The Hugheses from Old Toronto

My brother-in-law who's in the homebuilding and construction industry recommended Manalco based on work he's done with them in the past. Larry was our contact person and we are very pleased with the efforts he made to understand our vision and ensure that it became a reality. As this job would be part of a whole home reno project, we needed the job completed on a tight deadline. Larry scheduled the installer Jodi to do the installation while we were on vacation, and even when things ran slightly behind schedule, Larry was great at keeping us posted. To Larry's credit, I suppose we are very particular customers, and he was very good-humoured and helpful when it came to selecting the right window style, colours, and capping to suit our wishes. In the end, we went with 7 single hung sash windows coloured black on the outside with 1/3-2/3 panes. We are thrilled with the end result!

When we purchased our 1920s home, we knew right away that we would alter the layout to make it a little more open concept. We took special care to ensure that the walls were not load bearing when we opened them up before removing them altogether. However, after removing these particular walls, we noticed that the joists seemed to bow and the floors were soft - especially in a part where they had been notched for ventilation ducts (original to the design and build of the house). While certain that we did everything 'according to the rules', we wanted an expert opinion. After speaking with several firms, we chose to meet with Ken Davis because they specialized in residential buildings, were located in our area, and VERY familiar with our style of home. Ken came to our house, looked at the joists in question and explained to us the reason for the deflection: our joists were overspanned for the width of our house and while the walls we removed were not load-bearing, they were what he called 'load-sharing'. He was also very thorough in examining other parts of the home, and we are so glad he did because he identified the same problem of the joists being overspanned for the ground floor and improper support for the 2nd floor bathroom (done by the previous owners). Furthermore, Ken was very friendly, professional and gave great attention to detail. His report was very clear and outlined everything (down to the screws to buy!) that was required to fix the deficiencies. Now our floors are very solid and we have the peace of mind that our big investment in tiles and other flooring won't be damaged by deflection in our joists. We both agree that this was some of the best $500 we spent on this renovation!

We are renovating our 90-year-old home and needed a contractor to drywall 90% of the home which had just been re-framed and skim coat the plaster partition wall. After getting several quotes, we chose to work with Rob because he was the most detailed in providing his estimate. He pointed out many things that other contractors skimmed over, which we felt could have resulted in an inaccurate and low-ball estimate. Rob's quote was higher than the other contractors, but he was very fair and we feel it was money extremely well spent. Another great thing about working with Rob was how accessible he was and the professionalism and promptness of his correspondence. When working on a project with tight deadlines, it makes a world of difference to have a contractor who will communicate with you in a timely manner. I also want to point out that Rob conducts business with the utmost integrity. His team were highly-skilled, but in a few minor instances they missed certain things (ie. drywalled over the air supply and outlet without cutting holes, etc.) - the only reason this isn't a perfect 10 review. We mentioned it to Rob who responded quickly, immediately owned up to the mistakes of his team, and had the mistakes corrected ASAP and we were thoroughly impressed. In our opinion these things happen, but the speed with which Rob made things right is what really left us with a great impression! Also, despite the little hiccups - and it being a long weekend - Rob's team were able to complete the work on time and on budget!

While opening up walls in our 90 year old home, we came across a vent that was wrapped in a papery substance. We were pretty sure it was asbestos, so we called Accu-Star. Nev was very professional and knowledgeable when he came to our house and assessed the vent in question. He confirmed it was asbestos and set an appointment for the removal. The two gentlemen who came (I wish I remembered their names) were quick, efficient, and tidy. Later on the same day, we opened up another wall and found insulation that we were unsure of. My husband called Nev, who asked us to send him a photo, and he advised us immediately that the insulation was safe. My husband and I feel that Accu-Star were wonderful to work with and really cared about doing the job right!

We had 4 armchairs re-upholstered with Vienna: 1 mid-century armchair re-upholstered with black leather, 1 large carved wingback in a durable cotton, and 2 mid-century tub chairs in a micro-suede. I cannot emphasize enough the quality of work and the level of service you will receive here. All around great workmanship and excellent attention to the details. It turns out you need to buy leather "by the hide", but Vienna was so proactive in finding us a cost-effective solution. They searched out a half hide and passed the cost savings on to us! For the wingback and tub chairs we also got Vienna to paint the legs and exposed wood a glossy black; they came out looking gorgeous!!