A and J Value Renovations

Initial review, 2023: We hired Jason to combine a washroom and laundry room into one larger washroom. He is very skilled in multiple trades but also listens to customers for their input or preferences. He is clearly committed to ensuring his customers are happy. He and his crew are very fast workers, not by cutting corners, but by knowing what they're doing. In fact a few times he surprised us and our designer by being ready to proceed with some work (ex. the exact locations of the tub drain or electrical outlets, or the selection of tiling, etc.). He was here when he said he would be, and worked to finish as quickly as possible.
The only issues we ran into were that he is not meticulous, and he had to correct a few things (ex. some drywall touch ups, the toilet was installed slightly off-angle (i.e. rotated, not sloped), and we asked him to re-grade the shower floor more evenly). However he never hesitated to fix things.
As well, his contract is not detailed, and we were surprised to learn that he intended to not remove the 100 yr old lath and plaster on the exterior wall when the rest of the washroom would be new. But again, he works with his customers; he added this work in at no charge.
We would definitely use Jason again.
Update, Oct '24:
In Mar Jun 2024 water started leaking through our kitchen ceiling below the shower, intermittently at first then more frequently.

In late Jun we cut out a section of drywall in the ceiling, and found two things:
- very clear evidence of water damage on the drywall, and
- a separate, small (~ ¾ 1) stalactite hanging from the bottom of the waterproof rubber membrane in another area. Directly below it was a small mound of mineral buildup. This appears to have been a minor but persistent pinhole leak that was there for a very long time, presumably since installation.

Subsequent testing by spraying or pouring water in different areas of the shower confirmed that there was a significant leak in the back corner.

In July we advised Jason of the leak, and he came by shortly after to have a look. We were past the one year warranty period by a few months but Jason agreed to repair the shower (4-5 person-days of labour), and I purchased the tiles and a custom sized quartz piece for the top of the shower step. Jason repeatedly pressed me to agree to pay for the shower glass if it broke. I didnt, and fortunately it didnt break.

Sep Because we had recently replaced the hardwood flooring on the second floor and refinished the wood stairs, we asked Jason several times to put floor protection down. The crew started the repairs, but without any floor protection. As well, when we had opened the kitchen ceiling earlier we saw that the rubber membrane was installed directly on the rough subfloor boards. These boards have rough edges, nail heads, slivers etc. We spoke with Jason about the need to put a smoother layer (thin plywood, particle board, etc.) between the floor boards and the membrane. After several discussions, he finally agreed to do so. But then the crew laid the rubber membrane directly on the old floor boards. Again, I had to call Jason again and re-explain the situation to have this re-done as agreed.

Another issue: during the initial installation in 2023, the grading of the shower floor was problematic and had to be redone in areas. In the end, most of the floor drained adequately to the drain, but an area at the back was basically flat and took a long time to dry after a shower. So I reiterated with Jason the need to be very careful with the grading. Astonishingly though, they left an area about 2 sq ft directly in front of the linear drain that was lower than the drain! Not much lower, but enough to leave a shallow layer of water that wouldnt drain. To acknowledge, the crew did ask me to check the grade before installing the tiles; the areas I checked were okay, I just didnt check every single square foot.

So Jason sent his crew back again; the same crew, even though Id specifically told him I was not confident in them, and wanted a different crew. They removed the floor tiling and regraded it and still got it wrong! When I checked the grade after theyd installed the tiles I again found a small area lower than the drain. Its minor well live with it but thats three times in three tries it was done poorly.

I called Jason as the crew was finishing, to speak with him about it. During the call he told me or so I heard to spray water on the floor, presumably to see how much water stays there. I did that while one of his crew was watching. Jason called back very quickly, sounding upset, to ask why I was putting water on the floor before the grout had dried. When I said Because thats what you told me to do he got upset and couldnt seem to understand that regardless of what he actually said, thats what I heard. He essentially accused me of intentionally damaging the floor.

The next day I also noticed the floor tiles were installed on a slight angle. Theyre not parallel to any of the walls.

Jason does deserve credit for coming back after the warranty period. But his crews' quality is non-existent. The customer focus I spoke of in my first review was abandoned when he sent the same crew back.

If all you want is inexpensive work and youre not at all concerned about quality, Jason is probably a good deal. Everyone else should look elsewhere.