Dave WG in Brampton

I had a 6 zone system put in just over a decade ago. Due to passage of time and changes to landscape my irrigation system needed significant updating, relocating some heads, adding new heads and replacement of others. Selected Green Valley on the basis of HomeStars ratings. Very prompt response. John visited my house, walked the property with irrigation running. John promptly did a thorough review of project with me giving me several options. Price was the middle of three fairly close estimates. John returned at agreed date and completed the work exactly as agreed. Work was quick, neat and professional. Communication from the office was great, they even let me know when John was going to be just a little late. Job site was left neat and tidy and I can hardly tell where they dug large holes and ran new lines. Would bring Green Valley back in a heart beat.

The previous owners of our house had installed some landscape lighting purchased from a big box store. However, every year I had to do major repairs due to poor quality equipment and amateur installation. Finally in frustration I pulled it all out several years ago. Have been talking with contractors for three years. Our property is almost half an acre and backs on a lake so it could absorb dozens of lights and use hundreds of feet of underground wiring with the associated high cost. We finally hired Tom (Regal Lighting) after seeing their work on our street. Tom walked the property with me and made recommendations for a state of the art install. It was a beautiful concept but well over our budget. Tom worked with us to reduce the cost yet still designed a great environment. Tom and crew came in and did the total install in two days and the results are amazing. Best of all the materials used were top quality, far superior to big box store items and the installation was very neat and tidy. Wires were buried neatly with minimal disturbance to sod and shrubs. Where wire was exposed it was very neatly installed and well hidden. Prices were competitive with contractors who we had talked with last year. Communication with Tom was easy and emails were quickly returned. Paperwork was professional and everything was written down including any changes during installation. I would hire Regal Lighting in a heartbeat.

I have a massive three level deck that has not been stained in nearly a decade. I found Jorge (Pormex owner) through Homestars and despite no reviews asked for a quote. I already had 3 quotes but was not impressed by the other organizations quoting. Some were priced very high and others didn't seem to know what had to be done to stain a deck i.e. power washing first. I had a bad experience the last time it was stained because the painter sent a junior person who was sloppy and couldn't paint an edge getting stain all over the many glass panels on the deck. and dripping stain on the surfaces under one deck. Jorge's quote was right in the middle but his knowledge of what was required and the suggestions he made impressed me - I have done a fair amount of painting/staining myself but was not prepared to take on this massive job. This was a challenging job because of many factors that meant a lot of detail work. Jorge showed up when promised. He worked non-stop for days. He was very meticulous and very neat in every aspect and clearly took pride in his work as hidden areas were as carefully done as obvious areas. 12 gallons of stain and more than a week later I have a flawlessly finished deck(s). I will no doubt have Jorge back again for interior work.

I invited BP Landscaping as they had done a masterful job of my neighbour's the previous year. I invited one other company to quote who I knew about through a friend. Ron from BP Landscaping showed up at the appointed time and took measurements. As promised by the end of the week I had an estimate and a basic drawing of how they would build the project. At the time I selected BP for the project as the other bidder could not touch the job for at least two months possibly three. Both bids were roughly the same $$. BP was able to start in four weeks. BP contacted me two weeks before the scheduled start and said that the recent rains had set them back a bit and they would start my project a week later than originally scheduled. Given the advanced notice that was not a problem and I was not surprised given the recent weather at the time. Job started on time and finished on time. Staff were very pleasant and left the site very neat and tidy each night. All in all very painless for us. They repaired the sod where heavy equipment had been and when they finished the wall looked like it had been there for years.

Contacted Toemar on the advice of a friend as I was looking for top quality soil to top dress my lawn. Toemar delivered 13 yards of top quality product on time and even gave me a list of landscapers who would spread it for me and their recommendations was great too. The soil had no stones, no sticks and no clumping all things that have annoyed me about previous suppliers. Mine looked so good my neighbour ordered a load too.

My daughter had repaired her 25 year old garage door several times each time with a band aid. Finally it quit for good. I got Navida Garage Doors name from the Homestars site. Tommy responded promptly and made an appointment for the following day. He showed up on time and attempted to band aid the door again but it was too far gone which I had suspected. We decided to do the job right this time so Tommy quoted on supplying and installing a new high quality insulated double door, a new garage door opener and supply and installation of a new man door. The work was completed on time and on budget. Tommy is obsessive on details and finish. So much so that I had him come to my own place and caulk and replace the broken weather stripping on my two garage doors. It was a real pleasure doing business with Tommy. I would have him back in a heartbeat.

Been using Ian to maintain my Hot Tub for many years. Fortunately, I have not needed him very often but when I do he is quick to respond and thorough in his work. If he thinks I can fix the issue he will coach me on the phone. He also stocks a lot of rebuilds of the more common electric motors with a warranty better than the original new motors.

I'm fairly handy and have replaced window screens a number of times but I usually end out with a small wrinkle or a small rough edge but who cares as it is not really obvious. But a sliding patio door is another matter. It is has a huge span and is very visible to everyone so I decided to seek professional help. Spoke to a couple of manufacturers and they wanted around $150 plus I had to remove the screen door myself and then drive it to their facility, leave it there and retrieve it a few days later and reinstall the door myself. Not to mention I would have to find screening and the right size of bead to hold the screen in place as my current bead had grown very hard and brittle over the years. Found Doctor Screen on the Homestars site and contacted them via email. Got a return call very promptly and an appointment was made for a couple of days away when I could be home. John showed up on time, removed the sliding door took it out to his workshop trailer and returned with a flawless job and reinstalled the door all in about 20 minutes - amazing what one can do with the right skills, right materials and the right tools. John was polite, business like and very neat and tidy. What more can one ask for.

Got Tilestars name from Homestars 5 years ago and they did an outstanding job of removing and replacing all the tile in a kitchen, breakfast area, bathroom, hallway & mudroom. Lots of nooks, corners and odd angles but never a problem. Based on that experience we had them back in December this year to do a smaller job of removing existing carpeting and replacing with a membrane and large format tile in a 4 season sunroom. Once again detailed estimate in writing, started on time, finished on time even working on Sunday to make sure project was ready for Christmas. No problem with challenges, obsessed with details, on time and very neat and tidy. They also have relationships with many suppliers so able to get substantial discounts on tiles - speak with Dmitri before purchasing your tiles. Dmitri was once again a delight to work with and consummate professional. What more could a homeowner ask for.

BP Landscaping had done some quality stone work at my neighbours a year ago so I asked them to quote on a sizable outdoor repair project that I was undertaking. the project was to replace a set of timber stairs that had rotted over 25 years and also to remove an old timber retaining wall and replace it with a concrete stone structure. Estimator showed up as scheduled measured, took pictures and explained options for the project. A week later I received detailed estimate and drawing via email. Estimate was very similar to another from another highly rated Homestars contractor. Both were very professional and both were similarly priced, however, BP was able to start project in 8 weeks vs 16 weeks for competitor so I went with BP Landscaping. BP started project on time and finished on time. Staff were very painstaking with construction. One large stone step was not to our liking and BP quickly substituted another product more to our liking and refunded the difference. Site was completely cleaned up after job was finished and sod was repaired. I will have BP back again.

Excellent knowledgeable and professional service and organization. I'm fairly handy so had a good idea of the problem but didn't know what was broken to cause the problem. I also knew that there were other possibilities and knew it was beyond my capability. Booked appointment online through Homestars site, Dima arrived promptly on time Monday morning, listened to my diagnosis agreed with my conclusion and gave me an estimate on each of three possible root causes. Told me that 90% of the time it was caused by two issues, defrost drain hose clogged and/or defrost thermostat was faulty. Quickly diagnosed the problem and as predicted. Drain was clearly clogged and thermostat tested faulty. Clearly a common issue as he had both OEM parts in his truck and replaced both. I could see that the original drain hose was a poor design and just cleaning it would only be a short term solution before it plugges up again. Fortunately, the part has been replaced by a better designed replacement part which he had in his truck. Dima was clearly knowledgeable as he disassembled the fridge like a pro who had done it 100 times before and reassembled just as quickly. He was very neat and tidy and professional and explained every step in detail. Tested several other components and even leveled the fridge before cleaning up completely and processing invoice. Should I need any other appliances repaired I will certainly be getting Fix Appliances back in.

My 15 year old Kenmore water softener malfunctioned. I tried to call Sears but of course all I got was voicemail which was full - no wonder they went under as it has been impossible to contact them for service for several years. Next I checked Homestars listings for names and saw that Water Depot Bolton was reasonably close to me. Sent an email and had a response and a service appointment within hours. Service personnel (Stan) showed up on time as promised and quickly diagnosed the problem which I had already suspected. Since repair was not a wise decision I asked for a quote on a new install - I had anticipated this result so had researched products and prices on the internet. Water Depot's product was as good as any and better than most. Stan's price was competitive with other units of similar quality and much better than one of the big multi-national water softener suppliers whose product was not rated any better. Several days later Stan showed up and removed my old unit and installed the new unit all within an hour or two. Nice neat install and I was back up and running and Stan disposed of my old very heavy unit. Follow Up - several weeks after the install I observed that the regeneration process seemed a little frequent so emailed Water Depot Bolton. Got an immediate response and an appointment for a service person to check it in a couple of days. Issue turned out to just be an adjustment due to our unusually low water usage and our recent frequent vacation travel. Very prompt service and no charge. Great organization to deal with and super prompt on returning emails. I also now plan to get my salt from Bolton as I really like their product.

After some small but annoying issues with my alarm system I decided to do some upgrading to the video recording portion of the system. Using Homestars I contacted a number of vendors and short listed down to three suppliers all whose prices were very close for similar work. Gabriel of Engineered Alarm Solutions not only responded with a quote but asked me a number of questions about my system. He than provided me with the quote in writing plus he also called me and offered me several possible options ranging from a minor tune up to a complete overhaul of my existing system. Eventually after further research I decided on the full overhaul as I wanted a much better quality of video than I was currently getting. Gabriel came out and did a pre-install inspection and we made a few minor changes and a new detailed contract arrived in my email the next day. A few days later the crew showed up exactly on time, worked very neatly and professionally removing the old system, pulled all new wiring and installed all new electronics and were finished late that day. No new holes, no marks on dry wall and no mess left in the house. Best of all the system has worked flawlessly since. New system is dramatically better in all ways than old system and the contractor was very flexible, responsive and a pleasure to deal with. I now plan to use Engineered Alarm for all my alarm maintenance issues in the future. Follow Up - 2 months later Changed my Rogers modem which disabled my remote access to the video security system. Contacted Engineered Alarm Solutions for help. Returned call promptly, set up an appointment for next day to troubleshoot remotely. They contacted me next day exactly on time resolved issue within 10 minutes remotely - no charge. That is what I call service.

Mathew showed up on time for our meetings, presented sketches and had good ideas and creative flair. When start schedule had to be adjusted Mathew contacted me in advance to move start date by a couple of days. Work then started as scheduled and was completed as promised plus we had them power rake, overseed and fertilize lawns while on site. Plus build a foundation platform for a large garden storage box. Crew were friendly, courteous and carefull. Plants and other materials used on the job were of top quality. Would have them back in a heartbeat.

Discovered a large crack on the inside of our large second story arched window. Called Castle Glass and had an estimator on site in a day and a half. Took detailed measurements and even made a template of window. Got a call the next day with estimate of cost and delivery time as window was large and had to be custom manufactured. 3-4 weeks later crew showed up and very carefully removed the old glass and the oak moulding around entire window. Window area had recently been refinished so protection of the oak finish was important and done flawlessly all the while working on a scaffold 15 feet up. Crew was finished and had cleaned up in 3 hours. I'm a reasonable DYI person but this was not a DYI job.

Our concrete front step was about 25 years old and was showing imperfections including rusting re-bar showing through. I contacted several organizations to cap it with natural stone and the costs were out of sight. I saw a small project done by Decorock and loved the look. Got Rob Amante in to do an estimate. Rob explained that it was a very small area and therefore subject to a minimum charge. He suggested that at the same time I also do my concrete side porch which needed work as well which would bring my per square foot cost down. The crew started on time and they were completed in just over a day. The process is quite amazing and the crew were neat and meticulous as they created the design. The product has now been on for several months and we are delighted with the results at about a third of the cost of capping the area with natural stone. We will exercise additional care in shovelling in the winter but have seen other projects that have gone several winters and they look perfect. Great product and great crew. Great product for making old concrete look better than new.

Our back yard borders on a small lake. The previous owners had put in a timber sea wall many years prior and it was gradually tilting into the lake. We had had an estimate to repair last year but deferred on the repair. Giuseppe and his crew were going to be doing another project for my neighbour and me and so we decided to re-build the sea wall at the same time. Vaughan Landscaping estimate was competitive with the one we got last year and the proposed remedy was identical to the other contractor. We had a little challenge (our fault) getting a start date firmed up but once we had a firm date Giuseppe and his crew showed up as promised and spent a week excavating, backfilling and very carefully placing 80 feet of armour stone wall and then sodding the entire area as well as the damage from the heavy machinery. Vince was the lead on this job and he was very meticulous at every step of the way. Assisting Vince most days was Dom who was as fussy about stone placement as I was. The result was an outstanding success. Re-building a shoreline is not a job for amateurs as water and wave action can create major erosion problems as it did with my previous wall. Vaughan Landscaping clearly had the expertise and equipment to complete this job successfully and in only one week, not to mention being great to work with. Of special note, Giuseppe is outstanding at returning phone calls and emails, it may take a day or so but you always get a response. I would have Giuseppe and his team back in a heartbeat.

First observation - this is not a task for your weekend do-it-yourselfer. This is a job for very skilled craftsmen who are experienced in this process. We loved our layout and the original boxes were solid as a rock hardwood but the kitchen looked VERY 80's at best. We looked at refacing 7 years ago but were not impressed with the quality of the products being sold. We decided to research this option again this year and were impressed with a couple of vendors. Of those we found Frank of Techno Kitchen was very responsive and very detailed in his explanations of the whole process. He had a better product mix than others and was able to clearly explain the strengths and weaknesses of each product. Frank also suggested a couple of small design modifications to the cabinets that we liked. He also supplied a long list of previous customers who were very positive about their experience with Techno Kitchen. We then got a detailed estimate and after several very helpful Q&A meetings with Sheri in the showroom we placed our order. Once the parts were in Shawn showed up exactly as promised. Shawn is a true craftsman and a perfectionist not to mention a really nice guy. This is highly detailed precision work. Even the smallest error will show. Our kitchen was one series of bends and turns requiring a lot of precise cutting and fitting all of which Shawn (assisted by Mike on several days) did with great precision. Despite our assurances that we did not need the kitchen they cleaned up the worksite every night. Further they sealed off our kitchen from the rest of the house with plastic to reduce the amount of dust migrating around the house. At all times they were polite, funny and friendly and took the time to consult with us every step of the way and gladly answered every question we had. We were delighted to have them working in our home. Just over a week later they finished and the finished product exceeded our expectations. Not a single flaw or single loose end that had to be finished off. We have a higher end home and wanted the kitchen project to add to that quality and it did the job 10+. These folks are priced in middle of the market but their product and staff are very much of premium plus quality.

If you want professionalism and can do attitude at a fair price then call these guys. Don't let their youthful appearance fool you. These are seasoned pros who know all the tricks and who take the time to do it right the first time. They never cut corners. Our project was a significant size (550 sq ft) and involved three rooms plus two large closets plus in floor heat in an unusual shaped kitchen - you can imagine how many cuts had to be made as we were using 24"X24" tile. The job started right on time and the job progressed very nicely as everything was well organized. Although our house was in chaos all week the crew really made an effort to minimize the spread of dust. They also took care not to damage the clear oak baseboards that all had to be removed. Everyone was super friendly and polite to us and to each other and we really enjoyed having them in our house. At the end of every day they cleaned up as much as possible and left things in good shape. They showed respect for our home and consulted us at every turn and made excellent suggestions including some recommendations on tile selection. Dmitri was also able to get us a significant discount on our chosen tile when purchased thru Tilestars. They finished the job when promised and did a major clean up of the whole area. I'll have Dmitri and the Tilestars team back in a heartbeat!

All I wanted was a video surveillance & DVR system but most companies wanted to completely revamp my alarm system and charge me a substantial monthly fee. Brian and his team at SC Surveillance listened to what I wanted and came up with an excellent solution and a very competitive estimate and no monthly fee. They made two visits to estimate and plan out the project - both visits were dead on time. I'm a neat freak and they took the time to run all the wires out of sight both inside and outside the house. It only took them 1.5 days to do the complete install of an 8 camera system along with hundreds of feet of cable. The only snag was a faulty camera from the manufacturer and they were back and had it replaced within 24 hours. Since the job was completed I have had several technical questions and they always respond to my emails with a phone call or email within hours. They are a small business so you get to talk with the owners and they are on site for the install. They are pleasant and business like and appear to be strong technically. I would hire them again in a heart beat.

In doing research on broadloom we discovered that there are now only 4 or 5 major manufacturers of broadloom. We also discovered that total all in pricing was best from independent local stores as opposed to the big box stores or franchises. Pricing was also quite consistent - less than 10% difference between high and low price on a fair sized job. After six separate stores we stopped in at Speers Broadloom in Oakville. We met Dale who was extremely knowledgable of his products and who made a recommendation we felt was best suited to our somewhat unique needs and his price was very competitive with the other suppliers for similar products. Now came the critical part - installation. This I believe is what sets one retailer apart from the others. Speers installation crew(s) were excellent. They arrived on time, were polite and very tidy and handled the difficult parts flawlessly. The job results merited a solid 10. Only possible suggestion is that Dale could have been a little more attentitive in returning phone calls when we had questions. They were always returned but it sometimes took days to get back to us.

I had to replace an original Pella window due to gradual settling of the house over past 25 years making the original inoperable. I had three estimates all of high end premium products that would match my existing decor of natural oak. The Pella designer series product fit the bill perfectly with several unique features and was competitively priced so I decided to stick with the Pella name as the other original windows were still in excellent condition after 25 years of service. The Pella sales person was excellent as was the technical follow up person. The windows were ready for installation as promised and the installers showed up exactly when promised. The installer was very careful in removing my existing oak trim and frame and was able to reuse it all. The installation had a few challenges but the installer was very knowledgeable of his trade and did an excellent job. The product and service were first rate. The price was high but competitive with other high end products.

Based on the Homestars reviews I contacted Baydoun via email as I was out of town for a week. They got back to me via email, we agreed to an appointment time when I returned from vacation. Mark showed up exactly at our appointment time, he diagnosed the issue within 5 minutes, had the problem pump out and was gone within 30 minutes promising to locate the part and call back with an exact cost and a time when he could install the new pump. By the end of the day he had called back with the cost, which was lower than he had predicted and made an appointment to install the pump the following evening. Showed up exactly as promised and had the dishwasher as good as new and was gone within 40 minutes. Very smooth, very professional and reasonable cost.

Called 6 companies to get roofing estimate on 3800 sq ft home. Only three even called back. Eventually got 5 estimates. Low price of $6500 high of $12,500, most around $7800 to $8800. Marlad referred to us by small contractor who had done excellent work for us several years earlier. Very detailed verbal and written explanation of service and products to be used. Showed up on time for estimate which was not always the case with others. One estimator gave estimate as single number on back of a business card. Marlad contacted us two weeks prior to scheduled start date to confirm, called again two days prior to start date then day prior to start. Started as promised and finished as promised with very little mess despite strong breeze during installation. Would highly recommend them.

We used Maple thru Lowes. Their product was great,their arrangements excellent but we felt the installation was not up to par. Major piece was not cut correctly at the factory so several cuts had to be done on site making those joints less than perfect. We had a small 1.5" X 1.5" granite moulding installed between countertop and backsplash. It was not consistently polished, joints were of poor quality. All in all a sub par installation for a premium price. They have made some efforts to repair and it now looks OK but installation was not as good as it should have been. We are now moving on to do two baths and will not use this supplier again.

We had a sunroom with a glass panel roof which we decided to remove and replace with a conventional roof with 2 skylites. We had estimates from $3000-$15,000. Jim from Plus knew exactly what he had to do, explained it to us drew up a plan, made a few excellent suggestions and set a date. Two weeks in advance he notified us of a small delay in start date. Showed up on time, completed the job on time (4 days) on budget with no surprises. Excellent quality work.

We had Special Gas install new high efficiency gas furnace last year and had them back to do a water heater this year. Service has always been first class, appointments kept, work done on time and neat and tidy crew. Prices are very competitive.

Purchased a garden shed from Duro Shed, added a few extras and still kept price under $2000. Installation was done in one day and it was outstanding. We are located on an urban lake so appearance was important and it fit the bill perfectly, window boxes and all. Outstanding product and reliable company. Good third party referrals too.

Over the past five years I have had Bill Laleff do several projects on two different houses. I have always found his prices to be competitive but best of all he does excellent work and if he thinks your roof will last another 5 years he'll tell you or if you only need some repairs he won't try and sell you a whole new roof

Previous owners had let sunroom leak go on for years ruining much of the one wall. Bob Dickson came in gave several alternatives and an estimate for my favoured option. Returned on date promised with all materials and crew. Project was as promised on budget and end result was very pleasing and Bob's subsequent suggestions were highly valued.

We were building a high quality bar unit in our finished basement and our contractor recommended that we use Clareville for the cabinetry. We worked with Joe on the design and he gave us some excellent design suggestions. The finished product exceeded our expectations and was flawless and fit perfectly.