A&R Renovations Inc.

Blackmail and bullying is the best way to summarize our experience. Please call me at 416 697 2643, I'll provide pictures and documentation from contractors who fixed all his issues. This is not something we typically do, but now that the project is complete and we have contacted a lawyer, I feel it's our duty to make sure others don't have to go through the same horror we did. We originally found Alex on this site and will never use it again based on our awful experience.

I'll save everyone a long read. But here is a quick summary.

Alex threatened to leave the job the first time out of 5 - 3 days into the project after giving me the extras bill, which we had agreed to no extras without discussing - all of which were core project or gauging. More importantly he already had 80% of the money. We have 2 small children and had no leverage at the time and were living in the midst of a full Reno.

3 of 5 contractors (90 % of work) Alex had never met prior to the project. They all introduced themselves to me when they arrived. His labourer was his nephews friend who he had never done work with before. Alex uses a recruiting service for trades and has none of his own contacts. The ones he did have were just as terrible as he was.

He advertises himself as a G C - but refused to provide his number. Because he isn't one.
He threatened to call the city and not return to complete the project if we didn't pay him in full for work not completed. He also tried to blackmail us to provide a reference on this site. Hence the link provided by him.

We paid him in full to get him out of our lives, 3k not including the cost to fix errors. It was well worth getting Alex out of our lives. We provided him proper notice to end a contract we paid in full (contract is a cut and paste of home depos) even though it wasn't completed and his response was he was going to call the city. He sent us a legal letter that we agree not to post to sites like this one and he is not liable for any work completed.

Everything Alex touched in our home is what we had to have fixed. He does not care about workmanship and does not even use a level. All the contractors that we had in to fix his awful work repeatedly commented on the awful work he had done in our home. All he cares about is a good review and pictures. We have to be reminded of the money we wasted and the horrifying experience he put us through on a daily basis.

Not only is Alex unapproachable and a bully he his litigious and we expect his bullying to continue. 3 months after fixing all his issues and completing the project, we are now ready . We will update this post with all of Alex s next steps.

Do not hire him!!! If for some crazy reason you do - talk to people he has worked for and don't rely on these reviews only since he obviously manipulates and bullies people into writing good things.

From the start explained each stage of the work, then would encourage questions to be asked, respects the customer's needs.
Always prompt and ready to work and offers alternatives and solutions, excellent work ethic and trustworthy.
Would not hesitate to recommend his services.

We had Alex from A&R Renovations remodel our main bathroom, enlarge our ensuite and turn our 4 bedroom house into a 3 bedroom. From start to finish Alex was hands on and accountable. Each morning at 7:15 am Alex would arrive and start work. The was no waiting around for other tradespeople to show up. Alex did 90 percent of the work himself and brought in guys to do our hardwood floor and tile in main bathroom. Both times Alex was there overseeing the work. Any issues we had were dealt with quickly and without complaint. If you’re looking for honest, skilled a tradesman who is accountable you should strong consider giving Alex a call.

I have worked with other contractors in the past. Alex is the only contractor to work for me more than once. First in 2012 when he put in a basement, and now in 2016 completely renovating our ground floor. No doubt we will again get other quotes in 2020 (hopefully sooner) and again find Alex to be very competitive. But beyond competitive, Alex is utterly trustworthy, extremely knowledgeable and executes a project excellently. What he says when he sees a potential job vs what other contractors say when they see the same potential job is very different. No garbage, no hyperbole, and interesting insights and observations that other contractors just don't make. Alex is also very clear in agreeing Change Order costs before proceeding. He also keeps the job site very tidy (as tidy as a construction site can get!) - again, this is very instructive as to his professionalism and commitment to keeping the client happy. To summarize, Alex is on time (really), on budget (really) and on the whole good to deal with (really). No large renovation is easy. There are always twists and turns and bad surprises when things get uncovered. That is a reality. But Alex will do what he can to minimize your blood pressure rising.

Alex was great to work with. Very skilled and knowledgeable in a variety of disciplines, easy to get a hold of, punctual, tidy worker, and the finished product exemplifies exceptional workmanship. Highly recommended.

I found Alex / A&R renovations though his strong ratings on Homestars, and going with him was an easy choice after interviewing several different contractors. We started with just the bathroom and 2 bedrooms downstairs as a trial, and I quickly expanded the scope to include the remaining 2 levels in the house based on his work. The major reasons for my strong recommendation are:
- Good documentation
- Prompt communication and follow-up when decisions are needed
- Always available for advice / consultation
- Willing to work with your vision and budget
- Very clean / tidy
- Quick resolution of any issues

We hired Alex after reading several of the positive reviews about him and his work. We met with Alex and he was very knowledgeable and friendly. We explained our plan to replace the kitchen cabinets, remove two walls, replace the ceramic floors with hardwood and remodel the main bathroom. Alex gave us some good suggestions and advice. The demolition was handled very well and Alex and his crew were very friendly and thorough. The renovations were handled very professionally and the quality of the work was very good. Alex was available everyday and provided a detailed update on the progress of the reno. He repaired items that were not necessarily part of the renovation as well because he wants to make sure everything meets his standard of quality. Very honest and trustworthy. Alex's floor installer was a master at his work and the wood floor turned out great. Alex kept everything moving along and on schedule. He works for you as his client and he is very committed and available. We are very happy with the work and service Alex provided. We would not hesitate to recommend Alex to anyone who wishes to renovate or do any work to their home.

We were looking at creating an open concept, in our Condo with a new kitchen. This required the removal of two walls and a complete gutting of the kitchen and installation of a new kitchen. We have heard the horror stories of bad contractors and was hesitant to start. We researched contractors, using sites like Home Stars and Trusted Pro. We interviewed 6 contractors and then meet Alex. I discounted contractors who did the quote, but would have others do the work. I wanted a contractor that would be there through the whole job and be accountable. I read the A & R Renovation (Alex – owner) reviews and was impressed by the comments. In choosing a contractor, you need to establish a relationship and feel comfortable with that contractor. In talking to Alex, I immediately recognized his knowledge and experience. He impressed me. Alex made sure that we were on the same page and there was no misunderstanding. A & R Renovation pricing was competitive.

When taking down walls, you always have issues. Alex was able to come up with recommendations to resolve those issues. Alex brought in experts, from painters, electricians and counter installers. When the building inspector came in, everything was passed. This brought us piece of mind.

We stayed in the condo during this renovation, so it was important to keep the mess to a minimum. Alex and his apprentice Josh cleaned up the site every night, before leaving. They were on-site every day on time. Alex is a perfectionist. The quality of work was top notch through the whole project. Alex and his apprentice Josh did a great job.

As I reflect back, reading the A & R Renovation reviews, I would like to say that the reviews accurately reflect the work A & R Renovation does. We would not hesitate to recommend Alex and his team.

Overall the job was brought in on time and budget and we are extremely happy with the results.

Project: Complete gutting and make over of our en suite and main bathrooms.

Knowledge: Excellent! Alex is extremely knowledgeable. In fact, it was his extensive experience and knowledge that won him the contract in the first place. We interviewed other contractors for the job but, they were not nearly as aware of what was involved with our project as was Alex.

For example, we wanted the toilet in the en suite relocated within the bathroom. All of the other candidates simply said no problem; Alex was the only person who told us it was possible but, also made us aware of potential complications and then offered an alternate solution if our primary wish was not feasible.

Hands-on Involvement: Excellent! Among the biggest concerns we had in hiring a contractor was: i) the contractor securing the job but, then outsourcing the actual work and not being directly involved in the project on a day-to-day basis ii) the contractor juggling multiple projects in addition to ours.

On both counts, Alex passed with flying colours. Alex (along with his assistant Josh) were on the job each day of the project and they did the work directly. Other than the glass enclosure for the shower which required a third party, Alex was hands-on just as promised. Also, the fact Alex was personally involved throughout the duration of the project meant that whatever time he blocked off for our bathrooms was dedicated to our project alone. We were not merely one on a list of many other bookings such that his time was being shared or he was distracted with other jobs.

Cleanliness: Excellent! Alex and Josh were very conscious of keeping the work area as clean as can be expected. Dust and dirt are inevitable with any renovation project but, to the extent possible, they kept it under control and cleaned the work area (sweeping, mopping, vaccuming, etc.) at the end of each day. They also removed all of the old debris and garbage from the initial gutting.

Punctuality: Excellent! Alex and Josh were always on time...if not early. :)

Quality of Work: Excellent! It is very clear that Alex takes great pride in his work and is detail conscious. On a couple of occasions, when things were not exactly right (whether pointed out by us or detected on his own), he had no problems adjusting/redoing those items to bring them up to par and to our satisfaction.

Communication/Interpersonal Skills: In terms of communication, Alex is direct and to the point. This is not meant to be a criticism--we are all different and this is simply his communication style. From our perspective however, there were times, when clearer communication would have helped.

Pricing: Alex is definitely not the cheapest contractor out there. Then again, do you really want to hire a contractor whose only advantage is cost? You get what you pay for so, if you want a contractor that is hands-on, who will complete the job as advertised, who is efficient and works to a high standard then, you have to be prepared to pay a little more. A little more expensive than others perhaps...but, no regrets given the finished product.

Concluding Comments: We would not hesitate to give Alex the highest rating and to recommend him to friends and family or to give him another project for our house.

Finding the right contractor for your home renovation is difficult. It takes a little bit of time and experience (good and bad), and with enough trial and error you can weed out the pretenders from the professionals.

Alex, from A & R Renovations, is a professional: he’s direct, does quality work, and knows how to coordinate a large-scale renovation.

Alex just completed my upstairs washroom, floor, and stairs. It’s preliminary (it’s only been a few days), but I’m very impressed by the work. Things look great - he transformed a rough second floor into something complete and polished. There were a few surprises along the way (it’s an old house in midtown Toronto), but Alex keeps you well-informed and was able to come up with great solutions to all the challenges he faced.

His crew was great and Alex was around to make sure everything was running smoothly. The workplace was clean, my home was respected, and everything was completed according to schedule and budget. He’s even coming back to install a vanity that had ordering problems.

You can trust Alex and his team and I’ll definitely be calling him again.