Rob B.

After extensive research, we hired Glass Build to build frameless glass railings for our front porch and steps. The owner, Feroz, was a pleasure to deal with. He quickly provided a quote by phone and followed up with an onsite visit to see the job in person and provide material examples. We could tell from the quality of the materials, the confidence that Feroze and his team had in meeting our requirements, as well as the reasonable production time (~2 weeks), that Glass Build was the right company for our job. The Glass Build installation team came out to take measurements and finalize the design. They were able to meet all of our design aesthetics and the person who did the design was part of the actual installation 2 weeks later. There were no surprises on the final invoice - it was exactly as expected. After the install, we decided that one more spigot would be desirable to improve on the rigidity of one section, Feroz himself came out to do the install and the extra cost was quite reasonable. The work was completed in November and we have had no issues. Looking forward to sitting out on our new front porch when the warmer weather arrives with wonderful views through our beautiful Glass Build frameless glass railings. We are happy to recommend Glass Build to all our friends.

THE COMPANY From first contact to project completion, it was a pleasure doing business with Groundscape Construction. When we first met Sal in late 2020, he was excited about the potential transformation of our front yard. We could tell right away that Sal was going to be the right person for the job - he is passionate about his work and full of great landscaping ideas. Shortly after the initial meeting at our house, Sal provided a detailed estimate that accurately reflected our sketches and project requirements. After extensive research we had shortlisted 3 companies to quote on our project and although Groundscape was not the lowest bid, it was the clear winner due to the time Sal took to understand our requirements, the excellent ideas he brought to the table, and his enthusiasm for the project. When we delayed our project by a year due to COVID, Sal came back in the fall of 2021 to tweak the original quote and booked the project for 2022. From the time of booking till the time the project commenced in Sept, 2022, Sal kept in touch, was responsive to emails and calls to deal with design revisions and provided a number of samples to help us make material decisions. In addition to delivering superb landscaping services, Sal provided references for other elements of our project, including: paving companies, a construction company to build our porch roof, and a talented stucco tradesman. All of Sal's recommendations were excellent and we have been very happy with the service and results of his referrals. As skilled as Sal is at landscape construction, he may be an even better project manager, communicator, and teacher. Throughout the project, which spanned about 1 month, we were regularly in touch with Sal and always felt that we knew the current status and plans for the near future and, most importantly, had confidence that Sal and his team could successfully resolve all day-to-day issues that are encountered during any project of this magnitude. Sal is a natural born teacher. On a daily basis, we witnessed him taking the time to show his team how to complete work properly, demonstrating the patience and wisdom to know when to let them fly solo and when he needed to be more hands-on. Sal's ability to coach and develop staff has resulted in a strong team, able to work well together and problem-solve as necessary. THE WORK We hired Groundscape Construction to: 1. Install granite flagstone on a newly extended front porch with new front steps. 2. Build a 15' x 14' stone front patio connected to the front steps. 3. Build a smooth stone seating wall around the perimeter of the patio. 4. Build a 25' custom grey armour stone garden wall around the front garden beds and fill the garden with premium soil. 5. Build a 7' wide stone sidewalk from the driveway, through the gate, into the backyard to connect up with existing hardscaping. 6. Regrade and resod the entire front lawn. 7. Install driveway curbs. The Banas Black Pearl granite flagstone on the front porch and steps was expertly installed by Tyler, who is part mason, part artist, and entirely amazing at his craft. The stone sidewalk involved the removal and disposal of an existing concrete slab, excavation of a 7' x 45' area, followed by expert building up of the base layers and the careful laying of Nueva pavers with a Nueva stone step down to the driveway. As an aesthetically pleasing touch, Sal's crew added stone borders around 2 trees and side garden that abutted the sidewalk. The front patio involved the excavation, base layer preparation, and installation of 210 sf of Nueva pavers for a raised patio in front of the porch. Approximately 30' of Nueva 150 custom stone seating walls were installed around the new patio. Sal sourced beautiful grey armour stone and built a stunning, custom, curved garden wall along the outside perimeter of the existing front garden bed. The driveway curbs involved excavation and installation of ~ 80' of Bestway Stone Driveway Curb. Sal's team showed up on time, worked full days, and kept on schedule throughout the project. We are very pleased with the results - you can see from the pictures that the porch looks amazing and will soon become our favourite place for a cup of coffee in the morning. A few gorgeously clad steps away is our beautiful new patio, surrounded by an impressive seating wall where we look forward to many years of welcoming neighbours for impromptu visits. The grey armour stones are both beautiful and functional, forming a durable and elegant focal point around the front gardens. Sal and his team proved to be reliable, talented, and took great pride in delivering a finished product that exceeds expectations. Groundscape Construction delivered everything within scope, calmly handled any scope change requests, and worked with us to resolve problems to our mutual satisfaction. THE CUSTOMER SERVICE Any time we had questions about why something was done in a certain way during the project, Sal was quick to respond with explanations and options - he always had a plan and revised it to accommodate changes and other trades as the project proceeded. Groundscape Construction stands behind its work and deserves top marks for outstanding customer service. We always felt that our best interests and best value for our money were taken into account throughout the project. Sal was very helpful with selection and recommendations on materials, finishing touches, and design options. When material costs or scope increased, Sal worked with us come up with affordable solutions. He is a man of his word and truly is not happy until the job is done right and the customer is delighted. We are so pleased with Groundscape Construction that we have recommended their services to the many neighbours who stopped by to admire the work in progress and after completion.

A basement flood at the end of 2013 was the impetus for a complete basement and main floor renovation. We had some ideas of what we wanted and set out to find a good company to hire for the job. After extensive research, we interviewed a handful of highly rated contractors and a few of them actually provided quotes. However, we found that most people we spoke to expected us to have a full-blown design while we were looking for a company to help us firm up design options. So, then we met with a couple of architects and quickly discovered that the cost of the designs would eat up a large portion of our budget. At this point, we started researching renovation consultants and came across the Homestars site for House Calls Renovation Advisors. After reading all the reviews and exploring the House Calls website, we decided to give the owner, Jay, a call. Jay visited, listened to our story and explained his architecture background and the process he follows to make the renovation process as painless as possible for clients. We liked what we heard and hired House Calls to provide pre-construction design, scoping, and contractor sourcing services for our major reno. Jay took the time to understand our motivations, discuss various design options for all the elements important to us in completely renovating the basement and main floor. He provided multiple drawings to help guide and clarify our vision of living spaces and provided input and expertise on construction materials. For example, Jay's concept of moving the stairs going to the basement was key to re-envisioning the main floor to improve flow and open up the space. With Jay's assistance, we assembled our project scope documents and went through a competitive bidding process to select a contractor for the job. The 3 month project started out fine but the contractor soon started missing deadlines and our worst fears were realized when the project went completely off the rails to the extent that we had to fire the person after the job was still not completed 12 months later. Thank God for Jay who provided professional, moral, and emotional support over a period of several months to help us survive and eventually recover from our nightmare of a contractor. We consider Jay a friend of the family and have no hesitation in recommending House Calls to friends and neighbours.

Outstanding work! Simply stated, it has been wonderful to work with Women Painting - from the initial estimate, to the follow-up communications and detailed work description, to the professional, high quality paint job. We hired Women Painting to repaint our ceilings, walls, baseboards, and doors on our main floor, 2 sets of stairs, and the bathroom and hallway on our upper floor. After too many experiences with mediocre (and worse) trades over the past 10 years, dealing with Women Painting has been a breath of fresh air. Deborah and Raffie, showed up on time every day, ready to work and tidied up at the end of each day. They were well-organized, meticulous, and took the time to focus on all the prep work required for an outstanding result. What we expected to be a disruptive experience was so smooth - daily communications were excellent, all questions/concerns were patiently dealt with, work proceeded in a logical, planned sequence, and the job was completed on time for the price quoted. We are very happy with the finished product and plan to have the Women back to repaint our basement, kitchen cabinets, and external windows. Deborah and Raffie are the real deal and the only painters we will recommend to friends and neighbours.

We recently hired Daniel to tape/mud the interior walls (2 partial + ceiling) of our 8x12' shed. The shed was renovated late last year - fully insulated, with most walls clad with barn board or slat walls. Portions of 2 walls plus the ceiling were drywalled. The task of taping/mudding and painting was left as a job for this year and then COVID-19 happened. After interviewing a handful of other drywall contractors, we chose Daniel because: 1. He has a very service oriented approach and showed a good understanding of what we were trying to accomplish in the shed. 2. He had a clear plan on how to protect the area and provided a professional estimate that included everything we had discussed. 3. Daniel was one of only 2 contractors who was happy to take on the dryall taping as well as the subsequent painting. 4. Due to his skillset, Daniel was able to include completing the install and painting of trim for 3 of the windows at a very reasonable price. Daniel's communication was excellent. I was always able to reach him when necessary and his emails and txtmsgs were clear and on point. Daniel completed the work over the course of about 5 days, always letting me know in advance what time he was going to arrive and always arriving at that time. Daniel was meticulous and focussed on doing the best job possible. As a result, were are very happy with the finished shed and have no hesitation in recommending Daniel and The Wall Doctor to friends and family. In fact, we are likely to have Daniel back for some drywall tape repairs inside the house in the near future.

THE COMPANY From first contact to project completion, it was a pleasure doing business with this McLaren Custom Homes. When we first met Jon, we knew that he was going to be the right person for the job and that we would get along great. Within a week, Jon provided a clear and well-thought out estimate along with a detailed, realistic schedule. We had a handful of companies quote on our job and although Jon was not the lowest bid, he was certainly not the most expensive one either. Nevertheless, Mclaren Custom Homes was the clear winner due to the great communications and customer service Jon demonstrated in taking the time to understand our detailed project requirements, carefully go through our follow-up questions, and demonstrate flexibility on the pricing by agreeing to do part of the job as fixed price and some as time and materials. As skilled as Jon is at carpentry, he is an even better project manager and communicator. Throughout the project, which spanned 5+ months, I was regularly in touch with Jon and always felt that I knew the current status and plans for the near future and had confidence that Jon's team could successfully resolve all day-to-day issues that are encountered during any renovation. Jon only hires people he can trust to be as meticulous and skilled as he is himself, resulting in a strong team, able to work well together and problem-solve as necessary. The work that Jon subcontracted (insulation, taping, and electrical) was also completed on time with high quality results. THE WORK We hired Mclaren Custom Homes to renovate 3 bedrooms and the garage, and to fix up shoddy/incomplete work from a contractor who had renovated the main floor and basement a couple years ago. The bedroom work involved opening up the current closets side-to-side and at the top to prepare for built-in cabinets. In addition, the existing flooring was removed and sub-floor replaced. Walls were skim-coated and new base-board and trim were installed. A heating duct was eliminated in the master bedroom and all bedroom light fixtures were replaced. In the garage, the ceiling was removed and insulated using spray foam. There was very little lighting in the garage so 4 more LED fixtures were added and existing messy wiring runs were cleaned up and hidden in the ceiling as much as possible. The ceiling and back wall of the garage were framed and drywalled. Remedying the previous renovation deficiencies involved replacing all bedroom handle sets, fixing the basement bathroom pocket door trim, and replacing a warped cold room door with a custom weather-stripped steel door. During the project, we extended the scope to include building a couple platforms to better level the floor, installing several NewAge Pro Series 3 cabinets, and about 25' of Pro-slat walls. We also added on the installation of live edge rail doors for the master bedroom closet. Jon's team showed up on time, worked full days, and kept on schedule throughout the project. We are very pleased with the results - the garage now looks like a place you would want to lounge in and the bedrooms are modernized, more functional, and have gained a lot of storage. Jon and his team proved to be reliable, talented, and took great pride in their excellent work. Mclaren Custom Homes delivered everything within scope and calmly handled any scope change requests. THE CUSTOMER SERVICE Any time we had questions about why something was done in a certain way during the project, Jon was quick to respond with answers that made sense - he always had a plan. On the rare occasions where something was not done satisfactorily, Jon took immediate ownership and worked with his team and subcontractors to make it right. McLaren Custom Homes stands behind their work and deserves an A+ for customer service. We always felt that our best interests and best value for our money were taken into account throughout the project. Jon was very helpful with selection and recommendations on lighting, finishings, and other products but he never sought to make a profit at our expense. The company earned its money on the work and in several instances, even picked up products for us without a mark-up or delivery charge. Over the course of the project, Jon, Ross, Chris, and Will treated our house like it was theirs and became part of our extended family. We are so pleased with McLaren Custom Homes that we have recommended their services to neighbours who have now booked them for phase 1 of a 4,000 sf home renovation. There are another half dozen friends who will also be contacting McLaren Custom Homes for their next renovation work.

Nelson is one of the nicest, most reliable people you will ever meet. His calm nature, confidence, and excellent fencing knowledge put us at ease as soon as we met him. Nelson quickly understood the style of fence we wanted and provided a very good estimate and start date that worked for us. Prior to the work beginning, we had a full survey done to determine the exact property lines. B&C Posts began the work on time and completed the job within the schedule allocated which allowed our subsequent landscaping work to proceed as planned. The project involved around 250' of perimeter in a 4-sided backyard, plus a double door gate at the entrance to he backyard. The fence used brown sienna boards overlapped for privacy and 6" posts. During the project, Nelson and his helper arrived on time and worked long hours. They worked quickly but quality was always the priority - Nelson is a man of great integrity who does not cut corners. There were no surprises on cost either as the final cost was the same as the original quotation. The final fence line was located perfectly as shown by our post-fence installation survey. Nelson demonstrated great customer service by working with us to problem-solve along the way and coming back right away to resolve the handful of issues we identified. Nelson was not satisfied until we were happy with the final product. The completed fence is a work of art that we love and it has received rave reviews from family, friends, and neighbours. I have recommended B&C Posts to several neighbours and they will be the only contractor I call for any future fence work.

Alexander did a fantastic job on our IKEA basement bar installation. He provided an estimate based on our the IKEA design docs and pictures we provided. Alexander showed great patience as we were (and are) in the midst of a renovation that experiences endless delays. When we finally were ready for the bar installation, Alexander showed up bright and early, with a helper and they worked all day to complete the install. There was a tricky bulkhead to contend with but Alexander came up with solutions that look and work great. Based on the excellent job on the bar, we had Alexander back to install most of our office (high-end IKEA office furnishings and some IKEA kitchen wall cabinetry). Once again, Alexander arrived early with a helper and they completed the job in one day. The furniture looks great and Alexander does a good job of cleaning everything up before he leaves. We highly recommend Alexander's services for all IKEA kitchen and office installations.