to be addressed he is prompt in making sure his teams are there to help us. We are very happy with the experience and finished project, and would definitely work with Joseph and his team again. Highly recommend the Urban Studios team.
Dec 21st, 2021