Debbie in Scarborough

Our backyard needed a complete overhaul - removal of a rotting wood retaining wall, regrading and resodding the entire back and side yard, and building it all back again with a new retaining wall and interlock patio. Kurt's quote was competitive with others we received and he took the time to understand what we wanted for the space. We were confident moving forward given the commitment and attention to detail he pays to each project and are so glad we chose Distinctive Designs for ours! Kurt ordered our chosen pavers well in advance (they wouldn't have been available if he hadn't had the foresight to do so), he was onsite every day which meant he was always accessible if we had any questions (we rarely did as he proactively told us what he'd be doing and why), and he gave us lots of ideas and his opinions without ever being pushy (there were a couple instances he steered us away from potential options because he felt it wouldn't be good value for our money). Kurt's crew is also amazing. They are punctual, hard working and so polite. All of our neighbours commented on the quality of the work, how clean the site was left each day, and how friendly the crew was. I highly recommend Kurt and the crew from Distinctive Designs and look forward to working with them on future projects!

Portions of our fence had fallen over the winter. I requested a quote from Crossgate on HomeStars and received a call from Ron a couple days later. He was able to come out to the house the same day to provide an estimate. His estimate fell in the middle of the four companies who contacted me. My neighbour and I felt comfortable moving forward with Ron and he was able to do the work the very next week. He even emailed us our own respective contracts. His crew was punctual and polite, and completed the job as promised. One suggestion: The tags were left stapled to the bottom of the fence boards. We removed what we could, but some were too close to the ground to access. Having the tags removed would have made the job look that much more finished.

I called Doug late Thursday afternoon and he was at my house first thing Saturday morning. He took the time to explain what he was doing and all of the safety and legal requirements, and emailed me my official receipt the very next day. Doug did a great job and I also appreciated the tips he gave regarding other gas appliances in the house.

**SUMMARY: Delivered cabinets with wrong dimensions and wrong door style; installation took almost 4 months to complete; horrible communication. Would not recommend.** We hired Royal Classic Kitchen to manufacture and install our kitchen cabinets. The sales process was good, but everything went downhill once they received our deposit. Installation took almost 4 months to complete and was a nightmare: 1) They gave us cabinets with the wrong door style! When we notified them of this huge mistake, they just offered us a 6% discount to accept the product as is! 2) The installers didn’t measure before drilling into the sink cabinet and cut our water pipe. Water spewed all over the floor and cabinets, requiring emergency plumbing repair by our contractor. They didn’t even apologize. 3) When installing a drawer handle, the installers drilled the holes in the wrong place. They tried to patch it, but there were clearly two extra holes in the drawer front. 4) The pantry and range hood cabinet were the wrong dimensions. They agreed to remake them (along with the drawer), but only after we made it clear we would not take no for an answer. 5) Two weeks later, the installers showed up at our home unannounced. We told them we had not been expecting them and asked them to leave, but they just sat in our kitchen for 30 minutes! 6) It was a good thing we refused to let them install that day because closer inspection of the pantry and range hood cabinet revealed that they had not been remade. They had been ripped apart, cut, and glued back together. The wood was warped, there were cracks and scratches in the doors, and a nail was protruding from the pantry. Also, it was clear that they had just repainted the drawer front; the two holes were still visible. We told them we weren’t satisfied with this poor craftsmanship. Their response? They couldn’t have “poor craftsmanship” because they have installed kitchens worth over $20,000. We felt belittled and disrespected. 7) The pantry and range hood cabinet were remade and installed about two weeks later, but the drawer was not. The installer told us the office would contact us once the drawer was ready. 8) We didn’t hear from them until 3 weeks later. We scheduled an appointment, but on the day of, the installer showed up empty-handed and told us that the drawer was not ready. Again, he said the office would contact us when it was ready. 9) A month went by and we heard from no one. We had to contact them to set up an appointment. The installer showed up with just the drawer front (not the compartment itself) and the wrong handle. Again, he said the office would contact us. 10) Another week went by and we heard from no one. Again, we had to contact them to set up an appointment. The drawer was finally installed, but it doesn’t fit right (wobbles when you open/close it). It’s not satisfactory, but we simply don’t have the energy to deal with this company anymore. If all of this wasn’t enough, we have already started noticing scratches in the paint, even though the cabinets have barely been used. I suspect we will have to resurface them within a few years. Dealing with Royal Classic Kitchen has caused my family significant stress, and I would never recommend them.