jean in Ottawa

Hired Jason to drywall and mud about 19 linear feet of wall (L-shaped) in a basement workshop, plus put in some insulation in joist area above the drywall. Really liked that he listened/heard what was important to us, including minimizing and controlling for dust. He also gladly helped me with a couple of other small unrelated fixes at no extra charge. Looking forward to having Jason take on our outdoor window painting and deck cleaning/waterproofing project once things warm up a little.

This summer and fall Dave and his guys filled a number of cracks we discovered as we were renovating the basement, investigated water drainage issues, waterproofed, and repaired a poorly installed underground eavestrough drain. This was not our first dealing with Dave. He had done some waterproofing for us about 10 years ago, and a big job for my parents including installation of a sump pump about 3-4 years. We didn't even consider calling anyone else. Some of the guys that work for him today were working for him 10 years ago. He obviously treats them well, and everyone from the top down is courteous and conscientious. I highly recommend Dave Marcotte Foundations.

We uncovered moldy insulation in basement after investigating air quality issues and doing some air testing in key areas. Gabriel quickly came to set up air containment barriers and “negative air”, and did the insulation removal in phases starting with easily accessible areas in our workshop/furnace area. He then helped investigate other areas of the basement and we tested again before considering more removal to make sure it was needed. Gabriel was great about suggesting areas to test and not suggesting we do it all, need it or not. As we determined with investigation and more testing that we needed to do more, he was great about scheduling the work in as quickly as possible. Gabriel and his crew were very conscientious and professional. I recommend Healthy Home Center to anyone needing investigation and removal of hazardous products.

Was looking for someone to install a dishwasher after I removed the old one. Handyman Connection offered the best price - between $55 and $75 less before taxes. They sent Tony, who was on time and conscientious. There was a slight delay while I ran over to Home Depot for a 90 deg elbow for the water intake. Although it's arguably a part that a dishwasher installer would have in his truck, the deal was that I was supposed to provide all the parts. My bad for not downloading the installation manual ahead of time as it shows what's not supplied. Anyway there was no extra charge for the delay.

I had eaves flow issues and leaks. Fabian offered both repair and replacement options. I chose repair, which was a smaller job, but still got great pro active response and excellent service. They installed a bigger 4x4 downspout with a flip-up hinge as requested, did some caulking and checked for debris (there wasn't any). Fabian also dropped off a few extra parts (metal flip-up hinges) after the fact at a price that beats the cheaper plastic version you get at big box reno store. I would recommend without hesitation.

Was one of four plumbers I called lamenting frequent mixing valve replacements (4-5 in ~7 years) and hot water flow issue to one shower when another was running despite pressure balancing valves at the shower. Marc at Horizon Plumbing was only one to point out that the mixing valve had not been installed properly and as a result was always warm from hot water convection effect (plus I keep the tank at max for dishwasher line before mixing valve), likely wearing it out faster. He also recommended going to larger 3/4" mixing valve with hot water pulled from 3/4" feed using 3/4 pipe (instead of the 1/2" pipe the builder put in). Worked beautifully. Also had him add shutoffs to make replacing mixing valve in future easier (i.e. no need to drain the lines), though hopefully it won't be as often. Price was very competitive and job done very professionally.