The Annex
Renovating Older Homes of Toronto
Oriel Renovations, located in Toronto’s Roncesvalles neighbourhood, is a family-run, general-contracting business with deep expertise in renovating Toronto’s older homes.
1973
OPERATING SINCE
OUR STORY
We are proud to celebrate 50 years of renovating homes across Toronto!
Oriel Renovations was founded in 1973 by Sean Slowey. Over the years, he grew the business through word of mouth referrals, and developed a solid reputation for quality work and great service. This may have been in no small part due to strong work ethic, along with his Irish charm and accent.
Sean retired in 2008 (possibly to allow for more time for golfing), and his nephew, Jacob Quigley took charge. Since then, Oriel has continued to grow and build on the core values of exceptional client care and craftsmanship, through thorough planning, communication and attention to detail
Oriel’s team of carpenters, along with our network of designers and trade partners, many of whom we have been working with for 20+years, bring a mix of skills and experience to the job to ensure every client receives the excellent service you deserve, with high-quality results.
LEADERSHIP TEAM
Our leadership team, drawing from decades of experience, has helped shape the City of Toronto’s home renovation landscape
THE TEAM
What unifies Oriel’s team is that everyone is hard-working, personable, and punctual, with strong work ethics, good communication and pay attention to the small details.
WE MISS YOU
SEAN SLOWEY
Seán Slowey was born in Clones, Ireland in 1936. He moved to Toronto in 1957 where his sharp wits and great personality made him a natural fit as a salesman, eventually focusing on various construction materials. Realizing his desire to be his own boss, and with a chance to combine his enjoyment of physical work, meeting with clients, and building homes, he founded Oriel Renovations.
Over the years, he grew the business through word of mouth referrals, and developed a solid reputation for quality work and excellent service. This may have been in no small part due to strong work ethic, along with his Irish charm and accent.
Seán (semi) retired from Oriel in 2008 (possibly to allow for more time for golfing), but continued to keep his hands busy with various other projects, and enjoying his many other interests. He had a zest for life, a sharp sense of humor, and a real appreciation for great food, classical music, literature and the arts.
Sadly, Seán passed away in February 2020. He was surrounded by his loving family and also had a final chance to connect with many of the friends he knew over the years. We miss you and appreciate everything you created and shared with us!
JEREMY CUMMINE
Jeremy Cummine was born in Kenora ON in 1970. Following his years at the University of Western Ontario, and some time spent out west enjoying life as an avid outdoorsman, he moved to Toronto in 2003.
He first joined Oriel in 2004 for a few off-seasons between his summer gig as the leader of various hunting and fishing expeditions in Northern Ontario. In 2012, he returned to the team full time as a carpenter. Over the next several years, his skills and expertise steadily grew and he went on to lead multiple crews as our Project Manager.
In addition to having a wonderful sense of humour, a deep love of family, friends and music, Jeremy had an incredible ability to connect with people. He was both a great storyteller and listener, and was always interested to learn about people and new ideas. He could be counted on to help out in any situation whether it was through sharing his time, his knowledge or a funny anecdote to lighten the mood and put people at ease.
Tragically, Jeremy was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer and, following a hard struggle, he passed away in April 2023. He was one of a kind; a friend, a leader and a vital member of the Oriel family who will be forever missed.
In The News
News stories featuring work by Oriel Renovations
Hear From Our Clients
When we began this renovation, we had been living in our 3-storey semi-detached house for 15 years and had slowly but surely renovated the 100+ year old home one room at a time. However, we knew that when it came time to address the ground floor, we’d need to go with a major renovation company to do the whole storey in one go, and with the resources and team to take on such a large project. We had a good amount of space, but it was awkwardly divided with too many walls, many of them angled and nonsensical, and tiny disconnected spaces. We also wanted to bring in more light to our dining room, create separation between the front door and the living room while also allowing natural light in, and wanted a total overhaul of the kitchen.
A neighbour recommended Oriel and said they were a company we could trust. Our experience has been just that. We appreciated the very thorough pre-construction process in which we worked hand in hand with Oriel and our designer Alana Fletcher to come up with a design that would totally transform the way we use our ground floor. We knew we wanted fewer walls and more natural light, but we also wanted the option of some separation to keep noise contained and allow different family members to use different spaces simultaneously. The design, planning, and construction all worked beautifully.
We are most grateful for Oriel’s commitment to stay on budget and on time. The plan was to move out for 6 months and we did, moving back in to enjoy our new space on Christmas morning! The renovation looks exactly like the designs, uncannily so. Since moving back in, we have been so much more excited to cook, host, and spend time together in all the beautiful and well-finished spaces.
We can’t overstate how trustworthy Oriel’s entire crew has been. They were in constant contact throughout the project and we also really enjoyed watching the renovation updates through Buildertrend. Every single crew member was professional, courteous, respectful of our space, our needs, and our neighbours, and Jacob and the whole team were very responsive to any concerns or questions that came up throughout the process. Although we are not quite ready to embark on our next renovation (the basement!), we know that when we are, we’ll want to work with Oriel again. Their company provides excellent work and peace of mind.
Right away, I was impressed with the way Oriel quoted the project. When I asked questions, they were very responsive and had thoughtful answers; it made me comfortable that they were out to do the absolute best work possible with no surprises around costs.
When the work was being done, everything was well organized; tools were put away, they were vacuuming as they were going along. It was great. Always clear when they were coming, quiet, clean, always respectful; it was kind of unreal. Everyone who works with Jacob, and their third-party contractors, were incredible and very friendly. They had excellent communication and when communicating the few small issues we had they always came armed with thoughtful solutions.
Get quotes because it is always a good idea, but you would be foolish not to go with Oriel; they do the best work, and they don’t overcharge. They made us feel entirely comfortable throughout the entire process despite the fact that we were renovation novices.
We needed to open up our semi-detached to make it give it a more modern open concept feel. The house felt very dated. Our neighbours used Oriel and were very happy. We looked at other contractors but they promise the moon and don’t deliver the stars, which we had learned from a previous experience.
Jacob and his crew gutted the house, re-did the floors, staircase and finished the kitchen and living room. The work was top quality and the experience was relaxed. Thank God because I was pregnant. Jacob is great. He doesn’t over promise but over-delivers. Everything seems possible. He is very positive and thoughtful. It was very easy to talk to him and his crew. He stuck to his timeline and we also got regular updates.
We were looking for a contractor for our semi-detached home in Roncesvalles to gut the first floor and do an all new kitchen, HVAC, lighting, stairs, floors, bathroom, etc. Our neighbours recommended Jacob and spoke very highly of him. It was a great experience. He is very easy going, on top of things, very informative and open about what he can do for what price. He’s great at providing options and ideas on how to use the space.
The quality of the work was great and whenever there was a problem or something that we didn’t like, Jacob took responsibility and made sure the issue was resolved. His team was also very professional. You get what you pay for. I would recommend Jacob and his team without reservation.
We live in the High Park area in a 100-year old home. We wanted to finish the basement. In speaking with a number of contractors who were recommended by friends and colleagues, we settled on Jacob. He was calm and considerate. Not pushy. He gave his professional opinion as we evolved the project from finishing it to underpinning the foundation and building a basement apartment with a separate entrance. He was very good at working with us to understand the tradeoffs in an objective manner. It was a pleasant experience.
This was our first renovation and it was great having a general contractor to manage the different trades. All the work was done to our satisfaction. Jacob resolved any issue quickly. For instance, a delivery from a heavy truck tore up the driveway. Jacob took ownership right away and got it fixed. We would certainly recommend Jacob and Oriel Renovations.
We’ve hired Oriel for work a number of times over the last 10 years. We now live in a unique home – 6 stories and built into a side of a ravine, which means it is structurally complex. It needed a lot of work, including a complete overhaul of the laundry room and kitchen.
We went with Jacob because he always does good work. He is capable of managing a broad range of projects. He is honest and will bring in the right people to get the job done correctly. The kitchen was a complete gut and restoration, stripping everything back to the studs and joists. Jacob said it would take 12 weeks. He brought in six or seven trades and coordinated everything perfectly. It was done on time and on budget.
Our cabinet maker, Nick Day, is a friend of ours and he recommended Oriel. They gave us three references, each of them had worked with Oriel three times. One of them, who is an architect, allowed us to see their kitchen renovation and we were impressed enough to go ahead with Oriel.
The crew was always great and all of the trades were exceptional. Although we had a designer, Oriel’s crew was forthcoming with suggestions as they progressed, many of which made significant additional improvements to the end product.
The work site was always tidy, they were on time, and the communication was excellent. If they had an issue they contacted us right away, and they were very receptive to getting together to discuss decisions. When there were changes or alterations, we were given an estimate of additional costs so there were no surprises at the end.
We would recommend Oriel without reservation.
We’ve had a lot of problems with contractors over the years, so we were putting off the work we needed done. A good friend, who knew my situation, said I needed to talk to Oriel. Right away, they were fantastic on the phone; so calm and thoughtful. They realized that we needed some design help, so they connected me to Zuzanna at Studio Z Design, but I never felt pressured.
When I was ready, I reached out and the work came together quickly and efficiently. No renovation goes without a hiccup, but working with Oriel, they always were clear and gave you options. They explained why they recommended one way or the other and what were the consequences. They were supportive and patient.
Their work was everything that we wanted. The quality was excellent and they paid a lot of attention to detail. It was a well-organized process and the communication was excellent. With their project management app, we could understand what was planned and then what happened each day. We could see who was coming, what they were doing, and if they had any problems. We knew when we had to supply any materials or see photos of the latest work. It was so helpful. I would absolutely recommend Oriel, without a doubt.
There were a number of areas of our home that needed work on. We wanted to open up our kitchen/dining room, finish our basement, remodel our second floor bathroom, and repair and update our front porch. Oriel was able to complete our extensive renovation in approximately 5 months. Since this was our first time renovating our home and working with contractors, we feel extremely lucky and grateful to have had this experience with Oriel. Their communication was outstanding as we were always aware of what was being worked on every day and what to expect for the next. They provided great solutions to unforeseen problems and were very pleasant, easygoing people to work with. We would recommend Oriel to anyone who is looking for a great renovation company, especially one that has experience working on homes with challenging street parking and tight spaces in downtown Toronto.
I couldn’t be happier with my new kitchen and main floor reno – thanks to Oriel Renovations. On time and on budget, Oriel’s team and trade subcontractors were exceptional. Punctual, tidy, thoughtful and all-round great guys – Oriel gets 5-stars from me!!
Jacob and his team were a dream to work with right from the beginning. He did a thorough walk-through of our house and got a clear picture of our wants, needs, and preferred budget. His team met all deadlines and kept to our agreed-upon budget. Very easy to work with – friendly and trustworthy.
Understand The Pre-construction Process
Are you planning a renovation project but worried about the risks and potential delays? A pre-construction process can help you minimize those risks and ensure the success of your project.
With a detailed plan and thorough assessment of your needs before construction begins, you can eliminate costly assumptions, surprises and budget creep.
