Caroline in Ottawa

Last summer I moved into a condo apartment. The air conditioning is provided by a central air conditioning unit on my balcony and maintenance is the responsibility of the condo owner. By the looks of it, the air conditioner hadn't had an service for a while. The condenser coil was so filthy you couldn't even see it on one side! Because the air conditioner is on a balcony, it can't be hosed off. I called a few places to try and set up a maintenance service and was shocked to learn they wouldn't work on an apartment air conditioner, even though it is just a regular central air unit. I called AirZone and spoke to a very helpful woman who assured me they would work on the balcony and could service and clean the unit. I was informed the cost for the maintenance would be higher because a unit on a balcony is classified as Specialty Equipment and that the cleaning would be charged by the hour. That was fine with me, I was glad to find a company that would do the job! Alicia was the technician who came out to do the maintenance. It took her an hour to painstakingly brush out and vacuum up all the dirt from the coil. Her attention to detail is obvious in the before and after pictures of the unit. She checked out everything and made sure the unit was operating properly. I had a lot of questions for her and she was very helpful answering them. Thank you, Alicia! The whole process from first calling AirZone, explaining about the balcony, booking an appointment and having Alicia do the service was seamless. I will definitely call AirZone next year to do the annual maintenance on my unit.

I have two large cedar bushes I hadn’t trimmed in about four years. I’m a senior and didn’t feel comfortable getting on a ladder and trimming them myself anymore. I figured I’d need to hire someone but wasn’t sure if the company that trims all the huge hedges in the area would even be interested in such a small job. Last summer I got a door hanger advertising Best Green Hedges and figured it wouldn’t have been left if they didn’t do smaller jobs. This year I decided the bushes were looking really unkempt so I looked up Best Green Hedges on HomeStars and saw all the reviews were positive so I contacted them. I filled in the contact form for a free estimate last Saturday. On Sunday, I got an email from Sheldon to say they’d forwarded on my contact info to their estimator. On Monday, I got an email from Colin to say he’d be by soon to do the estimate. He showed up that afternoon to do it. He said he’d put me in the queue to get the hedges trimmed. He said he’d be in touch once my job came up and it could take a few weeks which wasn’t a problem for me. I was surprised when I got a voicemail on Thursday to say they’d be there on Friday. A couple of fellows (forgot to ask their names) showed up on Friday morning to trim the hedges. They did a great job and took away all the clippings. I was very happy with the job and very impressed with the company’s communication keeping me in the loop all the way through.

Jesse has done many jobs for me over the past four years including building a deck; painting; insulating and drywalling in my basement; installing a exhaust fan and building a shelf and winerack in my kitchen; and replacing old 80's closet doors with modern ones. Jesse is extremely hard-working, honest and pleasant to deal with. He takes great pride in his work and jobs are always finished to your satisfaction. I have allergies and asthma and need to be careful about any building materials used in my house. Jesse is always happy to use the brands I ask for to assure good air quality indoors. I have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending Jesse for any reno work.

Back in January, after a thaw, I noticed a water stain on the living room ceiling. There were no pipes in the area so I knew it had to be coming in from outside. With all the snow, freezing rain, rain, thaws and refreezing we had this winter, I didn't manage to track the leak down until late April. It was discovered that when the previous home owners had had the roof redone, the roofer had not bothered to recaulk around the chimney base. The old caulk had deteriorated and water was coming in. I got that fixed but started to notice a mouldy smell in the master bedroom so knew I needed mould remediation done. I got a couple of estimates, which were competitive, but decided to go with Healthy Home Center because I was impressed by Gabriel's knowledge and honesty. I was also very concerned about any remediation products and building materials that would be used because I am very allergic to most VOCs. Gabriel had no problem whatsoever using the brands of insulation, drywall, and drywall compound that I knew I wouldn't react to. He assured me all the remediation products he uses on mould are very low or zero VOC. He said this, combined with the work being done in a contained area and vented outside, should assure I had no problems. Gabriel and his team arrived and started work in the living room. A bit of mould and water damage was discovered behind the walls around the fireplace and in the ceiling. The drywall, vapour barrier, insulation and part of the ceiling were removed. All the remaining surfaces were treated for mould and thoroughly dried out. Upstairs in the bedroom, the only sign of water damage was a bit of bubbled hardwood. I'd told Gabriel, when he came to do the estimate, that I thought the leak had occurred on and off for about five months. Once he'd removed the drywall in the bedroom though, he saw that the damage was extensive. He said it looked like the water had been coming in behind the bedroom wall for years. It had come down from the roof, somehow missing the bedroom ceiling, had soaked through the insulation in the wall and then run under the floor. The vapour barrier had stopped any water from damaging the drywall which is why I had no idea how long it had been leaking before it finally came through the ceiling below in the living room. Gabriel showed me pictures he'd taken of the damage. There was a lot of mould on all the surfaces. The studs, the bottom plate, the floor joists, and the subfloor had all sustained water damage. Some were so badly rotted they could be picked apart by a finger nail! There was so much more damage than had been expected that the job ran an extra day and extra materials had to be purchased. I was kept fully informed by Gabriel and although this meant the cost would be higher than the original estimate, I had no problem with that. I didn't want to fall through the floor! Gabriel and his team were working during the few really hot days we had in June. Although they were in the house, the vents were blocked off inside the containment areas, so they had no air conditioning. On top of that, they had to wear haz mat suits and masks. Through it all, everyone worked hard and were unfailingly polite and pleasant. After the decontamination was done, they rebuilt everything with the materials I'd specified. Gabriel brought in a finishing specialist who repaired the popcorn ceiling in the living room and did the painting. The painting wasn't in the estimate because I was trying to save money and was going to do it myself. Gabriel said it wasn't a big area that needed to be done and that they'd throw it in. I was stunned and very thankful. I am a senior and while I do know how to paint, their results were so much more professional (not to mention quicker) than anything I could have done. When they replaced the bubbled hardwood flooring in the bedroom, they replaced more than just the few damaged bits. I had extra flooring so they replaced quite a few rows so that it all looked seamless. It's obvious Gabriel and his team take great pride in their work, it shows in the finished job. Although mould remediation is a very noisy job with the big fans venting outside 24/7, it was managed with the least possible disruption to me and my home. There was very little drywall dust after the repairs were finished and because of that, and the products they used, I had no allergic reactions. If anyone has need of any of the services Healthy Home Center offers, I'd recommend Gabriel and his team very highly.

I hired Green Works primarily to fix the grading around my house and in the backyard. I've lived here for three years but the house is 37 years old and it didn't look like the grading had ever been maintained. All the ground, including that under my deck, was draining towards my home. I contracted Green Works to fix the grading around my house, in the backyard and under the deck; to install a new interlock pathway and some river rock; to install pop-up drains from all the downspouts; and to lay new sod in the backyard. From beginning to end, all went smoothly. Kellaway arrived at the scheduled time to look at what I wanted done and I received a very detailed estimate via email in a timely manner. I decided to go with Green Works and was given an estimated start date. They were two days late starting due to torrential rains which was understandable and out of their control. What I did appreciate a lot was that I was regularly kept informed by Kellaway as to the status of the start. The crews who did the work were some of the hardest-working contractors I've ever seen. They arrived before 7:30 AM every day and didn't leave until between 5:30 and 6:00 PM. They were unfailingly polite and respectful of my property. All the work was done without disturbing any of the established plants in my back garden. The first crew did the major grading of the backyard, took apart my deck and graded under it by hand, installed pop-up drains from the downspouts, and laid the interlock. When they were digging the foundation for my interlock (17"!), they came upon a very large section of boggy soil. They could have just ignored it and gone ahead and done the interlock. I would never have known until a few years down the road when the interlock started to sink in spots. They took the time to show me what they'd found, explain what would happen if it weren't fixed and to tell me how they could fix it. Fixing it put them quite a few hours behind schedule but doing the job right was obviously of utmost importance. After the interlock was done, another crew arrived to do the final grading along the sides of the house and to install the new sod and river rock. The sod order was put in after they arrived at my house so it was cut and delivered fresh. New topsoil was installed, starter fertilizer put down and some seed was spread before the sod was laid. All of this was done to ensure a thick, healthy lawn. I'd wanted my garden beds left a little bigger and they were very helpful in determining a nice shape. I was also impressed with how careful the crews were with all their trucks and machinery so as not to block neighbours' driveways or park for long periods of time in non-parking zones. There have been a lot of paving and landscaping contractors on my road this year and not all companies were as considerate as Green Works! After the job was finished, they cleaned up very well around my property and on the road. The whole job was done in 4 days and looks wonderful! I would not hesitate to hire Green Works again for any future landscaping work.

When I moved into my house two years ago, the front lawn was in bad shape and had a massive garden that was in even worse shape. I tried for two years to sort them both out and finally gave up this spring. The garden needed more upkeep than I was willing to give it and the lawn was a mess. Based on the reviews here, I called Instant Lawns. I wanted new sod and the garden reduced to a more manageable size. The estimate was done on May 21. It included sod and topsoil for the new garden bed. I was told it would take 5 or 6 weeks before the work could be done and it came in right on schedule on June 30. Everyone in the company I dealt with was friendly and professional. I was notified two weeks in advance with the install date which gave me ample time to get all the plants out of my front garden. The team arrived on June 30 right when they said they would and, in just under 5 hours, I had a new front lawn and garden bed. I was absolutely amazed at how hard and how fast the team worked. I also had occasion to test the customer service and warranty when one piece of sod turned out to be defective. The day after install, it started to turn brown and gradually died. Since the day after install was a holiday, I couldn't call the office until the following Monday. Thursday afternoon the dead piece of sod was removed and a new one installed. This was a good experience from beginning to end and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone looking for "instant grassification".

I had a GeneralAire humidifier installed last winter by Reliance. Although brand new, it has never worked very well. This month, it packed it in completely. Of course, it waited until it was out of warranty. I decided to try a different company to fix it so called Ottawa Home Services. Pierre came the next day. He arrived in the window of time I'd booked and phoned beforehand to say he was on his way. He diagnosed the problem quickly, a broken solenoid valve, and had the part on hand. When it was fixed, I could hear the water running through it like I never had before, even when it was new. With it set in the same place as before, the humidity in the house rocketed up so fast, I had to turn it down. Pierre said he'd had to replace a few solenoid valves on newer humidifiers so he wondered if perhaps there'd been a bad batch at some point. I wish someone from Reliance had wondered about that last year while it was still under warranty!

I hired Andrew to clean the eaves last year and was impressed with his efficiency and professionalism. We spoke then about adding some eavestroughing and replacing some downspouts in the Spring. He said he'd be in touch then and, sure enough, he was. This is something I really appreciate about Andrew; he keeps you informed and is easily accessible if you have questions. He came by last week and installed some eavestroughing on the second storey. He also replaced two downspouts that had split in spots and put longer extensions on all the downspouts. While he was here, he fixed a downspout tie that had come loose and discovered that someone had installed the bend incorrectly allowing water to run out of the middle of the downspout. That may well have contributed to the wet basement I had last Fall! He fixed that for me at no charge. I also asked him if he could see anything loose around the front of the house that could be making a noise. When it is really windy, I can hear a very loud clattering sound upstairs. He screwed down some loose soffit that he thought might be the source of the noise, again no charge. He also knocked down an old wasp nest high up in the eaves for me. Andrew goes above and beyond and I will definitely have him back for any future work or eaves cleaning.

I called Reliance about purchasing a humidifier and was able to get an appointment to have it installed the next day, February 4. Steve and Tyler showed up within the designated time frame and quickly had it installed. They were polite and professional and left my home clean and tidy. The operation of the humidifier was explained to me and they told me that the humidity should get to where it was set (~35%) within 72 hours. Three days later, the humidity hadn't risen above 25% (as measured on my hygrometer). I turned the humidifier control up to the maximum which still only took the house humidity up to 26%. It is extremely important that the humidity be above 30% for me as I'm asthmatic. I called Reliance back on February 10 to let them know that the humidifier wasn't raising the humidity enough. The next day Darcy came by to have a look. The humidifier was wired such that it came on when the heat came on, which is correct, and is how most humidifiers are wired. My furnace is a newer, hi-efficiency furnace and my windows and doors are new so the heat doesn't come on often. Because of this, I wondered if the humidifier wasn't running long enough to get the humidity where it needed to be. Darcy agreed that that could be the problem and he rewired the humidifier so that it ran when the furnace fan was running, regardless if the heat was on or not. Because of my allergies and asthma, I keep my furnace fan running on low at all times to force air through the filter so this was a good solution. The humidity in the house is already up to 32%. There was no charge for the service call.

My basement leaked around a window well and left the carpet, underpad, drywall and trim wet along the wall. I couldn't get it dried out completely and, after a week, started to really worry about mould formation because I'm asthmatic and allergic to mould. I called Canada's Restoration Services central number and within half an hour got a call from Gabriel, the area manager for Ottawa. He came by a few days later to have a look. He pulled back a bit of the carpet and there was no doubt there was mould underneath. He explained that they would remove all the damp carpet and underpad and the drywall and insulation about two feet up. They'd remove more drywall if they found more mould. Gabriel emailed me the estimate the next morning. I decided to go ahead with the remediation and it was scheduled for the following week. On the day of the job, Gabriel and the crew showed up right on time. They worked quickly and efficiently and did an extremely thorough job, leaving everything clean and mould free. I was very worried about the mould in my house, but Gabriel was very knowledgable and reassuring throughout the whole process which helped alleviate my stress. I wouldn't hesitate to use this company again if need be.

I recently moved to Ottawa and my new home had a number of large trees that had been planted too close to the house. There were a few windows I couldn't even see out of for all the branches! My neighbour recommended Next Level tree services. I called Dan and he came by the same day to give me an estimate for removing 8 cedar trees, 3 dying ash trees and some small saplings. On the day of the job, Dan and the crew arrived, got right to work and had everything done in under three hours! All of the trees that had to come down were as tall, or taller, than the house and very close to it but they got them all down without a scratch to the house. The yard was well raked and cleaned up after. All in all, a great job and I wouldn't hesitate to call Next Level in the future.

I contacted David based on the reviews on Homestars and was not disappointed. I needed four ceiling light fixtures installed, an new outlet installed in the garage ceiling, a new stove outlet plate installed and a broken GFCI fixed. David was quick to answer my initial email requesting an estimate for the work. He arrived on time, worked quickly and efficiently, left everything tidy and was very helpful answering my questions about some other issues in the house. He mentioned a few minor code violations he saw but assured me I was in no danger. I will be needing some more electrical work done in the future and will definitely call David again.

I just moved to Ottawa and my house needed quite a few plumbing repairs. My laundry taps and my outside taps leaked, the plug stems on all the bathroom sinks grated and stuck, the kitchen sink was very slow to drain and I wanted a new faucet installed. I called DS Plumbing based on the Homestars reviews. I was impressed with the very professional service. A very pleasant lady answered the phone when I called and booked an appointment for me. On the day of the appointment, she phoned me 15 - 20 minutes before the plumber arrived to let me know he was on his the way. The plumber and his assistant arrived, put booties over their shoes so as not to dirty my floors and did a walk through with me as I pointed out the problems. They then gave me a quote, which I accepted, and they got to work. Everything was done in a timely manner and was replaced/repaired to my satisfaction. I have a bit more plumbing work I need to get done soon and I will be calling DS Plumbing again.

This was the third time I've moved in three years and the third time I've used Greg & Sons. As usual, the move was trouble and stress free. They arrived in Aurora early morning on June 25. Since I know the company so well, I did a walk through with them and then got in the car and drove to Ottawa. They locked up when they were finished and put the key in a lock box the realtor had left. Delivery to Ottawa was scheduled for the morning of June 26 and I was stunned to see them pull up at my new house just before 9 am! Unloading went very smoothly and quickly. Nothing was lost or damaged and, as usual, the quoted price was exactly what I was charged. I'm hoping not to move again for quite a while but when I do, I suspect I'm going to have a hard time finding a company in Ottawa as good as these guys!

This company was a pleasure to deal with. Everyone I spoke to, from the receptionist, to the sales rep and the technician who did the work, was very polite and professional. They were on time for their respective appointments and kept me fully informed every step of the way. The work was done quickly and neatly. With this being such a mild winter, it has rained heavily a few times since the repair was done and I haven't seen any evidence of water ingress. I was very satisfied with this company and would not hesitate to call them again if needed.

I emailed George to set up an appointment and get an estimate for the work. He replied to my email promptly and showed up right on time for the appointment. George did the work quickly, explaining everything as he went along. He even took it upon himself to check my gas furnace which makes a louder than normal noise when running. George explained to me why the furnace was so loud which is more than the Direct Energy tech did when he tuned it up! I found George to be extremely pleasant and professional to deal with. I wouldn't hesitate to use his services again in the future.

I have used Greg & Sons for two moves in the past 3 years. They did such a phenomenal job on my first move that I didn't even bother getting quotes from anyone else for my second move. Without a doubt, this is one of the most efficient and hard-working moving companies I've ever dealt with. The price they quote is the price you pay, period. No surprises or extra charges at the end of the move. For each move, they showed up on time, carefully wrapped all soft furnishings, put clothing into closet boxes, put the TV into a special TV box and large pictures into special compartments in the truck. They then got to the new place so fast that I barely got there before them! Everything was unloaded and put exactly where I asked them to. Nothing was damaged or lost in either move. The speed with which they load and unload is incredible! I highly recommend this company.