Reviews

10/10

Great company. Quoted me to build a large deck. Their pricing was competitive, and the owner and his crew were knowledgeable, respectful, polite and finished the project on time. The bill received was the same as the quote, which is very important to me. I do recommend Sawdust and Stone.

Approximate cost of services:
$6,000.00
What could this company do to improve their services?
Any advice to offer fellow homeowners facing a similar project?
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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0/10

Stay away from this contractor! I received a quote from Fernando to excavate my driveway by 12 inches deep, and replace it by 12 inches of compacted gravel at 97%. When I came home, the base looked mint for a couple of days before starting to sagg. I called a couple of experts and had the work site drilled for samples. Turns out CFJ paving flattened out the old base, but never digged more than one inch, and of course did not even compact the old gravel. After confronting Fernando several times - who kept changing his stories (first they replaced my gravel, and then he admitted reusing my gravel...) CFJ paving ended up asking me for the full amount. After contacting BBB they agreed not to ask for the invoice. Do not trust CFJ paving. Do not hesitate to contact me if you are building a case against CFJ paving, I will be happy to share my experience.

Approximate cost of services:
$6,000.00
Any advice to offer fellow homeowners facing a similar project?
Ask to your local landscaping company for the names of the good contractors that they trust. They usually know well the contractors.
3 of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Company Response

I would like to personally apologize to all our clients especially those new to the tri-cities due to this specific review. It wasn't up until this year that we were made aware of this.

Eric Jedidi, who owns The WoodStone Real Estate Company, hired CFJ Paving Ltd. to do numerous tasks on his property. We dug the backyard and supplied stone dust for patio stones so Eric could put down his stones. We removed and dumped trees and debris from his backyard. We dug in front of his home and we supplied Eric with topsoil for his front yard so he could seed it. The property was flat. It looks amazing now.

As to the driveway, we had truck loads of gravel dumped there and compacted, not to mention all kinds of labor and machinery costs invested to accomplish the task. Probably not much gravel left there now, since he didn't pave. Weather conditions here in Canada have a way of washing gravel away.

CFJ Paving Ltd. provided Eric with a step by step estimate with approximate measures. We have many verbal and electronic conversations on file with Eric relating to the work on his property.

Fernando Oliveira went on site numerous times to speak to a very angry Eric. Eric contacted the BBB and tried to put in a claim. Eric threatened to use the company he worked for at the time to put CFJ Paving Ltd. out of business.

When I contacted Eric this year requesting he take his post downs as well as submit a public apology through the same forums he used to slander Fernando Oliveira and CFJ Paving Ltd, he threatened us yet again.

He threatened me verbally, he would put CFJ Paving Ltd. out of business via the network he is currently working for. This particular conversation we have on text. May I add that he refused to pay us then and he refused to pay us now.

Dear reader this is being dealt with accordingly. To slander someone's reputation and character when payment for services hasn't been rendered is illegal. Eric did not allow us to complete our work. He stopped it half way and refused to pay. We only asked him to pay for services rendered up until that point in order to recover our expenses, not the full amount.

Once again, CFJ Paving Ltd. apologizes to all the HomeStars users and Google users who come across this review. CFJ Paving Ltd. is a paver you can count on. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

0/10

This was a nightmare. Do not trust Dave B! I ordered 42 custom windows from Dans. Dave promised they would be installed in 6 to 8 weeks max. Timeline was very important for this project. The windows took almost a year to be installed, although they were in stock since the 6th week! This company take much more jobs than it can handle, and locks customers with an advance of 50%, which covers more than the price of the materials. The installation was so poorly done that I had to hire another company to fix the problems which was in total more costly than hiring a honest company. Dave did not return my calls. Finally, the quality of Dan's windows is significantly below other manufacturers, which costs are not much more expensive than Dan's. Avoid this dis-honest company!

Approximate cost of services:
$20,049.00
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0/10

This was a nightmare! I had Dans Windows and Doors replacing 42 of my windows. I met with Dave B. Who seemed very nice at the time, and promised the windows would be replaced in 6 to 8 weeks. It took almost a year to have the work partially completed. The job was so poorly done I had to have another guy finishing the work. Despite my calls and emails, Dave did not respond to my inquiries to have the windows fixed, and he even admitted that they book more than what they can process. And as we have to pay 50% upfront, it more than covers the price of the windows. When I pay 20K, I expect the company to be somewhat on time, and do a good job. But this was a nightmare.

Approximate cost of services:
$20,049.00
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10/10

Mike's services were fantastic, and saved me a lot of money & trouble. As a real estate investor, I am regularly in contact with various home inspectors from Kitchener-Waterloo, and have rarely been impressed by the service received. Mike performed the inspection on a rental property that I was looking to purchased, and did a fantastic work. He went past and beyond the services I was expecting, and did not stop until he reviewed every square inch of the property. He not only had the finest tools to perform various tests, but his extensive knowledge of the building code and construction saved me three costly repairs that would have summed up to around $70K. I also received a very complete, clean and detailed written report, with pictures, diagrams and illustrations that were very useful to negociate the deal. I will keep on working with Mike for future investments, and will not hesitate to recommend him to anyone looking for a great, knowledgeable and experienced home inspector.

Approximate cost of services:
$500.00
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Company Response

Thank you for posting an awesome review. I'm always happy when my work helps clients avoid costly repairs and headaches. Call me anytime if I can help with a future investment.

0/10

I had Student Works paint the outside of my house las summer. It was an aweful experience. They did a horrible prep work (if any), and the painting is now pealing off after one year. Besides, they never finished the third floor as some spot were "too difficult to reach", and left refused to finish the contract... which resulted in me having to hire a new painting company to finish the work. I do not recommend them to anyone.

Approximate cost of services:
$5,000.00
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Company Response

Hi John
We can certainly see why you would be so disappointed. We, at head office, were completely unaware of your problems with the operator in Kitchener last summer. Can we come out and fix your warranty? We have the longest warranty in the business - three years - and would love to make it right!
I hope you give us the opportunity to rectify the situation. You can call 800 803 1100 and ask for Sarah who can start working to resolve your issues.
We sincerely apologize
Student Works