chris h in Toronto

Emily and Tanis did an amazing job staging our house for sale. They had to work on a very tight deadline after our agents made a train-wreck of their staging efforts, and the results were awesome. Our home inspired that 'wow' factor, which translated into a very competitive sale process. Just about everyone raved about the house, and staging was a big part of that first impression. Tasteful, contemporary design. They are also flexible in their approach, and guided us to purchase some of the items instead of renting, which was ultimately a good route to go as we kept some of their upgrades!

5 Reasons Why You Should Hire MGB: 1) Detailed Quote. Mike provides a breakdown of the elements of the project so you can make an informed decision on the scope of work. No one else I interviewed did this to the same degree. 2) Flexibility - Mike is happy to accommodate your requests to add or take away. I decided to get my own vanity and low-flow toilet, and he adapted to my plans. 3) Oversight - Mike came by to inspect all the work and make sure things were being done properly. 4) On Time - Mike kept to his stated timeframe, and got the job done. No long delays or fits and starts at the work - each day we could see progress. 5) Communication - Mike is a great communicator, and kept us informed as to progress and projected completion. Bottom line: you can't go wrong with MGB.

If you are still looking for kitchen counters, you need to stop looking. Now. No really, this is the last phone call you need to make for custom stone counters. Natallia is absolutely wonderful to work with, and went above and beyond to provide first rate customer service. They set the standard that all other service providers should aspire to - professional, courteous, friendly, knowledgeable, and focussed on customer service. We had our old counters replaced with quartz, and they look absolutely amazing.

In theory, the services Jay provides would be extremely valuable. Finding and working with a contractor is time consuming and miscommunication is the leading cause of projects going off the rails. The idea of employing an experienced 'project manager' is a great one, and clearly other users on Homestars have had very positive experiences. I did not. While it was helpful to have a consultation with Jay, the end result was a failure. He recommended 5 contractors, which resulted in the following: 2 viewed the project and never supplied quotes; 2 viewed the project and provided quotes that were wildly expensive and well above market rates. 1 cancelled a site visit, then never followed up. While this clearly reflects the contractors behaviour and professionalism first and foremost, I was left with the impression that Jay simply didn't care. He provided a rationale that basically suggested my project was too small ($50,000) for a contractor to care about, and that being blown off was to be expected in the busy season. He never once suggested another approach, offer to connect me to another contractor, or even ask if he could help in any way. He just wished me luck and sent me the bill. From my point of view, these referrals had Jay's stamp of approval, and a 40% response rate with little follow through just leaves me wondering where the value was in using House Calls. If I was charging someone for a service that involved referrals, I would take some ownership over the situation and ensure the client was satisfied before billing them. Ultimately, I found there to be very little value in House Calls, and nothing that couldn't be provided through some due diligence on potential contractors using Homestars.

Valentin did a good job installing a Delta Touch2O faucet in my kitchen. He is responsive and communicates well to clients, which really stands out in this field! He also saved me replacing my bathroom faucet by guiding me to call Moen for free replacement parts.

Stop looking for other junk removal companies. Stop right now, pick up the phone, and call JCo. I had a few awkward items in my backyard that I needed to take to the dump. Fortunately, reason took hold and I decided NOT to do it myself, but to find a junk removal service to help. I called around, got a very high from the Big Guys, received a middle of the road quote from another company, then called JCo. They went to my place the same day, called me to give me a quote on the phone, then hauled away everything for a THIRD the price of the mid-priced option. Value for money, you can't do better. I had to take off 1 star because for some reason they left behind 4 scraps of wood that were part of my discard pile. Nothing I can't toss in the bin myself, but it was just a bit strange, and lacked a bit of attention to detail.

Frank (the F in FNJ) is a great contractor. He takes the time to explain the work he is doing, is punctual, courteous, and very professional. Their crew arrived exactly on time and did the work quickly and efficiently. I had the old water pipe (installed when our 80 year old house was built) replaced after the City upgraded the main water lines with copper piping. The old pipe was really restricting the flow of water, and worse, was made of lead. The new pipe has made a huge difference, and we are extremely glad we had the work done.

SWAT was great. True to their name, they quickly pinpointed the problem, installed a 1-way door for my new resident, and were in and out in an hour. Definitely good value for the money, and very professional. My only suggestion to them would be to provide guidance on permanently closing access points. The one way door is excellent, but it is a temporary measure to ensure the squirrels aren't trapped inside. A longterm solution is necessary, as all entry points can be major losses of heat in a home. It is essentially a hole into your roof, so it really requires a proper seal. I had to ask the SWAT technician what to do, and I would have appreciated a more proactive approach.

Control panel on our stove blew from a power surge a couple of months ago. I called some other well-ranked appliance repair shops on this site, and received quotes as high as $200 and some condescending attitude. Appliance Healer was by far the best shop I talked to. The quote was entirely reasonable, and he was fast, efficient, and installed the board perfectly! I would recommend him to anyone.

I read the glowing reviews, but I'm not sure what the hype is about here. The staff are OK. Just OK. They didn't Wow! me with their expert knowledge, and frankly some of their answers were not very accurate or useful. The lumber I received was really subpar. I bought a bunch of pressure treated 2x4s, and many of them were dry, brittle, and warped. I ended up scrapping about 30% of what I bought because they were unusable. When I came back to complain, the response I got was "Huh. That's weird." Like it was my fault that the decking screws they sold me (specifically for this wood) kept splitting open the boards. To get your lumber, you can only have 1 vehicle access the backlot at a time, which means there is a continual queue. I was in my car waiting when someone else just drove through, blocking the entire driveway. Instead of making him move the car, the staff simply served him as well, ignoring the line that was patiently waiting. When I was getting my lumber, it seemed the staff was inconvenienced by my small order. I wanted a 8' length, and the guy gave me a 10'. When I indicated it wouldn't fit in my car, he huffed off to get me the right length. Sorry, but do I need to ask you to do your job? On the plus side, it is a convenient place to get specialty lumber in the East end, and some of their wood is very nice. On the whole, however, I give this place a 4.

We hired Pre-Lock after the first locksmith completely bungled the job. These guys were great. They installed a special security lock with a non-reproducible key that we love. After watching a YouTube video of thieves lockpicking a door in 20 seconds, we knew we needed something that was a bit more of a deterrent. Pre-Lock were very professional, were fast and efficient, and helpful. The cost is largely that of the lock and keys, which aren't cheap given their construction.

Mr.King's is excellent. They made fast work of all the debris in my small backyard, and were gone in 20 minutes. I had a messy stack of rotting wood from my old hot tub, and there wasn't a trace of it when they left. They also took a bunch of bags of insulation I had stripped from the tub, and didn't charge me for the extra volume. Vincent and his partner were very personable, and very professional, and completed the work without even pausing for a minute. It was incredible. Thanks, Vincent!