GLee

I called John and on the same day, in between jobs, he popped in to see us for an estimate on a small job that needed to be done quickly. His price was reasonable and he did the work right away! He then had to rush off to two more jobs, but he is extremely knowledgeable, courteous and his son Tim is the best apprentice. Thank you John and Tim for helping us out in a pinch - we'll be calling you again (with more notice) for the next job!

Jeff and Doug are professionals who take pride in their work. They refinished our front door, kitchen island and bathroom vanity for a fair price. But more importantly, the work they did was impeccable making our house look new again. Both of them are courteous, on time and made several visits to ensure the coats of varnish had time to set and dry appropriately. I highly recommend these guys for your next wood refinishing job.

This is the second year we've had Andrew and his crew maintain our property. He is professional, attentive to detail and gives great care to ensuring that his customers are satisfied. In the summer, his crew always makes sure our lawn is the best on the block. In the winter, he's up early morning to make sure our driveway is clear and safe. If it weren't for him, we would probably be living in a condo as the property maintenance is such a chore to us, but he makes living in a house easy! Thanks Andrew!

Andrew's team are great people who work incredibly hard. They treat your home like it is their own. We have a lot of lawn maintenance to take care of but every week, our front and backyards looked immaculate. Andrew is great at suggesting ways to make improvements or changes and he tries his best to accomodate all your requests. WE have hired him for snow removal this winter because we were so pleased with their services.

We hired Emerald after calling the top 3 moving companies on Homestars then referencing them with the BBB. Emerald was the best. Dave answered my many questions and emails and my husband and I actually LIKED the fact that they would not remove light fixtures or move our piano - and that they recommended getting professionals to do that. They were clear on what they did and did not do. On the day of the move, they were extremely professional. They do not outsource to anyone, but only use their guys which have a lot of experience and are respectful of your belongings. After hearing nightmare stories of our friends having their stuff "held hostage" by moving companies, we decided to do our research on who would be best. We're glad we found the right company. Thanks for making our moving day such a stressless one!

I have really struggled whether or not I should write this review as I just want this experience to be forgotton, however I feel it is necessary because my experience with Alliance is very contrary to others I have read on Homestars. I hired Alliance based on their top reviews on Homestars. We have very shiny, dark maple floors and asked Alliance if they had any suggestions in reducing the sheen as we were struggling with the floors showing every crumb, speck of dust and footprint. They suggested a buff and coat and I was initially impressed with their helpfulness and advice. However the end result was something very blotchy and streaky. I complained and Alliance' only explanation was that perhaps the varnish they used was old. (???) Since the floor had to be replaced anyway, they agreed to give us a discount on replacing the hardwood floor by reducing the cost of the job by $100 (even though the buff and coat cost me almost $400.) I didn't want to argue so I hired them to install the floors. The guys who were given the job, 1 guy in particular, was very disagreeable and complained throughout the entire process about how difficult the job was and how Alliance was paying him very little for this job. I was extremely anxious that he would pick up and leave so I bought the guys lunch because I actually felt BAD for these two individuals who were working hard in my home. They finished the job but nevertheless there were some problems with the installation (like wooden planks that were sticking up and others that were severely damaged) so I called Alliance to have someone repair the job. The original guys were called back and one of them (the main guy in charge of the job) started shouting and demanding more money from me because the job was too difficult and he was getting paid too little for his efforts. I told him to take this up with Alliance but he continued to yell. His partner had to calm him down. I was very uncomfortable and unfortunately, my husband was bathing my baby daughter upstairs and did not witness this spectacle. I was able to calm him down but after they left, I was EXTREMELY upset and my heart was pounding. Susan arrived 2 minutes later (they were supposed to meet me together) and I explained that I would refuse to have those guys in my house again. Susan was very apologetic and later said she would be present when he came back to repair the job (to make sure he did not lose his temper again) but I find it odd that this individual needs to be "watched" by his own company. In the end, Alliance sent 2 other guys who were much more agreeable but I will never forget being shouted at in my own home by someone who I made every effort to help and even buy lunch for. Please beware of who you get if you hire Alliance; my recommendation is you go with someone else to avoid the headache.

We hired Mike in March after having interviewed 10 different companies (all from Homestars) and were impressed by Mike's competitive price and friendly nature. After having been disappointed by different trades people in the past, I was very skeptical at first but Mike and Aldo's team proved that they knew what they were doing and were professionals when it came to basement renovation. Despite several changes to the original plans, they were able to finish the project on time and we have now hired them to do our kitchen! I would recommend these guys in a heartbeat. These guys are the real deal.

I found ET Painters through Homestars and was relieved to have courteous, hard-working individuals doing what many would consider a minor job. The painters worked diligently and Massimo came by to check their job and ensure I was completely satisfied. I wish I had hired them sooner. Though they are very well known, their prices are reasonable, even on my modest budget. I would recommend them in a heartbeat.

We found out we had a blocked sewer drain and called Shanks to fix it. Upon meeting Mike who seemed cordial and professional, I was informed that the drain could not be fixed at all and we needed to act right away. His solution was to do an exterior excavation of a clay pipe and since his quote was cheaper than another we received, we hired him. I later found out that the method he used to clear our drain was questionable as he used a camera hose to try and clear the sewage. The next day, he informed us that the damage to the pipe extended far beyond his initial assessment and he highly recommended we remove the entire pipe for $10,000. I don't doubt that we had to remove more of the pipe and that there was significant damage done, but when I wanted to get a second opinion/estimate before we handed over this fortune, he started getting defensive. He left our property frustrated that I wanted to get another estimate for the job. We found out from other companies that he was charging a lot more than what we needed to pay, and also, he had put us in a situation where we had to act immediately, giving us no opportunity to shop around. Ultimately, I feel we were cornered into a situation and were made to believe we had no choice but to go the most expensive route. Suffice it to say we went with another more reputable company who had better ratings on homestars and found a solution that was much cheaper. I have never seen someone's personality change so fast. Moral of the story: don't trust a company based on first impressions.