Reach Restoration, Inc.

Jim came highly recommended by a friend. I couldn't be happier with the work that he did for us: brick repair and tuck pointing. His quote was quite reasonable. The work was meticulously carried out. The cleanup was great. In fact, upon completion of the work, the site was cleaner than the workers originally found it! I highly recommend Jim. He's honest and conscientious. What more can you ask of a contractor.

Jim gave me a prompt and competitive quote. Visiting a nearby Reach Restoration jobsite and meeting Brenden gave me a good feeling about this company. Brenden and his crew worked hard and got the job done efficiently, despite some bad weather. I’m very pleased with the final result. I had over 320 bricks replaced in a badly damaged area of a double brick wall. The job also included bricking in an old milk box, closing off some disused vents, and replacing a window sill.
I definitely recommend this company.

We were in need of tuckpointing repair to our historical building located in the West Queen West Design District of Toronto. However, we were bound by financial constraints which Reach Restoration took into consideration and provided us with a viable solution. Jim Urquhart is an eloquent, dependable individual and extremely knowledgeable in this field. He took charge of the restoration project, providing sound expertise and the job was completed as per schedule and within the quoted amount. The work is outstanding is well above our expectations. We would not hesitate to recommend Jim or his crew to anyone in need of their services.

I wish every contractor I dealt with was like this.
Jim and Matt patiently discussed our chimney problems with us and took the time to give us a detailed written quote - we have a very narrow space in which they had to work and they had to find a scaffolding that would fit.
Once we had signed off on their proposal, Jim kept me up to date on when he thought they would be able to start and they started when he said they would.
The work was carefully and thoroughly completed. They re-pointed our chimney and put a new concrete cap on top. In addition to protecting our property with tarps, they were very careful to protect our neighbour's roof and property. Every evening they left the the work area nice and tidy before leaving.
All the Reach employees were polite and a joy to have working on our property.
I would definitely recommend this company to all my friends and family. In fact, I was very happy to discover that Jim has another company that does small renovations. I will be keeping his card in my file.

After having a couple of night-and-day estimates done on the masonry/re-pointing work we needed done on our 100 year old house, we used Home Stars reviews to point us to a couple more contractors we could ask to come and give us their thoughts. Not sure what it was about Jim that made us feel INSTANTLY comfortable and like we were in the best hands possible, but there we were. He was not the cheapest, nor the most expensive. We knew nothing about what we really needed, so were suspicious that the "low-ballers" weren't going to do enough of the work that was actually required. My husband and I looked at each other after Jim left and agreed on the spot that he was "the one". Sounds almost romantic!! Truth is, we were still getting over a 6 month debacle of an interior reno with the contractor from hell. It was like Jim was too good to be true. He CLEARLY knew his stuff - took the time to explain everything to us, to give us his opinion when we asked for it and had options to choose from, and was honest and straight-up from the get go. It was an absolute no-brainer to ask him to go ahead with the work. We felt so great about him, that we asked if he could cost out doing some interior work we needed done as well (plaster removal, insulation and drywall install on one of the bedrooms in the house). He did, so we asked him to go ahead with that, too. The job began right when he said it would. Communication comes easily and naturally to Jim. Every step of the way he let us know what to expect, who to expect would be on site and when. The job officially started when his associate Blair came to wash our bricks. What a difference that made! Can't say enough about Blair's attention to detail, craftsmanship, integrity, and perseverance (we had some tough weather conditions for him to contend with). Fabulous. When Jim and his crew began work on the rest of the job (grinding down the existing mortar, replacing it with the PERFECTLY tinted new mortar, then starting on the bedroom), we rested easy knowing we were being extremely well taken care of. He and his team even took care to build scaffolding up against the outside wall of the house so he could carry the garbage etc. through the bedroom window, and not traipse it through the house. The plaster mess was minimal because he and the team took the time to clean up and put things back to how they were when they got there (OK, definitely BETTER than when they got there). Both projects were finished ON BUDGET and ON TIME!!! This, to me, is unheard of. Not only that, but the finished product - both masonry and drywall - was beautiful. Our house looks amazing. Jim is now on our speed dial. We have a few more projects we're looking to do in the near future and we've already asked Jim about them. If he can do it, we're hiring him. Period. We've referred him to two of our friends already and would shout his name from the rooftops if we weren't worried that he'd get too busy to help us with coming jobs! Frankly, we love Jim. We'd refer him without batting an eye. Thank you Jim and crew for restoring our faith in the possibility of good reno experiences.

Our house, which was built in 1911, was sorely in need of a host of repairs. It needed a new chimney, some deteriorating bricks needed to be replaced, the concrete at the base along the side of the house was cracked.

Jim came out, quoted the job himself and everything was done as described and for the price we had discussed. He was a true professional from beginning to end. He called when he couldn't come as scheduled because of rain, and showed up as soon as the weather cooperated. During the course of the job, he kept us well informed of its progress. We were amazed at how quickly they completed the project. The crew were all very pleasant and left behind a clean work site. It is obvious that Jim and his crew take pride in their work. Thank you Jim, for giving us good value and high quality workmanship. We will highly recommend you to our friends.

I chose CHR [Now Reach Restoration] because of the reviews on this website and I wasn't disappointed. Jim was the only one of the mortar/bricklaying companies listed on this website who returned my call for an estimate; this fact immediately sets Jim apart from so many trades/contractors in Toronto. I got lucky since Jim was able to complete my small job owing to a good weather day and his having a brief hiatus before starting a large project. Jim gave a clear, professional explanation and estimate of what he would do and why. He was also very considerate about keeping me informed as to when he would arrive and return. Jim's personable manner was a reflection of a craftsman who takes pride in his work and in the way he treats people. I do not hesitate to recommend Jim.

We called to get an estimate to replace exterior slate stairs. Jim was very busy but came out to do a quote. I was concerned about safety so he fit us in and came to do a temporary repair to get us through the winter. He will be back in the spring and is hopeful that he can save us some money by rebuilding what is there rather than replacing everything.

Our house was built in 1931, and it was showing its age: a few bricks were missing; the entire east wall (and half of the front) had amateurish pointing in white mortar and gray caulking; caulking strips were left from a removed porch enclosure; and the whole house was dirty. It looked awful! Jim and his crew transformed it from tired to fresh. Jim impressed us from the beginning with his knowledge, courtesy, and energy. He really cares! He and his crew worked hard and on time; they cleaned up; and they were sociable and friendly to neighbors. Now our house looks clean, well-maintained, bright, and attractive. The project came in on time and on budget. Jim and his crew are as much artists as tradesmen. We can't recommend them highly enough.