Connection & Contracting

DAVID SVANCAR Have you ever felt that stabbing dread of looking for a new contractor due to the sudden urge of adrenaline coursing through your veins - your body's way of preparing for the possible outcome of an extremely tardy delivered and appalling workmanship of an apartment renovation? Well, NOT with DAVID SVANCAR of CONNECTION AND CONTRACTING. Upon countless of interviewed contractors, I stumbled on Connection and Contracting (David Svancar). After he came over to assess the complete renovation I wanted to be performed on one of our floors, all of my nerves seemed to subside, as you can immediately tell, David is not one of those "shady" Contractors. He entered the property, assessed our situation and immediately provided multiple suggestions, a game plan, and told me this project could be done within the time I proposed of 4-6 weeks (pending the arrival of appliances, kitchen cabinets etc...). Previously, other contractors I interviewed were taken a-back when I proposed the 4-6 week aggressive timeline. Some even suggested that they would “squeeze in my project” with other projects. I reject that idea for many reasons. David, on the other hand, reiterated to me many times before and after the start of the project that he will never work on multiple clients at once but only focuses one project at a time to ensure the quality, care/attention and timeliness the project deserves. Additionally, his utmost professional behavior is coupled by the reassurance of his humor, attention to detail, identifying problems and suggesting multiple solutions. DAVID took initiative to enlighten me of ALL the possible ideas to make the infrastructure and aesthetic of my new apartment look amazing. His team would always arrive at the proposed time of 8am-4pm (Monday – Saturday). He and his team worked tirelessly on making sure the project made my family and me HAPPY. I genuinely felt that he was looking out for my best interest and that is all that really matters - an act of Altruism that is easy by definition, but difficult to execute. At the finalization of the project, David met the 4-6 week deliverable (despite the holidays of Christmas and New Years) and provided excellent quality work!! I really hope that you choose DAVID SVANCAR to help guide you in your next choice of renovation. You won’t regret it! I'm already in the works with David for other house projects!

I hired David to renovate a 3BR apartment which included a full gut of the bathroom, new kitchen floor and backsplash, and painting of the interior and exterior balcony. David and his guys were very professional, arrived on time, left a clean job site and were able to think creatively through problems. His estimated time to complete was 3 weeks but he did it in about 2 given he had someone working every day. I am very happy with the quality and craftsmanship of the job and grateful to have found an honest and trustworthy contractor for my future projects!

David was a amazing person to work with! He was friendly and totally responsive! The work he did was done quickly and within budget. I would and plan to hire him again to do more work and would recommend him to anyone. Thanks, David!

We wanted to turn our shed into a backyard studio space for working on creative projects. David did the job quickly and created a beautiful space. He is a pleasure to work with and I felt very comfortable putting my trust in him! I'd definitely recommend him to others and will be hiring him in the future.

Fast and efficient. David did a great job🙂

Amazing. He's easily the best contractor you will ever need. Hiring him was the best choice. Always available, super professional, and very friendly. We will be working with David for many years to come.

Extremely well. I had to move my parents out of the house to convenience them, so it was important for David to complete the project on time and he did. I think what stood out the most about my experience working with David is he maintains a high level of professionalism and is able to work out solutions effectively - I am likely to have a few projects coming up the pipeline and would absolutely look to use David in the future. I've already recommended him to my girlfriend's parents who are looking at potential remodeling in their home. ML

David started in February 2016 and our two families moved into the top two floors by mid-September 2016. It would have been sooner if the plumbers (different company that I hired independently from David) had done a better/faster job. That's a pretty quick turn-around for such a large project with so many moving pieces. We are very happy with the results. David was totally committed to the project, gave me good advice at critical moments, and we easily worked through the very few times we disagreed on how something should be done. He's a great contractor, and he's also a very honest and good person. I recommend him to everyone I can.

It welt very well. David the owner provide my family with excellent work and craftmenship. I would recommend Connection Contracting for home renovations.

David did an excellent job Removing wallpaper, repairing and painting walls. He's extremely professional, polite and very easy to work with. David took care of a lot of things that I didn't even think to ask for, but made a difference in the job coming out so nicely. He definitely went out of his way to make sure we were happy with the results. It is really clear he takes pride in his work and we look forward to hiring him again.

David and his right hand man Joel were excellent in every way: punctual, on schedule/on budget, professional, courteous, tidy. David was a real pleasure to work with and I would hire him again without reservations.

David was fantastic. He spent a lot of time with me. He gave suggestions and listened to me. In the end, my budget was too tight for him. However, he spent the time to prepare a proposal. He was very responsive and I would recommend him.

David is punctual, professional, polite and precise from the start of the project to the very finish. He listens and communicates and is very easy to work with. The quality of completed work was way beyond my expectations.This experience completely changed my thoroughly negative view of contractors. I heard him say "Do it right the first time" and I can attest that is exactly what he does. I was trapped in a bad situation: I am a single person who travels frequently and only come home for weekends. My house is almost 100 years old and was in dire need of repairs and renovation. I had leaks, mold, had already fired three contractors who were only taking my money, providing substandard work by unskilled laborers. After I fired the third "expert", I was seriously depressed. The inside of my house was down to bare bricks except for two old plaster walls, the "new" herringbone floor was black and seriously water damaged. There was not one straight angle in the whole place, lights did not work, and the plaster ceiling was about to collapse on my head. I was seriously considering selling the house. I could not handle the situation any more. Then I decided to give it one last try: I went to Angie's list and obtained estimate from 3 companies. David's quote was not the lowest, but he stood head and shoulders above the rest. To sum it up: David answered my call himself. I explained that the initial stage would involve correcting someone else's substandard work: lucky for me he agreed to come over to see the project. He came on time and was very professional and polite. He listened patiently to my horror stories of the past contractors and was willing to take on the challenge. We walked through the inside"rubble" and he explained what had to be done. Step by step, he broke the project down to 3 stages, setting priorities. He followed up with a written estimate which was both comprehensive and fair, providing a time line to which he strictly adhered. He worked with my schedule (Saturdays) and during the week was always reachable, communicating with me via sms/e-mail/phone whenever needed. New framing was installed and new sheetrock put to place, coated and finished with picture moldings. Old plaster ceiling was removed and replaced with exact replica of the crown molding: David took samples of the 1920 elaborate moldings and plaster medallions and he was able to replicate the original look of the house. The new walls and ceilings now look exactly like the original. Nobody can believe the transformation. The walls were painted with two shades of white, very precise job especially between the picture moldings. His crew restored my oak parquet floor and staircase to perfection: they sanded, bleached & stained until from crooked, stained wood emerged flawless oak finish. New hallway tiles were installed to match the inside parquet floor, then new hallway doors were installed. New gas fireplace was set and all the ceiling light fixtures were installed. 3 year unfinished Anderson Bay window was finally completed: David found the perfect sparkly white stone to put in the window base with stunning result. Heaters which did not connect to the thermostat were connected: David is very knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in technology, especially when it comes to energy saving appliances from Europe All the mistakes from previous contractors were corrected: even the house entry doors were reinstalled and crooked walls taken down. In those cases where David did not undertake the task himself, he always found the right person for the job. He was flexible, patient and understanding: when I changed some elements of the project which added both work and time, he just pointed out the additional amount of time needed. This is someone who thinks about the project as a whole, and acts as if the house he works on was his own. He and his crew take pride and ownership in the work. I am planning a house extension to enlarge my tiny kitchen, and I would not dream of choosing anyone else. David took my house from the dumps to Hollywood and saved my sanity :-) Once the furniture is installed I will be posting a link to the before and after pictures

My brother and I recently bought a house. Considering we don't know much about construction. I decided to hire someone who was recommended by a friend of mine. My brother decided to use him in his apartment first. To make a long story short he was not at all satisfied. After scouting the internet for local contractors, I came across Connection @ Contracting who provided me with a quote that I was comfortable with. I hired David and his team to renovate my kitchen, bathroom and bedroom (basically my whole apartment). Now that the project is complete, I could not be happier with the results. The most important thing for me besides quality of work was communication since I have a very busy schedule and David was always responsive to all my requests. I found communication with David to be very prompt and quick. He definitely uses technology to his fullest, with David being available via email as well as texting. He was usually very quick to reply, snapping photos of any problems or questions and sending to me. The quality of the work is second to none. My kitchen and bathroom look amazing. David gave me a time frame of 4-6 weeks for this renovation. The job took a little longer due to the cabinets being delayed. I was extremely pleased regardless. I highly recommend Connection @ Contracting based on my experience.

As first time homeowners, we didn't know what to expect from working with a contractor. We had a long list of things that needed to be done to our house but weren't sure what to do first or how much we could afford. From our first meeting, David put us at ease. His advice: let's start with one project and see how we enjoy working together -- if you're happy with my work, we'll keep going and tackle the rest. And that's how it went. Throughout the process, David was extremely responsive to our questions and concerns, sometimes meeting with us every day. He was also great about keeping us informed with texts, phone calls and photos. When unexpected issues came up (a rusted heating pipe, a rotted joist) he gave us options on how to resolve them. When we needed advice, he gave us his opinion. And when we needed to change plans, he accommodated us. In the end, everything turned out even better than we expected. And when we tackle our next project, we'll definitely call David and Connection@Contracting.

David was on time and worked quickly. He even did additional stuff I hadn't planned on! I would completely call him again for work in my apartment!

David was on time and worked quickly. He was very professional. I was unsure that the TV would hold up on the wall, but he showed me where the studs were and explained how they could hold the weight. I work from home and his installation did not get in the way of me continuing with my work.

OUTSTANDING. It's really hard to find dedicated people who care about the quality of their work. David communicated via email to understand the job, arrived early, brought all the equipment he needed and more just in case, and finished the job quickly making sure everything was clean and 100% to our satisfaction when he left. The cost was incredible to top it all off. I would HIGHLY recommend David for any small or large project. He is actually going to come back to rebuild my awning and some tile work.

We are very pleased with the quality of David's work, professionalism, and responsiveness. He is a good listener and knows when to make helpful suggestions, and has a great attention to finishing details. He is a reliable, creative problem-solver who knows his trade well. He's more than a general contractor -- David is a craftsman. To give just one example, he basically rebuilt our old awning, in particular the rotten wood supporting it, and made it all look like new.

I couldn't be any happier with the service. They gave me an appointment on short notice, arrived early each day, and did the work all in one week. They stayed within the budget they had originally quoted me and even offered me a one-year guarantee on their work after the project was done. Their work was super-professional, with meticulous attention to detail, and they made sure to keep my place tidy and clean while it was under construction.

The final projects were not because David was behind schedule...it was simply because I was waiting for months for Verizon to install FIOS in my building and apartment. Finally, FIOS was completed in March and I needed David to deal with wiring and safe set up of my new FIOS equipment. He also installed a dimmer and ceiling lamp for me, touched up a minor plastering issue, not because of his work, but because I had sliding doors installed and when they were working, they had to cut a little into the wall. David was so helpful and efficient. He completed the small tasks within a short time and gave me a very good price. Our experience working together last year really was so positive. I would not hesitate to call David for any issue and I would recommend him to all of my friends. David is a hard working, intelligent and pleasant man. I have never had a complaint about his crew or his work ethics. I feel very lucky to have found a reliable, fair and honest contractor. I know that many people have bad experiences Not me!! Paula Ewin

I had a horrible experience with Connection@Contracting. To hire Connection@Contracting is the Biggest mistake we made! 1. Failure of project management. The time frame for my project is 5 weeks, David could not manage his workers to come to work on the schedule, so they end up finishing our project in 9 weeks. Some weeks, they only work for 2 days and come just only few hours per day. 2. Lack of skill and knowledge. I need to ask him to fix many things after him told me that the work is complete. There are really low quality of work. Many times they do not even know how to get the job done right. They had to grout the whole bathroom tile twice, after the second time , it still has a lot of cracks on the grout line. The bathroom floor is not even, because of their poor job performance. This problem also happen through out the basement that I ask him to put the Porcelain tile on. He also did a poor job on the installing hard wood floor. I can slip a credit card into gaps between strips in the wood floors that he installed. 3. Unprofessional. My house is a mess after he did the demolition. He keeps the garbage in the house for a week after the demolition is done until I ask him to take it away. Moreover, his workers also smoke in my house. 4. Lack of responsibility. Because of low quality of work, after a few day he hand of the project many thing fall apart, so we need to ask him to come back and fix them. He came to do some fixing, but did finish it and have never come back to get it done. 5. Lack of experience. When I ask David to prepare a full and detailed contract after we discuss everything on the site a few times, he ask me to write the scope of work and then he copy and paste it into the contract. I wonder if he ever write an actual contract himself. The result of doing that, he forget a lot of thing we specific on the scope of work because he did not write it himself.

This is the 5th project that David had undertaken for me and by far the most challenging. The walls were all treated with damp proofing, the existing interior walls were replaced by all new metal studs and sheetrock. All new plumbing and electrics and new main electrical board installed. Also a new metal staircase. Pretty much the whole basement was demolished, and where the old "Oil Tank Room" was, he built a laundry/kitchenette with new plumbing and electrics and a vent (converting the existing and now redundant oil delivery hole) for the dryer. The existing bathroom was replaced in it's entirety with new fixtures and plumbing and electrics and the bath replaced with a full size shower. The floors were prepped with new concrete and tiles throughout i.e the main room, laundry, bathroom, hallway, entrance and furnace room. New ceilings and sections boxed in. Redundant plumbing was removed, steam pipe rerouted and all new electrics including switches, outlets and recessed lighting installed. A new cupboard was built for the gas and electric meters and new doors and window surrounds were installed. David came up with some great ideas and incorporated ours too in the rebuild. The level of finish is of an extremely high standard and he takes pride in the project as if he were doing it for himself. I should also point out that he easy to talk to regarding budget and his advice has been well received in terms of what is of utmost necessity and what could be deemed a luxury. In other words you will spend where it is important to and in so doing you can keep a very real sense of what your budget is. He is extremely reliable and trustworthy and mindful of being in and around your home. I couldn't recommend him highly enough and I have continued to use his services as shown below. He has to date completed 1) a full renovation of our upstairs two/three bedroom apartment including new bathroom and kitchen. 2) laid a concrete base for our double carport 3) renovated our double garage repairing the walls and laying tiles and running new electrics and lighting (excl the doors) 4) installed a new bathroom in our ground floor apartment and done some work to our kitchen, tiling and granite top. 5) full remodelling of our basement as described above. Finally, I'm sure if I tried I could have found someone cheaper who would have undertaken all my work, in fact I did for a few small jobs before I found David. The results were a disaster and for not that much less money either, and in fact the person did a runner without completing one of the tasks at hand. You get what you pay for and certainly with David at Connection@Contracting you get great value for money and huge satisfaction in the whole project.

He was very nice, on time, accommodating, gave us numbers and it was a Friday so on the Monday he was scheduled to see the actual premises.

David was very quick to respond to my email on Angie's List and went out of his way to meet me the very following weekend to provide his estimate. He was very punctual and spent over an hour thoroughly discussing everything I wanted done, making notes and providing suggestions. He definitely sounded like an experienced professional and I was already impressed with photos of his work on his Facebook page. He emailed me an itemized estimate within the week (as promised). Ultimately, even after some negotiations, his price was higher than I had available in my budget, and I decided to go with a lower bid. But I definitely would've loved to have hired him if my budget allowed it!