JoBlo, Etobicoke

I engaged this company after reading the reviews and getting estimates from the top 4 masonry contractors on Homestars. The estimates gave me a good idea of what a fair price would be for the scope of work. I chose Red Robin because of its reviews, its ability to do both the chimney and steps, as opposed to to one or the other, and its competitive pricing. It was a project I expected to take 7-10 days but Ivan's crew completed the job in 3 days including clean up. The crew was professional, courteous, and very efficient. Their work ethic was impressive, they showed up each day at 8 sharp and didn't stop until 6:30 each evening. I should also mention that all the front office guys; Andrew, Andrew and David were professional, responsive and easy to work with. They did a great job and I would recommend Red Robin without hesitation or reservation.

After 15 years since the last time I had my 2 garage doors, front door & porch and exterior window trim painted it was time for a new coat of paint. The two brothers, Marcus & James, offered a very competitive rate and comprehensive scope of work to be done including sanding of all surfaces. That is something the last painting contractor did not do. During the sanding and scraping there was some water damage uncovered and they repaired what they could given that they are not general contractors. Their work was diligent, meticulous and unrushed. They used quality Sherwin Williams paint that is said to be better quality than the Benjamin Moore paint used before. Hopefully it will be the last time we need to repaint. They do mostly residential jobs but also some commercial projects.

Project included several trades, not all of which were equal competence. Cabinet installer was by far the best, tile installer & electrician were very good, plumber was very good but quirky personality, GC was pretty good and floor installer was ok but slow and inconsistent. You have to to be very wary of scope creep and change orders which can add to your total bill significantly. You have to keep a close eye and in constant communication with Andros (Aleem) as project manager. Be very explicit in your contract scope of work. Almost anything outside that scope will be an extra charge including minor damage to other areas caused by the crew. Aleem was fairly inflexible when it came to sourcing flooring products and would not consider other suppliers when his supplier could not provide our desired product even after we found it on the web with another vendor.

This is essentially a one man operation for now as he continues to grow his business and hire more office and field staff. Dion is personable and will take on any arborist job, big or small. We had a relatively small tree pruning job that we had to book 2 months in advance because of his busy schedule but he treated us with the same professionalism and eagerness as a large job. He arrived on time with a helper and a huge chipper. It was impressive to watch him climb the tree under his own power with just ropes. He quickly and quietly ( minimal chain saw ) cut the branches in safe and manageable sections while his helper took the debris and branches to the chipper. The job was done quickly, professionally and with minimal noise and inconvenience to me and my neighbours. Dion did exactly what I wanted and cleaned up after the cutting was all done. His quote was highly competitive and I would recommend him to anyone for any job.

I needed my wood frame patio door replaced because the thermal seal failed and the heavy door kept coming off its track. I called Beverley Hills because I had previously used them for windows, eavestroughs and gutter covers. I was satisfied with their professionalism, quality of work and products and especially by their customer care for after sales service regarding warranty work. It was important to me that they stood by their products and workmanship. During final measurements it was discovered that my door was a couple of inches shorter than the standard size door and might have to be custom manufactured to fit. this would have cost more money and taken longer to deliver. Fortunately BH have highly experienced tradesmen that have seen all sorts of situations and if they can't find a solution to fit then I'm convinced that no one can. The installer (Dave) was able to remove and reinstall a new concrete threshhold that lowered the thershhold by a couple of inches thereby allowing installation of a standard patio door. He did the job alone and was done 2-3 hours sooner than I expected. He cleaned up the work area thoroughly and the door looked like it was always part of the house. BH has changed ownership as the original owner has retired and sold the company. However, the staff remain intact as does their attention to customer service and standing by their guarantee.

Our popcorn ceiling had been previously painted so a straightforward scraping and painting was not in the cards. A re-plastering (2 coats) was required and it took a couple of days to complete with one day off inbetween to allow for drying of plaster. Ceiling looked great upon completion. Keep the final result in mind and overlook the work in process. You'll be much happier and less stressed. Louie was very easy to talk to and in making arrangements for the job. A very pleasant, responsive and down to earth kind of guy. Very competitive pricing.

Final product was just what we wanted, almost on schedule and over budget. Learned a few lessons on this project. It was our first time engaging a designer project manager. Keep communications open, be very clear about what you want and be firm about what you want. Otherwise, scope creep enters the picture and you end up with change orders that explode your budget. Be sure to always ask what the cost of a change order will be. Our cost exceeded original budget by 23%. Subtrades that were excellent; cabinet installation, tile work, electrician and general contractor. Subtrades that were good; plumbing (personality was an acquired tasted but work was very good) and flooring (too slow but decent job). Project management by Aleem of Andros was good but not excellent as he was spread out over a few jobs and couldn't always stay on top of things. There were a few problems and anomalies that popped up as the project proceeded but the trades were adept at working through them. However, beware that every little thing not spelled out in your contract will end up in a change order that will undoubtedly be expensive. Since this was a first for us, we chose not provide a key to contractor for anytime access which basically held us captive in the house for the 6 week project. Trades were inconsistent and unreliable (except cabinet installer) in terms of when they would show up vs when they said they would be there. This is apparently normal for all trades and/or renovation projects. Will consider giving them an extra key if we do this again. As with almost all contractors, for any minor damage done or mess created in an area outside of the project area, don't expect that it will be repaired or cleaned to original condition if at all. That will be an extra charge. As far as design went, we already had a concept in mind and Aleem helped flesh it out for us in a rendering and producing working drawings. He was helpful in offering some alternatives and had a showroom that offered us the design elements that we wanted. He was also fairly responsive by text, email and phone whenever we had concerns or questions even though we didn't always get the answers we wanted to hear and sometimes a non-answer. Aleem also seemed married to to his suppliers and very reluctant to source other vendors when his couldn't supply what we wanted, even when we found a vendor that could. Generally a very good construction team and would consider using if I ever have the budget again.

Original faucet cartridge failed. Bosco guy said cartridge unavailable faucet had to be replaced and he couldn't replace with one we already had in hand. He said he had a faucet in his truck. Quoted about $1000 all in. Had to pay deposit of $360. We felt we had no choice and said OK. Then he said he didn't have it. We asked for refund. Manager called and offered to install our own faucet for deposit rather than refund. Less than a year later the faucet has become unseated since it was only held in place with silicone. Overcharged, misleading, shabby workmanship. Avoid Bosco!

I was looking for alternatives to patio umbrellas to replace lost shade from a tree we had to cut down. Considered one of those steel/aluminum gazebos from the big box stores as an option but Rolltec salesperson said that they don't stand up very well over time and last only 2-3 years. Awnings are supposed to be good for 15-18 years. Cost is twice that of the gazebo but life expectancy should exceed my time in this house. Once I got over sticker shock, I ordered 2 x 11 ft awnings, side by side to cover full rear of house. Colour/pattern selection was impressive but we went with neutral sand colour. It's been only 2 weeks since installation and all is good. Install was quicker than expected, only a few weeks after order was placed and it was done much quicker and cleaner than expected. Great job. Looks great. Love the shade. Didn't get electric motor to roll & unroll which might make it easier to use since I open & close on a daily basis depending on weather. Another $1,000 expense and potential tech problem I didn't need.

Sales manager made the house call to discuss details and was very personable and willing to work with our schedule and had a little bit of flexibility in the pricing. After the sticker shock, I felt comfortable enough with him to give him the job. We selected the colours and they supplied the paint (Benjamin Moore - the good stuff). The painter was one man who did a nice job painting the exterior trim, garage doors of the house and the high walls of our front foyer. He was careful, didn't rush, filled in holes and cleaned up after himself each day. Excellent paint job. The only issue we had was that he didn't do a very good job re-installing the weather strip around the garage doors. He's a painter, not a handyman. We will probably have to buy new stripping and reinstall again. A minor cost and inconvenience. UPDATE: Brian contacted me after initial review. I guess he pays close attention to the reviews and keeps detailed files on customers. That surprised me. Although I wasn't seeking any sort of repair or compensation for the weather stripping, Brian offered (and was insistent), to fix it or replace it. It was done quickly and discretely within a few days of our chat. Not only did he replace the stripping on one door he did both doors and it looks better than what I had in the first place. Talk about customer oriented service and attention to detail. It blew me away. I was not expecting this level of response and follow up service. There are so few companies that stand behind their workmanship and warranty so I wasn't really expecting this. In fact, I expected quite the opposite. I would recommend this company without hesitation and will use them again for my next paint job.

I have always been skeptical of any company that offers a lifetime warranty and felt that if they actually honoured them it would be a bonus. I always buy on the quality of product and workmanship first. When the seals on 3 sets of replacement windows failed within a few years of installation Beverley Hills arranged to replace and install new windows absolutely free of charge and no argument. All I had to do was send some pictures of the problem and they did the rest,. Wonderful customer service and installation staff!

I was so pleased with my window installation and customer service from Beverley Hills that I decided to use them for the total replacement of my fascia, soffits, eavetroughs and downspouts. The installation date was approx 6 or 7 week wait but I wasn't in a hurry as long as it was done before the end of the year. Installion was in 2 steps; fascia & soffits and then eavestoughs, leaf guard and down spouts a week or so later. The first part went well, the second part..not so much. They didn't cap the ends of one trough and the leaf guard in one trough appears dip inward and not be level with the upper edge of the trough. Finally, there is one short pipe missing that connects two levels of troughs. This missing installation could be indicative of a faulty installation of the upper trough since the trough should be slightly angled down towards the downspout at each end, like an inverted "V". These are just what I could see without getting up on a ladder myself. Clean up was not as thorough as the window installation. I'm still picking up scrap aluminum pieces. Overall, the new product looks good. Will have to wait until the spring rains to see if it all works. I have asked that these deficiencies be addressed and have been waiting 3 weeks. Having said this, I have complete faith in their Customer Service dept to eventually remedy these deficiencies.

Apparently there are very few companies around that install blown fibreglass insulation. Although I had been advised by couple of companies that blown cellulose could be installed over fibreglass, I thought that sticking with the same material if possible made more sense. I finally found Dominion, thanks to HomeStars. I needed to top up the existing insulation with another 6" and I had already measured the ceiling area. I got the estimate and the installation date over the phone so I placed the order. Everything went off like clockwork just as promised. The installers were all business and not much for social niceties. Perhaps it was because I was the first job of the morning. They even attached weatherstrip and fibreglass batting on top of my attic hatch, which I didn't expect. They were done in less than an hour. I had a little clean-up afterwards but nothing to complain about. They delivered when they said they would at the agreed upon price. What more could I ask for?

Never having dealt with this company before I was hesitant, especially because of the "high-end" company name, but I relied heavily on the Homestars ratings and review and called them up. They were very attentive, professional and timely from the initial callback, sales call, follow-up calls, customer care through to the installation. They weren't they cheapest but boy did they deliver. The installation was done in half the time that I was told (1 day vs. 2 days) and the crew led by Demer was a team of super men. Each member had a specialized task from removal of old windows, to installation to clean up. Very efficient and very professional. The only product disappointment was minor and had to do with 2 windows where the internal grills were not centred properly but that was a manufacturer fault. The installation truck had a gas leak and left a patch of dissolved ashphalt in my brand new driveway. Guess I'll have to patch it up next spring. UPDATE:Jan/10 - I was very pleasantly surprised to see that the company actually reads these reviews and takes them to heart. However, I was skeptical about writing this response until they actually followed through on their word. Almost 6 months after the installation and some admin delays on my part as well as theirs I received satisfaction regarding my complaint. Although slow to follow through, Beverley Hills does eventually step up. Full satisfaction was delivered for this project and I will continue to do business with Bevreley Hills.

Lyle provided the quote and Sebastien did the work. Both knew their industry and trade intimately. Sebastien and another very nice fellow, who may have been his father, did the project in a very workmanlike and professional manner. They kept the site clean and you barely knew they had been there after they finished. They did a beautiful job just like old world craftsmen. The cost was the same as another competing quote but I had a greater feeling of comfort with Lyle, someone who really knew his stuff, was organized and professional.

Steve is the owner and still does most of the work including evenings and weekends. Straight shooter and honest. Very knowledgable about his business and meticulous about quality of goods and work. He was the last one out of 7 companies I contacted and the only one to return my call, answer my questions, give me a fair quote and talked to me without an attitude. He is in high demand and his jobs are a little backed up but he will deliver; his word is good.

The owner of the company himself, Sam, responded to my internet request for quote and promptly set up an appointment to visit my home when it was convenient for me (on a weekend). He was the first to respond and only one of two that did so. His quote was competitive and the job was done very professionally. He left the site cleaned up with minimal mess.

Heavy radio advertiser promising a team of craftsmen & adherence to quoted price. Even though quote was high we thought we would be getting better quality workmanship. We were completely conned by the hired gun radio announcer that did the commercial. The "Team" consisted of one single very good handyman, but not a craftsmen by a long shot, and when demolition took longer they increased the price by $1,000 as if it were our fault! Handyman couldn't install bathtub or cabinets so we had to hire other contractors to perform these tasks at additional cost. Handyman did not install ceiling fan to code, just connected it to roof vent. We got a decent overall job but very poor value for money. I don't know who I would recommend but I sure know who I wouldn't!