D. King in Toronto

We first used Antoine Houdeville and Earthtones Painters in 2009/2010 when our home underwent a major renovation. We were so pleased with the results that Earthtones was our only choice when we recently needed a major re-painting done of our exterior walls and ceilings and a new ‘office’ room. As before (from receipt of the initial estimate to the job’s completion), Antoine and his staff were a pleasure to work with. Antoine provided fair and timely estimates; he offered sound practical advice; he was flexible when the job parameters changed; he reliably called to confirm when his painters would arrive; he was always friendly and considerate; and, not surprisingly, the resultant quality of the work was/is excellent. We always felt confident that our home was in ‘good hands’, and we weren’t disappointed. With no hesitation whatsoever, we absolutely recommend Earthtones to those who appreciate high quality painting work at a very reasonable cost.

GreenSaver is a professional organization which deserves its excellent reputation for ethical practices and high quality workmanship. GreenSaver personnel are courteous, helpful, competent and efficient and we unequivocally recommend the organization and its staff. In the autumn of 2011 we learned about, and applied for, a ‘reftrofit’ energy conservation program. Our energy audit revealed that we had low R-value insulation in the exterior walls and roof, and we were approved for the senior low-income program (which meant the work would be done at no cost to us, but its estimated value is $10-$12,000). Before agreeing to the project being undertaken, we asked GreenSaver to provide us with detailed information about the materials that would be used, their methodology, how well they would look after our home, and what condition it would be in at the completion of the work. Not only were we apprehensive about the possibility of our furniture and possessions (including dishes, wall hangings, decorative ornaments, clothes, etc.) being damaged and/or repeatedly covered with drywall dust/debris during the project, we were very concerned about the quality of the final repair work with regard to the many ‘insulation injection’ holes that would be drilled into our walls (there were in fact 276 holes in total). All of our questions and concerns were fully and satisfactorily answered by their project coordinators, and in the spring of 2012 we arranged to have the work done. GreenSaver was at our home for five (5) days and each morning the project coordinator discussed with us the work to be done that day and invited our input. Each evening, after the accumulated dust and debris was thoroughly vacuumed by the workers, we were given a ‘walk-through’ of the work that had been done and we were able to discuss options for the remaining areas. The end result was a thorough and excellent job, including very skilful patching of the drilled holes and the walls were indeed left in a first-rate, paint-ready state. Our home is now at least 30% more energy efficient (and possibly as much as 45-50%), and we are already enjoying a noticeable improvement in temperature comfort. We are also anticipating an equally impressive dollar savings in reduced energy costs. To reiterate, we highly recommend GreenSaver to anyone considering having similar work done in their home.

We found Pat through a neighbour referral and asked him to quote on ‘patching’ a 4 ft x 5 ft hole in our kitchen ceiling. Pat returned our call the same day, visited the house the next day and was able to complete the job the next week. If you have tried finding a drywaller --- even through HomeStars --- you will know what a luxury it is to have a reliable contractor who keeps his word, arrives on time and is very fair in his costs. Pat was in our house for two days during which time he (almost) never stopped. In addition to the large drywall patch in the kitchen ceiling, he: patched a wall in our basement; did some tiling in our basement; installed baseboard; put in a light in a dining room corner cabinet; built some shelves for a kitchen cabinet; installed a towel rack and a hook; and installed a new shower curtain rod (plus a number of other ‘oddments'); and he supplied most of the materials). As I said, Pat worked very hard, but he also worked carefully and cleaned up after himself. He was considerate, attentive to our questions and concerns; and gave us excellent value.

We had a leak in our kitchen ceiling emanating from the flat roof above it (caused by an electrician cutting into the roofing material!). On the flat roof is a deck. We removed the planks and called in several roofers. They all offered re-do the flat roof (once we removed the decking – which would have been a major and expensive undertaking). Only Robert actually got down on his hands and knees to inspect the existing roof; he determined that the roof is in good condition and we need only patch the problem areas. We asked Robert to return and check our work, which he did the next day. His advice (given at no charge) on what to do (and what to avoid e.g. ensure air circulation and good drainage) not only saved us a lot of money it also gave us peace of mind. We had asked all the roofers to inspect the rest of our roofing and they all identified a small area of shingling on the back of the house as a priority problem. On Robert’s second visit, we asked him if he would consider re-shingling this small area, which he did within days. We were impressed with how quickly Robert returned our calls, made time to visit the house, and gave us advice that was best for us but did not benefit his bottom line. And, of course, we are very happy that the newly shingled part of the roof is now winter-proof. We will certainly ask Robert to quote on any future roofing work we might need.

We had two water leaks in our basement which brought forward our renovation project. We learned that we needed to waterproof our basement and we met with three companies, including Brad Duggan of Duggan’s Waterproofing. Brad discussed our options in a clear and understandable way. His quote was fair and he began the work immediately to limit the impact on the rest of our home renovation. His crew were efficient, pleasant and very professional. During the excavation of the exterior of our home, in preparation for laying the membrane etc., Brad discovered a number of additional problems – our basement needed underpinning, the sewer line was broken – which he corrected at minimal additional cost. He also cemented the other side of our house to ensure water ran away from the brick (thus minimising water problems on that side of the house). The clean up was amazing and we feel very confident that our house is now protected from future water damage. Finally, Brad laid cement slabs along the side of our house to provide a walkway. In all our dealings with Brad, he was courteous, he answered all our questions, and was attentive to all our concerns. We have no hesitation in recommending Brad and his company.

At the 2010 Spring Home Show we met with a number of railing companies and immediately liked Sal from Alumarail. When Sal came to our home he explained our options and costs and they seemed reasonable. When we were ready to have the railing installed, the turnaround time was excellent the crew were professional and answered all our questions. We asked for one minor change and Sal did it immediately with no extra charge. We are delighted with the result and it certainly compliments our new front porch and front yard.

We met Victor Fiase at the 2010 Spring Home Show and were immediately impressed by AnyCrete when Victor showed us photographs of the many projects the company has completed. AnyCrete used a process called “stamped concrete” to produce a wonderful flagstone-like effect in your choice of colour(s). We subsequently made an appointment for Victor to visit our home to discuss options, costs and time-frames. At that time, we asked him to draw up a design which we then used as a future discussion vehicle. We also asked him for references, which he willingly provided, and on one Sunday afternoon we visited four homes and met with three of the owners to look at what work had been done and to ask them about their experiences with AnyCrete. They were all very complementary about the company, and as AnyCrete's workmanship was equally impressive, we decided to proceed. Before the actual work began, Domingo (the owner) and Victor visited the house to finalize the design plans (including how water will drain and not cause any problems for us or our neighbours), and again explain to us the process that would be followed. AnyCrete built us a new front porch and steps, a visually pleasing new 'front yard' with flower beds and additional parking room, a walkway between our house and our neighbour, and a patio in the backyard. Regardless of whether or not Domingo was on site (which he frequently was), all his crews were professional, competent, and courteous. Not only did they know how to do their jobs, they minimized any negative impact there may have been to our neighbours, and they were always very pleasant whenever we asked questions. In summary, we are very pleased with the quality of the job and consider it good value. We are also continually amazed at how often passers-by simply stop and look at AnyCrete’s work and, if we're outside, express how impressive it looks. We also had two days when city workers (who were laying new concrete side walk pads along our street) reaffirmed our belief that AnyCrete had done an excellent job. (Note: We had researched laying down interlocking stones and found the cost would have been almost double.) We are very, very pleased with our 'new' front yard, our side driveway, and redesigned back yard as well and enjoyed meeting all the AnyCrete personnel. From our experience with the company, we highly recommend that they be seriously considered as the contractor of choice.

We had our home renovated last year and were still somewhat 'shellshocked' from the experience, so we spent some time with each of the four companies we researched. Ambia was the last of the four companies and Tony was our contact. Our whole experience with Tony and Ambia's installation crew has been excellent. Tony met with us to explain the process and answered all our questions. He gave us an extensive reference list and all eight of the references we contacted called back and everyone was very pleased with Tony and Ambia. Within three weeks from the order date, our (seven) windows and patio door were installed. The crew were professional, friendly, courteous and knowledgeable. Ambia's prices are fair, but their service is superlative. We thoroughly recommend Tony and Ambia.