Jan in downtown TO

After a decade of tenants, it was time to replace the kitchen countertop which Traian had originally installed. Fast, professional and friendly, h has a high attention to detail. Highly recommended.

Andy's greatest skill is being able to analyze a house and determine where the eavestroughs and downspouts are best situated -- it's not always where the previous eavestrough system is located. Some people will just come in and replace. When Andy came to see the job, he noted that the downspout would be better placed nearer the street drain; that a downspout is better served with its own separate drain tube instead of feeding into an existing adjacent one, so that there won't be too much water trying to drain into one tube (think the 404 and 401 trying to both feed into the DVP at the same time); that an eavestrough, sitting under an overhanging roof, should be mounted onto a board affixed to the fascia, so that the eavestrough would be pushed further out from the wall but still under the roof edge, as the overhanging roof was covering half the trough and making it less effective; that a square downspout would work better than a rectangular one for some bends in my system. He also explained where you do and don't need leaf guards, and which of the 2 styles (mesh vs solid with drain holes on top) works best in which conditions. He really is solidly knowledgable and always wants to set up your system the best way possible. It's like a challenge for him that he relishes, to find the best set up for your house and then execute it. He works the jobs himself (with 2 helpers) and doesn't contract the work out or use multiple crews -- at one time he did, but found the work often not up to his standards (he would then correct it) and so now he does the work himself. The cost is reasonable, and Andy's also a super nice guy -- I highly highly recommend him! (and I have -- he was at my neighbour's this morning ...)

Started up the furnace last week -- nothing. Batteries in thermostat OK; circuit breaker hadn't flipped off; power switch for the furnace was still on. I called Len, who came over the next afternoon, and it was up and running in 5 minutes. My bad! Here's a tip: check that the filter is clean! I hadn't changed mine for the fall, and a dirty filter may stop the furnace from kicking on as a safety measure. Oh well, next time! Thanks, Len, for the speedy service, helpful explanation, and cheerful demeanor! The next time I need service, or a new furnace or A/C unit, I'll be calling you.

I have used Laureano's electrical services for 7+ years on several projects. He is fully licensed, very competent and extremely honest. Recently I had him run a 220V line from the panel, down through a tiny crawlspace, and then up into the kitchen for a stove. Dirty work, but he did it quickly, professionally, and cleaned up after he was done. Past work included replacing a fuse box with a panel; crawling into the attic to inspect wiring prior to adding more insulation (he also discovered a squirrel entry hole while he was up there); adding circuits; discovering the (dangerous) source problem of flickering lights; and hanging huge light fixtures over stairwells. He also minimizes damage to walls when cutting them open to fish electric wire. He is a great problem solver -- I thoroughly recommend Laureano.

I have used Laureano for many projects over the past several years -- for my own residence plus 3 rental properties. The latest job was inspecting and repairing any issues in the attic cavity, prior to our upgrading the insulation -- I didn't want any fire hazards smouldering under the blown-in cellulose. He crawled inside the attic, found some connections without marrettes, several wires whose insulation had been chewed through by mice, and his digital camera from within the attic surprisingly revealed the large hole, hidden from the exterior, where squirrels and raccoons had been entering the attic, confounding me and my animal removal guy over several years. We're now good to go with upping the insulation in my attic. And finding the animal entry point alone was worth it!

I have an old house, crooked walls, sloped floors, with a small kitchen space. Traian was able to quickly figure out a better layout than I had come up with. He is also GREAT at modifying IKEA cabinetry to fit your space. I was short a couple of inches for a corner base cabinet, which was also to accommodate a sink. He sized the cabinet down to fit my space, also modifying the door in the process. He is very picky in his work, with an extremely high attention to detail. Traian also came back several times, without complaint, when it turned out that IKEA had given me the wrong components and he couldn't do the entire job in one day as a result. EXCELLENT workmanship (and his high-end German tool collection will make you drool....)

We foolishly began a 2-storey 2-attached house double deck without permits. Neighbor squealed, inspector nabbed us, we were dead ducks. Rocco came to the rescue and untangled the mess we had created for ourselves, with surprisingly little pain, even though it had to go to the Committee of Adjustment for approval. Rocco took care of everything, appeared at the CoA for us, and by the time we got back from an extended vacation, the permit had been obtained. His price was reasonable, his contacts impeccable and his demeanour approachable. He answers calls quickly and is flexible. I highly recommend Rocco for his architechtural drawing and permit obtaining services!

Over the past couple of years we've had several pest and rodent issues. I had earlier dealt with a big-name company, but results were spotty and ultimately the expense was too great. I looked to Homestars and found Waheed. Waheed has always been great: immediate response to your calls; able to come by within a day or two; very reasonable pricing; 6 month warranty (try finding that anywhere else!); and excellent eradication results...your pests will be history! I highly recommend Pesticon and know I'll be calling them again the next time I need a PCO.

I needed 4 new furnaces for some rental properties. I wasn't thrilled with whom I had used for my own residential furnace, and found Airworks instead -- their great reviews on HS were what first drew me to them. They were able to give me a great financing package, as 4 furnaces was a hefty bill, and their service has proved exceptional -- they will come out day or night ASAP to service their equipment, and once came out to service another company's furnace! A broken old A/C drain hose got disconnnected by my drywaller, which subsequently led to a leak and mild damage to the ceiling of the room below. A quick trip out by Airworks resulted in a temporary reconnection, and the tech told me exactly what $1 piece I need to get at HDepot which would allow me to make the permanent connection myself, and save me some $. A couple of days ago I was again able to make a last-minute appt to check out the furnace in another house (furnace installed by another company before I found Airworks). The furnace turned out to be fine, and the problem was actually with TO Hydro. But the point is, Airworks got there, and they got there fast. Once Hydro had restored the electricity hours later, Airworks told me over the phone what to do to get the furnace back on. It was a snap, and saved the me the cost of another visit....A furnace is a furnace, but the SERVICE offered by Airworks is wonderful, and that's what makes them my #1 furnace co.

We're just finishing up our 3rd house renovation, and it's been Antonio for all 3. We've had everything done over 4 floors of a duplex, from potlights to 220V wiring for appliances, to ceiling fan installation involving crawling in a 3' high attic (with raccoon debris); new circuits installed, appliances wired and vented; microhood install, and stacking washer/dryers squeezed into small spaces and hooked up after outlets were wired for them. Antonio's dangled 20' above a 2-storey light-well to hang lights and fans, and clambered up a 30' ladder to vent a dryer. He does it all, knows what he's doing, and he enjoys doing it. Java Electric is, simply, the best!!

I called to deal with a sink odor which turned out to be due to buildup in runoff drain. They cleaned it out; after they left, the sink itself didn't drain. My other plumber came by later, opened the trap and removed lots of black debris, which had been scraped out by Addison's but left in the drain trap. With our 2 running toilets, the ballcock was replaced in each. As the Addison plumber left, I was told that one of the toilets may require a $175 call-back (to remove the tank and further fix the problem) if their repair was insufficient. I called my other plumber, who in 5 minutes replaced a worn $2 seal, which did NOT require removing the tank. Also, while the Addison plumber was unaware I could overhear his phone conversation with the boss, I overhead him say, "Don't worry, she'll pay later one way or the other -- we'll be back in 4 days -- $175, or $455 if she decides to replace the entire toilet". They were, needless to say, not invited back, and never will be.

Antonio was referred to me by my IKEA installer, after I had earlier dealt with a) an electrician who showed up with alcohol on his breath and b) someone who charged me double the quote, because he sent 2 guys instead of 1, and the quote was based on 1 guy (but he didn't tell me until he gave me the bill). I was ECSTATIC when Java Electric turned out to be amazing. I won't use anyone else. We have 3 rental houses that all required major work. Antonio and his crew have changed fuseboxes to breaker panels; separated the main house wiring from the basement wiring, totally rewired the basement and then installed a second panel + meter for the basement apt; installed, wired and vented appliances, and did the usual potlight and fixture installation. Antonio works quickly, and is innovative at tackling problems, such as not having the proper hardware for fixtures (due to my having bought them on sale, missing bits and pieces), or figuring out what went on with previous mysterious wiring jobs. He is a licensed master electrician and his work always passes ESA inspection with flying colors. Antonio's got a great personality to boot. I HIGHLY recommend Java Electric and will be using them again on an upcoming reno this winter.