Reach Restoration, Inc.

Workmanship was very good,and communication prior to work and during repairs was very good.The finished repairs looked very good and an overall excellent job.We would highly recommend this company for any repairs.

I contracted with Reach restoration to enlarge two masonry openings and install new steel lintels in a 100 year old row house. There was excellent communication from site to confirm dimensions as work progressed. Jim and I exchanged over 50 emails over the course of a week. The enlarged openings were finished by meticulously toothing in the bricks at the jambs reusing salvaged bricks. I found out that there is quite an artistry to restoration of old brick walls and Reach’s experience showed in the finished product. For instance, brick courses are rarely level in 100 year old walls and my house was no different. Reach’s masons made micro field adjustments to the installed brick around the new openings to compensate for the existing courses that had sagged in the middle where the new opening was created. If Jim had not pointed this out to me I would of never noticed. The result was a beautifully executed, almost perfectly plumb and level openings ready to receive windows.

Jim recently restored the 100-year old brick on our semi in Riverdale. The brick was badly pitted from sandblasting and was crumbling in several places. After meeting with several contractors who suggested replacing the entire facade with new brick, Jim was the only one assured us that the brick could be salvaged. He was by far the most knowledgeable about the brick and what could be done to restore it while retaining some of the patina of the old brick.

After buff grinding to smooth the pitted brick, he advised on choosing the right type and colour of mortar before tuckpointing.
The finished product looks amazing - exactly what we were hoping for.

JIm and his crew were professional and meticulous. They were respectful of our neighbours by keeping the dust to a minimum and the site was left spotless at the end of each day.

We are thrilled with Jim's work and wouldn't hesitate to recommend him for any project. Nice guy and a total pro.

Anyone with a home over a hundred years old dreams about having a contractor they can call on to help them with the many things that need to be done to their property over time. Someone who is honest, thorough, and meticulous. Someone who can help them realize the long-term vision for their home.
We feel we have all this and more in Jim/Reach Restoration.
Jim has done work for us in the past and anytime we need something done, we always try calling him first to see if it's something he can do and is available for.
In the present case, we actually held off on executing our reno because Jim said he'd be able to do the work. We waited until he was available to start, rather than go with another contractor we may not have trusted as much who may have been able to start earlier.
The work we had done was to reduce the size of an existing door opening to accommodate doors we had on hand. They also had to demolish the existing built-ins in a small room adjoining our master bedroom and drywall and plaster the area, adding baseboard and trim to the room.
The work was done beautifully, no surprise, and Jim himself came back more than once to check the work and add some finishing touches.
This was a small reno that was very fussy in nature. It took a lot of time to complete because of the nature of the work, so some contractors may not have been willing to even take it on. There was really no glory in this project, at least for those doing the work. Not "sexy" work at all!!
For us, the result was a MUCH more usable space that is attractive and functional and built to last.
Jim feels like a long time friend to us. My 2 year-old still asks "where'd Jim go?". I think he misses him!! Not to worry, kid, we have another small project that he's agreed to come do this week or next.
I have to fight the selfish side of me who wants to keep Jim all to ourselves in order to write this review. Jim is awesome. His team is terrific. What more can I say but thanks?

What can I say except Jim is absolutely fantastic. We had recently had some pretty thick paint removed from the front of our house and needed the bricks tuckpointed and repaired. Jim came and clearly explained what needed to be done with some great knowledge of bricks - where my bricks came from, how they were cut, etc.
His team communicated clearly every day what they were doing, and during the job kept the job site incredibly clean and made sure we could go in and out of our front door.
I can't thank Jim and the team enough. All our neighbours have commented on how great the house looks now compared to how it looked prior.

We live in an old victorian in downtown Toronto. We noticed a few years ago that the brick at the back of our house was crumbling. We called a few companies to take a look and give us a quote to complete the work.

Jim's quote was the best price and he was by far the nicest - taking the time to answer my questions, explain what was going to be done, letting me know what were the short- and long-term consequences of not doing the work, and suggesting different phases of work if we did not want/could not afford to do everything at once.

The brick work needing to be done was at the back of our house and the only access to our backyard is through the main floor of our house. We were concerned with Jim's team having to bring everything through living room, dining room, and kitchen, but really should not have been.

They brought everything (scaffolding, tools, new bricks) through the house and then out again when they left without any issues. We didn't even know they had taken everything through!

They did the work when we were not home - we left them the keys and they came and went when necessary - and not one thing was out of place. Actually, one of the guys called me to ask if it was alright to use the bathroom.

The work turned out great and we are planning on hiring Jim again next year to do some more work. We would definately recommend him to anyone.

Jim Urquhart is a meticulous, dedicated restorer who has spent decades focussing on the finer points of brick. His work is artistry. His presence around the house delightful. I would recommend Jim and his team without hesitation. Our 1885 Victorian has never looked better. And with Jim's help, it will likely last another century.

Highly recommend Jim and his team. Utmost professional, delivers as promised, on time, communicates well. Tidy , meticulous work. Fair pricing, honest. Suggested alternative solution which turned out to be incredibly attractive and gave the home a beautiful curb appeal. A true gentleman. 10++

Upon seeing the previous reviews in Homestars, I decided to ask Jim from Reach Restoration to quote on the re-pointing and brick repair of my entire home built in 1889. I was very impressed by both his detailed and precise quote and his knowledge of brickwork. It was extremely important to me to have the right contractor as I wanted the entire house to be selectively repointed and bricks replaced where worn. When dealing with old homes both the proper mortar mix and bricks are needed and if the job is done badly or incorrectly, it is very difficult to go back and fix or repair the problem. Jim, Adrian and the crew did an excellent job of the difficult task of matching both old mortar and brick colors. They laid the bricks properly in the same pattern they were laid originally which takes skill and patience. They were patient and did not rush the job. Reach Restoration was also very professional and courteous; they arrived to start the job when they said they would, were neat and tidy, finished the job fully to my satisfaction, and make sure the neighbours were notified of any work that would affect them. I would definitely recommend them to friends or family. If I could give them a rating of 11, I would :-).

Jim and his crew were meticulous in all aspects from explaining the
planning,, implementation of project and follow through.

Some extra work contracted was explained with accurate estimate of
cost.