Doug from Toronto

I have an older, larger driveway in Ottawa and want to do whatever I can to preserve it for several years before having to re-asphalt. It was sealed a few years ago by a jack-of-all trades; his product wore off in a year or two. Before and since then, a lot of cracks developed, and there has been significant weed growth. Freezing and thawing damage has started. My first call was to a HomeStars rated paving contractor, which doesn't do sealing - they recommended Cameron at Seal-A-Drive for that. I figured a recommendation from a paver was fairly valid so I went with them. Calls and texts with Cameron at Seal-A-Drive were good; replies sometimes immediately, sometimes after a day or two, which I assume means "busy". Better than other contractors I work with, who reply in a week or two. Seal-A-Drive accommodated lots of changes in my own schedule and arrived as soon as it was convenient for me. Points for that. They torched the weeds out of the cracks and applied a filler that extends in a wide band to each side of the crack. From my limited internet reading, that's the best approach. I don't know how long the crack filler will last - it's only been a month - but so far, it looks like it has the potential to outlive me. It looks identical, including the wide brush method that they used, to work done on municipal roads where I live in the Toronto area. Stopping ice damage in those cracks is critical to me. As in "kicking my thousands-of-dollars repaving job down the road" for multiple years. This was my greatest concern, and that the company might do a lousy job on the cracks. But it seems sound. Points for that. Then they applied a sealant that is black, shiny, hard. And did it meticulously - absolutely zero overspray on my stone steps and the retaining wall that runs along the drive. More points for that. Unlike the previous guy who used - well, I don't know what he used - these guys provide details about the product they use on their website. You can google it, research it and even check out the manufacturer. Which is McAsphalt, a large, well known company that I actually knew about already. Huge points for that. End of job including follow-up with me. Pretty positive experience. I think my review sounds like a bit of an advertisement but it's because it actually was a positive experience. Also, this is the first review I've ever done on HomeStars (as far as I can remember) so I'm not in a position of having to write long reviews like this this every day. If the crack filler and sealer hold up - and looking at the product literature and the job itself, it looks like they will - then I'll be recommending these guys to everyone I know for a lot of years.

I haven't used Hotwire yet - their estimator, Oris, just came by to do a quote. But I'm already impressed - he did a remarkably effective job of representing the organization. I don't think it's easy to give strangers the feeling that your company is trustworthy and dedicated but he certainly accomplished that - far and above other electricians that I've worked with both in my professional life and as a homeowner. He was willing to look at all my issues, applied absolutely no pressure and offered suggestions on better ways of doing things. I called HotWire because I'd seen reviews on HomeStars and between that and meeting their estimator, and knowing that they're an ESA pre-approved contractor, I felt completely confident.