Michael C.

The handle broke away from the catridge of my 30-year-old-plus shower valve. The spout, of similar vintage, also needed replacing. Valentin has been my go-to plumber for many years now and has always proved reliable and totally professional. I contacted Valentin around 9 am and included photos of the damaged parts and he responded quickly with an analysis of the proboem and what he could do to fix it. Valentin managed to secure the parts more quickly than anticipated and had the whole job completed by 2pm the same day. He is a very efficient person, always cleans up when the job is done and prices his services competitively. I have referred Valentin to neighbours often. I wholeheartedly recommend him.

Valentin of Strong Plumbing has been my preferred plumber for several years and on the strength of his service I always recommend him to my neighbours. On his most recent visit (9 July 2019) I needed an outdoor tap installed in my back yard and a height adjustment made to an existing one in my front garden. Valentin is good at explaining options and making recommendations and provides what usually turns out to be a very accurate estimate before starting work. Apart from being courteous and friendly, Valentin gives one a sense of confidence because he really knows what he's doing. He avoids creating a mess and is good at cleaning up when the work is done. I do not know how quickly Valentin's company can respond to emergency situations but for the kind of jobs I've needed doing I've not had to wait long for an appointment and he always lets you know on the day if he's running a bit behind. Good plumbers never come cheap but with Valentin I always feel I'm getting good value. He's a real pro, through and through.

I contacted BOSS Mechanical on a neighbour's recommendation to have my gas furnace checked over to make sure all was well. (It had been four years.) Since this was not am emergency call I was given an appointment one week out, which suggests -- a good sign -- that the company is kept very busy. The technician, (Colin), arrived within the time window I'd been given. He was extremely polite and friendly and gave the furnace a thorough going over. He let me observe, explaining things as he went along. Basically, everything was working fine, but he cleaned this and that and tested everything. He also checked my air and humidifier filters and recommended I change them more often which I know is sound advice. Altogether, I was impressed by the level of service and was pleasantly surprised that the bill was less than I'd expected. If Colin is a good representation of the level of service BOSS routinely delivers I have no hesitation in heartily recommended this company. One little suggestion BOSS might like to consider -- something my regular electrician does -- is ask a customer for an email and/or mobile phone in order to send an appointment reminder. Also, if a technician is delayed, as can happen, it provides a convenient way to communicate this to the customer.

This is the second time Valentin has attended to my plumbing needs. He is very professional in all regards, does not try to up-sell and his pricing is competitive. He is also a clean worker and arrives when he says he will!

I hired the company to clean the chimney of my wood-burning fireplace. The service was performed cleanly and efficiently and at what I consider a fair price. The fireplace had been installed in a major renovation of my Victorian row house before I bought it and the technician who did the cleaning pointed out a number of safety concerns that would rewquire major work to remedy. He had no personal financial interest in this, so I appreciated his advice, which confirmed my own concerns about the state of the fireplace and chimney. Frankly, with old row houses that were not designed with an open fireplace, I''d steer clear of renovations that include one unless you are confident the work has been done with scrupulous attention to safety and all code requirements (as I fear was likely not the case when my house was renovated).

My neighbour and I decided it was time to restore or replace the more than 100-year-old wooden facia and gingerbread moding lining the gable that spans our attached Victorian row houses. Other than having new gingerbread custom designed and cut -- a costly option -- it is not the easiest to source preformed designs that will fit one's needs. Monterrey recommended a supplier and having scrutinized the catalog online and done my own estimated measurements, I figured out a way to combine preformed elements that with minimal adjustments would produce a suitable look. The company then ordered, installed and painted the new gingerbread -- a polymer not wood -- and installed new aluminum facia to our satisfaction. I was less than impressed with Monterrey's contribution to planning the work (I got the impression this was not something they often tackled) but the wqrk itself was done well and efficiently. I also had Monterrey paint my window frames etc to match the new color scheme with my neighbour's. If I'd been having the work done independently -- not as a co-operative undertaking with my neighbour -- I would probably have researched more fully to determine comparative prices etc. However, given that the work involved the use of scaffolding the price for the total job was probably fair. ,

This company has been servicing my gas heating system for some 20 years or more. The fact that I've remained with the company speaks for itself. Don Lee, head of the family-run business, is a total professional. His knowledge is based on technical expertise and long experience. When he offers a recommendation you can trust his word. You never get the sense he's trying to "up-sell" and his prices are fair and reasonable. This year (2011) I only needed an annual furnace service -- safety check and cleaning -- but in the past Community Gas has responded promptly to emergency calls and fixed the problem. Several years ago the company replaced my old furnace for a good deal less than I'd feared it would cost. I particularly appreciate Don and his family colleagues' courtesy and punctuality. You always feel they take pride in their work and want to provide excellent service. Having made an appointment they call to confirm they're on their way. If they are, as has only rarely happened, delayed by unforseen circumstances they also call to let you know. I have recommended the company to several friends and all have reported back their complete satisfaction. Don, by the way, is passing his wisdom on to the next generation so that the company can be expected to maintain its high level of service even when he decides to put his feet up and let the young ones do the heavy lifting.

Although my domestic plumbing is all copper it connects in my basement to an ancient lead service that I'd hoped to replace when the city got around to removing lead pipes from old neighborhoods. (I'm still waiting on that.) Meanwhile a leak developed somewhere on along the lead line. I checked Homestars and chose Drain Works because of all the recommendations. They had someone drop by within hours of my phoning. He explained what would be involved and gave me an estimate, explaining that this would most likely be the final price (+HST of course) unless something really unexpected turned up. A work crew of three arrived promptly the next morning. They had to remove part of my front porch steps in order to dig -- on a miserable cold day -- but completed the work by evening. During this time they also put a camera into my main drain to check its condition (all ok). Also a supervisor dropped by to check on everything. The final cost was as stated. Everything was explained clearly at every stage and the work done very professionally, including cleanup (they were very good about covering their boots when coming indoors) and putting my steps back. My water pressure, incidentally, has notably improved.