Colin in Harbord Village/Annex

I have had an Atlas furnace/AC maintenance contract for several years now, and recently they asked if I would review them on Homestars. I'm happy to do so. I use them for two adjacent houses (2 furnaces/ACs) on an annual maintenance plan. They come twice a year for filter and inspection and occasionally a repair. They have been rock solid, including their emergency 24 hour line, which I needed once. Simply put, this is not something I feel I have to worry about. My only wish for improvement would be for them to get into dealing with water heaters too, because that HAS been a major nuisance for me.

I have hired this company several times. The first time was great. However, the last two times involved cleaners skipping things they didn't want to clean or thought wouldn't be noticed, and generally doing a really shoddy job. This service is not cheap, and I had to redo a lot of their work. The last time they were here their vacuum cleaner didn't even work and they took my kitchen scrub brush with them when they left - in a hurry and without staying the full agreed-upon time. I would never hire them again.

I found this guy on Craig's List to do a simple replacement of a section of gas pipe. He came and did it. However, he left a giant oil slick staining my front walk - after I had specifically told him to be careful of the front walk. It was covered in leaves so I didn't notice it until the next day. I asked him to come and clean it. He became abusive, told me I'd never be able to find him or pursue this, and hung up on me. The damage is probably less than the cost of the work done, but this is someone I would never want working for any friend of mine.

I found Mike originally on Craig's List, and was so happy with his work that I'm the one who urged him to list on Homestars. He's exactly the kind of tradesperson you want to deal with - honest, clear, responsive, listens well, offers good advice, and works independently. I had him parging, cutting a new foundation window, debricking a doorway, bricking up another two windows and cutting block on an angle for a stair rail. All of his work was perfect, done on fairly short notice, and never once did I have a problem. I wish all the tradespeople I dealt with were like Mike.

I had to work fast to get the house I just bought gutted. Frank and his crew delivered exactly what he said he would, in the timeframe and price that he quoted. They listened carefully to details like keeping doors and vintage baseboards out of the bin, and separating metals for recycling. If everybody was this reliable, I'd have my feet up. I would recommend him without hesitation.