Joan in Leaside

We called on Leaside Plumbing twice in the last few months. Once to diagnose and fix a leak under our fridge, and the second time to install new faucet cartridges in a sink. Both times Jonathan came, explained what he was going to do, answered all our questions, and finished the work quickly. He was professional and friendly. We used Leaside Plumbing once last year, too, with a different plumber but similar results. Couldn't ask for more.

During the massive rain of July 16, our main sump pump and backup battery pump system were overwhelmed. We called Anta the next morning (we had used them once before) and within a few hours Daniel arrived. He performed a maintenance and check of both and found that the backup system was no longer working. He returned the next morning to replace it. He was professional, friendly, explained how everything worked and answered all our questions. Could not ask for more!

We needed a front door lock re-keyed for a newly purchased condo/townhouse, and we also needed the electronic keypad re-programmed. Tyler arrived on time, was friendly and professional and extremely informative about this type of lock, how it works, issues it might have, etc. We could not have asked for a better experience! Thank you, Tyler!

I have used Eaves Experts every fall for the past few years. We have huge maple trees in both our front and back yards, and our eavestroughs fill with leaves quite quickly. Neethan and his team are professional, knowledgeable, and friendly, and they are the only eaves-cleaning company I have ever used that does their best to ensure the downspouts -- not just the troughs -- are clear. They are terrific!

When my old Maytag dryer died, a trusted repairman, Steve Brannan, recommended I buy a new one from County Appliances. (That reminded me that I had bought a dishwasher from them more than a decade ago and was happy with it and the whole installation process.) I contacted Fred at County, got his advice and recommendation, and within a few days I had a new Whirlpool dryer delivered. Fred and his father, Doug, installed it. It was a tight fit because of the built-in counter above, but they were patient and took the time to make it work. Their friendly and professional service during this installation (and the whole sales process) was what stood out to me. Great service these days is hard to find!

When our daughter bought a condo in a renovated industrial building in Toronto we called on Dimitar of Locksmith Care. He installed two new deadbolts and rekeyed two door handles. He was on time, friendly, did great work, and was very fairly priced. Everything a professional should be, and we will happily call him for future work. Thank you, Dimitar!

Harris Plumbing has been my go-to for plumbing help for almost 30 years. During that time they have done a variety of repairs and improvements in my homes: everything from toilet repairs and piping issues to installing new sinks, kitchen counters, and dishwashers. During the past couple of years I have been lucky enough to have Mike Fosberg do the work -- always friendly, professional, punctual, and with his years of experience behind him, someone whose skills and knowledge I trust. When plumbing issues arise it's reassuring to know there are professionals I can count on to solve them.

I should have written this review in September 2016 when Saul's crew came to re-sod my front lawn...so my apologies, Saul. Sod Masters did an amazing job. Saul himself has decades of sod-laying and lawn-care experience behind him. The three men who did the labour were polite, on-time, and cleaned up after themselves. We went from having a weedy, sparse lawn to an emerald-green carpet in one day. As well, Saul's follow-up is impressive: I've called on Saul a couple times since last fall with questions, and he has always responded promptly and driven over to take a look and provide expert advice. Please trust him with your lawn and you won't be disappointed.

Today Steve Brannan came by to fix my Maytag front loading washer, which was dripping inside even after the cycle was finished. This is the third time I have called on Steve for various repairs in the past couple of years. He is extremely professional, polite, responds quickly to any messages left and has always been able to provide service within a short period of time. He is also very patient when I pepper him with questions! Terrific service overall.

When my patio door began to leak along the bottom, I called several door and window installers (including the maker of the door) to see if I could get a serviceperson to come and repair it. No one would take on the task. They seemed more intent on selling me a new patio door. Luckily, I found the Window and Door Repair and Service Center. I made an appointment with Petra for Frank to come and take a look. He diagnosed the problem area right away and fixed it quite quickly. I then asked him to look at a basement window that had recently started to leak. After pointing out that the window had been installed upside down (!!!!) and thus the drainage slot was in the wrong spot, he caulked all around and it should now be fine. With Frank, you really get the feeling that he is concerned about doing the job right for a reasonable cost, and leaving the customer satisfied. Punctual, professional, and uber-friendly -- I'd highly recommend him.

Today Steve Brannan came to my house to repair my 9-year-old Maytag dryer that had recently started squealing and screeching during use. This was the second time I have called on Steve -- the first was last fall to repair my Maytag washer. On both occasions Steve was easy to reach by phone, prompt in calling me back with a general estimate, and the work was completed within a day or so of my call. He's polite, punctual, professional, has decades of experience, and he stands by his work. Why would you call anyone else?

I have called on Paul and Pest 911 twice over the past few years, most recently for carpenter ant treatment. With years of experience in the industry, he is extremely knowledgeable and shares that knowledge with you, explaining everything you need to know about whatever pest is of concern. He is patient, polite, punctual, and he does a very thorough job -- never rushing. From his inspection to treatment to giving suggestions for future prevention, he is absolutely stellar!

A portion of the exterior of my house was waterproofed last spring, and the interlocking stone around the foundation (driveway and walkway) had to be dug up and displaced. Several months later, once the ground had "settled," the waterproofing company hired Leveled Ground to relay the stones. I had already seen their signs around Leaside and thought that they did good work. Adam and his crew came and did a thorough, neat job, and they were all friendly, punctual and polite. Adam even did some extra work -- removing and replacing extra interlock where the slope required it, and supplying and laying some new interlock where there had just been gravel before. I appreciated the fact that Adam, the owner of the company, was very hands-on, right there with his guys. That's not too common these days! I'd highly recommend him.

I contacted Otto to give me an estimate for replacing about 40 spalling bricks on the back wall of my house and to do some tuckpointing on the front wall. He called me back quickly and came over within a few days to take a look. He explained what needed to be done and gave me an estimate that was quite reasonable. (I'd already gotten a couple other quotes.) When Jesse came to do the work, he was on-time (actually, a little early, which was a nice surprise!), very polite, he worked non-stop till the job was done, and he cleaned up thoroughly. He happily answered any questions I had. Everything looks great, and I'll be calling Otto in the not-too-distant future to take a look at my chimney.... Can't recommend him and Jesse highly enough!

When my husband and I were looking for someone to paint the main floor of our large mid-town Toronto house, plus two bathrooms (including a vanity base), and both the upstairs and downstairs hallways, a good friend recommended Integrity Painters. The owner, Ricardo, came over shortly after I called. We talked about what we wanted done and he went room to room taking measurements. He was extremely thorough and professional -- his years of experience were obvious. A few days later, he emailed us a detailed estimate, which was very fair compared to an earlier quote we had been given. Our house presented some challenges, including 10" high ceilings and some that were even higher, lots of prep work, holes that needed filling and caulking that had to be re-done. He was able to do a perfect match of my decorator's Farrow & Ball colour choices with another high quality but less costly brand. (This was particularly impressive because I hadn't been able to get exact matches myself, even after going to three different paint stores and buying several trial-sized pots.) He was always punctual and worked around my schedule and my large dog. He ended up using less paint than anticipated, so he passed the savings on to us. When he sent us the final invoice, he included all the paint receipts. His work is beautiful and has been admired by neighbours, friends and my decorator. Just as importantly to us, Ricardo was friendly, polite, honest and 100% trustworthy. You'd be hard-pressed to find a better painter or nicer person. I can't recommend him highly enough.

I have called on Costa Caulking twice in recent months -- once for interior work to re-caulk old bathrooms, and more recently for exterior work on my brick and EIFS home. Both the owner, Dave, and his team members (Robert, in particular), have been fantastic. They are punctual, polite, and professional. They take their time in explaining what needs to be done and in doing a thorough job. It's nice to know, too, that they have years of experience behind them. I trust them implicitly.

After hearing (and reading) mixed reviews about many moving companies in the GTA, I settled on AMJ Campbell (Markham location) to move us from Richmond Hill to Toronto in December. The total cost of the actual move was neither the cheapest nor the most expensive of the 3 quotes I got. I chose their "partial pack" option, (they packed -- and later unpacked -- all my china, crystal, glass, mirrors, framed pictures, lamps, breakables), since I was worried about my ability to correctly pack these items. This option greatly increased the cost of the move, but it was worth it. All in all, everything went very smoothly. The salesperson, Lynn Tipping, who came to my old house to give me the quote, did a good job answering all my questions both by phone and email. The packers (Tom and Basil) were mature men, professional, punctual, friendly, and very efficient. The 3 movers (I wish I could recall their names) were also stellar. The move itself took 2 or 3 hours less than the salesperson originally estimated, so I didn't pay as much as I'd expected. I don't think the guys even ate lunch -- unless they ate in the truck between houses. Anyway, I'd highly recommend AMJ.

I recently called on Cody to clean my eaves in my "new" home in Leaside, which has huge maple trees in both the front and back. We had had a snowstorm the week before, and even though almost all of the snow was gone by the time Cody arrived, many of the remaining leaves in the troughs were compacted and frozen in place. He and his helper worked for hours to remove them (much longer than a typical cleaning), yet I was charged the same as if it was a smaller, shorter job. I'm sure their fingers were frozen to the bone! This is the second time I've called on Einzig, and I will never call on anyone else. They are polite, cheerful, professional, and simply a pleasure to deal with.

Our mahogany dining room set (pedestal table, 2-piece china cabinet, sideboard) had been well-used by my family during the past 30 years (and by another family for decades before that). The glossy surfaces were full of scratches, dings, and at least one long, deep gouge. A table leg had been broken and reattached long ago. Since we were moving to a new home, we were debating whether we should restore this set or just buy a new one. Well...I'm so thrilled we decided on the former. Carrocel did an incredible job and they did it in the time frame we agreed upon. The entire set with it's now-satin finish looks brand-new. It is simply remarkable -- I almost didn't recognize it. The icing on the cake was the professional, friendly service we received from my initial phone call and visit to the showroom, to the day the restored set was delivered to my new home. Everyone we dealt with -- from Joe to Cameron to Maya to Lindsay to Butch and Lucas and the other man who helped deliver the set (I'm sorry I can't recall his name right now), was wonderful. Exceptional customer service and fine workmanship seems so rare today, but that's what Carrocel provides. (By the way, I also had them refinish an old maple kitchen table that my father-in-law made decades ago, and they made it look beautiful, as well.) What more can I say? They are simply wonderful.

Initially, I called Harris Plumbing to fix a leak left by another plumber. When Greg corrected the previous plumber's poor workmanship, I hired him to replace my kitchen counter, sink, and faucet. He did a terrific job (along with his son and Ryan). They were all professional, courteous, and punctual. A pleasure!

I hired Splash Painting to paint the entire interior of our 3 bedroom home. It's 23 years old and some of the rooms had not been painted since we first moved in, so there was quite a bit of prepping and patchwork, chair rails to be removed, wallpaper to be scraped off, and even a hole in the ceiling that needed to be repaired. Eric and his team of mature, professional painters did a beautiful job. They were on time each day and I had no qualms about handing Eric a key to the house when I had to go to work. My husband and I could not be more happy with his work -- we feel like we're in a fresh, new home!