Anne in Pickering

If you're looking for honesty, value, responsiveness, and talent in a carpenter - I highly recommend Optimus. James and his father (father/son crew) installed farmhouse-look trim around the doors and windows on our main floor. They also installed jambs after our last contractor informed us that jambs weren't included in our windows replacement (!) Wow...who knew the impact trim would have! Highly recommend them and hoping to have them back soon to complete our 2nd floor trim!

If you are looking for 1) amazing customer service 2) competitive quote 3) contractor who does what he says he will do 3) updated communication 4) job well done...then run to Skylark. We contacted Skylark for quote to remove two large trees in our front yard. They responded quickly and showed up within a few days to have a look at the work - Gaelan made some suggestions re: hydro/Rogers line that went through the trees and through his suggestions, we ended up saving money on the job because of a discount he offered (to disconnect during the removal process). A very detailed quote came in via e-mail on the next day, we confirmed the job and after paying the deposit, had a day booked to do the job - with no lag time. Gillian in the office provided amazing customer service support! Gaelen and his crew showed up when they said they would and took care of the job and did not leave a trace of their work. Incredible!

As part of our exterior renovations, we decided to splurge and invest in a quality solid wood door. After much research and of course, reading HomeStar reviews, we made the decision to go with Amberwood. Rick was our sales rep and very professional and patient with us, especially as we encountered incredibly long delays with construction that pushed out our installation date by months and months. Designing the door was *almost* as fun as seeing the final product installed. Lots of options to customize and personalize the door from type of wood, wood stain, door style, glass options, handle finishes, accessories. We decided to add in a shelf plus a fleur-de-lis knocker. In addition, can I tell you how BEAUTIFUL the handlesets are? They are high-quality, solid brass and perfectly match the door. We were interested in a smart lock which wasn't available in their standard offering but after some research with their manufacturers, Rick came back with two options and we decided to go with the Baldwin Evolved smart lock. Installation was quick, installers were super friendly and respectful of our house and cleaned up after themselves. We couldn't be more happy with our investment - now just to get the rest of our exterior renovations completed!!

We found D&M through HomeStars and after talking to a few vendors, we decided on them for shower doors as part of our master ensuite renovation. End to end service was incredible from the time we first spoke with Tara to the installation by the technician. We had a tricky shower configuration and the on-site technician was able to provide us a stunning solution that did not take away from the ensuite design. Highly recommend for anyone looking for custom, frameless glass shower doors.

Aaron and his team completed an amazing job on the renovation of our Master Ensuite. The care and attention taken care the project manager, Mike, and his crew - it's the little details like taking their shoes off before coming into the house, ensuring they cleaned up at the end of each and every day, introducing me to each member of the crew (and to my children) so we felt comfortable with them in our house - this is what stands out. Aaron was completely flexible with the project and costing - to keep costs down, we agreed that I would source and secure the fixtures and his team would take care of construction and labour. But of course, the final product also matters! Mike was incredible providing his advice and counsel throughout the project (well, everything except colours :) ) and we now have an incredible ensuite that more than exceeds our expectations. Have a look at the pictures as I think they speak for themselves! We are already in discussions with Future Perfect on our next project (a much larger exterior renovation) and I have no hesitation in recommending Aaron and his team for any of your renovation projects.

My 7 rating is based on 9/10 on quality & selection and 6/10 on service. I was drawn to Latitude because I was specifically looking for a remnant piece in granite to complete our ensuite reno. I didn't want the standard carrara marble and found my perfect piece on their online remnant warehouse (seriously, check it out!). Due to the large size of the remnant, we were able to have quite a few pieces fabricated (vanity countertop, backsplash, shower sills and threshold, tub sill, shower and wall shelves) for an incredible price. Once you pay for the stone, all the other costs are just fabrication, installation. My recommendation is to improve the the responsiveness and service of the office staff - it would take 2-3 days (sometimes a week) to receive a response from my sales rep and this was after repeated phone calls/voicemails. This was everything from receiving initial costing info, to reserving a remnant piece, to arranging for pick-up of some items, to scheduling an install appt for the countertop. I was trying to coordinate activities and timelines with my contractor and having this responsiveness delay impacted the completion of the reno. Overall, I would recommend Latitude, especially if you're looking for a remnant piece from their warehouse.

Kay, Lucas and team were amazing from the moment I contacted them online. Scheduling the inspection was quick, estimate for work was received the same day, the work was performed a day later and we received a "clearance letter" the following day. Fantastic service (the house was so clean) and the quality of their work was great. While I would never want to have to deal with a mold issue in the future again - if it did occur, I would use The Mold Guy without any hesitation.

We hired Ross's company in 2010 to do a major reno of our main floor on a house we just purchased. The work req'd including removal of two walls, demo of existing kitchen and flooring in three rooms, installation of support beam, installation of hardwood floors, electrical and plumbing in preparation for kitchen cabinets and granite countertop install, replacement of kitchen window and replace patio doors with French doors - it was a pretty substantial reno. The original timeframe for completion was 5 weeks - it was 9 weeks before the work was completed and final payment was made. Based on our experience, the strength of Ross' team isn't in finishing-type of work i.e. drywall, hardwood installation. They were very diligent when they removed a supporting wall and replaced with a support beam (and subsequent support down to the basement). However the drywall work left a lot to be desired (i.e. you can still see the grooves in the ceiling where the original walls were situated; there are bumps and grooves in the walls where they patched up the walls). Most concerning was the incorrect installation of the kitchen window. It was not installed straight/level and so it doesn't lock. We have tried to contact Ross on numerous occasions to address. He came to the house once and promised to contact us and come back - he never did. We have followed up with e-mails and phone calls to his office and cell with no response. Given that the work has a "two year warranty" and it's been almost four years, we have given up trying to have this addressed. It is unfortunate because we hired Ross and his company due to his initial professionalism and responsiveness. I don't doubt that he is a good general contractor with many years in the business but I do wonder about the competency of his crew (who did all the work, not Ross) especially in the type of work that is more finishing.

Melanie was the first company to respond to my request and was extremely helpful in answering all my questions. Her husband Jason came out to our house to do the work on the tub - he turned our '80s bisque-coloured deep soaker Roman tub back to a glorious and brilliant white colour. He was also successful in repairing a few chips in the tub. After the work was completed, I noticed there were a couple of imperfections in the bottom of the tub. I sent an e-mail to Melanie and immediately, she scheduled Jason to come back the following week to fix up the bumps. This is a company that stands by their work and I'm very pleased with them!

After meeting with a few different plumbers, we decided on hiring Steve. We are in the middle of renovating our powder room and Steve relocated two water lines (toilet and sink), redirected the drain pipe for the sink and replaced the toilet flange. He was able to start the job quickly (he fit is in between jobs), cleaned up after his job, listened (and more importantly!) addressed our concerns re: the water line relocation and charged us extremely fairly for the job. Because he is a one-man show (which we definitely appreciate!), he probably isn't the guy you call for a plumbing emergency. That being said, what I really appreciated is that when you call him - his voicemail is consistently updated with his next date availability so you aren't left to wonder when/if he will be able to do the job. His work was so good and his prices so fair, we'll probably bring him back to install the toilet and sink instead of doing it ourselves. Highly recommend and definitely one of my best Homestar finds so far!

Dave responded to my online enquiry within a day and was extremely accommodating to schedule a duct cleaning within a few days. He and his assistant were very polite (took off their shoes when they entered the house!), very friendly and extremely thorough in their work. Since we just completed some renovations, we wanted to ensure our ductwork was cleaned and Dave didn't disappoint. I would highly recommend Dave and will definitely use him again. Another gold Homestars find!