got asked by a neighbour this week whether I’d recommend the company that did our kitchen (The Local Builders, thelocalbuilders.ca) and I realized I have a somewhat complicated answer.
the short version: yes, but they’re probably not the cheapest option and you should know that going in.
we got 6 quotes for a full gut-and-redo on our 1978 kitchen - down to studs, new layout, moving one plumbing wall. range was $38k to $79k. The Local Builders came in at $54k which was solidly mid-pack. we chose them because when we pushed on the cheaper quotes, two of them got squirrelly about permit details and one couldn’t tell us who was doing the plumbing.
the actual experience: they were organized, showed up when they said they would, and the site was clean at the end of every day (matters a lot when you’re living in the house). the project manager was responsive. there was one issue with a cabinet that came in with a defect and it got sorted without a fight.
what they’re not: they’re not going to be the bargain option. if you’re trying to squeeze a kitchen reno into a tight budget they might quote you out of range. also they’re a real company with real overhead so don’t expect the informal handshake stuff some smaller operators do.
for a project like ours where permits and trades licensing mattered and we wanted someone accountable if something went wrong - yeah, I’d use them again. just go in knowing what you’re paying for.