If you own a home, chances are you've thought about renovating it - whether that's a tired kitchen finally getting its dream makeover, a basement turning into livable space, or an addition that gives a growing family some breathing room.
The hard part usually isn't deciding to renovate. It's figuring out who to trust with the job.
Guelph has no shortage of renovation companies and general contractors, and comparing them can feel overwhelming when you're just starting to plan a project. So we put together this guide to make that process easier - a rundown of some of the most established home renovation companies serving the area, what each one focuses on, and what to look for as you compare your options.
Why We Wrote this Article
As a cabinetry shop, we're on renovation sites all the time, working alongside contractors and seeing projects play out from the inside, so we have a good sense of who does solid work and who's worth being cautious about.
This guide is meant to give you a clear, honest starting point so you can narrow the field before you start requesting quotes.
Who We Are
We're Old World Woodworking, a custom cabinetry and woodworking shop based in Guelph, building kitchens, bathroom vanities, and built-ins by hand for homeowners, interior designers, and general contractors across the city. Because we work alongside renovation companies on projects regularly, we're in a good position to know which ones are worth a homeowner's time - which is what this guide is built on.
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Best Home Renovation Companies in Guelph
Below is a quick side-by-side look at six companies that regularly show up in Guelph homeowners' searches, followed by a closer look at each one.
| Company | Offers | About |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Old World Woodworking | Custom kitchen, bathroom, and living room cabinetry, built-ins, and millwork | Hand-built cabinetry and millwork specialist, Houzz 5-star rated, recipient of an Architectural Conservancy of Ontario Heritage Award |
| 2. Home Creators Renovations | Full home renovations, additions/extensions, basement renovations, kitchen and bathroom renovations, exterior renovations, garden suites, custom homes | General contractor founded in 2022, licensed, insured, and BBB accredited, built on a design-build model |
| 3. Holloway Build Co | Bathroom renovations (including custom showers and tile installation), kitchen renovations, general contracting | Newer contractor known for a hands-on, in-house approach and specific experience renovating century homes |
| 4. M2 Contractors | Custom home building, renovations, additions | Builder run by co-owners known locally as "Matt & Matt," regularly named among the area's top general contractors |
| 5. Myrtle Forest Renovations | High-end interior remodeling, kitchen and bathroom renovations, accessory apartments, storage solutions, basement walkouts, decks | Renovation company owned by Aram Lee, built around a network of skilled tradespeople and a focus on detailed, high-end finishing |
| 6. Malamar Construction | Renovations, home additions, commercial construction | Family-owned company founded in 2020 by Dave and Gillian Cuthbert, Best of TrustedPros 2021 winner for Bathroom Renovations and General Contracting |
1. Old World Woodworking
We build custom cabinetry and millwork for kitchens, bathrooms, and living rooms - full kitchen cabinetry, bathroom vanities, built-ins around fireplaces and bookshelves, window seats, and custom trim, mouldings, and casings, all built by hand to match a home's existing character.
Our focus is specifically the woodworking side of a renovation. We regularly work alongside general contractors and interior designers on remodel projects, coming in as the cabinetry specialist for the parts of the job where precision and custom fit matter most.
We're a Houzz 5-star rated shop, and our work reproducing trim and mouldings for historic Guelph homes earned us an Architectural Conservancy of Ontario Heritage Award. We also serve clients further out into the GTA and Muskoka for projects where that same historical detailing is called for.
Highlights:
We specialize in custom kitchen, bathroom, and living room cabinetry, plus built-ins and millwork
We hand-build everything in-house, without relying on mass-produced components
We work alongside interior designers and general contractors on renovation and remodel projects
Recipient of an Architectural Conservancy of Ontario Heritage Award for historic trim and moulding reproduction
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See Our Work
2. Home Creators Renovations
Founded in 2022, Home Creators covers a lot of ground as a Guelph-based general contractor - from full home renovations and additions to basement work, kitchens, bathrooms, exteriors, garden suites, and even custom home builds.
They operate on a design-build model, meaning the same team handles planning and permits through to construction and finishing, and they're licensed, insured, and BBB accredited.
Their service area extends beyond Guelph into Halton, Kitchener-Waterloo, and the wider GTA - handy if you want one company managing a multi-phase project instead of coordinating several trades yourself.
They also handle exterior work like siding, window and door upgrades, and roofing, so renovation plans that extend outside the house as well as in can stay with the same team.
Highlights:
Design-build model covering planning and permits through construction and finishing
Licensed, insured, and BBB accredited
Also offers exterior renovations, including siding, windows and doors, and roofing
Serves Guelph, Halton, Kitchener-Waterloo, and the GTA
Maintains a photo gallery and featured projects section for homeowners researching past work
Website: https://homecreators.ca
3. Holloway Build Co
Bathrooms and kitchens are the core focus at Holloway Build Co, a newer Guelph-based contractor that also offers custom shower installations, tile work, and general contracting services.
They take a hands-on approach and handle most of the work directly instead of leaning heavily on subcontractors, and they call out experience with Guelph's century homes, including properties near Exhibition Park and the downtown core.
Their service area covers Guelph as well as Cambridge, Kitchener, and Waterloo, so they're an option even if you're located just outside Guelph proper.
They also handle permits directly with the City of Guelph on projects that need them, preparing and submitting paperwork and coordinating inspections, and they'll tell you upfront if a smaller job doesn't require one.
Highlights:
Specializes in bathroom and kitchen renovations, including custom showers and tile
Takes a hands-on, in-house approach over heavy subcontracting
Calls out experience renovating Guelph's century homes
Handles City of Guelph permits and inspections directly on projects that require them
Serves the broader Guelph-Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge corridor
Website: https://www.hollowaybuildco.ca
4. M2 Contractors
M2 Contractors operates out of Guelph and works across both custom home construction and renovation projects, including additions. The company is run by co-owners known locally as "Matt & Matt," including Matt Jenkins, a carpenter by trade, and serves Guelph, Kitchener, Waterloo, Milton, and surrounding areas.
Their site walks through their overall building process, which can be helpful if you're new to renovating and want a sense of what the stages of a project typically look like before you commit.
They come up often in local roundups of Guelph's top general contractors and basement renovation specialists, and clients frequently point to their organized, on-schedule project management as a standout.
Highlights:
Handles both custom home builds and renovation work, including additions
Co-owner Matt Jenkins is a carpenter by trade
Named among Guelph's top general contractors and basement renovation specialists in local roundups
Serves Guelph, Kitchener, Waterloo, Milton, and surrounding areas
Publishes an overview of their building process from start to finish
Website: https://m2contractors.ca
5. Myrtle Forest Renovations
Myrtle Forest, owned by Aram Lee, positions itself around high-end interior remodeling, drawing on a network of skilled tradespeople to cover everything from kitchens and bathrooms to accessory apartments, basement walkouts, storage solutions, and decks.
Their focus on detail and finish work suits homeowners who care more about a polished, high-end result than about the scale of the project.
They also handle laundry room renovations, a smaller job that many renovation companies don't list separately.
Highlights:
Focuses on high-end finishing and detail-oriented remodeling
Also handles laundry room renovations
Offers accessory apartment and basement walkout builds, useful for homeowners looking to add rental or income potential
Works through an established network of tradespeople instead of a single in-house crew
Website: https://www.myrtleforest.ca
6. Malamar Construction
Dave Cuthbert, a carpenter with over 30 years of experience, and co-owner Gillian Cuthbert founded Malamar Construction as a family-owned business in 2020. The team brings more than 40 years of combined experience across construction, restoration, and renovation.
They handle renovations, additions, commercial construction, and condominium or rental-unit turnovers out of Guelph, serving the wider Guelph-Cambridge-Kitchener-Waterloo region.
They carry a 4.9-star rating from 10 reviews on TrustedPros, and their gallery spans residential and commercial work, with a quote process that includes budget-range options to help set expectations early on for what a project might cost.
They won Best of TrustedPros in 2021 for Bathroom Renovations and General Contracting in Guelph, and they manage the full process under one roof, including helping clients choose allowance-based items like fixtures, finishes, and cabinetry as the project moves along.
Highlights:
Family-owned and founded in 2020, led by Dave and Gillian Cuthbert
Team brings 40+ years of combined construction and renovation experience
Won Best of TrustedPros 2021 for Bathroom Renovations and General Contracting in Guelph
Covers residential renovations, home additions, commercial projects, and condo/rental-unit turnovers
Rated 4.9 out of 5 from 10 reviews on TrustedPros
Quote request form includes budget tiers, helping set cost expectations upfront
Website: https://malamarconstruction.ca
Tips for Picking a Great Contractor
A few tips to help you compare your options:
A. It helps to ask for recent projects similar in scope to yours - a company that's done dozens of additions isn't necessarily the strongest choice for a detailed kitchen renovation, and the reverse is just as true.
B. A written scope of work matters more than it might seem, since vague quotes are usually where disputes start later. Look for a contractor willing to spell out materials, timelines, and what's included versus what isn't - countertops, hardware, and permits are common gray areas.
C. Most renovation companies rely on a network of electricians, plumbers, and specialty tradespeople instead of doing every trade in-house, so it's worth asking who's actually doing the work and how the contractor manages that coordination. That tells you a lot about how smoothly your project is likely to run.
D. Timelines shift for legitimate reasons - permit delays, material lead times, unexpected issues once walls come down - so an overly optimistic estimate upfront isn't necessarily a red flag on its own. What matters more is how a contractor handles delays once they happen.
E. Price alone can be misleading, too. The cheapest quote isn't always the best value once materials, project management, and how a company handles problems mid-project are factored in.
Partner With Old World Woodworking for Your Home Renovation Project
If your renovation involves a kitchen, bathroom, or living space where custom cabinetry and woodwork will define the finished look, we're worth bringing into the conversation early - whether you're working with one of the general contractors above or managing the project yourself.
We Do Custom Cabinetry Tailored to Your Home
Our work covers custom kitchens, bathroom cabinetry, built-ins, and furniture-grade woodwork, all built by hand instead of assembled from mass-produced parts.
That approach matters most in Guelph's older homes, where sloped ceilings, uneven walls, and non-standard room shapes are typical, not the exception. Off-the-shelf cabinetry rarely fits those spaces well; custom work built specifically for your home does.
We Work with Designers and Contractors
Renovations are rarely a single-company job, and we're built to slot into a larger project, not compete with it. We routinely collaborate with interior designers who bring finished drawings to life, and with general contractors - including companies like the ones featured above - who need a cabinetry specialist to handle the wood components of a larger renovation.
If you're already working with a contractor on your project, we can come in as the specialist responsible for getting the cabinetry, built-ins, and trim exactly right.
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