When you’re renovating your house and the job drags on, it’s frustrating. When you’re renovating a business space, delays are not only frustrating, they’re costly and can result in lost clients. That’s why finding a contractor who is good at what he does and completes his work on time was “massively important,” says Sarah Brooks, executive producer and partner of School Editing, a downtown Toronto-based post production company that specializes in advertising. 

School Editing was purchased in 2010 by Sarah and partners Chris Van Dyke, Jon Devries and Mark Morton. They moved from their warehouse-style space to a semi-detached home in Toronto in 2015. Their building had been sold and rental costs increased dramatically. “Plus we lost our familiar relationship with the previous landlord. It was a motivator to look at real estate,” Sarah says. Owning also made good business sense.

They looked for a new building to accommodate 20 people in the funky, stylish surroundings expected by their advertising clientele. They found a house that already had an addition and had been converted into commercial space. However, it was dated and drab. Sarah says the bad 1980s renovation wouldn’t cut it. “In this industry, clients have an expectation of a certain décor.”

To create the perfect ambiance, the Design Agency, owned by friends of the partners, was called in to create a plan that would make the most and best use of the space.

The 4,000-square-foot house “had the right amount of space but had to be gutted to accommodate several editing suites, offices and common space,” Sarah says.

Chris Van Dyke recommended Amedeo, who had done work for Chris and other family members. “Chris knew Amedeo was good at what he does and completed jobs on time.”

As soon as the permits were in place, work began. DesignAgency created the design, but Barbini Design Build took the project from plans to reality. “We executed the plan, organically working with the design but providing alternatives to the designers’ suggestions that would provide the same look at a more affordable cost,” Amedeo says. 

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