Create A Second Suite For A Second Income

Welcome to Penguin Basements Thornhill

Are you in Thornhill and considering upgrading your basement? Basement renovations can be a tricky process, there’s always some regulation or municipal by-law that goes into effect. There’s always some hidden issue in the construction plan of your home that may derail your plans. When done alone, it can be a massive project with complications around every corner yet the benefits to a finished basement remain just as enticing.

No need to worry because, with an experienced team that was awarded the 2020 Basement Renovation of the Year Award, Penguin Basements ensures you can take the good and throw out the bad.

What Can You Do with Your Basement?

When planning out your basement for personal use, what do you envision? There’s a wide variety of options at your disposal that go beyond flooring and finished walls. Some options include:

1. Have a playroom for the kids: No matter how fun the kids might be, at times you need to have some peace and quiet upstairs to be able to do your work without having to worry about another stolen cookie or piece of broken glass. Lay out some foam mats, arts and crafts section, or mini soccer. It’s also a great way to keep the kids active at a time when it’s more challenging than ever to do so.

2. Den for the Bachelors: Teens like to have their own space at times. Why not make a room in the basement dedicated to them as a gift? Or maybe have some games to get the family together? Install a ping-pong table, futsal or set up a TV for video games. Anything works!

3. Movie Time: A major part of keeping the family together is those Friday nights when everyone comes home and gets to enjoy the onset of the weekend. Your basement can be the start of your own in-home movie theatre with sound-proof walls and lighting to give you the ideal movie experience.

4. An Office in Peace and Quiet: If you’ve ever considered opening up a business at home or simply need a quiet place to consolidate your thoughts or make the time for an office space. Perhaps a tiled floor, paintings, and a fancy drawer along with a bookshelf to accompany your desk can make for the perfect home office.

5. More Room for Everyone: Adding a bedroom downstairs along with a bathroom and potentially even a kitchen can be great in case you ever want friends to spend the night after a late-night party or for family coming to visit.

Make Money, Live Better

A second suite is a separate dwelling unit inside of another residential unit. Putting your basement on the market for legal rental leads to a wide array of new possibilities. Investing in a finished basement done right not only can give you greater comfort and satisfaction in your own home, but also a hefty cheque.

Legal rentals for second suites are especially popular in urban areas close to the big cities. It is also quite a popular option with university students from across Canada as well as international students who need accommodations during their stay. A finished basement can grant you many hundreds of dollars if not thousands a month.

Making Your Life Easier: Financing

At Penguin Basements, we understand that people have busy lives and errands to run. That’s why we offer an accessible consultation as well as proposal and design. After consultation, our proposal will offer a variety of payment plans at your disposal.

Our Smart Basements Approach

Our design team will go through all available options with you to ensure a basement design that caters to your needs as well as maximizing lighting and energy efficiency. Due to the nature of the current pandemic, our team also offers on-line meetings where our designers show you a detailed 3D layout of your future basement so that you’re never left in the dark.

We are committed to giving you the best quality basement finishing with a minimum 2-year warranty on all our work as well as carry a minimum of $2 million liability insurance in case of an emergency. Over 80% of our builds are as a result of referrals from family, friends, and neighbours testifying that when we say high quality, we mean it.

If you’re interested in starting a project, click the free estimate button on the top right or call us at 1-866-429-0649 today for more information!

ADDITIONAL

BASEMENT INFO

Check out our Basement Portfolio

What is Thornhill’s policy on Second Suites?

Try out our Second Suite Calculator to see if it makes sense for you.

Request a FREE In-Home Consultation, Preliminary Drawing and Estimate.

Basement Showcase Open House Calendar.

Nearest Office

906 Magnetic Drive
North York, ON M3J 2C4
1 866 262-8298
by appointment only.

Who We Are

What We Do

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What Others Say About Us

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Penguin Benefits

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• Mold-Free Materials
• Free Estimate
• Financing Available
• Fully Warrantied

What Our Customers Are Saying

”great job, quality, customer service, value for money, and over all excellent job!“
Anonymous on HomeAdvisor
”We recently used Penguin Basements to finish our basement in Newmarket, Ontario. We had seen their sign around town, and figured we should inquire about their service and finishing system. We did inquire with some other companies as well, but found Penguins' presentation made the most sense for us. We are pleased to say that everything — from the first response of our inquiry, to the finished product — has been very seamless and actually quite enjoyable.“
Dennis Foot on Facebook
”Guy... what to say?! What a guy! had the pleasure of speaking with him this evening and all I can say is that he knows housing. so informative, fun and really a helpful guy. Very honest. actually helped convince us of what needs to be done. even though he told us that renovating our basement is actually not a good idea he took the time to go over with us some other options. Eye opener! Thanks Guy.“
Francesca D'Angelo on Facebook
’Claudio, our finishing supervisor should get an 11/10. He showed incredible professionalism, skill, and commitment to making the customer happy.“
Qasim Khan on Houzz
”Basement Bliss. No contracting work proceeds without a hiccup, but it's how you contractor deals with such issues that shows whether they care about the customer or just the money. It's obvious that everyone at this company is passionate about what they do. Highly recommended.“
Reg on Trustpilot
”It was a great experience from their initial guidance in design to the final project. Biggest pros - quality of work and accountability. The builder trend app is fantastic. It was an aggressive schedule but they delivered. And our project lead Alan was exceptional. Cons - there were a few disconnects early with the demo phase. And the work comes at a significant premium, so the benefits (quick completion, accountability, quality) need to be worth it. For us they were.’
Brad on Homestars
“I wanted to thank Dan and Josh for their outstanding and professional service! I hired them to finish my basement and our basement now looks amazing. I highly appreciate their work quality and material selection!”
John T on Google
”I always had concerns about which company to use to finish my basement. Penguin Basements put me at ease, from the sales person Dan who brought an floorpan that I would never have considered, to Vince, the project manner, who kept me well informed and made sure the project was done to the highest of standards. There were no real surprises along the way, and they made sure we were happy every step. Fantastic Job.”
Todd on Homestars
”We had an excellent experience with all the staff at Penguin Basements from our first meeting, through to the end of the project. All the contractors we met throughout the project who worked on the basement were professional and did an amazing job. We can't wait to use our additional living space to entertain our family and friends!”
Linda in Ajax
”The Penguin process worked well for us and the people who worked on our basement were professional, appear very skilled, and were aware and courteous of the intrusion their work had on our family's life. Penguin Basements more than met our expectations.“
David in Newmarket
”The basement came out better than we had planned! We have already recommended Penguin to our colleagues and friends! Thank you Penguin for an amazing experience and for giving us an awesome living space that our family will be sure to enjoy for years to come!“
Chris in Stouffville
“Everyone at Penguin was very professional and helpful in our project. Not only was it finished on time and on budget but it also has a very solid construction. We are very pleased with the quality of the workmanship.”
Lisa in Toronto
"It came together ABOVE what I had imagined."
David in Toronto
"We recently moved into our new home (2009) and we planned on finishing our basement. Our neighbours across the street had your sign on the lawn so we decided to see the completed work. It looked professional and we then requested a quote. 3 weeks later we had a brand new finished basement, simply amazing and thanks for everything."
Jeff and Amanda in Richmond Hill
"Just a note to let everyone at Penguin Basements know how pleased I am with my new Basement. Your three-man crew was amazing! They started at 9am, and by 3 that afternoon, they had already framed half of the perimeter of the basement. Two weeks later the job was completed and all the debris was removed. Thank you for a great job! We couldn't be happier. I will definitely recommend your company to family and friends."
John and Rebecca in Maple
"We could not have asked for more from a Renovation Company. For starters, our consultant was very knowledgeable. He knew exactly what we had in mind and met of all of our requirements Secondly the installers were professional and efficient. And finally the basement has been a tremendous addition to our home as Greg and Mary now have a place to play with all their toys."
James and Lisa in Oakville
"After 8 years in my house I finally had it with the messy basement. I called Penguin Basements and asked them for their advice on a design. I was really impressed by all the designs and concepts Alexander created. He advised me on all my choices, gave me a great price and completed the job in just 16 days, from start to finish. They carefully cleaned up after themselves and were always anxious to accommodate me. I'm very pleased! Thanks Again!"
Cathy & Bruce in Richmond Hill
"We could not have asked for more from a renovation company. For starters, our consultant was very knowledgeable. He knew exactly what we had in mind and met all of our requirements. Secondly, the installers were professional and efficient. Finally the basement has been a tremendous addition to our home as Greg and Mary now have a place to play with all their toys."
James & Lisa in Richmond Hill
"Dear Penguin Basements, we are still raving about the quality of the job that was done in our basement. We especially feel a big difference when the temperatures hit the freezing mark! Hats off to your crew for a great job repairing the cracked walls and finishing off the basement. Thanks again for a job well done!"
Shirley & Tom in Richmond Hill