Dawn M. in North York

After getting 4 other quotes from well-reviewed Homestar companies, I decided to hire Gerald from XL Renovations because he had the best package in terms of experience, breadth of knowledge and cost. The work included demolition of existing basement bathroom, build/install new bathroom with expanded footprint and new tile flooring/paint of adjoining bedroom. Gerald and his assistant Mike did all of the work themselves and it was completed within the initial quote and expected timeframe (allowing for unexpected issues like old linoleum/tar under the carpet - surprise!). Gerald and Mike were punctual and tidy, and Gerald kept me updated on daily progress. Gerald was easy to communicate with - responsive whether it was phone, email or text. The finished product is well done, showing attention to detail and care. A prospective client who is considering hiring Gerald came to look at the space and also agreed that it was good. I would recommend Gerald and will be looking to him for future renovation projects. Note: price shown below is for labor and construction materials only (eg - drywall, wiring, etc). It does not include "aesthetic" items like tile, vanity, fixtures, etc. ****JANUARY 2016 UPDATE -- Regrettably, I am reducing the rating from 10 stars to 2 stars. We discovered that the water in the shower pan does not drain (the water begins to pool in the pan within seconds) and the shower head's hot & cold water are switched. We contacted Gerald via email, phone & text to resolve these two issues, but have not heard from him in over a month. We sent a final email to him last week, giving him one week to respond. He did not respond within the timeframe, so we conclude he has decided to walk away from the project unfinished. We will be looking for another contract to fix these problems. I withdraw my recommendation and would instead advise potential clients not to hire Gerald of XL Renovations. I will keep a 2-star rating (as opposed to 0-star) for the work done.

Agree with all previous positive reviews. Kelly is very good at what she does -- my home is CLEAN! We appreciate her attention to detail, thoughtfulness and good communication skills. Thank you, Kelly, and we look forward to your monthly visits.

I hired Janice of Pink, Color + Design for a color consultation for my 4 bedroom home. It took about 3.5 hrs. I didn't have much existing furniture, artwork or existing pieces for Janice to work from, but she put together a color plan that my husband and I are happy with. *** From a purely business/communication perspective, it was difficult to work with Janice. She was reasonably quick to respond to emails, and there were no major issues, but it took 3x the normal amount of effort and patience to resolve any minor issues that did come up. *** Example #1 - We exchanged 14 emails before we could settle on a time for her to come over. I was unwilling to pay the premium for her to come on a weekend, and she was understandably hesitant to come during rush hour traffic. I almost gave up at email #8, but persevered and we eventually agreed for a 2:30 pm appointment during the week. So I took the afternoon off from work on the day of our appointment and waited at home. Ironically, she was over 30 minutes late due to traffic. *** Example #2 - The day before our appointment, I emailed her to confirm and included my phone number in case she had any issues. She replied via email that she would be there and...asked for my phone number. *scratches head* *** Example #3 - I borrowed some of her wallpaper samples to show my husband and we agreed I would mail the samples back to her. She emailed me a few days later asking for the samples back, saying she would send a courier to pick them up from my husband's office. I confirmed via email that we would do that, but the samples were still at my husband's office 2 weeks later. I emailed her again to let her know the samples were ready for pick-up, to which she responded "Can your husband mail the samples to me?" I'm not sure why she brought up the courier in the first place then? *** Example #4 - We liked the wallpaper she showed us and ordered 2 rolls through her. They arrived promptly, no problem. No invoice in the box. I had already asked her for the total and method of payment when I confirmed the order (no response at the time). So I emailed her again. She responded with an invoice, but no instruction on how to pay (Canada Post on strike - no easy way to send a cheque). My husband left a voicemail to ask how we should pay, to which she responded in email that electronic payment would be fine. But...she did not include any instructions on HOW to electronically pay her (Paypal? Bank transfer?). I've left it up to my husband to handle this because at this point, I feel like I'm taking crazy pills every time I talk to her. *** I appreciate we are a small potato client compared to other big jobs and wealthy clients, but I do not appreciate being treated as an afterthought. In summary, we are happy with the color plan itself, but trying to work out little details and logistics has been a challenge. I would not recommend Janice to those who value a smooth working relationship.

We hired Michael Lam from Building Control and Inspection Inc to perform our home inspection when we were buying a home. I would not recommend this company. Michael rushed through the inspection because he had another appointment. His hand-written report was only partially legible, and his preferred language is Chinese, which is a problem when your Chinese is poor like mine. I was not impressed with his attitude, which I would describe as condescending and patronizing. He was disrespectful towards the seller (who happened to be a family friend), and tried to bully us into believing the roof was old even though we had proof that the roof was only 5 years old. He did alert us to asbestos in the ducts, which we would not have known about. However, he spent more time stressing how he was doing us a huge favor by telling us about it because asbestos detection isn't part of his job than he did telling us how concerned we should be about it. Overall, he was more concerned about finishing the job and collecting the money (cash only) than he was about the actual condition of the house. Do not hire Michael Lam from Building Control and Inspection Inc.

Based on the positive reviews from homestars.com, I contacted Maret's Quality Home Cleaning Services about moving-in cleaning services. The Cleaning Maret and her team of ladies (Bisa, Genevieve, Colmbe (sp?)) exceeded all expectations in cleaning my new home. After two days, the whole house of approximately 3500 sq ft sparkled from top to bottom. Every surface was clean and smooth, from the windows to the kitchen cabinets to all the little nooks and crannies of the moldings. All the walls, even inside the closet, looked like it was freshly painted. The spots behind and underneath the washer/dryer were cleaned as well. I was very happy with the results! The Business Side I was also very happy with how Maret conducted business - she was punctual and professional. Communication was good whether it was by email or phone. The Cost I was not able to show Maret the house to get an estimate due to a technical difficulty on my part (locked out of the house on closing day even with a key -- that's another story!), but we discussed my priorities and budget before the cleaning began. It soon became clear to me that Maret and her team take pride in doing a thorough job when they cleaned a significant number of extra areas without charge. So I was able to stay within budget and get much more cleaned than I expected! Summary I highly recommend Maret's Quality Home Cleaning Services.