I hired Stonehouse to build a new front porch for my house, do some power washing and other repairs. The work was incomplete and unsafe. In the end, I had to hire someone else to come and rip out most of the work and re-do it.
I cannot in good conscious recommend that anyone hire Stonehouse, for the following reasons:
1. Andrew Stonehouse is difficult to communicate with: Though he begins friendly and accommodating, he has a poor memory for verbal communication, he is a terrible written communicator, he does not reflect on previous written communications, he does not share his mobile phone number, and never answers his office line.
2. The project was heavily underestimated: Before work was even completed, I was issued an invoice for 20% higher than the estimate. For a project of this scale, 20% equaled thousands of dollars.
3. Project timelines were not met: I was told the project would take just over one week to complete. Almost a MONTH and a half later, the work was still not complete.
4. The work was largely unsafe: Though they used quality materials and ensured the base of my porch was structurally sound, the details were left incomplete or sloppy. Amongst MANY other things, all posts had exposed bolts (protruding an inch+ into the walkway); the hand-rails for my steps were unusable with splintering wood and exposed nails; and the porch had gaping 2-3 inch holes in the floor!?!
5. Ontario Building Code was not followed: The height of the railing were 8” more than code required, the hand rails were build 4” under code and the depth of the stairs were built 2” shallower than code.
Note, this review does not reflect Stonehouse staff, who all proved to be very polite and tidy.
