John from Toronto

It finally got cold enough to turn on the furnace. Mmmm nice and warm. Then warmer and warmer ... before I knew it, it was 26 in the house while the furnace was set to 21.5 .. yikes. Turned off the furnace. Gave Max a call (on Saturday of course) and he said he could make it no later than 8 that evening. Got a call from him at 3:30 asking if he could come at 4:00 .. of course!! Turns out there was short in the cable between the thermostat and the furnace (caused by another contractor doing some structural renovations). Pulling a new cable was not that practical ... but Max had the idea to utilize the unused AC wires to run the heating. Voilà!! Quick, efficient, honest!! Highly recommend.

I have had Max come out twice. The first time was to inspect the furnace after I bought the house. On time, price as quoted, and on top of that found "unusual" fittings used on the gas line by someone else - which he remedied. Nice! The second time was to install a gas line when we upgraded from an electric range to a natural gas range. Again on time and work completed as needed. Thanks Max.

This company is fine, communicates well, and seems to be technically competent in all areas. When I arranged for a home inspection of an existing home I was given a choice of a certified inspector or an inspector with an engineering degree (at a higher price). I selected the engineering background for the discipline that comes with that trade. The inspection went well, he answered many, many questions I had, and all seemed good. The difference, for me, between a rating of 8 and 10 here on HomeStars has everything to do with the final report itself. A bit of a let down. It's obviously a template where most things are boiler plate, and not that much reflects what I learned during the inspection itself. (NOTE: In the process of purchasing a home I got the opportunity to read a lot of existing home inspection reports that sellers provided. Some were very detailed and specific to the home inspected. In my mind there is great value in getting the detail in the report ... )

We've all read about the horror stories with selecting the wrong moving company. If you are the least bit concerned that you may end up as one of those stories, consider Zaid and his team. Right from the moment of first contact through to the day after Zaid finished the move you can be confident that this is a solid outfit. Communication before was good. The team was punctual. These guys can really motor - from the moment they started right through to the last piece being placed in the new location - efficiency and speed is obviously their calling. Especially Zaid himself - almost maniacal. Yes, a few things could have been handled a little more gently, and a little more time could have been allocated to ensure every last box ended up in the right room at the new location, however the value for money was outstanding! Thanks Zaid and team!!

I've always found that moving is not a lot of fun, and I can certainly do without the stress that accompanies it. Andrew at CityBoxes goes a LONG way toward making a dent into both. He knows what it's all about, and is tremendously flexible - he was accommodating at every turn without a moment of hesitation. Great communication! Do NOT hesitate to connect with Andrew if you need this type of service - small or large - straightforward or highly unusual - if you are in panic mode or if you are an uber planner. He's the one you want in your corner.

While the quality of the actual stairs that were supplied are fine, this companies performance in all other areas left something to be desired. - Were very late in arriving onsite to take measurements, and when I finally called they apologized in that Gus had been caught in a traffic nightmare. I have no issue with the fact that traffic caused an issue, rather the point was: where is the communication? - On the day of the agreed installation, no one showed up. I called, left a message and the call was never returned. Ever! - The next day I called and confirmed a new installation date, and again they were late. It was only when I called did they provide an update and an alternative time. - Upon arrival for the installation, Marcelo pointed out that there were a number of structural deficiencies with the framing, joists and headers around the existing stairwell - much appreciated! - After the removal of the old stairs and the installation of the new stairs the deficient structure shifted significantly and may have rendered the situation unsafe. Yes, Marcelo put in a few screws to after the fact to hold it together, however should remedial action not have been taken before the removal of the stairs was initiated? I think so. - The crew finished up and departed without any sort of review of the situation. The attached pictures is how things were left. - I reviewed the situation with Rocio the next day and was told that the installation was "well done" and "done properly" Since this is a home and not a construction site, I had expected a finished installation, rather than one that required a final visit by a carpenter completely nail in the top riser and to install a nosing. Yes, it's a 110 year old house that is not square, and that was not constructed to today's standards - it's not going to be be perfect. Nonetheless, all other high quality trades I have used so far have adapted, discussed, and worked around these types of issues - with a lot of communications - so that the end result was always complete, and a significant improvement over what the situation was before they started - including limitations dictated by the issues surrounding an older house. in summary: The quality of the stairs themselves are good. Very poor communication and ability to adjust/ adapt to non-standard situations.

Older, severely scuffed hardwood floor desperately needed refinishing. Matt is a master craftsman whose attention to detail and a desire for a superior outcome shines through. This project was a challenge given that the older subfloor was not level, yet Matt had the talent to figure out a way to make it work. Constant communication was superb!!