DC

I have an old house and stuff needs upkeep. Watermark have been out 3 times in the past few years, always on time, on point, on budget, and have made repairs simpler than I thought they'd be, avoiding bigger issued that would come to pass over time. So far they've repaired a couple of faucets, installed one, fixes a dishwasher line, replaced a toilet, cleared some seriously stuck drains, repaired an outdoor faucet, replaced blown pipe.

Avenue Road Masonry were great to deal with from start to finish repairing the bricks and bits surrounding a poorly installed and very difficult to get to window, and replacing missing and damaged bricks on the side and back of our 100+ year old home. We got quotes from main competitors and Avenue Road weren't the most expensive or the cheapest, they were the ones we felt most comfortable with when quoted. As well, their sister roofing company had done our shingles and flat roof a couple of years before, so we were confident in going with them. My neighbour and I both needed tuck-pointing so Chris worked with us separately, but factored in shared scaffolding for the 2' of space between our houses. For scheduling Robert was was good with planning and updates. Dan and Greg, who did the tuck pointing, were outstanding on site. They were very clear about what they were doing each day, conscientious about the fact that we work from home, and took COVID precautions. They left the place clear and clean every night and were good about clean up when done. The quality of work was very good, with bricks and mortar that basically disappeared into the side of the house because the match was that good. Work was completed on time and on budget. We're very happy with and recommend Avenue Road Masonry to others.

I've had Aetna out twice to inspect homes I wanted to buy. In both cases they were right down to business - on time, efficient, and informative. 3 different real estate agents recommended them as *THE* termite people and I can tell why. They have an exceptional database of buildings treated for termites in downtown Toronto and can tell you about treatment activity over time on buildings in and around yours. On our most recent purchase, Richard came in and gave a clean bill of house health for termites but spotted carpenter ants on an exterior section of the house. He recommended a DIY option and a specific combination of products (knock down and pro b1) so I took care of the ants and haven't had an issue since. Having used them twice for inspections - in South Riverdale and Trinity Bellwoods - and with them being so consistently recommended by others, I have and will continue to recommend them to friends and family.

In the heavy rain that caused flooding early in July our small redbud tree (20’) in the front yard was pounded by rain and over watered, causing branches to weigh down, bend and break or not bounce back up. The wind storm that hit less than two weeks later did further damage. Tree damage across the city and province has arborists and tree care folks very busy. After reading a lot of reviews on Homestars, and having used other arborists with previous properties, Ron was the fourth business I called and the first one who answered his phone and returned a call. Our job was relatively small but Ron discussed it over the phone and quoted high, which I was okay with given we needed the work done. He showed up exactly when agreed, charged less than half of what I expected and gave advice on continued care of the tree and a second tree in the backyard that we have been trying to figure out (it’s our first summer in the house). We found Ron personable, to the point and very fair. The tree bounced back within hours of him doing the work and it’s a relief to see it healthy again. He completely cleaned up the area after he was done. If we need tree care again we’ll definitely call Ron and recommend him to others.

I've used Turco Persian a number of times, dropping off small rugs for cleaning, having larger ones picked up, and having carpet installed, including a tricky stair runner install on older, awkward stairs. I've always dealt with the same people, in almost two decades, and they all seem to love working there. Their prices are very reasonable and their service and advice is outstanding. I have recommended them a number of times and will continue to, without hesitation.

Lancaster flowers was my neighbourhood flower shop in Toronto. I used them for gifts a few times and was consistently happy with their flowers and value for my buck. I've even ordered from out of province without seeing what I was buying and had rave reviews on the outdoor potted arrangements Lancaster delivered - far more than expected. In 2006 my family moved out of the province temporarily (2 years) leaving tenants in the house. We have a mature perennial garden in South Riverdale and were nervous about leaving it in the hands of others. I decided to hire a gardener to keep things clean and alive, to do spring and fall cleanup, and so on. After getting quotes and talking to 5 or 6 different gardeners, I went with Lancaster. The front and back gardens have never been better. With just a monthly visit in season by Lancaster the yard did a lot better than with us tinkering. We recently relocated again and sold the house and the new owners have set up an arrangement with Lancaster to keep things going. I think they’re great. A fixture in Queen Broadview village and excellent at what they do. I definitely recommend them. If you use them, let Gary and Larry know you read about them here. D. C.

Our fuse panel needed repair, so we called 5 electrical contractors for quotes and to learn. We picked Diamond for the wrong reason – they were available for this small job on short notice. Things went downhill quickly when they finally showed after 3 no shows. Victor, the key figure at Diamond, left someone else in our basement to do the work. This very young person was surprised at how dark it was with the electricity cut off. The work took 4 visits at various times of the day, evening and weekend, despite being a small job according to Victor and the other electricians we called. We ended up calling the electrical safety authority for an independent inspection, as the inspector Victor had a certificate from had never visited our house. Victor was rude at times, inconsiderate in our home (tracked mud through the house, wiping his feet finally on our dining room rug, among several other incidents). In the end it took 8 weeks for a panel upgrade – panel only – the service upgrade had been done already. Communication was horrible, the work had to be checked and changes made, and we had to chase him to complete the job. Victor said that he had a bigger job that took all his time, and ours wasn’t as critical. He should have considered that before taking our job. In the end the work was done and has not presented a problem. We paid him less as we had to pay more for the inspection. We recommend to others not to use Diamond Electric.

It took years to confront, then I realized I needed an organizer. I called several before getting the right vibe from Christie of “In Good Order”. I’d put things downstairs since we moved in, intending to get to them, before the job transfer came. With long-term sitters moving in, things had to take shape fast. The ceiling is 3 inches lower than I am tall, I’m a nostalgic pack-rat, have a bad back, and my organizational attention span is roughly that of the common housefly. Christie saw through this and in 6 hours what had taken 4 years to avoid was sorted for the move, stored and labelled for easy access, or gone. She was excellent - completely neutral on my attachment to warn out wallets and single shoes and empathetic to my need to dispose of things to people who will treasure them as I would have, if I could have found them. I guestimate spending 40 or more hours getting nowhere just trying to sort stuff before Christie came and helped me fix it. She was easy to speak to, on-time to the minute, extremely hard working, and clear about what had to happen to meet my goals. I didn’t need to buy a new storage system, and about half her bill (which was bang-on what was expected) was off-set by income from the clutter that ended up being of value, once Christie pointed me toward who might buy it. Thanks, Christie! See you when we move again (you should see the amount of storage room for my new stuff in the place we’re in now! (uh' oh)

Alpine were quick to come and quote, both times we had them in to do so. They quoted less than half of the price that similar companies we spoke to quoted. The final product was decent, the flashing work is sloppy but sound (by that I mean there was some trim I would have removed or adjust so they could do cleaner work, but they went around it and it looks a bit awkward, but works perfectly), and the roof is dry, with minimal pooling, quiet and with no ice or heat problems. They gave us good notice for when they’d be here to do the work, arrived on time, did what they said they'd do, and clean up was acceptable with minimal affect on our yard (with a small garden yard, it’s impossible not to end up in our garden). I got more than what I paid for, given other quotes and comparing with work done on neighbours’ and friends’ homes. The estimator and crew weren't that polished, but they're roofers first and foremost. Overall I was very pleased with what we got, given we had a limited budget and needed the work done quickly. We need more work done soon, and will use Alpine again. A note for people using budget roofers – don’t expect a great deal of personal attention or concentration to details when you hire a crew priced like Alpine is. What you are entitled to is a sound roof and warranty that says it won’t leak or rot.