Charlie H.

My dishwasher was broken. Over the course of several calls, I was advised how I could fix it myself. I tried to pay but was declined. The next time I have appliance issues, I will not get several bids but instead go directly to Modern Appliance.

When we put in a new window, it wasn't properly capped. Several other companies looked and couldn't figure out how to reach the third floor. The third-floor wall is inset, the porch roof is easily-dented curved metal, and the front yard is uneven with two trees in the way. Dorian quoted a tenth of the cost of others, who would need to install scaffolding (and weren't entirely sure how even the scaffolding would fit), and for doing a complete job from the outside (inside of a partial job from inside). Bob and Andy arrived with a very long ladder and did a beautiful job, well sealed against precipitation all around the window. Coincidentally, squirrels had recently found another way into our porch roof, having had their previous entryway blocked during a porch repair. Bob added aluminum guards over all the tempting cracks around the perimeter of the roof, just above the eaves, as well as blocking off possible entry in the soffit. All of this was done for less than the cost of the temporary and partial solution that would have been offered by the pest-control company.

We had a wasp nest to remove: a straight-forward pest control job. Maple's bid was the lowest of five. In addition to removing the main nest, Naeem also removed a small satellite nest that had formed. He took to the time to explain what he had done, and what we could expect over the next few days (some lingering, confused wasps). He also spent time to look at shed roof that had carpenter bees, and explained that extermination would only be a temporary answer, and that painting the wood would be a better long-term solution. He also spent time to look at a tree that had carpenter ants, and explained that extermination would only be a temporary answer, better done in the spring, and that hardware-store ant baits, consistently applied, would be more effective. Both of my inquiries would have been opportunities to make a quick buck. This is our second experience with Maple. Previously, another exterminator, Bashir, did a good job of closing up a squirrel hole in our porch roof. Two trips were involved: first for a one-way door and then for a permanent mesh closure.

I got five quotes through HomeStars. Tornado Plumbing was the lowest quote of the five. They were half the cost of the highest quote. The basic job was 120 square feet of concrete: four inches of concrete with four inches of gravel below. They cut away existing concrete to make an even border. They were very careful about adding cushioning and cutting spacers to avoid trouble with shrinkage and expansion. In addition to the work they quoted for they also provided several free extras. They cleared away gravel that had been left by the previous contractors in our front yard. They built a 1 ft long extension to an existing curb. And Sergei unexpectedly brought some topsoil to replace the gravel that he had scraped away from my yard at my request. Sergei updated me as the work proceeded with what would be done each day. He was quick to answer my questions sent through the HomeStars chat service. I'm certain I made the right choice.