John (Toronto)

This isn't the first time I've used Astron Electric for my electrical work. Ted and his son Alex know their stuff, are professional and do great work. They come on time when they schedule an appointment, are safety conscious, efficient and leave the site cleaned up when they are finished. I will use their services again and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them.

The project was to create a fireplace feature wall built around a linear fireplace. The wall includes a cast stone hearth and surround and reclaimed barn wood chase. This necessitated a fireplace with very specific features. Sonny was instrumental in not only finding the right fireplace to meet all the required specs, but also in putting me in touch with people he often works with to accomplish such projects. Sonny's installation team was professional, courteous and careful not to damage anything during the fireplace installation, as the room is completely finished. Sonny organized the installation on a rapid time frame and his people showed up on time. I cannot give higher marks and would not hesitate to recommend Toronto Comfort Zone for complex fireplace projects.

Emmanuel (Semi Painting) is a hard working young man with an intense desire to do well and succeed. This translates into an effort to turn out a quality job in an efficient time frame. This job consisted of a total interior repaint of an older, 800 sqft home with above average trim work and a stippled ceiling. Emmanuel's ability to hand cut with great accuracy along with his technique, turned out a beautiful product in 4 days. I would recommend his services and retain him again.

Nick and Tom just completed an amazing shingle-over job on my home. I've had many roofing jobs done on different houses over the years and can tell when a professional outfit shows up to do the job. Nick did everything he said he was going to do. He notified me before he was about to show up for a scheduled appointment. He was on time. The job was professionally done with all the necessary attention to detail. The site was kept clean and social distancing was respected throughout the job in this age of CoVid 19. The job had it's own idiosyncrasies like they all do, which I had apprised Nick ahead of time. He addressed my concerns up front and did exactly what he committed to doing during the job. I couldn't be happier and would not hesitate a full and complete recommendation. If only all tradespeople had the same pride in their work and desire to do such a high quality job for their customers as this outfit!

I had an intermittent furnace failure on an older furnace in a rental bungalow. If at all possible, I did not want to replace the furnace as this will be done in 5 to 10 years when I eventually develop the property. Belyea has done work for me in the past and I have been very satisfied. I requested the same technician, Dylan, to come out and evaluate the problem. Dylan was able to diagnose the problem existed with the electric blower motor. It had simply gotten too old and was failing irregularly - a problem that would eventually lead to a complete failure. The age of the furnace could potentially make finding a replacement motor challenging. At my request, Dylan was able to compare and contrast the merits of the part replacement (if found) against a furnace replacement. Explaining my objectives, Belyea set out to find a replacement motor and managed to locate it the same day. The next day Dylan returned to install and everything works perfectly again. He was professional, efficient and cleaned up after he was done. For clarity, it is honest advice and an attempt to resolve problems that earns Belyea a 5 star rating. Far too many suppliers and contractors will simply try to up sell a customer or decline interest in the job. That approach to business earns loyalty. The others never get called again.

First time use of Belyea for furnace repair and I was very happy with the service. They were professional from start to finish. Someone answered the phone on the first call, made an appointment window time and set up a 30 minute notification call in advance of the technician's arrival, as it was a tenanted property (very convenient for me). Dillon, the technician, was very efficient and knowledgeable about the furnace. He went about verifying the problem identified by Enbridge in the red tag, from multiple approaches and fixed the issues. He was safety focused and verified all aspects of the operation of the furnace to confirm it was safe to operate (CO2 levels at heat exchanger, gas leakage using meter for verification, soapy water to check for leaks at locations identified by Enbridge, smelling for leakage). It's an old furnace in an older home. I appreciate that Dillon did not try to up-sell me a new furnace, as seems to be the all-to-often approach of many other HVAC contractors. The company was clear about the cost of the service, which included an initial call-out fee and then a service fee, once the problem was identified and fixed. Everything was fair, professional, quick and transparent...exactly what I'm looking for in a service provider! Should the need arise, I would use Beylea again and would recommend their services.

In early June, I used Alpine Roofing to install a two-ply, modified bitumen torch down roof on a residential flat roof, replacing an existing EPDM roofing system. In the same contract, Alpine also re-shingled the southern face of the mansard portion of the same roof. I have used Alpine multiple times before for shingle jobs to my great satisfaction, but this was the first time I've used them for a flat roof. Like my feelings about their prior work, I am very happy with the work. Here is my assessment of the job: 1) Quoting Process: Showed up on time. Listened to my concerns and addressed them openly and honestly and made sure they were represented in the contract. As an example, my old roof pooled water and I wanted to ensure the new installation did not make that mistake. The roof needed to be sloped in a particular way, ensuring water also ran away from a central roof vent. There has been a rain storm since installation and I verified that the water ran off the roof and into the trough system. Very happy. 2) Contract: Easy to understand and adjusted to address how I wanted the roof done (after company guidance of best options for my roof specifically). 3) Installation: Alpine showed up on time. They were prepared to address any complication that arose and satisfied any concern I expressed. Their work was professional and they were always prepared to ensure the roof was being done to my satisfaction. The team worked efficiently together with meticulous attention to detail. 4) Safety: Alpine provided proof of insurance (General, WSIB and Work-at-heights). They tied off ladders and supports, built a temporary fence around the flat roof and kept the site (roof and ground) clean and free of debris. They did a general site clean up after the job, removing any debris that fell to the ground (nails and such) 5) Corporate follow-up: Alpine sent their own inspector during the job to review work-in-process and ensure everything was on track. The Company also followed up after the job to determine if I was satisfied. I think these are all the signs of a professional organization that cares about not only doing a quality job, but ensuring their customers are happy and satisfied. Once again, Alpine has exceeded my expectations and I would not hesitate to recommend them for prospective flat roof and shingle roof installations.

In 2011, I contracted Dominion Roofing to install a single vent on a flat roof with an EPDM cover. When the contractor showed up, I learned he was the owner of a flat roof company subcontracted by Dominion to do the job (something that was never disclosed to me at the time of contracting Dominion). At the time, I was inexperienced in EPDM roofing systems and had no idea of the unbelievable problems this company was about to create for me. Firstly, the sub owner - Jake - showed up alone, lacking everything he needed for the job, and I had to help him! Upon lifting the MaxiVent to be installed, it slipped out of his hand and the corner hit the roof. He briefly looked over the roof and decided it was OK. After the first rain storm, the point in which the vent hit the roof leaked and ruined my bathroom ceiling and resulted in a call back to put a patch. Anybody who works with EPDM knows they are extremely susceptible to puncture from sharp objects. Instead of being sure, Jake decided to ignore what was likely a puncture - this is lazy and bad practice. Back to the installation day, unbeknownst to me a skilled contractor will thoroughly clean an EPDM roof with naphthalene or some petrol-based alternative, BEFORE installing patches (I learned this afterward). Failure to do so will result in a bad seal, ultimately domed to failure. Jake, short of required materials chose to scrub the surface area with a towel. He then proceeded to install a series of patches around the vent, doubling and tripling layers in certain areas, all the while insuring me that it last as least as long at the remaining life of the roof. Inexperienced, I believed the assurances. Roughly 18 - 24 months later (I don't remember the exact date, but can look it up if needed) the ceiling in the center of my house and directly beneath the vent suddenly shows all sorts of stains from a water leak. Dominion first tries to blame the vent itself (which they recommended in the first place) by insinuating that hard weather might blow rain into the vent. (This shows how they are trying to avert responsibility). The Vent manufacturer immediately send a rep to review the installation and assures me it's not the vent. To be sure, they even add an upgrade to the vent. The question of culpability is quickly resolved when it's proven that the patches are leaking, as retained water on the roof is dripping through during a clear day. Clearly, one cannot blame weather. EPDM roofs commonly hold water and it should not be an issue, as the "rubber" is impermeable to water, except at the seams if they're bad. (To prove the patch leak in my tiny attic, I had to build a catwalk to be able to get under the vent for drip inspection. While there I built a catch pan - as best as one can do with a truss roof). What homeowner wants to do this???!!! Dominion sent Jake back, who once again used his trusty towel to scrub clean the area around the vent to be patched and re-apply new patches - with all the assurances that this time it will last. 18 - 20 months later (again, I can look up exact dates if needed), the patches at the vent were leaking. Not trusting Jake's work, I'm continually climbing into my 4 foot high attic to check out the catch pan for water throughout the year. Andreas, my contact at Dominion, was initially unresponsive to my calls and messages to notify and request they come and fix the problem. I called from a number not registered under my name and he picked up his cell, at which point I explained the roof was leaking again at the patches. "How would you feel if it was your house? My ceilings are destroyed". This time, Jake sent his crew. By this time, I've now done a lot of research into EPDM, EPDM repair and maintenance and, as always intend to supervise the entirety of the work. They were prepared with EPDM cleaner. However, it was cold (late fall) and the patches were not sticking because it seemed the cold was impacting their flexibility. The crew chose to use a flame thrower (the kind you would use on a torched down roofing system - not EPDM - ever) to warm and loosen up the frozen rubber. I was caught somewhere between being impressed with the ingenuity and scared they somehow damage the roof, or worse. The installation seemed to go fine though frozen water doesn't leak. Two points: 1) Jake called them no less than five times during the installation to pressure them to finish up and get off the job site. It was abundantly clear to me he didn't want them there - no doubt forced by Dominion. I would think if you're responsible for this kind of a disaster, you'd say the reverse - "Do what you have to, to ensure the job is perfect". Clearly not the case; 2) The crew was clear with me that the patch was unlikely to hold because of the cold weather and the extraordinary measures they had to take to get the patches to stick. Further, they felt that the entire installation would have been better done as an "in the field" installation with seam tape. (Basically, rather than having all the seams immediately around the vent, they would've cut a larger segment of EPDM out around the vent and seemed it on that flat surface, instead of peel and stick patches immediately around the vent). They recommended they return in the spring to fix the job properly. I informed Dominion and Andreas of this prognosis by text, as he didn't answer his phone. The patch work seemed to hold for almost 20 months and started to fail again - water in the attic catch pan. I called and left messages for Andreas. No returned calls. While normally I would give credit for returning to an installation for address a problem, in this case it is not deserved. 1) Shoddy workmanship time and again. 2) A wrecked ceiling for which they have never offered to fix. 3) An ongoing problem for which I will likely have to get a different roofer to fix or be forced into an entire roof replacement long before the typical lifespan of my roofing material. (An EPDM roof should last 15-30 years - I'm currently at 11 years) 4) Unresponsive to calls and only reacts when "caught" on the phone I have photographic evidence of the entire episode. Currently quoting repairs from other flat roof specialist contractors and they universally think the patches and installation of the vent is garbage work. A ballasted field repair will be the way I go. USE EITHER OF THESE COMPANIES AT YOUR OWN RISK!!! Caveat Emptor.

Kept kept mower for a year on the pretext of either replacing or repairing the motor (bent shaft). Reported it would be too expensive to replace (as no suitable engines became available) or repair the shaft. Kept the $40 deposit without justifying any work. Will never go back.