Reviews

7/10

During my home inspection prior to moving in (in autumn), I was told there was asbestos in the attic, and that it should be removed. So, I had several quotes done to make sure things were done properly. Oddly, some companies treated my scenario as a different removal type than quotes from others. Robert, whom I was dealing with at Templar, answered all my questions to my satisfaction, and I felt like he knew what he was doing. His pricing was also competitive and was amongst the lower end of all the quotes that I received. After deciding to go with them, they came on time to do the work. Robert did not come, but three others came with their large vacuum truck. I have to say I was surprised to see two younger looking people come, along with an older person. I think my case was a very standard scenario so it looked like they knew what they were doing though. However, upon setting up, they mentioned that they were not able to make a hole on the rooftop coming in directly inside my attic, which is how they normally proceed, and which is how Robert mentioned it would happen. So, fortunately, they were able to bring in the vacuum hose through the window of my bathroom, which is where the entrance to the attic was located. They set everything up so that there was negative pressure, and blocked off the vicinity. Being the curious person that I am, I even had them take a little video of what my attic looked like with my iPhone. They showed us what the asbestos was like, and where it was located. After they vacuumed everything away, I had them take another video to see how clean things were. It was nice to see the before and after. The next day, they blew in the insulation and cleaned up behind them and left. Afterwards, I talked with Robert to set up the post-analysis. Someone came and did the analysis, which took just about an hour or so, and left. I received the clearance from the lab a couple days later via email. Robert then sent me a follow up email with summary and invoice stating everything that was done. The summary mentioned that Type 2 removal took place from the roofline, and new insulation blown in, along with attic baffles and fiberglass stopper installation to improve ventilation from soffits. Since my removal process happened through my window instead, that made me wonder. It seemed like there was a lack of communication between Robert and his workers and/or vice versa. If that was the case, then how am I to know that attic baffles and fiberglass stoppers were installed? I can't be too sure, although if this was a standard scenario, then I'm hoping the workers would have done this regardless of whether it was written on the quote or not. The workers themselves were a pleasure to deal with, and Robert was fine as well. I just wonder about the communication between the two. I am happy that the asbestos is all gone now, and my home is just that much safer to be in, so I'm glad they did give me that peace of mind.

Approximate cost of services:
$7,400.00
What could this company do to improve their services?
Better communication between the project manager and workers so that there is consistency in the project.
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9/10

I recently moved into a home and wanted most of my rooms on the main floor repainted. With several holes in the drywall (from cables and curtain brackets removed), I did not want to do this myself. I got a quote from several companies, some from Homestars, and others from elsewhere. Although Finer Edge wasn't the cheapest, I decided to go with them because I liked whom I was dealing with. Vince came to quote on the project promptly. After we agreed, the project manager Luigi contacted me via email and introduced himself before coming in the next day with the painters. During the project, I had a couple questions/concerns, so I had messaged him on my phone and he responded promptly, which I liked. I felt that he was always available to answer any of my questions, even after hours. Two painters came (always on time) and did the entire project in 2.5 days, which was within their estimate. They did a great job patching up all the holes in the walls (and there were several in each room!), cutting the edges, and painting the walls. A couple of my walls were cold through this project (painting in winter doesn't help this!) so I was told that the paint was not drying fast enough. This resulted in some paint drips along my bottom baseboards. I worked through this with Luigi, and the painters cleaned it up the next day. If I had to come up with an "issue" for this project, it would be the cleanup. While I'm sure the painters did their cleanup properly, when I came home from work, I noticed the rooms were still dusty on the floors, and on my kitchen countertops. I had to re-vacuum all the rooms to make it more to my liking. I mentioned this to Luigi afterwards (I could not be there when he came in again for the follow-up) and he said it could have been caused by the paint particles and dust in the air settling after the painters had vacuumed. Regardless, overall I was very happy with their work and liked the people I was dealing with. I would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone wanting a paint job.

Approximate cost of services:
$1,600.00
Any advice to offer fellow homeowners facing a similar project?
Get several quotes and make sure each one has the same requirements. ie. Quote on the same number of rooms, what needs to be painted, the type and make of paint used, and what will be left behind afterwards.
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Company Response

Thank you for taking the time to write a detailed review Taku, we appreciate it! Hope you've been keeping well, Luigi