Michael in Delta

Many decades ago, before immigrating from Holland to Canada, my wife's mother received a beautiful artwork-laden diploma from a milk-maid school. My wife inherited this and we had it framed. However, over the years the hand-written name / date of graduation all but completely faded away but did remain just barely legible. What do to? Then my annual university alumni magazine came and what should I read in it but an article about another UofS grad who founded an art restoration company located just an hour's drive from our house. I took the diploma to them and left it with one of the conservators. She was able to exactly colour-match the faded ink and painstakingly (they are artists themselves after all) restore the hand-writing to its original state. I did all this without my wife's knowing and then presented the restored diploma, which she so loves, to her for her birthday. She was astounded. Highest kudos to Fraser / Spafford-Ricci

When it came time to replace our old vacuum, I researched online and learned of a top-of-the-line German brand. Fairly sure that this is what we would like, we went to Advantage Vacuums Inc. They showed us an equally good, if not better, brand--also top-of-the-line German: Sebo. It turned out the Sebo was actually a little less expensive. Thus, Advantage sold us a great vacuum which continues to be great to this day. And they saved us money, to boot.

When we moved into our new house (built 1970) we knew that there were government rebates available for certain renovations to one's house, provided they improved the house's energy efficiency. We hired City Green Solutions to come and measure our house's energy rating and provide renovation advisor service. The fellow who came, Steve Hartwick, gave us very good renovation advice. After completed these, he returned to re-measure our house. We got our rebates and they more than offset the cost of City Green's service.

It took us a long time to find an area rug that suited our living room in both style and colour. Finally we found one made by a company in the U.S. They are much cheaper in the States than at any retailer we found in Canada. Then we found that Heritage House Interiors deals with this carpet manufacturer. They brought in for us the exact area rug we wished, AND they were able to cut us a very good deal. We are very happy and shall return to Heritage House next time we are shopping for something for our home's interior

When we lived in Coquitlam we decided to purchase a Murphy bed for our guest room. We shopped around and chose whom we felt to be a very good company: B.C. Murphy Wall-Bed Ltd. They custom built and installed a bed at our house. We so love it that we wanted to bring it with us to our new house in Tsawwassen. But uninstalling and moving a Murphy bed can be quite dangerous for anyone who does not know what they are doing (because of the high-tension springs inside). This was something the movers were not prepared for. We contacted B.C. Murphy Wall-Bed and they agreed to uninstall, move, and re-install the bed. We are so happy to have it still with us in our new home.

When we moved into our new house we discovered the gas fireplace to be not working. CampbellCare was brought in. We learned later that they gauged on the price of a part, charging over $200 for what should have been less than $100. But, worse than this, we discovered later that the fireplace was improperly and illegally installed and that, should we use it, we run the risk of burning our house down and then (because of the illegal installation) not being covered by insurance. So, now we are looking at having to have the fireplace replaced and the entire (interior to the wall) installation site and chimney rebuilt. Why did CampbellCare not point this out?

I purchased a top-rated multi-channel home theatre receiver manufactured by Anthem. The product is simply great. The only downside is configuring it for the best possible soundscape in one's home theatre viewing room. While the receiver comes with a microphone, it does not come with the adapter to plug it into the receiver. This must be ordered and purchased directly from the manufacturer. Also the configuration is done by laptop computer which must me attached to the receiver. Configuration requires a special software computer program. Again, this must be purchased from the manufacturer. Then one must install the program and learn how to use it. Obviously all this is beyond most consumers. As a service to their customers, Audio Video Unlimited, for a fee no higher than merely the cost of the adapter and and software (should one order them from the manufacturer), will come to one's house with all the necessary equipment and spend an hour or so configuring the receiver to give the best possible sound in one's home. That counts as truly good customer service. My thanks to Audio Video Unlimited for doing this.

Funny how nearly all big name mattress brands begin with the letter 'S'. When my wife and I required a new mattress because of back problems, we tried them all. Then we found out about yet another brand beginning with 'S': Spring Air. We tried one out at the Sleep Shop (Richmond location) and found we liked it better than any other. But still, that was not quite "it". Then the gentleman helping us said, "How about I custom build for you a mattress just like the one I made for myself?" He took us around the parts warehouse and showed us all the components he would layer together. He also said that if we really did not like what he built, we would be under no obligation to buy. We were convinced. Some days later we returned and tried it out. Wow! We enjoy the most comfortable mattress upon which we have ever slept.

Our leather sofa developed a 3" spilt in a seam. The first couple of places I called would either not undertake so small a job or would charge an absurdly high fee. After a call to Tsawwassen Upholstery, Gord (owner / operator of the business) showed up on our doorstep, large curved needle and sturdy filament thread in hand, came straight to the sofa, and, quick as you please, had it all fixed up. Now, that's the kind of service that's easy to recommend

We hired this company at the recommendation of a general contractor we had overseeing renovations we were having done to an older house into which we had just moved. The chief cabinet maker took only short, cryptic notes and absolutely refused to draw anything, even the simplest of sketches. Nor would he take any sketches we had made. He claimed his understanding and memory were very good. Well, big surprise when some cabinets did not fit and had to be remade. The work took months and months. There is no way it should have been so long. They just never showed up. We had to keep nagging them to get on with the job. When they did do the installation, they damaged walls which we then had to pay to have repaired. The bookshelves they made are shoddy. They do not support the weight of books and now sag very noticeably. We hope that readers of this review seek other cabinetry companies instead.

When we were about to move from Coquitlam to Tsawwassen, we started by getting quotes from companies right close to us in Coquitlam. We did not feel good about either their quality of service or their prices. Then we called Edgemont (at the recommendation of my sister-in-law). Although they would have to come from North Vancouver, their cost was to be lower than that of companies local to us. But what was really impressive was their service. One of the owners herself came to our house to give us a quote. She took almost a personal interest in our move. She told us of ways we could save quite a bit of money by moving a few things ourselves in our car even though this would mean less money to them. The move from one house to the next was done quickly and efficiently. We would use Edgemont again.

When we moved into our new house (40 years old) it needed the ducts cleaned. I contacted about five companies before finding about Michael A Smith. Some used cleaning methods I knew to be sub-standard. Some would not come because they refused to go down into a crawlspace. Some gave ridiculously high quotes. Michael A Smith did a great job with the best cleaning methods and charged a fair price.

When we moved into our new house all the door locks were a mess!! Each was different, and some did not even have keys. We wanted to be able to use just one key on all doors. We also wanted two doors to have electronic keypad coded deadbolt locks. We started by bringing in for a quote a large locksmith company. They told us they could not match all the locks to the same key without changing some of them. They also told us that one of the doors could not be fitted with an electronic deadbolt. And they quoted us a strangely high price for just one electronic deadbolt. Then we brought in Keylock. Ernie Opper was great. He said that, of course, he could match all locks to the same key. He said that, certainly, both doors could be fitted with with electric deadbolt combination locks. And he told us where we could buy two such locks at a good price: our local hardware store. Ernie did a splendid job of fixing up our house's lock systems. We'd recommend him to anyone.

We hired this contractor to bring in, and over-see, others to do such home renovations as cabinetry, carport and storage room reconstruction, electrical re-wiring, drywalling, etc. We were given a very firm estimate of $24,000. The work went on for months and months, far longer than it needed to. The house was made filthy, items were damaged, work was done and then, redundantly, re-done. The contractor refused to write anything down. He promised us time and again we were on track for the final cost. Later on he informed us that it could be a little more than estimated but absolutely promised it would be no more than $27,000. Then he blind-sided us with a final invoice of $36,000. The whole situation was appalling. We were used.

Michel Saquet (Mesa Painting) came at the recommendation of our realtor. We did get quotes from a few others first. Some gave quotes we thought too high. Some required that we supply our own paint. Some wanted to use paint that was not what we already knew to be our favourite (also one of the best on the market). Michel came with all his own supplies, brought his own paint (which also was the very same brand we'd have chosen ourselves), gave no estimate but, instead, a firm quote, which also happened to better than others. His workmanship is second to none. And he has a very friendly, pleasant personality. We fully intend to have Michel back to do the exterior of our house.

Theresa came at the recommendation of a painter whom we had contracted to re-paint the interior of our house. We already had a good idea of what we wanted insofar as some of the colours but not all of them, nor how to tie everything together to create a pleasing "flow". Theresa worked with us for a couple of hours and helped us come up with a scheme with which we could not be more pleased. The result is lovely, and all visitors have said as much, too. Best $150 we ever spent!

The pillars supporting the carport (which runs partially under the house's 2nd storey) were in need of proper finishing, not having been done so by previous owners. To prevent water damage and subsequent rotting, the pillars needed to be cladded and have sloped bases added. David Espley told us his hourly rate and told us the final cost would be a combination of this and material costs. He did, however, give us an estimate. He worked diligently to a truly professional result. His cost did go beyond his estimate but, in a tremendous show of customer service, did not charge us any more than that estimate. This level of service is rare. We plan to call David back for another carpentry job.

We moved into a 40yr old house having much hardwood flooring. Renovations by previous owners involved removing a closet and and shortening a wall. The gaps left in the floor were extremely poorly patched. We wished to have them fixed properly so that one would never know that any repair had been done. We got a half dozen estimates from private contractors to large flooring companies. Some claimed that repairs would always be visible. Others were asking many thousands of dollars. At last we came upon Kris Hardwood Floors. This two-man operation was amazing. The small areas were repaired and the entire floor was restored, re-stained, and refinished. It looks stunning, just like new. And the price was better than any other quote. We heartily endorse this company.

A few years before selling us our new house, the previous owners had partially tiled the backsplash in the kitchen. We wished the job to be completed. Two tilers we had in were able to find close, but not exact, matches to the existing tile. And their quotes were outrageous. Then Home Quality Repairs came, found the exact right tiles, and did the work for a very reasonable price. Recommended

Our new house was built back in the 70's and had had two additions put onto it. The electrical wiring had not been done correctly in a number of areas and needed to be re-done. The general contractor overseeing other renovations we were having done brought in an electrician to start the job. The contractor claimed this electrician was good and would give us the best hourly rate. But we found we cared neither for this person's personality, nor his price. We found Citizen Electric upon doing our own search. A nicer person you could not meet. And his rates were certainly better. Later on we thought of a couple of small electrical projects we wished done. We called Citizen and within a couple of days, there he was with a smile and a 'no job too small' attitude. Recommended.

Immediately upon moving into our new house, we knew the carpeting in the stairwell needed to be replaced. We narrowed our choice down to two companies. One had the carpeting we liked best. The other had a carpet we liked not quite as much but quoted a better installed price. Then we found Prima. They not only installed the carpet we really wanted, but beat the price of the other two companies.

We had an issue with odours from the crawlspace beneath our house permeating the living space. Several companies proposed different solutions but BSV's was the only one that made sense. They installed a dehumidification system which, by means of dehumidifier, fan, and ducting, circulates and dries the air in the crawlspace, thus keeping the concrete flooring and house foundation (the source of the odours) dry. The dehumidifier self drains into a hole in the floor, and the unit is on a daily on/off timer. BSV went above and beyond the call of duty, returning a couple of times to 'tweak' the system until all odours ceased. They also, after we asked whether the unit, already quite quiet, could be made quieter still, put in sound baffling. Problem solved, and we couldn't be happier.

Upon moving into a Tsawwassen house, built in the 70's, we discovered that all the old single-pane, metal-frame windows needed to be replaced. We decided to go with top-of-the-line, double-pane, UV-filter-coated, argon-gas-filled, vinyl-frame windows. We got quotes from two of the top lower mainland companies (I'll not name names) and then a third from Quality Home improvements. Their quote was about the same as one of the others and less than the other. But when I researched the construction details of all three products, I found that the Vinyltek windows stood head and shoulders above the others. So pleased were we that when the neighbours were renovating their house, I recommended they contact Quality Home Improvements

For many years we lived in Coquitlam. At one point, seeing how dirty our venetian blinds were, I searched for a cleaning service and found Brite Blinds. I noticed that, in addition to cleaning blinds, they actually manufacture them, too. Years later we moved into Tsawwassen. Our new house was in need of new venetians throughout. I contacted several businesses for quotes and was astonished at how expensive it would be. Then I remembered Brite Blinds. None other than the supervisor of manufacturing himself came all the way from Burnaby to Tsawwassen to give us a quote. Same high quality as any other quote and about 1/2 the price!!! We could not be more pleased and would recommend Brite Blinds to anyone.

In our new house my wife did not want central air conditioning. But, having Multiple Sclerosis, I require a cool retreat in summer. Thus, we needed to set up a single room which could be cooled independent of the rest of the house. I checked around but could only find either portable A/C units or window-mounted 'boxes'. These are all hard to use, noisy, and inefficient. Then Custom Cooling provided an answer: an outdoor reversible heat-pump and an indoor air unit, both virtually silent. Pricey, yes, but I couldn't be happier. This type of cooling system is very prevalent in Europe. I recommend it to anyone in North America who needs to cool only a few rooms.

When we moved into our house in Tsawwassen, we chose to have something done about a cold, damp crawlspace. After getting estimates from four companies, I chose Knights. Their product was the best, but, at the same time, so was their price. We received nothing but friendly, expert service from this family-run business, whether it was dealing with the son on our premises or the daughter or parents on the telephone. I'd recommend Knights whole-heartedly.

Windows made by Vinyltek are splendid. But much kudos goes to QHI for the excellent service provided by father, son, and daughter of the Smith family. Highly recommended. Thank you very much Quality Home Improvements for a job well done!