F.E. in Toronto

I recently discovered Homestars.com and am now writing about a situation that took place in Jan. 2009. Late one January evening, I received a call from the police informing me that an elderly friend was found unconscious in his condo and was admitted into Etobicoke General Hospital. The police had entered into the unit because the owner living in the unit below had been complaining about this leak coming from his ceiling and had been unable to contact the elderly man who lived above. The toilet was the source of the leak. I remained at the hospital all night with the elderly friend until 9 am where I then travelled immediately to the condo building to have the toilet fixed. However, the property manager refused access into the unit since I did not have the Power of Attorney on me. I was told to come back another day to get the key. The next morning, I received an angry call from the Property Manager demanding I get the toilet repaired because it was leaking into the unit below. I called New Canadian Drain & Plumbing, explained the situation and informed them that it would take 2 hours to get to the site since I would be traveling by TTC from downtown, that I did not have a key and would have to get it from the superintendent once I arrived on site. I arrived 1.5 hours after I made the call to the plumbing company. However, the plumber (Tony) had been waiting for me for some time and was annoyed that I had kept him waiting. I told him how I had informed the receptionist that it would take me 2 hours to reach the condo building since I was traveling by TTC from downtown. He became further annoyed because I had to contact the superintendent to get the key. It was another 10 minutes before we could enter the unit. When he entered the unit and saw the state the bathroom was in (it smelled horribly, there were toilet rolls on the floor), he became angry, announced he was leaving and stormed out. He was prepared to leave me high and dry even though I explained the situation. He only agreed to stay and replace the toilet and gasket if I agreed to pay $1,100 (total: $1,155 including GST). I suspect a job like this probably costs $300- $400. At that time, I was in a desperate situation. I couldn’t find a phone book in the condo unit so I wouldn’t be able to find anyone else, it was an emergency situation so I didn’t have time to get estimates, I didn’t know anyone in the building whom I could turn to, the superintendent barely spoke English and was of no help, it was in the middle of January (2-3 feet of snow and around -20°C), I didn’t know my way around Etobicoke, and had no car. The Property Manager had demanded I get the toilet repaired immediately because it had been leaking into the unit below for days. Furthermore, I had to travel to the hospital to speak to the doctor about the elderly friend’s condition. He later died at the hospital. The plumber knew I was in desperate situation and decided to exploit it to his advantage. He was prepared to walk unless I agreed to pay him $1,100 for replacing a toilet and gasket. Due to my desperate situation, I agreed to this amount even though I knew he was exploiting the situation I was in. Once I agreed to pay the outrageous amount, his demeanor changed. He became extremely congenial and pleasant. To add insult to injury, my credit card was billed TWICE for this job. When I called to complain, I was told they had to investigate. They did eventually reverse the second charge of $1,155 but because the charge were reversed after the billing statement cycle, the credit card company expected me to pay the full $2,310 since the credit of $1,155 would not show up until the next statement date. At the time I did not know this and only found out when I was charged interest because I had not paid the full $2,310. I had just paid $1,155. Luckily, my credit card company reversed the interest charges. This was the first time I had used New Canadian Drain and Plumbing and it will be the LAST time. I find the behaviour of the plumber in this company’s employ to be highly unethical, opportunistic, exploitive, totally void of compassion and empathy. I would NEVER recommend this company to anyone especially, if they ever find themselves in a similar situation. Price: $1,100 (with GST: $1,155)

The back portion of a 105 year old house (31 ft) needed to be waterproofed. Before contacting anyone, I researched the specifics of waterproofing to allow for a better comparison of what each contractor had to offer. The selection of a contractor was not going to be based solely on price. Since waterproofing the house would be a major undertaking especially since manual excavation would be involved, it was important to select a contractor who would do this job right the first time. About 12 years ago, I had hired a company to waterproof a rental property. I was told the cracks would be filled with hydraulic cement and the wall would be parged with cement. However, on the day of the job, the entire wall was not parged as I was led to believe. Instead, I was told it was not necessary and only a small portion of the window area was parged. Although this company did stop water from getting in, I felt I had been misled and they did not do a thorough job as promised. The property was sold 5 years after the waterproofing job. It is not known if the current owner had to get the house waterproofed again. As a result of this experience, I decided that I would not make the same mistake. This time I wanted a contractor who would do the job properly, thoroughly, and not take shortcuts. I spoke to 5 contractors before I decided to hire Dilullo Restoration. One contractor gave me an outrageous quote of $48,000 for the entire house; $32,000 for the back portion alone. Another contractor was evasive about the type of waterproof sealer. Although I was told it was not tar, the word “tar” was on the written estimate. One contractor gave me a great price but said he would dig 5 ft. down. When questioned about the height (the basement more than 5 ft. deep), his response was that he knew the difference between 5 ft and 6 ft. (Dilullo Restoration dug down past the footings and it was 6-7 ft). Another waterproofing company happened to be working down the street. When questioned about the process, I discovered they skipped the steps that involved filling the cracks with hydraulic cement and parging of the walls. Instead, they just apply Aqua Bloc on the wall. When questioned as to why this crucial step was omitted, I was told it was not necessary because they can push Aqua Bloc into cracks and that would block water from entering. When I asked him if they would parge, he said they could but it would be additional cost. Based on my research, filling the cracks with hydraulic cement and parging the walls are crucial steps. I believe this company was skipping an important step and not telling the uninformed homeowner. I decided to hire Dilullo Restoration. The reasons behind my choice were: 1. John Dilullo did not tell me what he thought I wanted to hear in order to get the job. He was detailed and thorough in his explanation about the scope of the work, the timeframe and schedule. 2. He was professional, pleasant, and answered my numerous questions. 3. Product names that were to be used were given to me in a timely manner. It was his choice of waterproof sealer that separated him from the others. Based on my research, Aqua Bloc is typically used. However, Dillullo Restoration was the only one to use Blue Seal. Blue Seal is a liquid applied rubber membrane that cures to a non-deteriorating flexible rubber membrane whereas, Aqua Bloc (720-33) is a product composed of asphalt and rubber and cures to a rubber-like membrane. I decided Blue Seal would be a better product to have applied on the wall since a rubber membrane is better than a rubber-like membrane. 4. Not only did he show photos of his work, I was invited to visit a house that was being waterproofed while I was still getting estimates. I was impressed by the quality of the work. The work was neat and clean. I saw his crew torch dry the parged wall before applying on the Blue Seal. The homeowner came out and gave a glowing recommendation. During the waterproofing job, I found the following: 1. John and his crew arrived everyday at 8 am. They were punctual, friendly, professional, and got along with everyone, including the neighbours. 2. He kept me updated on a daily basis. He was on the site at all times to oversee the entire job and delivered on his promises. No steps were omitted in the waterproofing process to save him time and money nor did he take any shortcuts. He was honest and upfront. I was reassured that the entire wall would be parged with cement after the cracks were filled with hydraulic cement. He did not disappoint. 3. The crew took time and care in preparing for the manual excavation which was extremely difficult given the limited space. 4. He and his crew went well above and beyond to ensure the job was done correctly and that I was satisfied. There were several unforeseen problems with this waterproofing job. New footings had to be poured because they were missing or incomplete. At one section, the brick foundation wall was found to be caving in toward the interior of the house. It was only the stairs inside the house that was preventing this wall from caving in. His crew took the necessary steps to pour new footings and a new cement wall (rebar was used). This was a major undertaking given the limited space to work. Prior to this additional work, John gave a thorough explanation of the scope of the work and the additional cost. 5. The job site was kept clean daily. The job was completed professionally and successfully. Overall, I was very satisfied with the work carried out by John and his crew and have no regrets hiring Dillullo Restoration to waterproof the house. Price: $ 9,145 Additional work: $7,300 Total $16,445