Jim in Toronto

My experience with this company was very bad. The salesman didn't show up when he said he would and had to re-schedule for a week later. He handed my project off to a co-worker, who in turn handed it off to two other colleagues. Meanwhile, they led me to believe they had ordered a custom bi-fold door, which they didn't do. When it came time to do the job, they didn't have a bi-fold door (or an acceptable alternative). They also decided on a different fix for my kitchen cabinet doors, and so could only do one of the three jobs (removal of a baseboard heater). They at least agreed to charge me only $343 instead of the $1100 they quoted for all three jobs, but that was still a lot (and a lot of aggravation and wasted time) for a simple baseboard heater removal. Individually, the staff were decent to deal with, but clearly their internal communication on my project was abysmal.

I had a good experience with WaterMart. Their website was helpful (especially the drinking water systems buyer's guide), their sales advice and answers were useful and the installation was smooth. No complaints at all. They installed: -- RO filtration system in unfinished basement below kitchen, saving space under the kitchen sink. --RO water faucet to match our existing kitchen faucet. --Shower and bath filters.

After a weeklong vacation, we found our Bosch dishwasher (model SHX55M05UC) was mouldy and had stopped draining. Peter was very responsive by phone and suggested a few ways we might fix the problem on our own. They didn't work, so within a few days he dropped by for a service call. He cleaned the mould, replaced the fill hose and draw pump, and replaced the soap dispenser (which we knew wasn't closing properly and was leaking rinse agent). Tip: don't go on a trip and leave dirty dishes in a closed dishwasher. A few days after the repair, the machine wasn't cleaning pots well on the bottom rack. Peter helped troubleshoot over the phone and we found the water dispenser had come apart slightly, likely because we had cleaned it before the repair or because it had caught on a dish handle. We snapped the dispenser back together and all has been great since. Highly recommend Peter and Modern Appliance.

Curbz was a pleasure to work with. Their communication was outstanding from start to finish, both from the owners (Jude and Ian) and from the crew. They answered all our questions and kept us up to date on progress and timelines. Our landscaping project was a challenge. The entire front, side and back of our corner lot was overgrown with weeds after a waterproofing job on the house foundation. It’s a small lot with a parking space, and we wanted a sitting area and a spot for our young kids to play. Curbz had good ideas about how to divide the space while making it feel more open, e.g., with cedar screens, clean and minimal garden beds, and a functional, modern mix of patio stone and grass. Their attention to detail in executing the plan was tremendous. We’re quite happy with the results.

Good customer service, solid work. We hired Tip Top because they were the most responsive company we contacted, and they seemed to have the best ideas on how to fix our leaking eaves and downpipe. They removed our leaf guard and cleaned the trough, re-sloped the eaves, installed a splash guard where water was rushing off our flat roof, and put in a larger downpipe in place of a PVC pipe (which was ugly and too small for the amount of water coming off the roof). The job looks good -- the downpipe is very straight with three challenging elbows -- and we've had a couple of heavy rains with no leakage.

George Lloyd replaced part of an existing rigid vent with a flexible duct, and installed a 1/2" gas line for our new gas dryer. He was prompt, direct and knowledgable -- a pleasure to deal with.

Spring Home installed a ductless, Mitsubishi heat pump/AC system in our semi, and our home comfort has improved dramatically. We were very happy with Spring Home’s work. Their sales advice was helpful, not pushy. Their installation crew was clean and professional. Their follow-up has been diligent. Overall, we highly recommend this company. As for the Mitsubishi system, it is performing very well. Our home is a 1500 square foot, open-concept Victorian, previously heated with electric baseboard and a wood stove. Heat distribution throughout the house is now much better, and the temperature is very consistent. Humidity levels are more comfortable, and our electrical use is down significantly. Amazing technology.

We are quite happy with the work done by Canadian Roofing Company. We contracted them to install a new flat-roof system and coordinate that work with spray-foam attic insulation by Callrich Eco Services, a company they recommended. On removing several layers of old roofing material, they found our chimney brick had decayed and the wood rafters underpinning our cornice overhang were rotted. With the attic exposed, they called in a mason to rebuild the chimney and a carpenter to replace the rafters and framing. These two trades worked alongside the insulators to complete the reconstruction work in one day, enabling Canadian's crew to close the roof and finish the job before the next snowfall. They took longer than we expected to start the job, but were worth the wait. Dealing with Canadian was a pleasure.

Callrich provided excellent service and did a great job. We contracted them for attic insulation on our two-storey flat-roof semi, which we were having re-roofed by Canadian Roofing Company (who recommended Callrich). Their salesman, Stephen, was responsive and personable. He presented three options—blown-in cellulose, half-pound spray foam and two-pound spray foam—and explained the pros and cons for each. After discussing the options with him and a Callrich installer, Mike, we chose the two-pound foam. The results were surprisingly good. The upstairs is noticeably warmer, with much better heat distribution and no drafts. Our use of electricity for heating (trackable online at Toronto Hydro's time-of-use site) is down about 35%. We should recover the difference in cost between the two-pound foam and cellulose in three years, and the entire job cost within six.

Classic Glass and Mirror provided outstanding service and workmanship. Their sales rep, Tom Martin, was friendly, helpful and professional. He arrived on time, explained the options and later found a carpenter (Rick Kaminski) who built a wood railing and banister downstairs that matched the those upstairs, ahead of the glass installation. Mark, Classic's glass installer, was also a pleasure to work with. His attention to detail was exceptional. He took very careful measurements for the glass panels (a challenge because the existing wood railings weren't designed to hold glass), and presented installation options in an unbiased manner. He had the glass cut so the vertical dividing line between the panels on the ground level matched the one above it leading upstairs, and he aligned all the steel clips perfectly. Excellent work.