Write A Review Reviews by Laura from Toronto-723
Beautiful house re-design in the Annex
A review for PAS Design Group Inc
We worked with Debbie from P.A.S. Design on a top-to-bottom gutting of a 100-year old rowhouse in the Annex. She was a wonderful full-service designer and we are very happy with our finished product. Debbie did everything from find contractors to bid on our project, negotiate on price, work with the project manager to schedule the work, draw the designs for our new layouts and elevations, and took us to choose all our finishes and even furniture. She stayed involved throughout the project, frequently visiting the job site to make sure everything was on track, and working with the contractor anytime there was a problem or dispute (like our flooded kitchen). Our project was very large, including knocking down 4 walls, replacing the floors, renovating the kitchen, converting an existing bathroom + bedroom into a single master bathroom, and re-painting the entire house. Debbie has very classic taste, and knows high-end design elements very well. I would find things I liked in magazines, give them to Debbie, and she would draw up the schematics and work with our contractor to get it done! Our bathroom is fully to her credit, as she helped on everything from the layout, millwork design, mirror design, tile elevations and glass work. It is totally worthy of its own magazine photoshoot (I think). We would highly recommend Debbie to anyone who wants a classic, high-quality, professionally-designed home.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.Re-lay of flagstone walkway
A review for Royal Town Landscape Developments
We found Danilo through Homestars and were impressed by the great reviews. We were happy to have a positive experience as well. We had three landscapers quote us for a very simple job (re-laying existing flagstones on our front walkway). Others quoted us up to 10 times more than what Danilo did and told us the work would take days to do. Danilo's quote was very reasonable and he was confident he could finish the work in a day or two. He also suggested that we add a couple of stone steps to help with stability. He emailed us a link to a garden centre so we could choose one we like, and the next day it was at our house. He did the work over a couple of days (due to rain) and it was great. We are very happy with our walkway, and we will be calling him up again in the spring to ged our flower beds ready for planting.
Company Response:
Hi Laura, Thank you very much for your review. I am more than happy that I was able to deliver a job that you are happy about. Your ideas and feedback made the work much easier and in the end, better. As usual, I try to be honest with everyone I work with, which means providing my clients with a reasonably priced project, time expectations and design ideas that would improve the overall project. I look forward to do more work for you this coming spring. Thanks again! Danilo
New Furnace, AC and ductwork
A review for Premi-Air Heating & Air Conditioning
We found Premi-Air on Homestars and invited them to quote us on a replacement furnace and a new AC system for our 100-year old house as part of our major renovation. They were professional and easy to deal with from start to finish. We were very pleased about how much care and effort Jack Simon, our account rep, put into his quote. He spent an hour looking over our house, measuring windows and counting ducts, to figure out what furnace and AC system would best suit our needs. The price was also reasonable and just under what Belyea Brothers quoted us. In addition to a new AC and furnace, we also had Premi-Air move some ducts and install additional air returns in our home to help with air flow. They were a bit backlogged so the work took a few weeks to get scheduled, but it was done well. What Jack and his team did well was follow up with us and stay in contact throughout the process. After our AC compressor was installed outside (in an alley, hoisted up on support brackets so we could walk under it), we asked if they could shift the support posts so that we could better walk under it. They were very accommodating and came out multiple times to measure and do the work to make sure we were happy. Overall, our new system is great and we would recommend Premi-Air to others, especially those with older quirky homes.
Company Response:
Hi Laura, Thank you so much for this kind review. We feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with such a fine person like yourself. Your project did come with its unique challenges but we really enjoy working with our customers to achieve 100% satisfaction. Every one of our team members are part of this effort to deliver the ultimate customer satisfaction experience. We are alway so touched when people like yourself take the time out of their busy schedules to leave us a nice review. Thank you so much. Wishing you all the very best in your beautiful new home! Jack Simon Joe Simon
General contracting
A review for Somerset Construction Ltd.
We found Graeme and his team through our designer, Debbie at PAS Design Group. She had worked with them before, so as first-time renovators we were relieved to know that we could trust the quality of their work for such a large project. We hired Somerset to conduct a major top-to-bottom renovation of a 100-year old home in the Annex. They tore down five walls, replaced all the knob and tube wiring, renovated our kitchen including trimming and repainting the cabinets, painted the entire interior of the home, replaced the flooring, and turned a tiny ancient bathroom and an adjacent laundry room into a spectacular marble bathroom. We were very happy with Somerset and would gladly recommend them to others for a major gut-job for 3 reasons: 1. The team. Everyone at Somerset was very easy to work with and very easy to reach. We were in email and phone contact with Sandeep, our project manager, and his team nearly every day throughout the three months of the project. He did a great job coordinating the timing, the ordering and delivering, and the trades to make sure the project was completed on time and reasonably close to budget. On the site, Denis, the foreman, and his team (including his father, Jesus and brother, Aldo) were absolutely a dream. They were the nicest guys, worked very hard through long hot summer days with no AC, and even worked late into the night and on weekends to meet our tight deadlines. The week before we were scheduled to move into the house, they worked until midnight many nights to make sure we would be comfortable. We can't say how much we appreciate the great team we had. 2. The quality of the work. The team took pride in the quality of their workmanship, and did a beautiful job with everything --especially our bathroom. We had a lot of challenging tile work in our design, and it turned out beautifully. If we were ever unhappy with how something was done, Denis and his team would re-do it right away. 3. Integrity. In home renovations you hear a lot of horror stories about contractors leaving homeowners out to dry. We are glad to say we had the opposite experience. Towards the end of our renovation, there was a problem with the plumbing which caused our new bathroom to leak and cause a flood in our kitchen. Graeme and his team responded immediately and brought an army of specialized plumbers and contractors within hours to rip up our kitchen ceiling, fix the pipes, snake the drains and patch it and paint up before we even got home from work. If Graeme hadn't called us multiple times to apologize and reassure us, we would never have guessed there was such a huge undertaking to fix the plumbing. Not only that, but they absorbed the cost themselves which was the right thing to do. Also, we have a young child, and only had two months to complete the bulk of the work before we had to move in. Somerset managed our expectations by telling us the work would take three months to complete, but were able to finish most of it in 2.5 months to make the house liveable and safe for our family on move-in day. Of course, as with all renovations, not everything went perfectly, and from time to time we did disagree with Somerset over budgeted vs. additional costs, and who was responsible for what. However, given the magnitude of our project and the tight time frame, this is understandable as we did not spend a lot of time going through a detailed budget up front. If we had more time between and more experience we would have invested more time to clarify costs up front. Overall, we are very pleased with Somerset and would happily use them again.
Company Response:
Somerset really loved working with you and are so happy with the way the house turned out; thanks to you guys and Debbie. Enjoy your home. Regards Graeme
New carpeting
A review for Eglinton Carpets & Rugs
Choose Eglinton Carpets for my stainmaster berber carpeting because of the price, but you definitely get what you pay for. Everyone in the showroom (tiny) was very nice, but they wrote down my order in a notebook and I had to go back three times to make sure they had written down everything right. The installer arrived 2 hours late (timing was very important and I TOLD them so) and claimed he had no record that he had to remove the existing carpets, which was totally false. So I had to call the office again to sort it all out. The installer was also completely nuts and I couldn't understand a word he said. He didn't bring his own garbage bags and made a mess everywhere, then left me with tons of fluff and underpad bits all over the carpeting which I had to vaccuum myself. Finally, he also scuffed up my freshly painted walls and claimed it wasn't him which is impossible because I had just finished painting before he arrived! The carpets, I admit, look great though. My advice... find a chain store and pay a little extra for the better service!
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.Custom Closets
A review for Custom Closet Organizers Inc. Shelving Outlet
Very impressed with this company. Were very understanding and flexible with my schedule, had great ideas, and the installation was professional, clean, and on time. Would definitely recommend them.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.