Peter in Cabbagetown

I've been working with Suzanne every few weeks for the past 2 years. We have attacked many specific organizational projects - closets, drawers, my music library, etc. Plus Suzanne often acts as an organizational sounding board for me, a welcome voice of strategy and support amid the clutter of my self-employed life. She is always friendly and encouraging - maybe "gem" is the word I'm looking for! ​ Peter Kristian Mose, Music Educator

Restoration Aid is a specialist contractor (fire, water damage, mold, other calamities) with several crews working at any one time. Nevertheless, owner Ram Gilad is friendly, quick to respond, a good listener, and once a project commences he sticks around until the client is satisfied. We have liked two Restoration crews so far on different home projects - the first a drainage hose leak and subsequent basement mold problem, the second an ongoing roof leak and ceiling issue. Courtesy, quick response time, good work, and fair prices that don't waver from the quote. Happy to recommend them in times of travail!

Murray Ellis has been doing brickwork for many years, both around the GTA and in Vancouver. He told me it is tough to find younger guys with the appropriate work ethic to join him, so he prefers to do jobs he can handle himself. He was a delight to shoot the breeze with, but mostly he just came and went quietly each day until the job was done. Fine work. Good diagnostic skills. Careful matching of parge coats. Good explainer. Fair price. And get this: he fully cleaned his job site at the end of each day! I could not have been more pleased.

The drama happened yesterday. I'm a classical music critic and educator, and suddenly my beloved 1980s Luxman audiophile amplifier conked out. Right while I am in the midst of preparing a a lecture course, and with a deadline looming. This is bad. Now what? I remembered HomeStars, and suddenly I found myself reading accolades about an electronics fix-it fellow named Oscar, who even makes house calls, and so I dialed his number and left a detailed message. He returned my call promptly, and said he could drop over in about 3 hours. Sure enough, a pleasant fellow came when he said, and assured me my receiver could be fixed, or if I wished he could sell me a replacement. He said he would call me the next day, after assessing the repair at his downtown workbench. If I wanted to go ahead with the work, he would then have it fixed and returned to me the same day! I had a good feeling about this, and a handshake sealed the deal. Sure enough, everything unfolded today as anticipated. This morning I gave Oscar the go-ahead for a substantial $350 repair/cleaning, and indeed he returned my amplifier and reconnected my stereo system some hours later. He could not have been more pleasant or professional, and clearly enjoys his work, which he has been doing in Toronto for 30+ years. Most astonishing to me has been neither the speed of this repair (though it is remarkable), nor the willingness of a bench-repair guy even to make house calls. No, the most startling is that my Luxman receiver now sounds substantially better (30%-40%?) than it did before it broke down! In short, I asked for a repair and instead I got a major improvement. The sound is both warmer and more present, given all the circuitry and filters Oscar replaced. The word "wow" springs to mind. And the phrase "thank you." I need to use consult the HomeStars website more often.

My old fridge had been on its last legs for a couple of years. When it conked out the second-to-last time, I got a referral to Ivan, who runs Shakespeare's Appliance Service. To his credit, he returned my call promptly, and showed up at my doorstep within a couple hours. He's one of those knowledgeable veterans of appliance repair who keeps hoping to retire, but has a good work ethic and hangs in there. His fees were modest, and he proved a good explainer. It took him some work, but he got my fridge going again, and warned me that my compressor was not long for this world. He was very honest in saying that his repair might last a matter of a few weeks, or it might a few months, but that I would need a new fridge before long. In fact his repair lasted 4 months. I now have a brand-new refrigerator (see my Bloor Dovercourt Appliances review), but I would not hesitate to call Ivan again for any large-appliance repair issues. He's quiet, presentable, thorough, a bit bohemian. I liked him, and would recommend him to others.

Friendly Bill Ashley doesn't need my referral or recommendation. A generation of downtown and Leaside people have found his little shop. Half the year it is overflowing with old vacuum cleaners needing service, and half the year it overflows with old lawn mowers. You cannot walk in the store because it is too crowded with things awaiting service. I have brought him old lamps to fix, an adjustable piano chair that intrigued him, and I don't recall what else. He takes time to chat, his repair fees are modest, and he treats your old stuff needing repair as if it is all heirloom quality. He's a delightful anachronism in our don't-repair-it-but-junk-it era. Honest fellow, doing good work. Not always fast on the turnaround, and you have to nudge him, because he's juggling lots of little projects. But he's a treasure just the same.

My elderly fridge finally conked out a couple weeks ago. It had done so a few months before, and I found a good repairman (Shakespeare's Appliance Service) to fix it for modest cost. But Ivan Shakespeare had also warned me the compressor was living on borrowed time, and he said that I should simply buy a new fridge the next time I had a problem. So suddenly I needed a fridge. Doris at Bloor Dovercourt, from S. America, was great: a good explainer, friendly yet low-keyed, the opposite of pushy. I found a small white model (14 cubic ft) from Inglis that looked nice, and the price was fine. "I'd like to buy it," I said, wondering how long it might take. (Remember, I'm now a guy with no fridge at all, it's 85 degrees F, and I'm figuring maybe a week for this process if I'm lucky.) Doris said the Inglis was in stock, and could be delivered the next day! My, my, this certainly beats The Bay, where I had been earlier. How much would it cost to alter the door hinge, to open in the opposite direction? Oh, Doris said, we'll do that for free. OK, what do you charge for local delivery? Nothing, she said. Even if I live on the second floor? Not a problem, she said. And can you even dispose of my old refrigerator? Sure, we'll remove it. Wonderful, but how much will that cost? Nothing, said Doris. It's included in the purchase of your new fridge. My God, I should buy appliances from this woman every week! The next day, right on schedule, two friendly young deliverymen accomplished both the new-fridge delivery and old-fridge removal.They knew their stuff, kept measuring clearances, and tight as it was, they managed to heave two large appliances up and down a flight of stairs with no scratched walls or door jambs. I tipped them $20, wished them well, and wondered if I am a cheap tipper. So why can't all retail stores in Toronto operate like this? And modest prices besides! I'm still marvelling...

I saw those two older favorable reviews of Pierre on Homestars and wondered if he was still in business. So I phoned. Sure enough, he returned my call in a couple days and over he came to check things out a few days later. Pierre has since done various small projects around my home twice -- maybe 1-2 days of work altogether. I could not be more pleased! He comes exactly when he says he will, charges an acceptable hourly rate, and does good work. He's cheery, but once he starts working he doesn't bother you unless he has an occasional question. Many of his busy clients simply leave him their house keys in perpetuity, and just pay him by mail or with a blank cheque. He will do pretty much any small job you wish, and his carpentry and caulking skills are better than handyman level. He also has a good eye for home repair, and saw a couple of things I had missed on my house. Pierre actually has quite a stable of loyal clients, so he prefers that you amass a list of little handyman projects before you phone him. He does not want to come over for just a single leaky faucet, but instead wants at least 3-4 hours of projects to deal with. OK, Pierre, you're the boss! Other caveat is that this fellow is generally booked a good 2 or more weeks in advance! That's an endorsement of his skills all by itself, but it's also kind of annoying: you won't get your pesky issues solved by this handyman pronto, and he's clearly not a guy for emergencies. But a good handyman can write his own ticket.

This is now the fourth time I have purchased wood flooring from The Floor Shop store in Leaside in 3.5 years. I have spent many, many hours in this establishment, and in lengthy discussions at various times with most of their staff. Every single one of them has been a pleasure to deal with. These fellows know wood they love wood they are articulate they take their time with me and they are not salespeople. Let me amend this: of course in one sense they are salespeople, but their wood lines sell themselves. So to me they are more like wood educators. Clearly they are dealing in high-end products. My purchases so far have all been engineered hardwood. Floor Shop prices seem fair to me call them affordable but I wasn't shopping for price. I'll report back when this installation is complete next month, but I simply was compelled to give these "Woodmen" a salute. Oh, previous wood floor details: three different installation crews, all seemed capable. A couple of little problems were corrected promptly and without hassle. If you want me to give some lower grade just to avoid sounding like a Floor Shop shill, I'll give them only an "Average" mark for timeliness of installation. You won't have your wood floor next week. More like a month or two. Like I'm waiting right now. Update from my prior review: my engineered maple floor was installed 5-6 weeks after signing the contract. A three-person crew led by Wojtek did the job excellently and cleanly, in the anticipated one day. I knew the end result would improve my home -- I did not anticipate by how much. A long narrow living room now looks bright and comparatively wide. And more like central Stockholm than central Toronto. Worth every penny.

I have been using Don Lee and son Don for several years now. They have serviced my two old furnaces, my two old air conditioners, and eventually replaced 3 of them. These nice fellows are "old-school" in the best sense: honest fair and good explainers. Plus they show up when they say they will, and promptly even in lousy weather. To me they are like extended family. Wife Shirley handles the phones. I have recommended them before discovering Homestars, and am glad to post here.