Wilkens Contracting Inc

I had a small chimney of yellow bricks that were chipping and needed to be replaced. I also had some red bricks in the garage wall that needed to be replaced. I contacted three companies in the Toronto area. One would not come to the house to view the chimney but instead based on the size of the chimney gave me an estimate to fix the chimney and 70 bricks on the garage. Two companies did come to the house and gave me their estimates. Ernie Wilkens of Wilkens Contracting was one of those companies. Wilkens was $180.00 more than one company and the same price as the other one. I selected Wilkens to do the chimney and the garage because they would replace 100 bricks on the garage instead of the 70-80 bricks the other two companies would replace. Secondly Ernie listened to my concerns about not disturbing the flat roof membrane around the chimney and explained what they would do to address my concerns. Frank and his sons showed up on time on the appointed day. Frank viewed the work to be done and then went and got the bricks. He believed that more bricks were needed but said he would not charge me for the extra bricks he was getting. That was very nice of him as some places charge $15 for each extra brick over the estimated number. The work was done in 1 day. The new bricks matched the old colour very well. The work area was cleaned up. They even put mortar in several cracks on the inside cement block wall of the garage. Ernie contacted me later to see if I was satisfied with the work. I am very happy with the craftsmanship of their work and will recommend them to my neighbours.

Excellent job. Fully professional. Went above and beyond in fixing things although not easy. Came on time and cleaned up and ascertained that I was satisfied. The price was Reasonable too.! What more can you ask !

Wilkens Masonry was recommended by Chimneysmiths and Chimneysmiths was recommended by Atlascare. All three companies are rated 10 as far as I am concerned. We needed a liner in our chimney for our gas water heater and discovered the chimney was beyond repair because of age. In less than a week we have a new chimney with a gas liner but more importantly we have the peace of mind knowing everything has been brought up to code. Frank and his two sons demolished and rebuilt the chimney using brick that perfectly matches the house. They coordinated with Scott from Chimneysmiths for the liner installation. It is a really nice looking chimney but you would only notice something has been done because we wanted their sign on our lawn. Ernie dropped off the quote in our mailbox so I didn't actually meet him but Maguite followed up to make sure we were pleased with our experience. I have already recommended Wilkens to two neighbours.

Ernie and his son Jake are both gentlemen who completed an excellent job at the best price. They were professional, friendly and thorough from start to finish. I highly recommend their workmanship.

We have called upon the services of Wilkens on three occasions over a period of about 11 years. On every occasion they have been prompt, attentive, done flawless work, and cleaned up perfectly upon completion. Ernie is what you might call "old school" in the sense that he is a true gentleman, who is gracious and stands behind the work completed by his team. The crews are professional, and wonderful to deal with. In today's world, Wilkens is a rare find indeed. I have referred friends to Wilkens, and will do so again and again. A top-notch outfit!

Ernie Wilkens and his team have worked for me in the past with superb results, so I did not hesitate to call them when my retaining wall required repair. They couldn't find bricks the right size, so they cut down bricks to match (perfectly!) and did not charge me for the extra labour. An honest and ethical company with very high standards - I would highly recommend them to anyone.

My flagstone porch was in disrepair - some of the stones had come off or were loose from the ravages of winter and spring thaw. (Canadian weather is tough on the mortar). I'm glad I called Wilkens Contracting after receiving their flyer in the mail. They specialize in masonry work. I'm pleased with the results - my porch looks good as new. They did an excellent job with quality workmanship at a reasonable price. I would not hesitate to hire them again.

We moved into our home about 20 years after it was built, and almost 20 years have gone by since we've moved in, so the house it fairly old. Needless to say, our fireplace had smoke damage etc, these guys came and gave us a whole new fireplace to enjoy!

The tear down of a rotting chimney and its reconstruction was handled by Wilkens Contacting Inc.

I am entirely serious when I write that the new chimney is a thing of beauty. The point work is flawless. I told my partner my only disappointment was that the damn thing wasn't on the front porch where everyone could see it.

The chimney is shared with my semi-detached neighbour and there was a question as to the appropriate cap for her side of the installation as she was having her furnace replaced. I found the crew's concern that the work be finished appropriately to the point of scheduling their break around my efforts to locate her, as telling as the quality of the brickwork itself.

Ernie suggested I have a roofing company handle the flashing of the new chimney as our roof is currently on life support and the job was best handled by specialists. I did hire a roofing company but I had forgotten to inform them that the chimney work was happening that day. It turned out to be of no concern because after climbing to the roof to see how things were progressing, I found that the roofing contractor was there already. Without prompting from me, Wilkens had contacted them and coordinated the work to ensure the flashing was installed immediately after the chimney was capped. I suppose I've become a little too immune to paying top dollar for mediocre product but this consideration momentarily left me slack-jawed with amazement.

I hardly need to add that the area was left cleaner then before the crew from Wilkens first walked on it.

In the years my partner and I have been restoring our home, we have hired many different contractors for jobs both large and small. Until I hired Wilkens Contacting, I had never had the pleasure of hiring a company that didn't simply meet a quality standard, it set one.

Bravo.

Paul Vivian

When you pick Otto Wilkens for a contractor you shouldn't do it because you're looking for a deal. It's unlikely he's going to be the cheapest, but you're going to get value, honesty, integrity, and something I appreciate throughout any home reno process - good communication.
Otto took care of a piece of concrete in the front of our house, and we're very happy with how it looks and how the whole process turned out. Definitely keep Wilkens in mind if you're doing concrete or masonry work done.