PW Hughes from Ottawa

I hired Drapery Plus to build and install a new lintel for my living room. The curtain set that we had throughout the 1st floor was old and we needed a replacement that would match. The result was a high-quality lintel, although the match was merely OK. The shape is perfect, and the wood is acceptable. I only say this because the red oak hasn't quite aged yet, but I doubt most guests could tell which one was the new one. I'd recommend this company for sure.

I have a second-storey balcony off the master bedroom (above the garage), and I hired David Egan Associates to draw up some plans to build an addition to enclose this space. The plans look very detailed, and they've taken into consideration my main worry - that additional support for this room will be required, so the garage walls will need to be strengthened. It was costly, but I'd rather have good plans than a bad reno. I'd recommend them.

I bought a huge whalebone and glass table from Snow Goose and they installed it for me in my new condo. It had to be installed directly into the floor (there's a metal tube inside the vertebrae) so I was worried about getting someone to do it. Fortunately, this was apparently included in the price of the item. They did a good job (it was easy to mount on my floor, and doesn't look like it will mark it up), and I'm happy. I only give the "recommend" section 3/5 stars since the gallery is so "niche" that not everyone will want cool aboriginal art, but if you do, this is the place!!

I bought an in-cabinet espresso machine from Miele in October, and I've enjoyed waking up a whole lot more since I got it! I was pricey, but I love the flavour I get from my new machine. I use Bridgehead coffee, ground using a burr grinder, and the crema I get from the head is nice and sweet. It operates at an impressive 22 torr and has a built-in reverse osmosis purifier, so I saved on that end as well. All in all, this was a better deal than a $20K synesso, and it's just enough for me!

I had an old elm stump removed from the front yard of my house after the city came and cut it down. I wasn't thrilled that they didn't do much to the hole they left, but they did take the stump out for a rock-bottom price and did some backfill. It was a good price, even if I did have to shell out another $45 for sod.

I recently hired Woodpecker Services to fix up the gate to our dog run out in the back yard (Aug 2013). I felt that the price was a little high (the door was a single frame of the existing chain link fence, so they only had to replace the wire for one 6' X 8' section), but I have no complaints with the worksmanship. It was very professional and the plastic cover was sturdy enough for my dogs. I'd buy from them again.

I bought this service for several years to look after weed growth in my lawn. I don't know which chemical (if any) they were spraying, but it did nothing. Plenty of weeds left over after years of this service. No more!

I needed a mini bin to help my wife and I move in August. We called these guys and the bin was dropped off two days later. Bin was picked up after a few days (we didn't need the whole week but they offered to let us have it for 7 days - no extra charge). All in all, no muss, no fuss. Low, low price, even though the bin wasn't huge, was a big draw for us.

I bought a Ben Babelowsky painting from Wallack, and I am fairly pleased with the purchase. The sales pitch was pretty high-pressure, and I wasn't pleased with that at all, but I definitely like the painting, and there were many good ones in stock. Nice variety, good quality stuff, and great price.

You might overlook Michaels when decorating a kids' room for the first time - don't! I bought some dinosaur decals for my sons' room and was able to buy enough to cover three walls for a measly $58. I'm impressed - the store is a hot, glittery mess, but they deliver on having the right product at the right price!

Inexpensive stuff that works. What else could you want? I don't have a lot of space in my apartment to store building supplies so I need to be able to just buy what I need - I can do that every time at Capital HH. Capital HH had a nice Black and Decker drill for $45. That's a great price. I'm 100% satisfied.

I needed a new condenser fan to repair my clunky old fridge. I was able to find an entirely new OEM condenser unit through these guys. Came in quickly and saved me a ton of money. Thanks guys! A+

These guys are from out in the west end, but on Thanksgiving weekend my wife and I found ourselves needing a plumber. We called them up, and our sink was soon fixed. Price was right and I can't say more about the service - just great.