Fiona in Toronto

I have had several beautifully done projects done for me by Rawlinson Carpentry and when it came time to renew my upper deck, I thought of no-one else. Tom D came around in the early spring, took exact measurements and patiently discussed both my needs and wants, guiding me with his advice. I later spoke with Thomas R, whose decades of experience further refined (read: improved!) what I had asked for. My need for greater privacy and the countering of light pollution, were incorporated into the design. I was scheduled for an early spring date and Thomas R kept me up-to-date with their precise start date. Tom D, assisted by Daria when required, worked both hard and carefully, creating in a matter of only five days, a bigger and much better top deck. Tom was originally going to re-build the deck using the existing bolt downs but, being a perfectionist, bought new ones AND placed them 6  inches further out, giving me an extra half foot in deck size all around which is very noticeable and appreciated! My old deck had been badly installed and designed and I realized just how much so, as Tom was rebuilding. For example, by changing the direction of the floorboards from N/S to the longer E/W, I got rid of almost all of the board seams, leaving a larger and more streamlined look. I also now have a 5 foot solid fence, with an attractively framed privacy latticed 1 foot top (Thomas Rs better suggestion, along with fence posts, which I hadnt even considered adding ) providing me needed privacy while at the same time, blocking unwanted light pollution from the house behind me. Once again, I couldnt be happier with the people, the work ethic, the quality of building materials, the skilled workmanship, the adherence to the building code and the pride in their work, shared amongst all members of Rawlinson Carpentry. Tom D summed everything up both touchingly and well, when he said to me on the last day that he built my deck as though he was building it for himself. A heartfelt thank you, once again, from me to all of you.

Last year, I had Daniel of the Stone Porch re-build a degrading, listing chimney located at the rear of my house. (See my earlier review) I was so impressed with him, his crew and the work that they did that I thought of no-one else for a second, larger, job that I wanted to do this year. I had an exterior, ground to roof height chimney, with decaying brick and missing mortar sat atop an unsightly, water damaged concrete base. The literal "cherry on top" was a previously poorly re-built chimney in a kind of yellow brick that looked very out of place in my red brick neighbourhood. Daniel came out, first thing in the spring, to discuss the project. He had terrific ideas and promised me that he could turn the Achilles heel of my home into what would be its' best feature. I completely trusted him and quite agreed with what he proposed. Daniel was sensitive to the age and architecture of my home and I agreed with his very good and helpful ideas. He backed up those ideas by sourcing his well-chosen materials. Daniel suggested a natural stone base for the chimney and, to make it more of a focal point, thought of widening the base. He would then clad the rest of the chimney and replace this yellow brick chimney in the same Victorian style red brick that he had used on the chimney that he re-built last year. The prep work was considerable and time consuming as the bricks had been painted many times over and some of these original bricks needed replacing in order to form a suitable base for the brick cladding. Daniel found a beautiful, natural, stone for the base and he and his team cut it on site and laid it out carefully in a random, very pleasing pattern before installing it on the chimney base. A natural stone ledge was installed to divide the stone from the brick façade and higher up, to divert moisture away. At the last stage, the brick cladding was carefully laid and some waterproofing installed at the roofline. Result? Daniel was absolutely right. The Stone Porch has turned something rather decrepit and unsightly into something that is beautiful, natural, and looks like it has always been there. And finally, they did a super clean-up and left the place neater and cleaner than when they arrived. I cannot recommend more highly, Daniel and his crew at The Stone Porch.

I contacted Daniel, owner of The Stone Porch, for a consultation and quote regarding an old, decaying, leaning chimney sat atop my 120-year-old house in the Beaches. I was most impressed with his knowledge, skill and sensitivity towards my home’s age and style. After receiving his very detailed quote and feeling further assured by the knowledge that he was duly licensed and insured, I went ahead with the project. Although the job of re-building a chimney sounds like a small one, I realized how wrong I was. After scaffolding was put up, Daniel and three crew members spent two days taking down, removing and rebuilding a new chimney. What a difference a few days makes. My falling apart, visibly leaning and water damaged chimney had been replaced by a solid, straight, beautifully laid, red brick chimney, topped with attractive and functional waterproof and animal-proof caps. Additionally, Daniel had sourced a red, Victorian style and textured brick that matched perfectly the original bricks of the home’s period resulting in a new but original-looking chimney that will outlast me! I highly recommended Daniel and his crew at The Stone Porch and in fact, I have a different project in mind to do with him next year.

I feel very fortunate to have found Thomas and his associate Tom of Rawlinson carpentry. I hired them a few years ago to take down and re-build the rotting front porch of my Beaches century home. They did a splendid job, doing even more than I had expected by enlarging and redesigning it and, after a period of time spent curing, painting it. They managed to match perfectly the primary porch colour to the house paint which amazed me as I had not kept record of what that house paint was. Thomas has also been a pro painter for 35 years and his associate is a very careful and capable painter too, which enables them to do jobs from start to finish. My porch continues to look great, having stood the test of time. This year, I acknowledged that the exterior of my home was in dire need of attention as it had not been painted in many years. As well, there was quite a bit in need of repair before any actual painting could take place. Without hesitation, I knew whom to call. Thomas again provided a more than fair quote and soon thereafter, he and Tom came and did this substantial job. It was no easy task as the painting of my house was made all the more difficult due to the entire front being clad in a very uneven stone veneer. They had to paint it entirely BY HAND as no rollers would have gotten into such a deeply textured and uneven surface. Additionally, Tom had to climb to some very difficult to reach places which he did both willingly and adeptly. Before the real work was begun, they appeared with two sample pots of paint and painted two small sections of my house. This allowed me to see both paint colours actually on the house - and at various times of the day - before I made the final decision as to which colour to paint the entire house. But who am I kidding? Both Thomas and Tom helped me decide which colour to go with and why and they were absolutely right! At the outset, they carefully prepped previously paint-flaked stone veneer and missing mortar as well as repairing and even replacing sections of rotting and cracked wood sills and trim. The house was then meticulously painted...but how they painted such straight lines against such contrasting surfaces (and two paint colours, including the trim) I'll never know. Without any prompting, they made further suggestions as to how they could tidy up the front of the house by removing some old lattice and vines that I had growing there, admittedly rather wildly. They borrowed my loppers, cut down the vine, bundled it up, tied it with string and put it out for collection, too. What a difference this unrelated task alone made to the tidyness of. my house. My 121-year-old home now looks absolutely beautiful. It's clean, tidy, repaired and refreshed; they use only the best Benjamin Moore primers and finish paints and it shows. They stick to their stated cost of completing everything contained within their very fair job quotation, they arrive on time each day, they clean up before they leave and they are terrific, kind people who are a delight to have around. Service of this calibre is a rarity these days and while on the job, both Thomas and Tom treat their clients' home as if they was their own. I would not hesitate to recommend Thomas Rawlinson Carpentry for both their master carpenter skills and their meticulous and knowledgeable painting abilities. Both neighbours and passers-by have commented on the beautiful job that they did and I am looking forward to having them back in the spring to do some more needed work. I feel so grateful, pleased and relieved to have found Thomas and Tom of Rawlinson Carpentry. Thank you both for looking after my home so beautifully and, by extension, looking after me!

I contacted Peter regarding power washing two levels of decks. He gave me a quote over the phone and we arranged a date and time to do the job. Peter arrived punctually and immediately set to work. My decks were badly in need of cleaning and Peter took the time to do such a thorough job. He recognized that some parts of the fencing were in bad shape and cleaned those parts by hand to avoid further damage, which I appreciated. He also cleaned a patch of concrete located next to the deck, which he was not obliged to do but kindly did. My decks looked great when he was done. I have hundred-year-old oak trees whose leaves left indelible stains but I couldn’t have been happier with the result. In short, Peter was reliable, friendly and most thorough with his work. He is also insured while at work, which is very good to know. Before leaving, Peter advised me what products I should use and what I needed to do in order to help preserve the wood on my decks. I highly recommend him.

I have a 117- year- old house and from the time that I moved in 20 years ago, I knew that the double doors would have to be replaced. I have both saved and searched for the right people and did I ever find them. From the moment I went to the showroom, I knew that I was in good hands. Rick patiently spent ages with me discussing everything. His passion for the craft, his background in design, his experience and his meticulousness was very impressive. He followed my lead where possible and gave excellent advice and opinion where I needed it. I I asked if it would be possible to split one of the double doors, to make a Dutch door and, rather than dismiss this equestrian outright, both Rick and Colin were all over it. They welcomed a bit of a challenge rather than avoiding it. The pre-build drawings are so detailed and precise and revealed both how beautiful and how well engineered the doors would be. The choices of stain, glass, hinges, door frames, knobs etc. were extensive. I was especially thrilled to find beautiful, almost jewel-like glass door knobs that match every other door inside my home. They also installed a quaint letter slot so that I can continue to receive my mail inside. The time from concept to build was quick and the installers did a meticulous job and cleaned up beautifully afterwards. I am saddened at how the skills and craftsmanship of times gone by have often disappeared but I have to say that my new doors are much more solid and secure, more decorative and better designed for the elements than my original ones were, all while maintaining the architectural integrity of the home. They are much admired on the street but, more importantly, they make me smile every time I see them. They were worth the wait and worth every penny. Thank you Amberwood.

Having done such a superb job on removing my old, rotting, front deck and re-building (and even re-designing) it, I had them return later to paint/refinish it. Tom and Thomas are as wondeful with paint as they are with wood. They managed to match to a 'T' the new paint to the old paint that was on the house, which is no easy task. They also suggested that I paint the railings around the deck, not in the same colour as the rest of the deck, but in white. I was unsure about doing so, but I knew to trust them and their experience and of course, they were absolutely right. I now have a beautiful front deck that complements my old home in both its style of architecture and in colour. What was once a source of almost embarassment now makes me so proud! I have to add that they also did me a HUGE favour by permanently ridding me of a family of raccoons that had set up residence under my back deck. I had tried many times, in vain, to keep them out from under my house, but Tom and Thomas used a clever combination of wood and heavy bricks to finally do the trick. They undertook this extra, unrelated, task, quite earnestly and with such ingenuity that they succeeded where I had many times failed. What a relief to have those raccoons finally gone for good! What's more, Tom and Thomas would not allow themselves to be paid for doing this mission of mercy for me. They are true gentlemen. I highly recommend Rawlinson Carpentry to anyone.

I found Rawlinson Carpentry on Homestars and feel so lucky and very grateful to have done so. While Tom and Thomas encouraged me to seek further quotes, I was so impressed with their experience, professionalism, attention to detail and sympathy towards the architecture of my 116-year old home, I booked them as soon as I could and didn't call anyone else! Tom and Thomas are reliable, communicate with you every step of the way, leave the place neat and tidy each day (who am I kidding; they left it TIDIER than when it was before they arrived!) and the quality of their work is outstanding. They also kindly offered to take a few items that I had cluttering up my back yard along with some of the work debris that they were taking to the dump. I had a rotting porch and a falling down fence and they left me with a gorgeous, strong, new porch that suits my house beautifully and fixed a back fence that now looks sturdy and new. They will be back soon to paint the porch too. I have fallen back in love with my house thanks to the two amazing, very personable men and their highly-skilled, fairly-priced, work. Thank you, Rawlinson Carpentry! A++++++++