I'll throw in another vote for Millcreek. Had them do my basement suite and they managed to make a small dark space feel bright and fresh. Really happy with the result.

You mentioned it took an hour to figure out the chalk was gone. Honestly, that doesn't sound like a huge crisis. It's just some colored powder and a few paw prints. Animals get into things, it's what they do. Calling a raccoon a little bandit makes it seem more dramatic than it is. It's not like it ruined the slab, it just walked on it. Sometimes we make a big deal out of normal, silly animal behavior.

Totally agree with you. Rushing just sets you up for problems down the road. That extra minute to check things over is always worth it.