Maggie and Raymond

We embarked on a major renovation project for our house from last July to December, and worked with a total of 7 different construction companies. With 6 of these, we had very positive experience in more ways than one, and we would have no hesitation hiring them for future jobs. However, we cannot say the same for Kitchen & Bath, the company that we hired to renovate our kitchen and bathroom. Our experience with this company was a nightmare! Narges, their designer, came to our house to take photos of our old kitchen and bathroom, and the next time we met her was at the end of a long working day when she presented the design she had for us. We were then told that we would only get their promotional discount, which would save us thousands of dollars, if we signed a contract with them right away that evening. She then left us 5 minutes in her office to make our decision because she has to see another client immediately after that. This should have been a red flag, but we signed on with them anyways. The worst part of our painful experience with this company was the complete lack of communication throughout. There was no site manager. They had a project manager called Ali, but we quickly learned that he is also one of the workers who spent the largest part of his time installing cabinets. He also told us that he is a part-time lecturer at a local college and works part-time for the air service; it really makes us wonder how he has any time to do his job properly as a project manager. The first day of work was promising. Arash came in and demolished both our kitchen and washroom, and did a bit of other work. Then the nightmare began. The house was in a mess. We did not hear from Ali anymore. Days passed and no tradesman appeared, and no calls came in from Ali. We started calling, leaving voicemails, texting and even emailing Ali to let us know what was happening. Phone calls were not picked up, voicemails not returned, our texts and emails were ignored and sometimes we were informed that his voicemail was full! On one occasion he was completely inaccessible for more than a day, and later he informed us that he was actually flying to Iceland for a part-time job. On the occasional lucky day, when we were able to reach him and get him to assign someone to our site, we were often disappointed to find that the workmen failed to show up and nobody even cared to call and inform us. Early every morning, we would drive down from the apartment that we had rented for the renovation to our house, hoping that some tradesmen would turn up, only to find that it was another day empty of work. But our struggles with K & B did not end there. On the surface, the kitchen and bathroom that they left us with were nice enough, though nothing truly exceptional. But flaws soon started to reveal themselves. The work was rushed and there were scratches on many of our brand new cabinets. When we pointed it out to Ali, he left us with a bottle of touch-up paint to fix them ourselves. The paint was not even the right colour and our cabinets now have patches in many places. Even before they collected their last cheque, we found that 3 of the kitchen drawers were not even properly attached at the back. They fixed this quickly enough as we had yet to make our last payment. But after the winter, we had to approach so many different people (Amir and Narges) for help before Ali sent a couple of his men to spend half an hour re-aligning and re-caulking the kitchen cabinets. Later, we found that the sliding door for our bathtub had been installed crudely, leaving cracks in the ceramic that allowed water to seep inside and rust the tub itself (see photo attached this was taken 2 months after the renovation). When we called K & B in for repairs, their workers did a rushed job and simply splashed some silicone paste around the cracks; the area was rusting again a week later. The caulking around the walls of the bathtub also keeps breaking off, and weve been making constant repairs ourselves. But the biggest problem was with our kitchen sink. Only a single trap was installed in the plumbing, causing soap suds to flow down the drain of one sink and then up the drain into the other. This is a constant pain every time we do the dishes. Since K & Bs contract came with a guarantee, we called Ali to send his plumber to fix the problem, but he brushed us off, told us that the problem cannot be fixed, and refused to communicate with us further. We called Narges for help in May. Her latest email response was Ali will advise the warehouse to look into the matters. Thank you for your patience. We dont know what the sink installation has to do with the warehouse. Obviously she does not even care to know our problem. Weeks passed without any further communication, and at last, we had to call in an independent plumber ourselves; he repaired the problem without any difficulty, and we had to pay him on our own in spite of the fact that we have an active Guarantee to fix any faulty installation. So dont believe in their so-called Guarantee. It sounds reassuring, but unless you want to spend thousands of dollars suing them, it isnt actually worth anything. They are not going to honour it. This is a company that scores 0 for integrity, professionalism, attitude, respect and communication. You dont need the headache we are still experiencing from a renovation that went so wrong. We were fooled by the positive reviews. That was why we went to them in the first place. Read the negative ones. We know that every one of them is true because they align perfectly with our first-hand experience with this company. We have written many 10/10 reviews for the other contractors we have worked with. This is our first negative. Kitchen & Bath scores zero in professional integrity, communication, work quality and punctuality. Most of their tradesmen are far from being skilled and their work is very careless and rushed. Stay away from this company. Be warned. Dont live our nightmare. By Raymond & Maggie, North York

First Rate Company Late last year, as part of our house renovation, we decided to replace our more than 30 years old furnace and air-conditioner. We short-listed a number of well-rated companies from Home Stars reviews, and started making calls. From the moment we contacted Climate Experts Heating and Cooling, we felt confident that we were in good hands. Beth, the office administrator, was extremely pleasant, efficient and thorough in walking us through the process. The companys technical representative, Robert, visited to evaluate our needs and offer us detailed information on the different units that would best suit our budget and the size of our house. He is very professional and highly knowledgeable. He also evaluated the structure of our house and explained clearly how the different connections inside and outside the house would be made, giving us great peace of mind of what to expect. Before he left, Robert made some very solid recommendations about our needs but left us completely open to our own decision of which HVAC units to install. All in all, we were very impressed with the efficiency of this company that helped us to make a very good choice of the HVAC brand we finally landed on. What really impresses us about Climate Experts is their accountability towards their clients. We installed our new units in the early fall and when the cold weather hit, Robert actually came to make sure that the furnace fired up smoothly and of course, it did. Recently, Robert came to make sure that our new air-conditioner turned on smoothly. We are very happy to have installed our HVAC units with Climate Experts. Their professional integrity, punctuality and line of communication are phenomenal. We installed our units during the pandemic and we noted with great appreciation that their staff took all necessary precautions related to Covid-19 so that we felt safe and comfortable. Special thanks to Beth and Robert for being always there for their clients. It is truly such a great pleasure talking and working with them. Wonderful and reliable company. We highly recommend this company to those looking for a good experience to install their HVAC system. Raymond & Maggie

From the time we bought our house we had always planned to enclose up our carport into a garage one day. This year we finally decided to put our plans into action. Our house, which was built in 1962, was also looking tired and needing some major attention. We started looking for contractors and talked to quite a few. Somehow none seemed a good match to our needs until we came to Grand Building & Contracting. We spoke to Alex who came across to us as a very knowledgeable, experienced and solid professional. He explained in detail the process and structure of the garage he planned to build for us. Most of all, we find that what set Alex apart from the other contractors we spoke to, was the enthusiasm and passion he brought along as he presented to us his proposed design. He truly enjoyed what he was doing, listened to us and worked very hard to suggest designs that would bring out the best effect for our house. He was truly committed to give us our dream house. Once the job started, it got better. There was nothing we could complain about. Every day, Alex or one of his sons, Adam or Jason would visit the site to check on the work being done. All three of them consistently kept us informed of the work in progress. If we ever had a question or wanted to discuss something, Alex, who was our usual contact person, was always one phone call away. He responded quickly to phone calls, texts and emails. When talking to him, we really felt that he was giving us his 100% attention and was always very respectful to our requests. All three of them, Alex, Adam and Jason were excellent at communicating the order of work, and were friendly and courteous. We had done renovations before, but we had never enjoyed such peace of mind as working with Grand Building and Contracting. They are truly a God-send. What a blessing for us to have hired them to do our renovation work. Throughout the process, we know that we were in good, capable hands. Alex, Adam and Jason really put us at ease about the renovation and were there every step of the way. They monitored the work very closely. We felt that our job truly mattered to them. Trades were lined up very carefully and we never had to wait for the next step. The brothers, Adam and Jason worked very hard to add extra features to accentuate the design, transforming our house from being plain to elegant. The garage was solidly constructed, stone and stucco work was first-rate, and the porch and walkway were very tastefully built. Many neighbours came to compliment and admire Grand’s work of art and top-notch, solid construction. Special mention must be made about the tradesmen they hired. They were all very experienced, highly skilled, pleasant and courteous. They worked conscientiously, cleaned up the place at the end of each day, and always took away their garbage at the end of the job. It was such a pleasure working with each and every one of them. The final result of their well-coordinated teamwork was breathtaking and our house is truly the envy of the neighborhood now! Walkers would stop by our curbside smiling and nodding approvingly. Grand’s flyers which they placed next to their sign board on our lawn were completely sold out in our neighborhood! We cannot say enough how wonderful our experience was, working with Grand Building & Contracting. They are truly a hallmark for communication, organization, timeliness, design, quality and details. Last but not least Grand’s professional integrity is not just good or excellent but exemplary! They strive to give you nothing less than their best and will stop at nothing to make you happy with the end result. So to Adam, Jason, Alex and all your tradesmen, thank you very much for such a beautiful house you have magically re-constructed for us. Your hard work, dedication and passion will stay with us every time we enjoy our beautiful home. The project turned out better than expectations. Adam, thank you so much for the extra job you did for us out of your own expense. The newly painted door frame looks so right and is the finishing touch to a most beautiful work you have done for us. We most highly recommend Grand Building & Constructing to anyone who is planning to renovate their house. You will enjoy both the process and the end result. Great company! Maggie and Raymond