Ottawa General Contractors vs Laurysen Kitchens

Ottawa homeowners researching kitchen renovations sometimes find themselves comparing Laurysen Kitchens and Ottawa General Contractors (OGC). Before you spend time getting quotes from both, there's a foundational distinction to understand: these are not the same type of company. Laurysen is a cabinet manufacturer and design firm. OGC is a full-service general contractor. Knowing the difference upfront, and looking at Laurysen's actual customer satisfaction record, not just their award shelf, makes the decision considerably clearer.

Ottawa General Contractors (OGC): Full-Service, Fully Certified

Ottawa General Contractors was founded around 2007–2009 by Moe Abbas at age 21 and has grown into a national design-build firm under The Canadian General Contractors Group, with offices in Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, and Calgary. The Ottawa team includes approximately 40–50 staff and 15 skilled carpenters.

OGC's credential stack sets the standard for the Ottawa market:

• Remodeling Big 50 (2019), top 2% of all remodeling companies in North America, awarded by Remodeling Magazine based on business practices, craftsmanship, and industry impact
• BBB A+ accreditation with 51 verified reviews averaging 4.88/5 and zero unresolved complaints on record
• TARION warranty provider registration, Ontario's statutory new construction warranty program
• RenoMark certified renovator
• NKBA, GOHBA, CHBA, CGBC memberships
• 4.9/5 on Google
• Featured on HGTV, CBC, CTV, Globe and Mail, and Mike Holmes Magazine
• Two founders named OBJ 40 Under 40; Fares Elsabbagh named NKBA Top 30 Under 30

Every OGC project includes fixed, itemized pricing that does not change mid-project without a documented scope change; a price match guarantee against any GOHBA-member, RenoMark-certified competitor; a documented 1-2-7 year warranty (workmanship, water/systems/code compliance, major structural defects); and TARION coverage for new construction components.

OGC's full service range covers kitchen and bathroom renovations, basement finishing, home additions, loft conversions, custom home builds, backyard suites and garden suites, Bill 23 multi-unit conversions, purpose-built rental development, and investor consulting programs. See: How to Build a Legal Duplex in Ottawa, How Much Does It Cost to Build an ADU in Ottawa?

Laurysen Kitchens: Cabinet Manufacturer, Not General Contractor

Founded in 1970, Laurysen Kitchens is a third-generation family business that manufactures and installs custom cabinetry. Their 110,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility in Carleton Place and their Ottawa Design Experience Centre at 183 Colonnade Road S are genuine assets. Their design team includes certified kitchen designers (CKD and CMKBD designations). They've won over 70 industry awards, including the Consumer's Choice Award for Best Kitchen Manufacturer/Distributor in Ottawa for 28 consecutive years.

Those are real credentials for a cabinetry company. But they raise a critical question: how does a cabinet company's award record translate to your renovation experience?

The answer, according to the people who have hired them, is: not as well as the trophies suggest.

The Customer Satisfaction Gap

Laurysen's real-world review scores tell a different story than their award wall:

• Houzz: 4.3/5 across 39 reviews, notably below OGC's 5.0/5
• HomeStars: approximately 70–73% StarScore across 66 reviews, a score that would be concerning for any contractor, and is remarkable for a company with 70+ industry awards
• BBB: accredited since 1972, but complaints on file, including documented issues with cabinets arriving dented and scratched, missing parts on delivery, wrong colors installed, and slow or unsatisfactory warranty follow-up

For comparison: OGC holds a 4.88/5 BBB rating across 51 verified reviews with zero unresolved complaints, and a 4.9/5 on Google. The gap between Laurysen's design award reputation and their actual customer satisfaction scores is one of the most notable disconnects in the Ottawa market. Design competition judges and homeowners living through a renovation are evaluating very different things.

The 60% Upfront Deposit

Laurysen requires a 60% deposit before work begins. On a $100,000 kitchen renovation, that's $60,000 transferred before a single cabinet is cut, delivered, or verified on-site. This is an unusually high upfront commitment and has been noted as a friction point in customer reviews. OGC uses fixed pricing with a documented scope; costs don't change without your approval, and no comparable deposit structure is required upfront.

The Scope Ceiling

Laurysen installs what they manufacture: cabinets, countertops, and millwork. If your kitchen renovation involves moving a wall, relocating plumbing, upgrading electrical, managing building permits, or any structural change, Laurysen cannot help you. You would need to hire a separate general contractor to do the actual renovation work, then bring Laurysen in for the cabinetry, adding coordination complexity, potential conflicts of responsibility, and a split warranty situation.

OGC manages the entire kitchen renovation under one contract: design, permits, structural changes, plumbing, electrical, cabinetry, countertops, flooring, and final inspection. One project manager. One warranty. One point of responsibility.

The Warranty Is Cabinet-Only, and Shorter Than Competitors

Laurysen's warranty is specific to their cabinetry:

• 10 years on cabinet materials and workmanship
• Lifetime on drawer slides and hinges
• 5 years on countertops and stains/finishes
• 1 year on painted finishes, the shortest tier, covering one of the most visible aspects of a kitchen

Worth noting: Deslaurier Custom Cabinets - Laurysen's primary Ottawa competitor, offers a 20-year cabinet warranty, double Laurysen's coverage. So even within the narrow cabinet category, Laurysen's warranty is not the strongest available in Ottawa.

OGC's warranty covers the full scope of construction across all trades on a documented 1-2-7 year structure, with TARION alignment for structural components. For a complete kitchen renovation involving multiple trades, OGC's warranty is both broader in coverage and clearer in documentation.

Services Comparison

Laurysen Kitchens offers: Custom cabinetry and millwork; kitchen, bathroom vanity, closet, mudroom, and home office cabinet design and installation; countertop installation. Everything centres on what they manufacture.

OGC offers all kitchen renovation work, plus:

• Structural changes and wall removal
• Plumbing and electrical upgrades
• Permit management and code compliance
• Bathroom and basement renovations
• Home additions and loft conversions
• Custom home builds
• Backyard suites and garden suites
• Bill 23 multi-unit conversions
• 3D architectural design
• Renovation financing

Not sure what your project requires? Start here: How to Get a Building Permit in Ottawa, How to Find Out What You Can Build on Your Ottawa Property.

Pricing

Laurysen's typical project range on Houzz is listed as CAD $1,000–$150,000. Free design consultations are offered. A 60% deposit is required before work begins. No fixed pricing commitment is advertised, and no price match guarantee exists.

OGC provides itemized fixed pricing that is locked in with your contract, a price match guarantee against any GOHBA/RenoMark-certified competitor on identical scope, and renovation financing for qualifying homeowners. See OGC's financing options. Canada Secondary Suite Loan Program in Ottawa.

The Verdict

Laurysen Kitchens has an exceptional manufacturing operation and a design team with genuine technical credentials. Their 55-year history and 70+ industry awards are real. But their real-world customer satisfaction scores, 70–73% on HomeStars, 4.3 on Houzz, BBB complaints on file for damaged deliveries and poor warranty follow-up, suggest a meaningful gap between their award reputation and the average homeowner's renovation experience. And their scope is fundamentally limited: they make and install cabinets, they do not perform general contracting work.

OGC delivers a kitchen renovation as part of a complete, permitted, end-to-end project, with a stronger customer satisfaction record across more platforms, a broader warranty, transparent fixed pricing, no large upfront deposit requirement, and the ability to handle any structural or mechanical work your kitchen renovation requires. For Ottawa homeowners making a serious investment in their home, OGC is the stronger and more accountable choice.

See also: Basement Apartment Ottawa Guide, How Much Does It Cost to Build a Duplex in Ottawa?

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Laurysen Kitchens a general contractor?

No. Laurysen is a cabinet manufacturer and design firm. They design, manufacture, and install cabinetry. They do not perform structural renovations, plumbing, electrical, permit management, home additions, multi-unit conversions, or general contracting work. If your kitchen renovation involves any structural changes, you would need a separate general contractor alongside Laurysen's cabinetry installation.

Why is Laurysen's HomeStars score so low for a company with so many awards?

Laurysen's HomeStars score of approximately 70–73% across 66 reviews is notably inconsistent with their design award record. The most common themes in critical reviews include cabinets delivered with dents and scratches, missing or incorrect parts on delivery, and slow or unresponsive warranty follow-up. Industry design competition judges evaluate aesthetics and design innovation; homeowners evaluate delivery quality, coordination, and post-sale service. These are different things.

Does Laurysen require a deposit?

Yes. Laurysen requires a 60% upfront deposit before work begins, meaning on a $100,000 kitchen renovation, $60,000 is due before cabinets are manufactured, delivered, or verified. OGC uses fixed pricing with a locked-in scope; no comparable deposit structure is required.

How does Laurysen's warranty compare to OGC's?

Laurysen's warranty covers their cabinetry specifically: 10 years on materials and workmanship, 1 year on painted finishes. OGC's warranty covers the full renovation scope: 1-year workmanship, 2-year building systems and code compliance, 7-year major structural defects, with TARION alignment for new construction. OGC's coverage is broader and more relevant for a full kitchen renovation involving multiple trades. It's also worth noting that Laurysen's 10-year cabinet warranty is half the 20-year warranty offered by their competitor Deslaurier.

Can OGC handle the cabinetry and countertops in a kitchen renovation?

Yes. OGC manages the complete kitchen renovation including cabinetry, countertops, flooring, plumbing, electrical, and permit coordination, all under one contract with one project manager and one documented warranty.

Does Laurysen have more awards than OGC?

Laurysen has more awards in kitchen cabinet design categories, including 28 consecutive Consumer's Choice Awards for Best Kitchen Manufacturer and 14 Best of Houzz recognitions. These reflect cabinet design excellence. OGC's Remodeling Big 50 reflects overall construction business excellence across North America, a distinction that fewer than 2% of remodeling companies have ever received. The awards are measuring entirely different things, and customer satisfaction data, where OGC significantly outperforms Laurysen, which is a more relevant measure for a homeowner choosing a renovation partner.