Liz in Ottawa

Our dishwasher wasn't draining properly despite our cleaning the filter. We called our regular appliance repair shop and they were only booking appointments two weeks from now. So we tried home stars, asked for service today and we got a callback almost immediately from Fair Appliance Repair and an appointment for later in the afternoon, with a one hour time slot as opposed to the standard half day. Slava was on time, gave us a text 20 minutes before he arrived, was courteous and got the job done quickly and efficiently. He showed my husband what the problem was before he fixed it. Wonderful service! We will use this company from now on for all of our appliance repairs!

Dan and his team at Journeyman Carpentry recently completed a large renovation of our main level that included a small addition; removal of a load-bearing wall; relocation of electrical, plumbing and HVAC; a new kitchen in the newly opened up space; and new floors throughout. Dan was involved from the very early design concept stage, obtained the building permit (which included an appearance at the Committee of Adjustments to get several minor variances), and saw the project through to completion. He took the time to understand what our needs and preferences were so that he could provide solid advice on a whole range of topics including design and materials. Along the way, he was a very clear communicator and was always available to answer my myriad of questions by phone, email or text, with patience, honesty and good humour. A project of this magnitude always involves some surprises along the way, but he kept me informed at all times, always had a range of options to solve the various problems and made good recommendations. We appreciated the high quality of his work as well as that of his crew, Doug and Ivan, and the subtrades with which he works. The project came in almost on time and almost on budget which was a minor miracle considering the breadth and quality of the work done, and we were kept informed of time and budget issues throughout the project so there were plenty of opportunities to course correct if we wanted to remain under budget. Best of all, the final outcome far exceeded our expectations. We wouldn't hesitate to hire Journeyman Carpentry again and would highly recommend this company.

We needed a fence at the front of our house in centretown to give our patio area some privacy from the street. It was replacing a highly decorative and unique fence that we knew we couldn't replace. It took us awhile to find a design we liked, but as soon as we did, we used homestars to find contractors to give us quotes. Dan viewed the design that we wanted and actually improved on it, making the scale more appropriate. He also suggested material, Thermory, that met our needs of no chemical pressure treated lumber (we have a nephew with multiple chemical sensitivities), yet durable and low maintenance. It was more expensive than regular wood, but we are very happy with the result. It was a pleasure to work with Dan - he clearly has a great deal of experience that he draws on and his design vision is excellent. He kept us well-informed on timing, both for start up and completion, and was true to his quote. His crew cleaned up the site after the construction was completed. I would work with Dan again and wouldn't hesitate to recommend him to others.