Reviews

9/10

Carlos and his team have been great to work with. We planned a main floor and full basement renovation last year, and have worked with him towards completion. We replaced the staircases, flooring, spray-foam insulation, Kitchen, removed 2 walls and rewired on the main floor We had an unfinished basement prior, and put in new stairs, wet bar, Office, Bathroom and rec room (including rewire and spray foam). Included was structural repair work from the original builder. We are closing in on final completion and closure of the permits, and have recommended him to other individuals looking for a contractor option. In most cases, those individuals have chosen to work with Carlos. He cleans up the work site daily, uses responsible trades, holds people accountable to the work quality and (most importantly) when there is an issue he addresses it. Most importantly, he was hands-on and has the experience/knowledge appropriate for the work that needed to be done. He brought in experts where required (Engineers for beams and stairs) to ensure the job was done properly. I would reuse him on other projects and continue to recommend him.

Approximate cost of services:
$250,000.00
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5/10

(Update) Received Callback from Acadian Flooring - they reached an agreement with StoneSelex to honour the contract as it was written. The individual that I talked with was polite. ============ -recommended by contractor for stone veneer, have never interacted with this company prior -paid $100 deposit for samples (image 3), they backdated an invoice 10 days later -returned 10 days later, store credited $100 (image 2) rather than apply to purchase (image 1) -placed order for stone, paid for 50% of order up front per Bill of Sale (image 1) -store phones day or two later saying they misquoted, I need to pay $2 / sq ft more or they will not release order -I phoned today and asked to talk with the owner - he claims that the price is now $3/sq ft more -claim is that supplier (StoneSelex) rejected order, and that they have no responsibility/culpability Notes (1) the delta they refuse to cover is $120 (2) on the paperwork, StoneSelex and Acadian Flooring have SAME address...StoneSelex phone number is different Avoid this business.

Approximate cost of services:
$1,000.00
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2/10

(Update) Received Callback from Acadian Flooring - they reached an agreement with StoneSelex to honour the contract as it was written. The individual that I talked with was polite. ================= -recommended by contractor for stone veneer, have never interacted with them prior -paid $100 deposit for samples (image 1), they backdated an invoice 10 days later -returned 10 days later, store credited $100 (image 2) rather than apply to purchase (image 3) -placed order for stone, paid for 50% of order up front per Bill of Sale (image 3) -store phones day or two later saying they misquoted, I need to pay $2 / sq ft more or they will not release order -I phoned today and asked to talk with the owner - he claims that the price is now $3/sq ft more -claim is that supplier rejected order, and that they have no responsibility/culpability Notes (1) the delta they refuse to cover is $120 (2) on the paperwork, StoneSelex and Acadian Flooring have SAME address...StoneSelex phone number appears to be a cell phone Avoid this business.

Approximate cost of services:
$1,000.00
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10/10

John was consistent, detailed, thorough and specific. He was detailed in what needed to be done, the quote reflected exactly what he had stated, and he followed up after the work was done to ensure that we were satisfied with the work. His team showed up on time, and worked around a large thunderstorm that passed through on the day that they committed to doing the work. We are happy with the results pending the next few rainstorms ;) I have already recommended John to a friend who has used John to their satisfaction. Very professional.

Approximate cost of services:
$2,200.00
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10/10

Paolo,   Thank you for the repairs to our chimney, the arch over our garage, parging on the front of the garage as well as various tuck-pointing.  We had 5 companies quote on the work and were able to narrow it down based on who could handle arches (the first cut for a professional mason).  You stood out by the manner in which you went through what (in your opinion) should be done in order to fix each item permanently, how it should be done (in detail) and what the process would be.  The price-point was reasonable considering you are bonded and insured, you have WSIB and you employ trained professionals.    You took the time throughout the project to touch base (before, during and afterwards) in order to ensure that things were done properly.  When one issue arose, you happily stated that you would ensure that things were done right and to our satisfaction.  We have found in our experience that projects have items that pop up, and you were not only on top of it but made sure that things were taken care of.  Lina was excellent in facilitating the less glamourous aspects ... ensuring that paperwork was done properly, reaching out to us regarding scheduling and always being responsive to our questions.   We will be contacting you when it comes time to do the driveway / walkway as the work quality was excellent, you were on-time and your crew cleaned up each day.  It is not easy to find a good contractor, which is why we have already recommended you to 2 of our neighbours (and will continue to do so).   Regards, Mike and Andrea

Approximate cost of services:
$5,000.00
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Company Response

Thank you for working with us

10/10

Highly recommend Alex and his team. We went to his storeto look at samples, and were treated professionally by everyone that we omteracted with. Alex provided multiple revisions of 3-D images for us as we worked with him on what we wanted to do. He was prompt, courteous and professional.

Approximate cost of services:
$26,000.00
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Company Response

Thank you - Delta Decks

10/10

We had damaged our Garage Door accidentally one day, such that it didn't close. MGD came out right away, took a look, and orderred the parts (it was a custom-ordered door to begin with). Parts came within 2 weeks, upon which MGD worked around my schedule to replace the panel and tracks. They took the liberty of servicing both doors while they were there, and walked me through all of the things that they had specifically done. They also answered any questions I had (no matter how small) with a friendly smile. I HIGHLY recommend MGD as we have used them multiple times.

Approximate cost of services:
$300.00
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Company Response

I just figured out how to respond to our reviews and just wanted to thank you for the great review. These reviews really help our business grow thank you for taking the time to write this for us. Customers like you are the reason we love what we do and it keeps all of us trying our best everyday.

Thanks Again
Chris Dale
Markham Garage Doors

9/10

We contracted to Solutions (again) for our Master Bedroom. They needed to install potlights, remove a duplicate switch, install new power and extend a cable run for our TV, and remove the cabling that was running through our cold-air return. They did an excellent job, except that they left the insulation in the attic a mess (which I had to clean up / rearrange). They came back and apologized for the inconvenience, and installed a remote dimmer (instead of a cheap one) without asking or charging me extra. We will use them on future renovations.

Approximate cost of services:
$1,200.00
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10/10

(www.yorkmarble.com) After seeing them on many Holmes on Homes episodes, we decided to get a quote from them for our master bath vanity top as well as the bench top and sill plate for the shower. Not only did they come to my place of work to drop of samples (multiple times) when it was convenient for me, but they also executed on-time and to exacting standards. They provide high-quality timely service, and provideds excellent professional fit and finish. We will be using them again in the future, and have recommended them to our friends.

Approximate cost of services:
$2,000.00
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10/10

Ciot provided us with the best price-point and arranged for us to visit the warehouse in order to inspect the entire load of marble tile in advance of purchase. The quality of the product was superior. They provided us with discounted pricing that our contractor could not surpass, delivered on-site on-time. It was a pleasure to deal with them

Approximate cost of services:
$8,000.00
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10/10

We contracted for a master bathroom vanity, not knowing a specific design or size. They worked with us to review the space, usage, and what we needed in advance of draft alternatives being drawn. They also provided useful feedback with respect to proportion on the room, etc. They included extras in the design that we had not specified (at no charge), and delivered/installed the unit ahead of schedule.

Approximate cost of services:
$8,000.00
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1/10

See pictures. Bathroom was completed 3 months ago. Note that bathroom was gutted to studs in advance of contractor involvement. We Q&A'd contractor before contract signing re previous experience (ie- with steam/tile size/materials/ Kerdi/Ditra), but the contractor had difficulties when it came time to perform. During performance, several change controls were necessary. Surprisingly, change controls in contractor's favour were issued immediately; change controls in our favour were not and when pressed to provide latter change control(s), contractor became very defensive. The working relationship deteriorated from that point onwards. Also during performance, when discussing items not in contract and/or requiring change control, contractor told us that onsite foreman was working off of a different contract than what we had signed. Working relationship was ok as long as you did not question methodology. Items that we subcontracted ourselves: - vanity (Olympic Kitchens - excellent) - vanity top and bench (York Fabrica - excellent) - painting - mirror and fixtures - demolition to studs Items to-date that have already needed to be fixed by us: - toilet - grouting in shower - installation/wiring of central vac faceplate (exposed wires left in-wall) - replacement of floor screw in lightswitch faceplate - replacement of all window frame trim (cracked) - cracking drywall joints on walls built by contractor

Approximate cost of services:
$23,000.00
What could this company do to improve their services?
If you state that you have experience with materials, you cannot come back later and state that you can't do something or that it should not be used/done or that adjustments (at extra cost) are needed.
Any advice to offer fellow homeowners facing a similar project?
Option 1 - act as your own contractor (you can follow Mike Holmes' book on contracting to the letter and you will be better off) Option 2 - contract through a big-box store (like HD) if you are scared to do Option 1 Option 3 - if using this contractor, research all steps, processes, items and insist on inclusion of all details, materials and steps in contract (ie- what screws to use, how and what to apply in Kerdi system, etc.). If change control is necessary, put work on-hold until it is issued.
7 of 8 people found this review helpful.
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Company Response

THIS RESPONSE MUST BE READ!

Why were we not surprised to expect this kind of review from this client?

We highly appreciate clients providing reviews on homestars.com and truly believe in this site, the opportunities it provides and how it is has been a great facilitator in bringing positive change to the industry. The one drawback we have just experienced through your review is that it opens the door to comments that are sometimes misguided, unqualified and simply personal and have no direct relevance to the actual quality of work. This directly affects the livelihood of our business and as you can appreciate, something we strongly feel has to be defended.

People have a right to their opinion and please allow us to share ours with regard to our experience with Michael and Andrea of Unionville.

We would like to start by expressing how very happy we were with the results of the master bathroom. Thank you for allowing us to take photos upon completion that showed the beauty of the finished product. We would also like to thank you for the several recommendations you gave our company to your friends and colleagues. If you were as dissatisfied with our work as you are now claiming, we highly doubt the recommendations would have followed.

We are also very disappointed, and highly surprised that you did not take advantage of your contract terms with us that included a 2 year workmanship warranty. The final deficiencies that you have shown in these photos were not brought to our attention, other than through this online review. We also did not expect that you would have to correct them yourselves. We should have had the opportunity to discuss these issues with you first and “make it right!” At no time prior to this review did we receive a call or email from you outlining these specific items. Let’s be fair, any contractor would have expected this from their customer and would likely not stand by their guarantee if you did your own repairs.

With regards to the photos of the shrinkage in the grout and on the door trim, based on scale, these cracks appear to be very small, maybe a few inches at most in size. Any builder or renovator will agree there is usually some minor movement or settling of construction materials after work has been completed.

In this instance, the wood door casing has a certain degree of moisture content and if that degree of moisture content changes, shrinkage and swelling may occur. Shrinkage occurs as moisture content decreases, while swelling takes place when it increases. This can also cause framing to expand, contract, twist and warp causing slight joint cracking and screw pops in drywall. You also had a steam shower installed which adds to the excess moisture if the fan is not used often or long enough.

In most cases, this shrinkage and swelling can be controlled buy a good quality prep and paint job. You chose to handle the painting portion of this job. Although painting is not generally our responsibility, we always follow up after this process to ensure that all touch up and seals are completed properly as it directly affects the appearance and performance of our own finished work. Since you were handling the painting yourselves and did not allow us this follow up, we did not have the opportunity to rectify the deficiencies created by the prep work.

In reviewing the highlights of our email exchanges, these comments from you appeared; “our price was the most reasonable”, we provided “great input and suggestions”, our workers were “conscientious and took pride in their work”, you were “satisfied with our methodology explanations”, “progress was looking good”, “tile work going well”. There did not appear to be any comments that would lead to this low of a rating, which is puzzling. It would have been in our best interests to have immediately rectified the situation had we been aware of any problems or concerns. We have been successful in business far to long to have ignored something like this. Our strong ratings have demonstrated that we consistently deliver on quality and service.

With regard to the change controls, let’s take a look at the bigger picture. We provided you with numerous extras at no charge (drawings and electrical layouts, pewter register cover, extra insulation, upgraded supplies and services just to name a few) which we are sure you are thankful for. We were also consistently browbeaten over the extra charges we did present. In addition, for the change controls you requested, you still refused to pay or took an exceptionally long time to pay. We gave you the benefit of our trade discounts for items you were completing yourself and took the time to coordinate, plan and negotiate for sub-trades you felt we did not deserve our mark up on. We also did not charge you for the relocation of the vanity to the proper position after Olympic kitchen (your “excellent” supplier) had installed it in the wrong location and for the pick up, loading and delivery, including a 1 ½ hour wait from York Fabrica (your “excellent” supplier) for the vanity top they felt they did not need to deliver for you themselves.

The comment regarding the questioning of our methodology is also a unfair. You hired us based on our experience, expertise and ability to deliver on time and most importantly at a highly reasonable price. Having to stop production on a regular basis to answer inquires on our methodology was frankly not something we priced in our contract. So our apologies if we found this to become annoying and time wasting for our crew. We were always polite and did our very best to work around this and go the extra mile for you. We did not realize this type of understanding was going to be important for you when we negotiated the contract, otherwise we would have taken this into account in the price. Perhaps that is one of the key reasons why the other contractors were priced higher.


We have no doubt Mr. Holmes would tell you that not only did you get a high end, good quality job, but you got a good deal on it as well. We would also challenge you to invite the Mike Holmes show to your home to view our workmanship and allow us the opportunity to answer any criticism of our work and finish quality.

We are all firm believers in the construction bible that Mike Holmes preaches from. We encourage all of our new employees to watch his and other similar shows to further educate themselves on the real issues out there in the industry. We can all appreciate that we need to be careful with what we read or see on T.V., things are not always as they appear.

We have also taken the time to prepare a summary of a few trades as recommended on The Mike Holmes show and their ratings as taken from the homestars.com site. In reviewing these statistics, please keep in mind our rating average is currently standing at 9.7. We are proud to say it was a 9.9 and now with your review of 1.0, it has brought it down slightly.

1. Lowe Painting Rating average 8.5
2. Better Contracting Services Rating average 7.1
3. Adams Door Systems Inc. Rating average 7.3
4. Barmac Garage Door Rating average 1.0
5. Brent Harper Window and Door Rating average 5.0
6. Brian Chimney Service Rating average 4.1
7. Complex Paving Ltd. Rating average 1.0
8. Danmac Plumbing Service Rating average 7.4
9. Hand Craft Aluminum Rating average 5.0
10. Latitude Counter Tops Rating average 7.8
11. Mr Stucco Rating average 8.3
12. Olympia Tile Rating average 8.2
13. Ontario Power Air Duct Cleaning Rating average 8.0
14. Simply Closets Inc. Rating average 7.5
15. The Floor Shop Rating average 8.9

Without a doubt, we expect viewers of this site to see through your comments and poor review and let our excellent rating and photos speak for themselves.

Enjoy your bathroom, it is beautiful. Good luck with any future renovations.

Sincerely
John, Oborne Contracting

10/10

We contacted Olympic Kitchens based on Mike Holmes' recommendation. We went into the engagement with very high expectations (and a measure of uneasiness), and Ilias & co managed to surpass them. From design sessions to detailed specs to execution to (a very minor) issue resolution, it was a co-operative and congenial exercise. We went into the process with some vague ideas, and with their help managed to create an incredible result. We are going to use them again in other rooms for cabinetry, and recommend them highly as they provided detailed specs, timelines, etc and always delivered on what they promised. The minor issue was with one of the 2 crown moulding pieces, whereupon Ilias simply stated "What do you need / want to do to resolve?" I stated the preferred resolution whereupon he (1) stated matter-of-factly 'OK' without arguement or contesting (2) proactively arranged for the materials, (3) proactively called my wife to arrange for completion in 2 days and (4) never took me up on my offer to split costs. He wanted to just 'Make It Right'. The mark of a good contractor: work around your clients, make them feel important, and deliver on what you promise after detailing in advance in writing.

Approximate cost of services:
$9,000.00
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10/10

We were referred to Benchmark through friends of ours, and have subsequently purchased 2 area rugs. Based on our poor experience with Markville and our friends' results with their runner install (vs ours), we will be using them for 3 bedroom broadloom replacements plus a re-do on the runner (that is fugly, based on Markville's recommendations / 'expertise')

Approximate cost of services:
$2,000.00
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2/10

We replaced carpet in 1 bedroom, where the install was OK (underpad they used was superior, to be fair), but I had warned the installers that I had caulked and plasticized the outer wall (vapour barrier was not previously sealed). They proceeded to "forget" and made a bit of a mess that they had to clean up. the runner, on the other hand, was well-installed, but we took their recommendation on type of carpet to use, and width (after they had assessed during the quotation process). It's ugly. REALLY ugly. Wrong type of carpet...our friends used Benchmark carpets (after seeing what happened to us) and their results were far superior ... the materials recommended were correct, and the install was superior. Our runner belongs in an out-dated Victorian home .. so we will have to rip it out and re-do it.

Approximate cost of services:
$2,000.00
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8/10

We had our windows replaced through Home Depot approx. 2 years ago. the Subcontractor was fantastic .. highly recommend them as they consultaed well pre-execution, delivered what they promised, installed properly, were very clean, and came back when there was 1 minor issue (the next day on their way home, in fact). We have found, though, that some departments are not so good. We went with Markham 2000 for various blinds as the subcontractor didn't respond within the time period, and when they did were not professional. We had multiple issues getting the countertop folks to respond to requests for sizing / ordering (complained to Cust Svc who helped resolve). Custom Order desk (folks) are FANTASTIC ... they go out of their way to meet our needs.

Approximate cost of services:
$35,000.00
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10/10

Our ground floor was replaced with slate in the entranceway/landry room, and hardwood everywhere else. Woodchuck did a great job installing the floor. When moving furniture, a few boards were gouged, whereupon they came back and replaced the boards so that you can't even tell which onces were done. They cleaned up after they were done, so that you didn't even know that they were there. Highly recommend them.

Approximate cost of services:
$20,000.00
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Company Response

Thank you for your review!

10/10

They provided great sod and topsoil for our front / back yard. Included delivery of soil and sod in price. Delivered when promised, and even asked where (specifically) to drop both so as to make it convenient. When I needed more, they dropped it off the next day without issue. Very good customer service via phone.

Approximate cost of services:
$1,000.00
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10/10

We have Unionville in for the yearly maintenance on heating and cooling systems, and they have been very professional, courteous, clean and prompt. They communicate with us when things need to be dealt with, and provide good timelines for when we need to start to look at replacement of any wear items. Recommended.

Approximate cost of services:
$300.00
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Company Response

Once again thanks to our great staff. All are trained in customer service. If we fail please let us know and we will make it right.
Thanks
John St Germain
President
Unionville heating
416-990-1535

6/10

We had our old system replaced, and can say that the monitoring is good (a couple of self-inflicted alarms where they called immediately), but the install was painful. Workers left a mess all over the house (bits of wire are bad for dogs), old equipment was left where it was ripped out, alarm sensors not consistently placed, etc. We held payment until the Sales person + head of install team came back and resolved our issues (i.e. made the install clean and consistent). Recommend that you hold back payment to make sure they do the job the way you want it.

Approximate cost of services:
$7,000.00
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10/10

We have used them multiple times for blinds, paint consultation (previous geniuses painted latex over oil without priming...), and various paint colour matching. Not only was the service fantastic, they always take their time to make sure all questions are answered. When choosing paint, they always test for matching before allowing you to walk out the door. Highly recommended (from a picky couple).

Approximate cost of services:
$5,000.00
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10/10

We purchased a house that had the kitchen renovated by Binns, and had noticed that the wiring in the basement underneath the kitchen looked a little scary. we also wanted pot lights and centre receptacle installed in a couple of rooms on the main floor as there were none. Joe and his crew came in and found that 1/3 of the house circuits had been compromised and overloaded. They explained in detail what needed to be done, and had also detailed additional items that were unsafe / not to code as they worked. They guranteed the estimate, finished on-time, were exceptionally clean and polite, and were communicative through the process to ensure that we understood what was going on. Very very highly recommend them, and we will be using them on future projects. Worth waiting for as they are busy.

Approximate cost of services:
$9,000.00
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