Private User

For clarify, the 'coping stones' were pre-cast concrete chimney 'caps', but for two partially-exposed, non-functional chimney stacks that ended below the roofline (1/2 inside the interior wall, 1/2 outside). Incline and drip-edge on the stones allows water to fall clear from the wall below, better protecting the mortar from eroding. (this is what Shams had to tuckpoint, showing the need for a coping stone). I should also say that 9/10 is pretty good for me. 10/10 would have to be a 'chef's kiss' job. Shams was professional and courteous throughout our dealings, and while the job was straightforward, it was not easy, requiring minor work in a hot attic and maneuvering around a chimney stack only 3 inches away from a neighbouring chimney. Additionally, Shams found himself as the 'clean-up' contractor after the previous one botched part of the job. Shams presented a clear, detailed scope of work with a reasonable price. He used scaffolding where he could fit it (this is not a given with contractors, unfortunately), and kept communication high through his two days with us, including a number of pictures, which are so important in communicating problems and solutions. He made a point of using a tie-off, ladder anchoring, gloves, mask etc., Shows he takes safety more seriously than many of his competitors and makes you feel more assured that someone won't be seriously injured at your house. He is clear on his marketing that he is registered with the Better Business Bureau, which is a great sign. No reviews yet, but also no complaints. He also added a tint to his mortar for tuckpointing to better match the mortar of our old house, which was a nice touch. Shams was diplomatic in proposing some better ways of doing the work and honoured what he could in terms of adding customer requests such as slope, a bit of insulation, and closing unexpected holes in the masonry. These may seem like minor things but money is tight for most people now and fixing things right is more important than ever. He didn't seem overly rushed either, taking the time to ensure the next contractor (fascia) can do their work. On the constructive side, he did leave a few new bricks behind and some demo'd material around including fragments in the attic, but not a lot. I think he just forgot the new bricks (they are still here if you are reading this Shams).

Had an issue with shingle damage from raccoons around a chimney. This was an unexpected expense and I wasn't budgeting for a roof redo for a few years, so an overlay was the perfect solution. Chose south side of a two-sided roof to fix the area and extend roof life since south side gets the most wear (sun). Problem was few roofers want a small job so I could only get quotes for the entire roof and many were ridiculously high. Sheraz didn't seem to have a problem doing a smaller job and saved us a good amount of money. After a full day of work on one of the hottest days of the summer, Sheraz showed up with another worker and started. Came back the next morning and finished. He was able to give us shingles on the EnergyStar list with a decent SRI rating (3 yr rating) since we were concerned with the heat retention of 2 shingle layers. Still had a smile on his face at the end of it and so did we since the area was fixed and the shingles looked great. Very impressed. If he works this hard for small jobs, I'd recommend calling him for any of the bigger ones too.

New build - 2.5 floors and addition. John did our trim, doors and some framing so we could finish drywall and stairs. He also started our deck so we could finish siding. Priced reasonably for the experience and scope of the work and we liked how his quotes and invoices were were detailed. He was happy to discuss all the options available, even showing us examples of work from previous customers or his own build. Trim tends to be fussy work at the best of times and we had at least 3 or 4 items that were unique to our project and required specific parts, tools and install techniques. John was willing to try and ended up successfully installing. Our experience with trades is that they are usually unwilling to try new things, so we were happy John did. John seems to have built his business on referrals, knowing a few of our project staff since he had done work either for them or with them at some point. It's not hard to see why he gets along so well - he's friendly and willing to discuss project details. We look forward to having John back to finish our deck and whatever other work we can find for him.