Growli from East York

BEFORE: My porch ceiling started to fall apart because of a water leak due to an incorrectly installed roof. I got the roofing company back to fix their work, but then was left with substantial structural problems, such as a beam that had rotted to powder. Trent came by (and spotted the leak, first), and was able to rebuild the thing straight away. It involved a lot of cleaning away of old sawdust insulation and installing new stuff, building a new beam, reinforcing another beam that had begun to rot too, and then installing this neat new wooden ceiling with attractive trim to match the next-door neighbour. It felt very reassuring to have the house in safe hands, and to have what was a rather disastrous discovery turned into a fixed problem so quickly. I think the photos here tell the story!

Ray did a nice artistic job of building a dry stone wall for our front yard. He suggested ideas for the design, the type of stone, and the landscaping in and around it, so that it looks in keeping with our house but also unique. For a while, I became a bit obsessed with checking out all the stone walls in the neighbourhood, and I'm pretty sure ours is the best-looking! I would make two small suggestions for improvement -- (1) a little more clarity from Ray in terms of exactly when work will be happening and what his schedule is, and (2) remember to ask before playing music outdoors. (In both cases, he was very accommodating to our requests, but it's always nicer if a contractor takes the initiative to explain/ask first.)

I always call Aubrey now. He's methodical, thoughtful, quiet, and brings real know-how without the bluster. For this job, he worked out why our stove had stopped lighting, and gave us advice on what to do next. A simple job but it was nice not to be pressured into buying parts or doing anything expensive.

Trent handled this complicated job well. It involved subcontractors and adjustments along the way as we encountered decisions we hadn't anticipated. He made sure we were happy with the work, and the technical side of the craftsmanship has been superb. I find it's always hard to communicate well with contractors -- the machismo and brashness can make it tricky to be heard (and that it's often even harder for my partner, who's female). Trent is a pretty good listener, and he makes the effort to sort things out if there have been misunderstandings along the way. And his rates are in line with the quotes we get from other contractors--in fact, they're usually a bit lower or around the average. So we keep hiring him!

Trentco has been good to work with, and Trent is now our first call when we need a general contractor. The quotes are usually a bit lower than the larger firms we've contacted, and the quality and follow-up are excellent. He's been helpful at solving problems and finding ways to make our design ideas work. We've had him do work with cedar, metal, and concrete. His employee (?) Jim shared the labour. Both of them are pleasant to have on-site, tidy, and good at communicating with those of us who don't speak contractor-talk.