Dave

Our living room and dining room - around 450 square feet total- have two different types and widths of old oak flooring. The high traffic areas were worn and grey ranging to black in some areas near a deck entrance. Other areas showed gaps where wood filler had fallen out, and in some spots there were unsightly repairs that had been done in the past. Also some holes where former residents had run cables and such. Our solution has been to cover the whole living room with carpet. When we asked Century (Gary) to have a look, we expected a recommendation that we replace the floor but he said it wasn't necessary. So we were mildly astonished with how well the floors turned out after some repairs, sanding and touch up. Now instead of hiding our floors under carpet, we want them to be a highlight and have them fully on display for others to see. We enthusiastically recommend considering Century Hardwood Floors if you need work done. We found them pleasant to deal with, and fussy about repair details, and deliver a really nice final result at a reasonable cost.

We recently contracted Drainrock to help us repair and flush blocked patio and perimeter drains. Our front patio has a central drain that turns into a lake whenever it rains. After several years and many attempts to clear the connected "Big-O" pipes (which I personally think should be banned from use), I decided to replace an old 30 foot section with new 4 inch PVC pipe. Drainrock (Bob), came to discuss the work and provide a quote. The following week, two of his crew (Brendan and Nick) spent a day digging, installing new pipe, and doing a very thorough job of cleaning all the perimeter pipes on that side of the house. We couldn't be more pleased to have the work done and the way they did it. Being a bit picky about quality work and value, I tend to expect something to go haywire but every step of the process went smoothly, and all of the Drainrock people were easy to work with and helped make the job a success. The only minor glitch was with a missing connector they needed for their flushing pump but Brendan was able to find a substitute part and it didn't cause any significant delay. If we have any other drainage related problems in future, Drainrock will be our first choice and we are happy to recommend them to others.

We are very pleased with Kitchen Makeovers. The updated look improved our old natural maple cabinets and brightened up the kitchen. Our cabinets were beginning to look worn and scruffy around some of the ‘high-touch’ areas: counter edges, cabinet door pulls etc. but the basic layout was fine and cabinets were in good condition -they just needed cleaning. We were impressed with how hard the crew worked in order to get everything ready for painting, and they provided lots of advance notice about what to expect and was needed from us- mainly clearing out the contents and being patient about living without the kitchen for a few days. Although we think we’re pretty organized, Kitchen Makeovers were great about last minute decisions: helping us choose (42) replacement knobs, replacing some of the corroded hinges, and finding a new under-sink garbage bin (we decided on one from Richelieu hardware ). The resulting appearance stands up to close scrutiny because they pay a lot of attention to detail. There are a few spots were they couldn’t do a perfect job because the wood was sealed behind glass and silicone sealant, which made it impossible to paint, but we have to look hard to find any noticeable defects. We chose to have the kitchen spray painted and this included removing the door and drawer fronts to repair and spray paint them in their shop. This is the same treatment as for brand new doors and drawers and it looks like new. In summary: we recommend Kitchen Makeovers to anyone who wants to upgrade their kitchen but doesn’t need major cabinet changes. They give you a brand new looking kitchen at a fraction of what a full cabinet replacement would cost and we are glad we chose them for this.

We are really pleased with recent plumbing work done by Doug of DMC Plumbing. We asked him to install a “hydrant” for watering gardens in our front yard and fittings to connect to an irrigation system. The job was a complicated by having to Tee into the water supply line to our house immediately after the water meter. The pressure there is 90 psi so the connections needed to be pretty solid. And the irrigation fittings to be installed included two valves, a pressure reducer and irrigation control valve in addition to the hydrant. There was limited space to make all this work as we wanted the everything except the hydrant to fit under an irrigation box in the front lawn. Doug’s initial comment was that the job looked interesting and he seemed to enjoy the challenge. He made two visits; one to do the estimate and then a second to do the installation work. It all turned out well. He used good quality fittings and was careful to make everything line up nicely which required some extra finesse in pipe bending. We found him easy to get along with and accommodating to our requirements. He showed up on time, and confirmed in advance, which is appreciated. In terms of costs, I would have liked to see a more detailed breakdown in his initial cost estimate because I’m a bit of a micro manager, but overall it seemed quite reasonable and I am thrilled with the way it all turned out. So we will certainly consider DMC Plumbing for any future work.

Legacy recently replaced 5 windows ranging in size from a small bathroom slider to a large bedroom window. The original windows had double glazed aluminum frames and dated back to around 1980. Some were getting quite fogged. The new ones are white vinyl that appear to be of good quality, They certainly look great and the openers slide nicely. We will enjoy not having them 'sweat' from condensation in the cold weather next winter like the old ones did. All the staff at Legacy were pleasant and professional to deal with. We started discussions with them last summer but delayed having the installs done until this year to avoid cold weather. The three installers were all brothers and a fun bunch to have around. Generally I find it stressful when contractors are around; wondering if they will do what we want, do a good job, or even show up on time. Dealing with Legacy was a breeze by comparison. The original sales visit was encouraging (although the project was not inexpensive), but all our questions and requests were dealt with comfortably. And when the installation happened, they were careful (to my relief because I'm a bit of a micro manager), and they left everything in order and tidy when done. This was the second window replacement project for us and the former - done by another company - was not great. But we are very happy with the work done by Legacy and next time we have windows to replace, they will be our first consideration.

My wife and I would like to recommend Suncoast to anyone planning a new kitchen in the Sea-To-Sky area. Based on a recommendation of our neighbours, we had them upgrade our kitchen, which suffered from having too little usable counter space and too many stand-alone appliances. Doug Coleman, the Suncoast rep, provided a lot of good ideas and patiently answered our many questions. We are impressed with the amount of care and effort Dennis, the installer, put into making everything fit and look good in spite of having to deal with an uneven floor. The kitchen has been in use for over a year and we really enjoy it. The quality of the cabinets and counters is great and the increase in counter space and storage is a wonderful improvement. Working with Suncoast was easy. They were very fair, hardworking and quality conscious. We have been through several kitchen renovations and appreciate that there is a lot involved. We are glad to have gone ahead with Suncoast.

We highly recommend Thomson Roofing Service for roofing work in the South Surrey & Fraser Valley area. They are a small company that does a great job at a very reasonable cost in our opinion. We were really impressed with their quick response when I had to call them back later to repair some areas damaged by raccoons. The manager, Glen, is easy to deal with, and we will definitely call on them next time we need roofing work done.

We had MC Painting and Renovation do the exterior painting of our house twice now and have no hesitation in recommending them to others. They suggested improving the exterior appearance of our house by adding window trims, which we had them do as well. Both the painting and trim work were done well in our opinion, and there were no unpleasant surprises. The work was not inexpensive but was started and completed when promised, and both the quality and cost were reasonable. They did a thorough job, even in difficult to reach places. As with all contracts, I recommend clearly defining the work and costs up front.

Bought roof shingles that I used to patch mine, that critters had ripped up. I was thrilled since I couldn't have purchased these in any store. They were located in Burnaby.