Rosemary Coombe from Old Toronto

I wanted to change up my family room but couldnt afford to reupholster my chairs at the time. I found some fabric I liked, at a discount, at Fabricland and then went to Kathy. Kathy made new slipcovers for the loose cushions of my tub chair seats and pillowcases as well as an ottoman cover. It was a small investment but one that utterly transformed the room. I have had Kathy make new throw cushions in my living room as well. Now that I have the funds, I wouldnt go to anyone else and those chairs will be fully upgraded. New furniture is not as solid as the old stuff and you owe it to the environment to give it a new life. I like supporting female entrepreneurs in male-dominated professions. Kathy is lovely to work with.

Chris has been a god send to us in West Toronto (Bloor West village). From odd jobs, fixing things, painting, grout work, toilet replacement, ceiling leaks, he has done it all. He is willing to think outside of the box and entertains my ideas (eg: I got all of my windowsills painted glossy white and then covered them with varathane -- they look like they are shiny marble now and will not stain or discolour)...he even finished off a very painstaking tiling job that a skilled Italian mastercraftsman had given up on as being too difficult! Call him at 416-654-2439 -- over the years Chris has saved us a lot of money in repairs.

I have used Canadian Appliance Source for all new appliances in my home in the past eight years. They have the most competitive prices in the GTA, the most affordable and dependable extended warranties, and the most extensive reviews of various models online. Customer service, most recently from Harry T at the Dufflaw location, is always impeccable. If I see a great deal advertised, I look to see how much CAS is charging. Inevitably, the price is lower and often they will upgrade the model for the same price the big box stores are charging for last year's model. Delivery is reasonable, removal of old appliances is downright cheap, and when you need to use your warranty, service is prompt for repairs.

We stupidly bought a rug too large for our dining room and the next size down was too small. We loved the pattern and I finally thought about getting it cut to the size of the room. Maple sent someone out to measure and promised to have it back to us, cut, finished and stainguard protected within 15 business days. When they returned it, Hannif even helped me move the furniture and position it. We were happy with the service and will use them when we choose stair runners.

Company wrongfully charged my VISA for a partial roof repair after telling us that they would do the whole roof for $10,00 in cash which they took. They never finished the job and left part of the roof without shingles. When we attempted to contact the company, we were told to send an email. No one responded. We now find out that the answering service is shut down, the email address is invalid and there is a major fraud charge against this company laid by Toronto Police. They also tried to charge us an additional $13,100 for mold remediation, a beam replacement we found out was unnecessary, and other overpriced repairs. The mold remediation cost us $1700 from a mold remediation expert; Home Pros wanted us to pay them $5248 for the same work (and according to Mr. Mould,they were going to use an inferior process. So we are now having to complain to Better Business Bureau, find out how to charge this person, whose name, should he start up another company, we believe, is Scott (last name is on the Better Business Bureau site). The technician who first came out was Calvin. We withheld $400 of the $10,000 to get them to come back and finish the roof, but they have just disappeared. BEWARE! Don't deal with a company that hides behind an answering service. If you have had similar experiences with this company please contact the police!

California Kitchens helped me to design an Arts and Crafts style kitchen with Mission style glass cabinets, an oak peninsula dividing the kitchen and dining room (which replaced a wall) with cabinetry on both sides. We did the kitchen wall in cream cabinetry (we got to choose a Benjamin Moore paint color (OC77) and the MDF was custom matched to it, meaning that virtually any color is possible in MDF and wall colors can be easily chosen that blend with the MDF tone flawlessly). We did the peninsula in solid red oak. It is absolutely stunning!!!! Even the contractors are ga-ga over it! Devra let me design my own cabinet doors with waterfall glass inserts. She had great ideas for finishing the gable wall which now matches the cabinet doors in design. The price was quite reasonable given the quality of the workmanship and the difficulty and size of the project. Everyone was responsive to my needs and they checked with me on all the details. Even the hardware is lovely. I cannot wait to post pictures after the countertops go in! California Kitchens does not work quickly because all of the design work is done by hand. But if you are looking for careful, quality, professional work, you cannot go wrong. Just don't be in a hurry; it is worth the wait!