Jeff in Toronto

Thanks to Eric (sales) and Nazim and Farhad (Installation) for a smooth replacement of my 20 year-old gas water heater and furnace. From quoting to installation the Air Makers team were friendly, patient, and happy to explain the options. They offered good value and a great warranty on repairs. Nazim and Farhad worked diligently and professionally until the job was done and made sure everything was working and then left the furnace room cleaner than they found it. I recommend them to anyone who is looking for a new water heater or furnace.

I contacted LG for flat rate Out of Warranty Support and ARS was one of the possible service providers. They came with parts in hand so they could complete the repair with one visit. I was pleased with their prompt but thorough service. The service person made the repair and tested in a couple of different ways to make sure it has resolved the issue. Thanks ARS!

Turnbull Masonry were competitive and thorough. Zube and Chris worked safely and diligently. They rebuilt the top three courses and closely matching brick. They tinted the mortar to match the rest of the house. They supplied and installed a new precast concrete cap. They waterproofed the concrete cap. They ground out and repointed the bad joints. When they found additional bricks that needed replacement, Ron was fair in pricing out the additional work. They then cleaned up everything so you wouldn't have known that they were there.

Rick arrived on time. He gave me an electronic estimate for clearing the drain. He then got to work clearing it. The drain was pretty badly clogged with grease and organics. He tested it by running water for 10 minutes to make sure it was properly cleared. He suggested using enzymes to fully clear the drain beyond the hole he poked through the clog. He also noted some defects in the original installation and how they might be repaired. He was very professional and helpful. Thanks Rick!

My nine year old microwave stopped heating so I contacted a repair company who referred me to Adriano at Nobel. He got back to me promptly and came out as scheduled to have a look. He thoroughly went through the list of potentail issues and noted that the capacitor had failed. He installed a new one but it seems that the magnetron was the route cause. Although he could not return the capacitor, he did wave the installation cost. As the magnetron cost more than a new microwave, I decided to get a new microwave instead. I will use Adriano again should another appliance fail.

Vike Window Cleaning was recommended to me for their value and quality workmanship. Andy was prompt in responding and his estimate was competitive. He arrived when he said he would and did a great job. I really appreciate his commitment to quality service. I would surely use his services again.

I met Hememgton Tebas on the street near my house, where he was working on another property. As my previous window cleaner kept increasing their rates and their quality of service was so-so, I thought I would get a quote. I asked him how much it would cost to do both mine and my neighbours' house (as our properties are semi-detached). He quoted a $100 for both. However, my neighbour also wanted to have a limb removed that was damaging her eaves trough. I asked him to take a look at it and provide a quote for that as well. I followed up with a call but he did not get back to me. My neighbour decided to go with our previous company who is at least good at returning calls. I still thought I would give Shine a chance and then both of us could move over to them next year if it worked out. I thus sent a couple of emails to confirm what the price would be for just my side. I offered $50, but expected it might be a little more. I then tried calling and talked to the representative. I suggested the price and booked the date for the cleaning, but wanted her to confirm if that was not correct. From what I can tell, they did the work OK. But nobody got back to me with anything different regarding the price, so I was more than a little surprised to see an invoice for $78 plus taxes. While this is not out of line for such services, it is 56% more than I was expecting! I followed up for an explanation about the size of the variance, but they said that was the price for one side. Obviously, it is my fault for not getting quotes in writing! But since they wouldn't provide anything in writing, the only solution for you, kind reader, is not to use them!

I had a family of raccoons move into my attic. I hired pesticon to remove the critters and they blocked the whole but warned me that it was not waterproof and I shoud have a professional look at it. I called a few different companies but it is hard to get much attention or a good price when the job is so small. Marcel got back to me quickly and took a look. He gave me a fair quote over the phone to do the work required (another firm tired to upsell me on a lot more work. Marcel was able to repair it in short order so I don't have to worry about it leaking this spring. He also send me before and after photos (see below) to show me what he had done as I could not easily see it from the ground. I now have him repairing a persistent leak at the back of the house. Thanks again Marcel!

We saw Aquamaster work on another house and they seemed very thorough and efficient. We checked them out on HomeStars and saw that they were well-rated. Their website described their process and warranty. We worked with Fedor from Aquamaster and he was prompt in responding to me and comptetive in their pricing. We hired them to pour concrete to make a suitable surface and then apply tar and delta along the whole side of the house and front. They then let the ground settle before putting the paving stones back. They started and finshed when they promised (unlike my previous contractors). The only concern I had was the re-use of the previous window well that didn't look like it would prevent water from coming in. They resolved this without question by digging it out and replacing it at no extra cost. Thanks Aquamaster!

I found Peter via HomeStars. He is competively priced, prompt and tries to find you the best value option for your situation. I have had him install a couple of AC systems over the years. First I replaced a Spacepac that had started to leak with a Unico small duct AC unit and blower. Then I replaced a central air York system that was over 20 years old with a new MitsAir to free up space in my rather small back yard. In both cases, Peter did his best to find the combination that would best meet my needs - quiet, efficient, reliable units at a reasonable price. And Peter gets back to you with his quote without you having to follow up like some vendors. His team will also give you a fairly narrow window for arrival so you don't have to take the whole day off in order to get your AC serviced.

My tenant complained of noises in the attic. We suspected a raccoon so I checked Home Stars and called a few of the highly recommended companies. They were all busy for about a week or didn't have a long enough ladder, so I tried Pesticon. They were more expensive, but they came the next day. We hoped to get the raccoon out before it had babies. They installed the one way door and the adult was out quickly. They didn't see any babies, but said to call back if we heard anything. A couple of days later, my tenant did hear more noises so they came back right away and got the babies out. Pesticon then secured the hole with mesh. We, of course, had to hire another company - Roof Repairs Only - to fix the damaged shingles. Overall I was pleased with the superior service because I wanted to get the critters out before they did too much damage to the attic!

I had a small eavestrough and downspout at the front of my house that seemed to overflow even after cleaning out the leaves. It seems to be contributing to the paint peeling off the front of my house (which I have since had removed). I sought out quotes from a few eavestrough specialists from Homestars and went with Royal Crown to be prompt, competitive and professional. They came out when they said, completed the work within the day and cleaned up afterwards. They even fixed damage to a soffit caused by a raccoon that they noticed.

The main electic wire that ran from the street to my house was hanging down and the cap on mast had fallen off. I called a few electricians who wanted to change the the mast etc. Jerry was able to offer me a practical solution at a much more reasonable price. Jerry resupported the clevis replaced the cap and water-proofed the service mast and did it promptly. Thanks Jerry!

The drain shared by my bathroom and kitchen was clogged. I tried air pumps and various chemicals, but nothing worked. Moreover the chemicals seemed to eat through the sink! I needed someone to come quickly and Rick from Mr. Rooter was there the next day. It took a while to clear it, but they finally got it and it has been clear ever since! They also replaced the sink for me. I also saved some money by getting a membership. If you are in a pinch, give them a call!

My house had a problem with peeling paint. I shopped around and compared ratings and settled on the finer edge. The Finer Edge had good ratings, reasonable prices and a three year warranty. They did the work professionally and promptly. They did a great job. Unfortunately, there were so many layers of paint on my house that it started to peel again. I called Bill at the Finer Edge after the second year and they came back and touched it up as promised under their warranty.

Shane was prompt in responding to me and investigating the work required. He offered me good advice such as recommending that I use vintage bricks to better match the existing bricks. Shane was great at communicating and told me when he would be providing me the estimate and starting the work. Once he was into the job, he found he needed to replace more bricks and did so without additional cost to me. He was quick at completing the job and cleaned up after he was done. The results were wonderful and the bricks matched well.

As I have rads in my house, I needed to find a company that could provide a ductless AC. I wanted a reliable brand so I really sought out Mitubishi dealers. I got a few quotes. We sat down with Cy from Spring Home and he was very straightforward and offered great advice, good value and professional service. The installers were efficient but thorough. They put down sheets, made sure everything fit well, protected my plants along the side of the house, explained how it worked and cleaned up afterwards. I highly recommend them to anyone needing a ductless AC installation.

I needed to have a downspout disconnected and my eaves trough and leafguards repaired. The eaves trough were overflowing. The leaf guards were not properly installed the first time and were popping up. Vitaliy came promptly to look at the project. He even went so far as to come back a second time with his big ladder so he could truly assess what needed to be done with the leaf guard and eaves tough. He discovered that the eaves trough was missing sections and had old leaves in them. He thus had to clean them out by hand before securing the guards. Vitaliy then gave me a firm estimate. We was the best value and did the work himself. He made the repairs promptly and professionally. I will be using him again for future repairs.

It is difficult to find ratings for Canadian window manufacturers and equally challenging to select an installer. We talked to a few companies that were well rated on HomeStars. We did a lot of research and considered a few window configurations. Tony was patient and helpful with advice throughout. In the end, we ordered 11 triple pane double low E windows and 3 steel doors and frames. He offered good value and delivered on it. The installation was scheduled well in advance and Tony was able to stick to it. Tony's team made special efforts to make sure the trim around the doors inside was similar to the original. Tony came to the job site to make sure everything was going smoothly and followed up afterwards as well to make sure that we were happy. There were no surprises and one month later there have been no issues. We truly appreciate how much warmer our house is as a result. Thanks Tony!