LE Horton in Toronto

I went looking for a cheaper service than Turco-Persian, whom I've used for years for our six inherited and purchased Oriental carpets. But when I looked at the other guys' reviews on HomeStar, I noticed a pattern. All 10/10 reviews, all posted regularly once a week, slightly different but somehow not very personal. I had just finished reading an article about people now making a living writing reviews and realized that's what I'm seeing. Take a look and you'll see: seven days apart, all highest possible rating. Suspicious? I think so. I figure any company that will do that is not honest enough to get my business. So I'm back to TurcoPersian to clean and moth-proof wrap up my carpets before I store them for a year. I've always been pleased with T-P's work - was just hoping to shave a little bit of the cost. Lesson? go with the guys who don't have to buy their "reputation".

I learned from a potential buyer of my home that we have asbestos-lined pipes in the basement, and went into gear very quickly. Called multiple companies and sent photos as requested. Over-the-phone quotes were all over the map. Three companies came out to look the next day. David was the first. He educated me a LOT. in the end he counselled my handy brother exactly how to do the work for me at a fraction of the cost I would pay any service -- including Amosite, as David candidly told me. He explained what we were looking at in my basement and why our particular situation means we are safe to do the work -- and why companies on the other hand have to approach the same work per stringent gov't regulations that add to the cost. I began actually to worry about David's business model -- how could a guy so candid and generous with his time stay afloat? He took a sample from another suspect area and returned the MOEE lab results overnight (my lucky break, he said, because he happened to be on his way to the lab that day). Don't know yet if we'll go ahead as David suggests (because my handy brother has been called out of town) If we do, for a fee Amosite will provide the protection equipment and dispose of the asbestos to the proper facility, which is important to me. Apparently, many contractors send it to a regular dump, not the MOEE facilities. Steep learning curve, made easier by Amosite. I wish I could find this guy cloned in other trades.

These guys were amazing - three of them working together in almost blinding speed. They did three rooms in one day, one of them a kitchen where they also painted the cupboards for me. They fixed the ceiling where we'd had a leak and the wall in another. Then everything got 2 coats. With the exception of a bit of splattering in the kitchen - very fine droplets which I picked quickly off the floor - they were the tidiest painters I've ever used. My friend recommended then as fast and cheap, and she was right. My only regret is that I let them talk me into using BMoore paint on cupboards when I know the C2 product is better. Actually, they prefer Dulux, which I won't use. Anyway, the Jimmies are great. (They're all named Dimitri but go by Jimmy??)