Carter Fox Design Build

Working with Carter Fox has been a great experience. You’ll never find another contractor who is more genuine and honest than James. Right from the beginning, we felt that he cared about our project, our home, and even our family. He was the only person who provided us a quote that was within reach of what we could afford, and it even made room for us to redo our kitchen. Throughout the course of the project, things that we realized we wanted— from removing old flooring on the second floor, to partially vaulting the third floor ceiling, to building a steam shower— he figured out a way to make them happen for us. As clients, we were able to be a big part of the project, which was important for us. We worked closely with James and his tradespeople to ensure that things progressed on schedule as much as possible and that the personalized touches we wanted were included. He has great relationships with all of the trades people who work with him and they all do excellent work. As with all renos, issues popped up from time to time, but we were always able to work through them and find solutions that worked for everyone Overall we would highly recommend Carter-Fox to anyone who is looking for a contractor for a major (or minor) reno. It has been such a pleasure to work with them and now we have the house of our dreams!

James, Andy and Mike of Carter Fox were great! From the outset when I called James he was prompt in returning my call and scheduled an appointment a few days later to review the scope of work. Carter Fox demolished our kitchen, including re-insulating, air barrier and drywall replacement of an exterior facing wall. They tore down cabinets and prepped both electrical and water revisions. Following install of cabinets by the cabinet maker, the guys from Carter Fox were quick to return to finish painting, molding install, attended the kitchen stone install and ensured we were happy at project end. James was good to his word on his initial quote and never mentioned cost again. We couldn't be happier with the way our kitchen turned out. Please see Annex transitional kitchen photos on the Carter Fox home page in Houzz. Many Thanks, Paul

6 years ago, we bought a house that needed a full reno. It was a massive project remodelling the whole house, with a side addition and a 3rd storey. When we found Carter Fox, we immediately had a good feeling about James. He is polite, respectful, friendly, helpful, and an overall good guy. He worked with our vision instead of trying to push his own ideas. He helped us find the right architect to turn our vision into actual plans and worked with us to get us exactly what we wanted. It was a long process getting the plans just right as there were complications along the way, but James was with us the whole way (6 years and he never gave up on us or got tired of us!) and was ready to get started as soon as the permits were ready. When the time came, Julie even helped us clear out our house so that we could start work on time. Once demo started, the project progressed at a good steady pace as James made sure all the trades at every stage were lined up and ready to go. All his trades love working with him and work hard for him. James was also able to make many good suggestions and offer great ideas along the way, both to solve problems we encountered and to improve on the existing plans. It was great being able to bounce ideas and get his expert opinion and advice. James got our dream home ready as promised, on budget, and on time before virtual school started for our kids in September! Thanks James & Julie!

We did a full house, top to bottom renovation with Carter Fox and couldn't be happier. In 2019, we bought our first home; a 100+ year old semi that was in need of some modernization. However, the idea of what you might find behind the walls of a house that old was a little terrifying, so we did a fair bit of research trying to find reputable contractors that were skilled in that area. After interviewing 10 GCs and renovation companies, we settled on James from Carter Fox. His obvious knowledge and to-the-point communication gave us confidence and put us at ease. Right from the beginning, it was obvious that James had a clear plan to make our dreams a reality, and was able to give accurate assessments of timelines and costs. The subcontractors and trades people James employed were wonderful and skilled, and the suppliers he recommended were fantastic. With my husband and I being newbies to both home ownership and renovation, James did a fair bit of handholding. He walked us though the process step by step, assessed our needs and wants, and kept us updated on progress throughout the renovation. He was always available to answer questions and address concerns. While there were a few bumps along the way (pretty sure this is inevitable... really, does any big project go exactly as planned?), James was always on top of them and found a solution. I would recommend James to friends and family without reservation.

The charm of an old house where straight lines and angles are out of shape become a challenge when you want the bathroom tiled floor to ceiling with black and white details It takes real professional to finalize that kind of project and Carter Fox did, the result is wahhhh Thank you

After interviewing several contractors for our main floor reno, we were happy to find James at Carter-Fox. Our goal was to have a new kitchen that fit seamlessly into our home. James’ experience working in older homes was invaluable as we planned out how our wish-list could be realized given the constraints of our home, our budget and our overall vision. This was a big project for us, and James provided excellent advice, brought in reliable tradespeople, and guided the project to completion. He was clear up front about costs, and handled the inevitable surprises of any project with professionalism. We are delighted with the outcome.

We had a wonderful experience with Carter For. They were professional, very clear in describing what and how they were going to do their work and then executed it with care and excellence. We were impressed with the care and the extra touches they put in, it was as if they were working on their own house. They provided creative ideas and worked closely with our designer. They delivered the house of our dreams! And, they delivered it on budget.

After 10 years living with doors that didn’t shut, squeaky floors and a smallish kitchen, we finally moved to turn our 110-year-old detached Leslieville home into the space we always desired. After some research and speaking with a bunch of positive references, we hired Carter Fox Renovations to take on the whole home project. The scope of the renovation included new subfloors, engineered hardwood floors, new trim, kitchen, staircase, doors, electrical and HVAC. From the get go, we knew we had made the right choice. The team at Carter Fox were super helpful with planning/sourcing materials, focused on our project and it's timelines, and quick to find solutions. Demo started when they said it would and the project just ran so smoothly from that point forward. James was there at every critical moment to keep up momentum, calling the right trades in at the right times. Hand-offs between his crew and the kitchen cabinet and flooring suppliers were seamless which spoke to the integrity of work being done. The Carter Fox crew clearly understand old Leslieville houses and what to expect when you start working on them - this knowledge was helpful on many occasions. They are also good people who are nice to be around and have in your home. I particularly enjoyed coming to the house at the end of my workday and being walked around proudly to review the progress being made. We are already planning our next project with Carter Fox and would highly recommend them to anyone looking for a contractor.

Thank you James and Julie for making our first home our dream home! We bought a home that was fully occupied by tenants and needed to be completely transformed into our family home. I have strong creative opinions and can be particular about the way things look; James was always patient and offered great solutions to some of the challenges that were faced. This project felt like a collaboration of minds, and James was always readily available by phone to bounce ideas and discuss, that’s what I loved about working with him, his attentiveness and client relations is impeccable and hard to find in this business. His craftenmenship was top notch and the vendors he uses are professional and trustworthy. When something didn’t go according to plan, he was right there with solutions and went the extra mile to make us happy. We love all of our finishes, and everyone that comes into our house is amazed by the work. We would highly recommend Carter Fox! Thanks friends!

We had a 100-year-old semi-detached house in Toronto that badly needed a makeover top to bottom. We wanted to relocate the kitchen, replace the flooring, and repair the plaster walls and ceilings. James brought his insights and experience to ensure things were done right from beginning to end. He had great foresight to take down our old plaster ceilings to ensure the electrical updates were easy for our electrician. He referred us to an awesome electrician that we have on speed dial now. In addition to electrical, his super team consists of Ikea kitchen installation folks, plumbers, gas contractors, windows/doors, carpet/stairs companies, etc. He also made great design detail recommendations in our home with the trim and baseboards, which I admire every day. James was patient with me throughout the process, as this was my first renovation and naturally I had many questions and anxiousness around the whole experience. He walked me through every step of the way and was responsive with status updates. I am so happy that our house is now our home, thanks to James and his team. Keep on bringing new magic to old Toronto homes!

James and his crew were great. We entered our reno with a concept and design in mind and Carter Fox brought the right balance of working with our vision but also making recommendations to help us save money or make the space more functional. The crew were all very friendly and accommodating working around us in our space during the reno, and James was genuinely excited about some of the more challenging ideas we brought to the project. Will happily work with them again.

We hired James to convert an unused and neglected basement apartment to a family living space and to open it up to the rest of the house. We also hired James to redo our upstairs masters bathroom. We were looking for a straightforward and non-extravagant reno, but also one that was done well. This is exactly what we got. We were happy with all aspects of the process. We use our new basement space everyday and love our updated and modern bathroom. James had good ideas about how we could save money (for example, just replacing the glass in our back door instead of installing a whole new door, and opting for less expensive, but still functional and good looking basement flooring). We found James very easy to work with and the final result was great. We would absolutely hire James again for any future work on our house. Thanks James and crew!

We hired James and crew after being impressed with the Carter Fox Houzz page. We wanted a complete renovation of the entire main floor of our 100 year old semi detached home; which included a complete kitchen gut, new floor, and removal of some walls to open up the space. James understands and appreciates the challenges of renovating older homes, and his crew are great to work with . We changed our minds about our original design idea and James was flexible and honest about keeping within our budget - which was really important to us. Our place is transformed, and looks fantastic!

We hired James and his crew to renovate the main floor of our 100 years old semi-detached. From different closed rooms to bright and airy concept. He managed a crew of very talented tradespeople. From Vlad, to Omar to Vito including James, everyone was highly professional and completed the work to our high standard. We hired an Ikea kitchen specialist separately for the kitchen (Mahmoud from Peg Reno who did a great job) and Carter Fox's team worked with him to plan schedules, trades etc. James knows old homes, their quirks and how to work with them. It was a pleasure working with him an his crew and the results are just fabulous. The whole project was completed on time and budget. The only add-ons where the ones we added that where beyond what we put in the contract. We would highly recommend Carter Fox for renovations.

We have a small Leslieville row house, with 1 bathroom and 2 growing kids. To say we were running out of room is putting it mildly, so it was time to make our unfinished basement part of our day to day living space. Carter Fox had already been highly recommended to us so we had them in for a quote, James came in with great ideas that fit within our style, timeline and budget. I love (LOVE) that we kept the beams open and sprayed white, it gives it a rustic/cottage feel...in your very own basement! Having that space and the additional bathroom has been incredible. We are in discussions for our next project, the front porch!

Amazing, truly excellent team. We bought a home that needed a complete gut job and were looking for someone that could deliver an excellent job, while keeping a strict budget and sticking to our timeline. James and his team were able to deliver all that and exceed our expectations. We had a great experience with lots of laughs. Thank you James!

We have the standard 3 bedroom semi in Leslieville with two growing kids and 1 and 1/2 bathrooms, with the 1/2 in the basement laundry/furnace room and not working so well. It was time for something new. Carter Fox had great ideas on how to transform the room into a combination laundry and full bathroom with a 5' shower!. So good in fact that our previous upstairs bathroom is now completely neglected as everyone in the family opts to use the basement bathroom now. The job came in on schedule and on budget and we couldn't be happier, it's the nicest room in our house! Carter Fox is a pleasure to work with and thinks of things that you won't, adding significant value to your reno! I recommend them to everyone I know who needs a great contractor.

After 3 false starts with contractors who disappointed either with pricing or customer service, Carter Fox quickly won our trust and then kicked ass on our kitchen reno. James brought dedication and a "can-do" attitude to the job every day. Our old house presentated numerous surprise twists and turns which he handled in stride, and the end result is all we hoped for and more. Pricing was more than fair, and we couldn't recommend Carter Fox more highly. We will be using them again on our next project.

We had an excellent experience working with Carter Fox on the renovation of our home. Our vision was to re-convert a much-neglected, animal-infested, three-unit house, into a 5- bedroom home for our family of six. And we wanted to do this in about 3 months on a moderate budget. It was a tall order. James' involvement began at the outset of the project. He visited the property with us prior to purchase to have a look at the bones of the house and provide an initial estimate as to time and cost. From there, my husband and I worked closely with his team to complete the project on time, and on budget a short 14 weeks later. The end result was a beautiful home perfectly suited to our needs. Our immense satisfaction with Carter Fox relates to three key elements - collaboration, communication, and end product. First, collaboration. We had a strong vision for our home, and wanted to be significantly involved in the project. We worked closely with James and his team throughout the renovation to ensure that we were able to realize our vision, while staying on budget. James was committed to honouring our budget and would often find and implement creative and pragmatic solutions to ensure that our priorities were realized within budget. James also patiently tolerated changes to the design and scope of the project and bent over backwards to accommodate these changes. I always felt James and his team were committed to making sure we got what we wanted. We maintained a friendly, productive, and mutually respectful working relationship throughout the renovation. In fact, I can say we actually enjoyed renovating because of the positive relationship we had with James and his team. Second - communication. James kept us regularly apprised of the status of the work and budget, potential delays, and the cost and delay implications of decisions we were making. We stopped by the work site regularly and maintained very regular contact by email, phone, and text. James and his team could always be reached, were responsive to our inquiries and ensured that we were kept apprised of the work schedule and when decisions would need to be made. Finally, the end product. We are thrilled with our new home. We've had many, many compliments on the work and workmanship and are, of course, very pleased ourselves. Thank you Carter Fox!