Bilenski Contracting

If I could give Ed an A+ rating, I would!! Ed showed up as promised, worked with us on design/construction issues (older house) and completed everything as promised without charging additional money for extra items he needed to buy along the way to complete the job correctly. He is obviously knowledgeable and had no problem with using some of the more salvageable pieces of the old bathroom (ok, only the medicine cabinet was usable, the bathroom was really a mess!). I really appreciated that he took the extra time to replace the toilet at night so that my handicapped mother didn't have to traverse the stairs all night. This sounds like a small thing, but was a big thing to her and much appreciated. Ed is a perfectionist and he bathroom took a little longer than originally expected, but I would rather things done correctly than be rushed, so there was no problem there. Ed and his crew took all the leftover cartons and construction debris, which was a wonderful unexpected surprise (I have had extensive work done on my current home and had to personally dispose of everything, including huge kitchen cabinet cartons and old toilets). Ed charged a flat rate for the work and we provided the major materials. Communication was excellent via text messages and phone calls through the whole renovation. Would definitely work with Ed again!!

I'd give him "A's" across the board.  I'd use him again.  The thing that I like about Bilenski Contracting is they are very creative, they work well with you.  Just in terms of communication getting the job done.  Coming up with options, if something that I want done is just something that would make someone laugh, that's not going to happen.  He always comes back with an idea that will work for me and makes me very happy.  I just like the guy.

I wasn't joking when I said I use him for everything.  He does woodworking, he does everything.  It was a fair price.  He is an "A".  He's very fair.  He's a contractor, every once in a while they say they'll be there at 8am and they get there at 8:20am.  I would absolutely use him again.

Ed does excellent work. He's receptive to ideas and when confronted with challenges he finds solutions. We have very specific design ideas and Ed made them all work. The inside of the guest house is mostly cedar, including the upper half of the bathroom walls. The bathroom itself is one large wet room that used concrete, corrugated metal and salvaged materials. I found 1930s bathroom pieces, including a clawfoot bathtub) and Ed installed everything beautifully (other contractors asked questions like "Now, why would you want to use an old sink when you could have a brand new one?"). I found reclaimed wide floor boards (with many imperfections) and Ed made them work and they are perfect. He not only made all our aesthetic ideas work, he did all of the electric & plumbing work, too, and everything works seamlessly. He even got the ancient, decrepit outdoor shower working again. There's a small bar/utility sink in the house, too: I arrived at the site one day with a large vintage enamelware pot and said "I want you to make this into a sink," and voila! A really cool sink.

The main house was a much more intensive project. Ed ran the project with me, and even helped me screen a number of electrical & plumbing contractors (take it from me, A LOT of contractors have trouble working with & taking direction from women, so this was important). Ed built-out the entire project, again making my vision come to life. What had been a 3-room, somewhat cramped feeling first floor became an airy and very light great room with an open floor plan. He removed a standard size window and replaced it with double glass doors and sidelites (that open onto the deck he built to go with them). He made the kitchen layout work the way I wanted it (using a giant 4' x 8' reclaimed table from a dismantled GE factory). He, again, installed reclaimed wide plank floors, built a daybed for the porch from scratch, AND leveled the tilting floors and sloping ceiling (this is an old house). He took 3 small bedrooms & a cold-water-only washroom on the 2nd floor and opened it up, leaving two larger bedrooms and a full upstairs bathroom. This included using a vintage sewing table base, a reclaimed drop-in cast iron sink and an old plank for the bathroom vanity.

Basically, Ed helps make a concept a reality. He is up front about everything, charges a fair price, works quickly & efficiently, and is respectful. He tells the truth if something is impossible, explains why, and offers options. And he'll never avoid a project just because it's a challenge and time-consuming (he never cuts corners).

I would highly recommend working with Ed.