David Beach

Mortar in porch pillars was severely eroded, as was an old brick window ledge. Based on Homestars reviews, contacted A&A and Nigel was soon in touch. I provided photos and had a phone conversation, then he visited for review of site and quote. The amount was reasonable to me, and the great surprise was then that the crew could start very next day. Eduardo and crew arrived bang on time and worked throughout the day, completing all work and clean up. The work performed was excellent, as was protection of porch area and clean up afterwards. High recommendations.

The time had come to update this nearly 100 year old home semi in the Beach. I used HomeStars to research and then reach out to my selected contractors; HomeStars then added a few of its one, and one was Ward Group. Great first meeting with Austin and Andrew, and while their ultimate quote was slightly higher than others I received, they brought something to that first meeting that none of the others did and that was critical thought to what I wanted to do. A lot of "yes no problem" from the others; Austin and Andrew noted where what I wanted to do might cause real issues. In a nutshell this was a gut of upper and main floors; resizing and complete rework of upper floor bathroom; new staircases; excavation, underpinning and full finishing of basement, including new 3-piece bathroom; new front porch and yard landscaping. A great level of communication and workmanship was brought to this project, from the architect and engineer to Shawn, Tommy and AJ on the ground, all of whom took care in what they did and where they were doing it, including in all dealings with my neighbours, about which I can't express enough gratitude. They also worked well with the designer for the project; no butting of heads. All was was done safely and as promptly as could be done during COVID, timing was only thrown off slightly. And aside from a couple of blips that the house itself threw into our plans where something needed adjusting, all of the changes in the work scope came from me, so no negative surprises at all, only positive. I'd highly recommend this crew for anything you're planning, big or small, but they're on to my deck next!

My 80 year old Norway maple in the backyard had a canopy extending over four backyards and a lane and dropping quite low in places. Mike came for a look and provided an estimate; it was in the middle for what I'd received for the work and with the reviews here, decided to go with them. Couldn't be happier. Tony took a look at the overgrown mess and saw a great tree within in it, then set out to make it appear. Crew was efficient and thorough and clean up was done very carefully. It's a brand new tree and four brand new backyards!

On the basis of reviews here, I contacted Serge regarding new siding for one side of my house that was split between asphalt shingles and cedar shakes and installation of leaf screens in the gutters. The estimate was outstanding and the representative work that Serge gave me addresses for looked great. The work done was tremendous. The space between my house and the neighbour's on the side to be replaced was quite narrow, yet Serge's crew managed to work in it and cleaned up each day to such an extent that the space has never looked better. It looks like a brand new house on that side. Will use Serge again whenever I need something in the siding/eavestroughing area. Well done!

Contacted Gates when my neighbour noticed a whole family of raccoons emerging from under my deck, which covers the entire backyard. I was expecting a big dollar amount to clear them out and prevent them from coming back in, but the estimate provided by Joel was very reasonable. Scott did the work, which involved digging around the perimeter of the deck and installing heavy gauge screening. I was particularly concerned about work being done in the neighbours' yards but all digging was done very carefully and with respect for the property. I hope I don't need to call them back but will not hesitate to do so.

Primary job was replacement of fuse box with a breaker panel and whole-house surge protector. Also to review and advise on previous homeowner's DIY wiring in an addition and hang a dining room light fixture. Dave and Dave did a great job, quick and efficient. Especially impressed with the creative work done on the light fixture, which of course didn't fit the ages old box in the plaster ceiling. Was envisioning plaster coming down or shopping for a new fixture but after some effort and experimentation they solved the problem. Highly recommended.

Very convenient on-line service request option. Arrived within two weeks and cleaned the gutters, leaving an invoice in the mailbox. Noticed that one gutter on a small overhang had not been cleaned (probably the worst of them all, but not in the most obvious place) and contacted the company via email. The cleaner responded that he would be out on Monday to clear that one; today is Monday, and it was done thoroughly. Great service that I would recommend to anyone; great customer communication.

Summer 2010. I called in Northwood when my 20 year old air conditioner stopped producing cold air. As this property was going to be sold in the fall, didn't want to do too much but did need working AC. Their first visit brought John who checked out the old unit - there was a significant loss of charge that a recharge wouldn't fix. The options were to spend a bunch of cash searching out the cause somewhere in the system (we'd have to check all the lines, the evaporator coil, condenser coil, compressor, everything!) or install a new unit. I opted for new and Michael visited next to look at the system and run through the available new units. Understanding my goal of not caring beyond having something that worked, Michael didn't play any upsell games. Removal of the old and installation of the new took a good chunk of a day since the furnace was just as old and so a custom plenum was needed to house the much smaller evaporator coil and link everything up. The old lines were removed and new ones installed, all far, far neater than was previously the case. The plenum took some convincing to fit in but all was done with great patience. When something wasn't working right, they just went back to the beginning and redid it instead of leaving things half right. All the joins in the new ductwork were sealed with silicone and the new lines fully wrapped. The guys even helped out removing a useless (and leaking) drum humidifier. The entire job site was then cleaned up thoroughly. I was very impressed with the quality of work done, the great nature of the workers and their obvious skill. I know who to call for HVAC matters from now on.

Used Tome Moving in November to clear property out of old family property into my new place and storage unit. Quick doesn't cover how soon this was all done. Great care taken with all my property. Highly recommended.

I have used Maid For You in two properties now for biweekly cleaning. Each person who has worked in my homes has shown great respect for my property and pet and care and attention to their work that I really could not have expected. Worth every penny to me.

Contacted Finer Edge on the basis of Home Stars reviews. Had a new house with a single room that needed a full makeover (walls, ceiling, all trim) (the New Job) and repainting three rooms in the old house to landlord's specs (walls only) (the Old Job). Gord came to view and quote on the Old Job; he quoted on the New Job sight unseen since I didn't have possession yet. His manner was efficient, trustworthy and experienced. The quote for the Old Job was well within my expectations. The twist in these jobs was the timing. Possession of the property for the New Job occurred only twelve days before I needed to be out of the old property with the Old Job completed, and in the midst of all that was a move. Gord was confident that the timing could be met. Forty eight hours before move-in day at the New Job property and no word on starting work. Called back in to Finer Edge and same day had a call from Luigi - start was set for move-in day, of which Luigi was unaware. After mere minutes, the New Job was set to start the next day. Giovanni appeared on time and was clearly experienced. The New Job offered a curved ceiling that had been painted the wall colour and he provided valuable advice on how to approach the project not only for timing of the job with move-in the following day but my overall satisfaction. Giovanni was joined by Pat later in the day. Together, the two of them had the New Job done in a single day on one of the most humid days of the year and looking great (and dry!) for move-in. Luigi called the day after move-in to say that he had a crew set for the Old Job who were ready to go on the weekend. Arash and his two man crew arrived on time and ready to go with the correct paint in good supply. I walked him through the job and went about my business that day. Late afternoon I received a call that I thought was just going to be status update; in fact, they were done, two coats too. The Old Job also looked great, with complete coverage of a bold colour in one room. The returning landlord couldn't have been happier, painting done well in advance of his new tenants' move-in. My thanks throughout all to Gord, Luigi, Giovanni, Pat, Arash and the whole gang! Despite the initial communication mix up, Finer Edge did not let me down and make that my problem. Will definitely recommend and be back in touch for other work in the future.

Contacted iMove as usual choice of movers was not available in a pretty compressed timeframe. Andrew visited the property being moved out of and provided a quote. Moving day arrived and so did the movers - the three man crew as promised, including Andrew. I've a lot of heavy furniture and the guys managed them all very well with no scratches or breakage. Move-in was tough as a lot of that heavy furniture had to go up a narrow staircase and again everything was managed with extreme care. It was a full day's work and then some for everyone concerned other than me, all of which was done with good humour, all the signs of a great moving company. Overall time taken was longer than anticipated but I will always take that over faster with breakage, and Andrew was good enough to knock an hour off the time anyway. Certain to recommend. Thanks again.

Solely on the basis of recommendations here I contacted Brent first about the possibility of a pre-offer inspection on a place I was interested in. The market being what it is, despite Brent making himself available, the offer had to go in without an inspection. I did however have Brent come in for an inspection to know what I'd bought. From some scheduling hiccups to be managed through the inspection process itself, Brent was nothing but courteous, professional and good-humoured. The inspection was a very thorough one; even though whatever was found would be my problem I wanted to hear it and Brent was going to tell me, and that was excellent. We ran through all the majors - roof, drainage, structure, basement, heating/cooling, water, electrical - but Brent was also good enough to run through items like the central vac and humidifier that I might otherwise be scratching my head over somewhere down the road. There was no rush, everything was given its due and Brent was always asking if I had questions about an area before we moved on. Photos were taken throughout as a record for us both and delivered very promptly. The report was finalized in front of me and handed over before we parted ways. I'll now be moving in with a better understanding of what the house has to offer and what to keep an eye on. Absolutely what I needed to know even after the fact, and if you can take advantage of timing to have Brent in before you offer, DO IT. It will be the best value for money you get in the entire process.