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Division 02
Custom and high-specification homes.
Estate and executive residences, builder custom divisions and private projects, finished to the specification the drawings call for.
Scope
Where the finish schedule is the point.
On a high-specification residence the finishing is not a line item to be compressed at the end of the schedule. It is what the purchaser sees, touches and judges the entire build by, and it deserves the same allowance of time as the millwork it sits on.
We work with builder custom divisions, custom builders, architects, designers and private owners on estate and executive residences, principal residences and personal projects, at whatever level of specification the drawings call for.
Specification
Finishes we deliver.
A high-specification residence is judged on the four or five surfaces a purchaser touches. Those are the ones that get the time.
Two-tone staircases, railings, caps, stringers and spindles, panelled walls, applied mouldings and built-in joinery. Stain goes into the wood and commits to whatever is already there, so the preparation is the job.
Kitchen, vanity, library and mudroom cabinetry, painted or stain-grade, sprayed rather than brushed. Brush texture on a cabinet door is something you feel every day.
Coffered, tray, beamed and panelled ceilings, finished in coordination with the millworker rather than after them, so the terminations between two planes stay crisp.
Feature walls, high-build finishes, wallcoverings and bespoke colour developed with the designer.
A colour behaves differently under north light and under a warm lamp. We sample it on your wall, in your light, before anyone commits to fifteen gallons of it.
Entry and garage doors, railings, soffit and fascia, cedar and exterior millwork, coordinated with the exterior trades.
How a custom project runs
Fewer crews, more time, the same people throughout.
A custom residence is resourced differently to a production release. A smaller crew stays with the project from first coat to handover, so nobody is briefed twice on how a particular detail is to be treated.
- A single lead finisher accountable for the residence throughout
- Sample panels prepared on site before any finish is committed
- Sequencing agreed with the millworker and the cabinet supplier in advance
- Protection of stone, hardwood and installed joinery as a priced item, not an afterthought
- Handover walk with the owner, designer or builder before the project is closed
Photographs
A complete custom build, New Dundee.
Every finished surface in this residence is ours: foyer and staircase, kitchen and millwork, feature walls, principal suite, ensuites and the full lower level. Fifty-two photographs of it are in the portfolio.
Photographs
Custom painting and fine finishes.
Walls prepared to the sheen that has been chosen, cabinetry and trim sprayed rather than brushed, and panelling and feature walls cut clean where two planes or two colours meet.
Photographs
Custom staining.
Staircases, railings, cabinetry and millwork, plus the stain samples we prepare for a builder's design studio. Stain is not paint — it goes into the wood and shows every shortcut, which is why all of it stays in-house.
Common questions
Custom and high-specification homes.
Do you work directly with owners, or only through builders?
Both. We work with builder custom divisions, custom builders, architects and designers, and directly with private owners on their own residences.
Will you prepare samples before committing to a finish?
Yes. Sample panels are prepared on site so the colour and sheen can be assessed under the actual lighting rather than from a chip.
Can you refinish existing cabinetry rather than replace it?
Yes. Cabinetry can be repainted or refinished in stain, including gel stain applied over an existing finish.
How is installed stone and hardwood protected?
Protection is a priced item in the quotation. Finished floors, stone and installed joinery are covered and contained before any work begins.
Do you coordinate with our designer?
Yes, and it makes the project run better. Colour, sheen and sequencing are agreed with the designer and the millworker before finishing starts.
References
From the people who supervise our work.
Client names and companies are withheld as a matter of policy. Named references are provided directly with any tender or quotation.
Inquiries
Inquire about this division.
Send the drawings, the finish schedule or simply the unit count and an anticipated start.
- (519) 729-6271
- daniel@excellentchoicepainting.com
- 100 Park Street, Unit P13, Kitchener, Ontario