Alan in Thornhill

I hired Three Little Pigs Masonry to rebuild to back patio steps that had been improperly installed and needed to be removed. The job also involved some repair work around a basement window framenot an overly large project, but it was one that needed to be done right. David from the firm called me and discussed the ins and outs of the project with me so I understood what was happening and when. He was descriptive, acknowledging, knowledgable, and prompt. Once the job was set, Joshua from Three Little Pigs Masonry completed the job over two days and did an outstanding job. Another lesser firm would (and had) rushed through the job in one day, leaving us less satisfied and with something that needed to be replaced after only a few years. Three Little Pigs Masonry is the firm that you call to either fix what someone else did wrong or do it right in the first place. We are very happy with the result, and the pricing was fair.

Kevin's team from Sprayman Group completed a concrete repair for us that involved sealing cracks and water-proofing surfaces against future damage. His responses were both professional and prompt, and the work was completed as described and on-time. He was patient with questions, insightful with answers, and gave proper explanations on why something would (or more importantly) would not work, which I appreciated greatly. He also maintained a respectful balance between asking what the client wanted and what he recommended, and made an acknowledgement of when he was switching between one or the other, which I also appreciated. When the job was done, he also followed up on our satisfaction, noted a small challenge--colouring of the concrete, and recommended a way to address it with a tint that would better blend the colour / mask the repair. The Sprayman Group's work was completed on-time, on-budget, with room for questions and a full explanation of what was being done--hard to ask for more than that!

Sean and Danny recently completed a renovation project for us that began in February 2016 and took approximately six weeks. The project involved the demolition and construction of two new bathrooms on the upper level, replacement of plumbing for the entire home (including associated dry wall repairs), and re-painting the entire home. Their work is diligent and impeccable, and we are very happy with the finished work. Sean is largely a carpenter and project manager, and Danny is the primary labour force for the team. Sean sub-contracts additional trades e.g., design, electrical, plumbing, etc. as needed. Most impressive about Sean's work is his commitment to detail: his quote came in at very near where he said it would, and his timetable was completed on time -- almost to the day. Also equally impressive is their attention to a clean work space. We continued to live in our home during the renovation, and they spend a good deal of time cleaning up at the end of each work day e.g., controlling for dust, putting away tools, tidying up the work areas, etc. The house remained livable and comfortable for the entirety of the project. Sean's communications are also detailed, polite, and timely, which was a great positive experience and far beyond other contracting experiences we've had. In deciding to work with Sean, you would not only be agreeing to get great quality work but also a team that adapts and improvises well, cares about the quality of their work, and brings a great attitude to the project. We couldn't be happier with the work they have done and would recommend them to anyone.

I asked Corridor Landscaping to dig-up a concrete slab pathway running along one side of the house to re-grade the entire path because settling over the years had caused a depression and water accumulation during heavy rainfall. Corridor Landscaping excavated out the existing concrete and gravel, re-graded the entire pathway, installed weeping tile to draw water away from in between the two houses, and re-filled the path with gravel, and also replaced the existing concrete slab pathway without any cracks or damage. It was a two-day job in all. The owner, Evan, explained what his team would do, how it would be done, answered all of my questions, and cleaned up after themselves. In replacing the gravel, three tonnes of gravel were required, and everything was cleaned up such that I couldn't even tell they'd had a dump truck in to deliver gravel while I was away at work. His knowledge was capable, his attitude was great, his demeanour was approachable, and their prices competitive. I am completely satisfied with the job that was done and would recommend them accordingly for any similar job. Thanks Evan and team!

Marble Treasures Inc. installed a new kitchen countertop for us in March of this year (2012) -- (sorry for the delay in getting around to the review). The work was a new install with a custom design (rather than a remove and replace of an existing countertop). Marble Treasures Inc. is a custom cutting shop that designs and installs new countertops (note, they are not actual supplies of the stone), run by a husband and wife team. The store keeper (Violetta) acts as a primary contact, and is pleasant and accommodating, and she makes good recommendations in terms of colours, styles, and design considerations. Our reason for taking the time to write a review comes in the workmanship associated with the cut and install of the new stone (we used artificial quartz). It's absolute perfection. Our kitchen installer (another company with several years experience) had remarked it's one of the best installs that he'd ever seen. For the uninitiated, the measure of skill for a cut and install job comes in the measurements and the seams. Our kitchen walls aren't straight (in fact, most walls are never perfectly flat), and so there was a very difficult set of custom measurements that needed to be done in order to cut the countertop to fit. We also required four seams for our job (for corners and around the sink), which are practically invisible to the eye, and one really has to look hard for them in order to find them. Another plus in dealing with Violetta is that they supply the countertop based on the actual amount used e.g., if your countertop is only 18' but the stones come in 20' slabs, than you only pay for the 18' that you actually use. Many companies don't allow this, forcing clients to buy the entire stone slabs. This also means that if your countertop is small enough, you might be able to get away with replacing sections using other people's leftovers, which is a plus -- a co-worker had their countertop done in this way at a significant savings. Anyway, based on the final workmanship, we have recommended Marble Treasures Inc. to several of our friends and would also recommend doing so here. The fact that our tradespeople were also impressed by the job serves as a reinforcement for us that we made the right choice i.e., if professional folks are impressed by the work, it speaks highly of their skills.

We contacted Sigma Electric in November of last year (sorry for the delay in getting around to the review) to install two new silent bathroom exhaust fans, hook-up of venting to the roof for the same, and install a new roof vent. The owner (Peter) arrived initially for a site visit, and then returned at a later date to complete the work. Peter works on a system similar to other contractors, whereby an initial consultation fee/assessment fee is subsequently deducted from the final bill. His work took a bit longer than expected due to the construction of our ceiling, but he honoured our agreed upon price and cleaned up after himself when he left. He also answered a few unrelated electrical questions and discussed options around the most efficient way to hook-up the switch for our new fans, which meant that we did not need to run a new circuit line. We also wanted to note that Peter is very punctual -- when he says arrive at 9:00 a.m., the doorbell pretty much rings at exactly 9:00 a.m., which I quite liked. His rate was reasonable based on comparison shopping that we did, but scheduling times for work can be difficult. Peter seems to be a victim of his own success i.e., because he does good work he is in high demand, so the time that lapsed between our initial consultation and the actual work date was over two weeks. This was fine for us since we weren't in a hurry to do our job, but other clients may have other considerations. Based on our experience, we would definitely recommend him to others.

We contracted TS Kitchen Projects in late January (sorry for the delay in getting around to the review) to do a complete retrofit of our kitchen. The project involved tearing out the existing kitchen (all appliances, cabinet, plumbing) and installing new IKEA kitchen cabinets, plus all new appliances, electrical, plumbing, and a re-design. We used TS Kitchen Projects' services for their design work (a $400 fee) that we think was entirely worth the cost. The reason was such that, as part of the design fee, the company's owner (Traian) takes responsibility for any problems that arise during design and layout and will re-adjust the design on-the-fly, which we ended up having to do a few times during the project. Traian also takes responsibility for exchanging IKEA kitchen parts if a re-design is required, which is worth the time that would otherwise have to be invested in doing this oneself. We also used three of Traian's sub-contractors for 1) demolition of the existing kitchen, 2) insulation (required because the demolition removed some insulation from inside the walls), drywall (required to repair areas where backsplash tile removal required removal of drywall/plumbing (hook-up of a new dishwasher, drain line, kitchen faucet, and kitchen sink), tile work (installation of a new tile backsplash), 3) electrical work (moving several outlets, installing a new circuit, and hook-up for some of the appliances. Each of the sub-contractors did their work well, and we would also consider using them separately. Payments for sub-contractors was either handled directly or via proxy through TS Kitchen Projects. Positive Notes: TS Kitchen Projects work is exceptional, particularly with the attention to detail and finishing. The completed appearance has all tolerances aligned and less than 1mm off our agreed upon designs. Cabinet doors and handles are installed straight and fitted to accommodate an off-square room and an irregular ceiling bulkhead. TS Kitchen Projects also made accommodations for integrating our appliances into the design, hiding LED light wiring within the cabinets, and recommending the most efficient drawer layout. TS Kitchen Projects also did some customizations for us, notably cutting down cabinets on one wall to accommodate non-standard dimensions (i.e., reduced depth) and installing custom hidden toe kick drawers that we'd seen in some online design magazines. Negative Notes: We have little to say here. TS Kitchen Projects is generally professional and was accommodating to all of our requests. Some people may find themselves put out by his higher-than-average prices, but the finished workmanship justifies the price. We do have one note on responsiveness to e-mail -- (N.B. contact by phone or text message works far better) -- and this seems to be largely because TS Kitchen Projects is a victim of its own success. Because Traian is so well-reviewed on Homestars, he receives a *LOT* of contacts/inquiries and is sometimes difficult to get a hold of. That being said, when you do make contact, he is patient and responds to all of our questions. Work was completed in mid-March, so approximately a month and a half elapsed between cold call contact via phone and through to final completion of the project, which is pretty good speed for a complete kitchen renovation. TL;DR: TS Kitchen Projects does excellent work. They cost a little more, but their work justifies the price.