Alexei from Ottawa

We got O'reilly to top up attic (cellulose) insulation to R-50 from about R-26, spray foam our basement to R-20 with headers to R-24 and coat the headers and a few walls with cementitious coating for fire resistance since we were going to do a drop ceiling instead of drywall. Appraisal, attic insulation top-up and spray foaming the entire basement went great 10/10 on that and props to the guys for doing a good job. Prep, clean-up and the work were all done well. The cementitious application though wasn't nearly as good. Because application of this stuff requires extensive setup and clean-up, O'Reilly charges close to $500 for setup/teardown in addition to per square foot application cost. Unfortunately the crew applying cementitious (different from those doing attic top-up or spray foam) failed to properly prep or clean up. The actual application was good but we ended up with chunks of cement covering our belongings 8 feet away from any exterior wall since the crew didn't cover it. The crew was also totally unprepared for the clean-up - all they had was a small broom and a dustpan that was hardly sufficient for the amount of mess this generated. They ended up using OUR shop vac, OUR step stool and our broom to clean up the mess. Needless to say, wet cement does not help any of these things operate better. We have then looked around our lawn and noticed a few fairly large areas covered with cementitious where (I think) they were using/washing their equipment. Needless to say that covering grass with cement doesn't help it grow nor does cement dissolve within a day or two! It took us about an hour to clean up the bulk of what was left on the grass. And let's not forget that we paid the $500 setup fee! To their credit though, when I called O'reilly and explained the situation they did offer to refund half that setup costs but this has still left a sour taste for us. Now you know why I'm torn. Attic insulation and basement spray foam were excellent but cementitious was a disaster. I would still recommend O'Reilly because 2 of 3 experiences were great but I'd say that you should be around and monitor their progress as quality of the work may vary by the crew doing it.

We used to have a 530sq ft finished basement but had to re-insulate the basement and had to rip out drywall on exterior walls. Once the insulation was complete, we had to also drywall the part of the basement that was unfinished to meet fire code. We put up the drywall ourselves and hired Andy to fully finish and repair the 530 sq ft finished basement as well as tape + do a "cover coat" everywhere else. Andy's contractor that did the job was punctual, friendly and most importantly did a very good job. Even the cover coat he did in the "unfinished" part looks great. He also put up a plastic sheet to minimize dust outside the basement and used "dust control" mud for the final coat on our request to further minimize dust from sanding. Neither Andy nor the contractor doing the job ever rushed and took the time needed for a great finish! Andy stayed engaged throughout the few days this job took and came to do the prime check to address any few remaining areas himself. Highly recommended!

We moved into a new house a little while back. The house had hardwood on the main floor but carpet in all the bedrooms, stairs and basement. The previous owner of the house took in stray cats and I'm mildly allergic to pet dander (cats!). Needless to say, that was not a good combination! We booked carpet cleaning with JS Cleaning on the recommendation of our realtor. They came in on time and did a good job washing/vacuuming the carpets. They also recommended that we vacuum the carpets again once they dried. After this process was complete, I was no longer sneezing! Highly recommended!

Stone Design Concepts has the same owners as Phoenix Homes. We had a granite counter top installed when we bought a townhouse from Phoenix and it was great so we decided to get a granite countertop for the vanity in the master bathroom when we moved. We took advantage of the show special about a year ago and are very happy with the outcome! Their design centre consultant was excellent, we got to see and OK the slab before they cut it and their installers were right on time and did a good job. They use computerized lasers to measure the countertop's size so it was a perfect fit. They also offered a free sink and side/backsplash included in the price. However, we asked them to install a different sink that we ordered ourselves and they were very happy to do that for us as well. All in all, while this is not a "true" granite/quartz warehouse, if you like one of the dozen granite and quartz styles that are included in the show special they are good quality and a great deal! Highly recommended!