lynn from corktown

We live in an older house. The main bedroom was super cold. Trent's crew gutted the place and had spray insulation put in the ceiling and walls. Being an older home, we wanted the old baseboards kept since they don't make them like that any more. Trent said he'd do his best but warned us to expect that they'd break when being removed. The job included sound barrier insulation between us and our neighbour, exposing the brick on the chimney that ran through the room, putting in 2 built in closets, adding more electrical outlets and new flooring. As always, something comes up when we're getting work done on our house. First - there was some knob and tube which surprised us. He called in an electrician who took care of it. Next, he wondered why the floor had a slope. Apparently "don't all old houses have a slope?" isn't the right answer. He found that there was a foundation beam in the basement that was rotten. Somehow he managed to get all the right people looking at it, get permits, get the work done and inspected in what feels like very little time at all. So now our bedroom is warm in winter and cool in summer plus our house isn't going to fall down! And... he saved the original baseboard and had it refinished. I had a complaint with the bedroom window - the screen and a couple of clips got damaged. He couldn't get replacement parts, but we came to an agreement and he installed a new window. Which ended up being pretty awesome because it opened so much easier than the old one (all our windows require a lot to open them). I recommend Trent and am always surprised when he calls me back because this house is a lot of unexpected work.

We first went shopping for a sofa around 5 years ago, but ended up using the money for home renos instead. We decided to start shopping again and had a pretty good idea we'd end up with Choice Leather. We stopped by a few other places just to be sure of what was available and what current prices were. Tom and Adrian make themselves available for questions/information but also give you all the time you need to look at and try out the sofas without hassling you. It was a completely pressure-free situation. We actually stopped by a couple of times before making our final choice. Prices are very competitive. The delivery time wasn't a "window" of time. It was Adrian saying he'd be there around 11 and calling 30 minutes ahead of time so I could leave work and meet him at my home. They even took my old, heavy sofa bed out to the curb for me (thanks guys). If all goes well, I won't be buying another sofa for a long, long time. I don't typically review retail purchases, but they asked me to so here it is.

We hired Trent to finish our basement after having first hired him for a couple of smaller jobs. The basement was a big job (for us anyway), involving waterproofing, leveling old floors, re-routing pipes for our hot water heating, installing new stairs, electrical work, and finishing everything off. Now we have an inviting rec room, boiler room, laundry room and storage space. Trent offered some very useful suggestions for some of the choices we had to make (finishes, locations of switches etc). When he was basically done the job he asked us for a list of problems to fix so we looked everything over and came up with a list. Everything on the list was done. He also guarantees everything for a year and plans to come back in the fall to touch up a few things. Trent and Jimmy were friendly and professional, as usual. Communication was great in person, by text or on the phone. We've since called Trent a couple of times to ask about something that came up that we thought might be related to the reno. Most recently was moisture we noticed after the heavy rains. He came over the next evening shortly after we already noticed that the problem may have been due to toddlers playing with water. We apologized for what we thought was wasting his time but he brushed it off and said it was all part of customer service. Then he checked one place we hadn't thought of - the water meter behind an access panel. It was leaking. So we'll get the city to fix it and we look forward to seeing Trent in the fall for the follow-ups. I had been putting off doing this review because I'm inherently lazy. Today's visit reminded me that writing a review isn't much effort at all, and it motivated me to get to it. Trent is remarkably professional, courteous and good at what he does. I have no reservations recommending him to friends or recommending him to you, perfect strangers.

Installing Ikea cupboards is something homeowners are supposed to be able to easily do themselves. But our house is 130 years old, so nothing is ever simple plus we wanted some electrical work done in the kitchen too. As a marriage saving initiative, we decided to hire Trent to get the job done. We have had experiences with handymen and contractors, some of whom were recommended by friends and others that we researched on HomeStars, and the job gets done but we never hire them again. We're looking for someone more reliable who actually wants to do a good job. We've found that person in Trent. The crew came when they were supposed to come, they were tidy and careful, they were fast, they were pleasant, and they did the job well. The cupboards were installed on our not-exactly-flat wall and the base cabinets were installed on the sloping floor against the not-so-flat wall, and it looks fabulous. Our biggest worry is where to put our stuff in all the extra storage. The only hesitation I have in recommending Trent is that if he gets too popular then it may be difficult for me to book him next time - because I wouldn't hesitate to hire him again.

My dishwasher broke down a month ago, then last week my clothes washer broke. So I called Joe hoping he could fix both. He said the dishwasher (from '97) needed a new motor and that it wasn't worth fixing it because of its age. He repaired the clothes washer with a little ingenuity, saving me from having to replace my timer unit. He was pleasant, fast and professional. I wouldn't hesitate to call him for my next repair.

Ok - I only went there for a passport photo. But that passport photo is one of the best photographs of myself that I own. I never thought I'd be happy with a picture taken for ID (where I tend to look like a serial killer), but to have it be one of the best pictures of myself that I have? Unbelievable! (Make sure Adina is the one who takes the photo - otherwise it's just a regular passport photo)

Last winter I put in an order to have my eavestrough cleaned after the leaves fell. I eventually found an invoice in my mailbox, but there was no bag of debris to show that they cleaned te eavestrough. When I called to ask for some clarification, they explained they didn't leave the debris behind at every job. Hoping for the best, I paid the bill. Not surprisingly, that winter, water wouldn't drain down my downspout. Instead, I got icedams in my eaves and huge icicles. As I investigated further, I found a huge clot of frozen debris blocking my downspout. I guess the reason there was no debris in a bag for me at the end of the job was because they forced it down my downspout where some of it jammed and ultimately froze. Nice job. Can anyone recommend a company that will actually do this simple job correctly?

In all my dealing with contractors etc, I've never been as pleased as I have been with Absolute. Andrew was helpful and professional, able to get the work done quickly, and dealt with problems immediately. Update: It seems there was no trap put in the shower drain. I didn't notice the smell at first because I didn't use that bathroom. The person who did use it didn't mention the smell until one day she said "you had caesar salad for dinner right? I could smell it in my bathroom when you washed the dishes". Turns out that when you don't smell sewer gas, you smell whatever is being sent down the drain (e.g. cleansers). I'm adjusting my rating accordingly. It won't post without putting an approximate cost. I honestly can't remember how much we paid.