Carl submitted an estimate for the work that was at least $10,000 less than the estimate received from another contractor. I was impressed that he did not attempt to do a cosmetic cover-up of any damaged areas, but looked for the source of the problem and sought to correct the cause so that no further damage would occur. He voluntarily added more small projects to the original project when the need for them became apparent-- like replacing the water line from the street when the old, no-longer-legal pipe collapsed-- and in so doing prevented what could have eventually turned into a huge basement flood! He also willingly addressed other small tasks when I pointed them out, such as adding some molding in a closet over a non-useful hole above the door on the inside that used to collect a lot of dust. His helper was inexperienced and required instruction and supervision, but how else do young men get a start in the construction business? Someone has to be willing to let them learn on the job. I am very grateful for the improvements to my house, which is now warmer and quieter upstairs and drier in the basement, and also grateful that it did not cost what other contractors would have charged me.

The downstairs of the home on Arthur Ave. was thrown together by someone who didn't care if the floor plan worked for the tenants or if the batroom was beside the kitchen table, or if the tenants had to go through the furnace room to go to bed. Creativity, an eye for where changes could be economically made and a considerate respect for budget made the re-fit of this basement a total success. Carl spotted and corrected serious issues that the home inspector missed entirely.

Do NOT get involved with Reno Source unless you have a lot of money to burn for work you could do better yourself, and in less time. Originally we had Carl Bowles quote on renovations throughout our house, and were given a quote of approx $5000. We gave him a $1000 deposit. Shortly after that my wife lost her job, and we met with him to discuss temporarily scaling back the project, as we still wanted some work done. A revised quote of $1,400 was given. However, this was where things started to go south. Work progressed (slowly and poorly) and promises were being broken (such as "we're not happy if you're not happy"). Eventually when we called to ask when he was going to begin work on the other things he had agreed on, he said that we had already "gone over the $1000" and that because we were "not happy" with his work, he was "done with us". When all was said and done, two small (12x12) bedrooms, a small bathroom and a small kitchen area (total area less than 500 square feet) were prepped and painted, but the job was not completed, and what was done wasn't done well. So, having parted with $1000, we were left to paint and re-hang four doors, sweep and mop drywall dust, rewire a telephone jack, and finish the incomplete job. Doors were left leaning against walls, closets weren't put back together, and toilet seal wax was smeared on the bathroom mirror. Although he said he would give us "a couple hundred" dollars back, that never happened. At this point we are preparing documents, case history, and photos of the incomplete work, and will be taking him to court soon after. If you should still be interested in hiring Reno Source, insist on a FIRM quote in WRITING, that includes a concrete time frame. At that point you'll realize there's not a lot of eye contact being made. From then on, it's up to you.