Tammy i.

Stan and his crew were efficient and reliable. When the existing bricks proved to be insufficient due to recutting, and the colour we had turned out to be unavailable, Stan provided a creative alternative without adding to the cost. The stones are beautifully cut and fitted; when the first rainfall revealed some dips which weren’t draining, Stan came out immediately (on a weekend), reassessed, and sent someone out as soon as possible to correct the grade in those areas. Extra details, like the crew’s care about closing the gate so our dog was safe, and repositioning of the window well, demonstrated great customer care. I can’t say whether his costs were on the low end or the high end because we only sought one quote, and we thought it was reasonable. The .5 is because the crew uses some pretty colourful language and we had young children next door whose parents mentioned it; but I’m sure that wouldn’t bother many people.

We needed mortar repairs on a hundred-year-old house in Toronto. Murphy’s came in with the lowest quote by a considerable margin but we never felt the work to be sub-par in any way. They were efficient, prompt and pleasant. Some work was postponed due to the fact that there was an active birds nest in one area ; Murphy’s has assured us they will return to finish this once the birds have fledged, which we thought demonstrated a caring attitude. This attitude was also evident in their attention to the needs of our elderly neighbor by clearly communicating when the shared walkway would be obstructed, and by ensuring that our (even more elderly) dog was always secured in the gated back yard as they came and went. Costs were kept low by us arranging electrical cable coverage ourselves, which came to roughly another $1000, but is a relatively simple process handled through Toronto Hydro.

We knew the removal of a major load-bearing wall in our 100-year old Toronto house would be a complicated task because of permits, HVAC and electrical issues, but would require careful attention to finishing as well since we wanted to keep some of the original features of the house intact. The original hardwood would need to be matched where the wall had come out, and we wanted to retain the original curve where the lathe-and-plaster walls met the ceiling. Once the drawings were complete we sought several quotes; DWC was on the high-to-middle end but we don’t regret a penny. From the start, communication and expectations were clear and work was carried out efficiently. We didn’t vacate the premises during this time and the team did everything they could to minimize the impact, even though I’m sure it would have been much simpler for them if we (and our big dog) hadn’t been there. Donavan dealt with inspections, an unhelpful structural engineer, and a significant and unexpected last-minute change on our part with a consistently open and pleasant demeanour. All his employees and sub trades were extremely pleasant and polite to me and my family. When I had to leave town he continued to check in daily to keep me informed. When our original plan was expanded he made what we felt was a reasonable adjustment to the original pricing. The work was completed on time and on budget, and exceeded expectations in terms of maintaining/matching the original features. This company is the complete opposite of all those nightmare renovation experiences you’ve heard about.

We went with Gem because they offered to cover the cost of an environmental assessment of our home as part of the package; they offered an excellent product at a good price; the showroom was very nice and no one was pushy. Since having the main and second floors of our old house re-windowed we've also had them do all the windows in the basement; the windows are manufactured locally and the firings and hardware are smooth and efficient. They are a bit out of the way for us but we were very happy with the service.

Tann Air has serviced our furnace for over 15 years so when the time came to upgrade it to high efficiency we included them in our search for quotes. We were also adding AC for the first time, and switching to a tankless water heater. I don't usually gravitate towards the lowest bid, assuming "you get what you pay for" - I usually go for mid-range; however Albert's prompt personal visit and detailed quote, combined with the most competitive price from amongst five companies, persuaded me to hire Tann Air. The installation was done all in one day by a cheerful and efficient team; I was kept informed of minor concerns and setbacks such as the location of a new thermostat when the very old wiring proved a bit complicated; there was a miscommunication about the distance the unit (side-venting) would have to be from the wall so it ended up sticking out more than I expected but the reason for this was made very clear and I was given an option at the time to relocate the unit without feeling any undue pressure to make up my mind, which I always appreciate. Cleanup was okay - the floor was pretty dirty and there were numerous cigarette butts left on the ground outside, but to be fair I didn't see them til the next day and if I had mentioned it at the time I'm sure they would have been as cheerful about doing that as they were about everything else. And as I said, their price was the lowest quote.

Short version: be prepared for extremely uneven customer care. Long, not very interesting but deeply frustrating version: After speaking to three different people at Enercare to set up a consultation for A/C, furnace and tankless water heater, I was told they'd call me back to set up a time. They didn't. I called again and was told they weren't going to send someone out for a hard quote unless we were sure we wanted the appliances (?!). This agent also kept bringing up the instalment plan even though I stated clearly I would not be using one. Needless to say I ended up using a different company for the appliances and installation - but the saga continues! Stay tuned as I attempt to return my old rented Enercare tank (three phone calls, averaging 20 minutes each, and counting. However I had the dubious comfort of one agent telling me all the earlier people I spoke to must have been crazy/new employees/ confused. That's always reassuring!). They will pick it up, as I have no vehicle and can't carry it into the return depot by myself, but they will charge me $75 to do so. Fair enough I guess - except that if I lived 35 km away instead of the 7 km that I do, there would be no charge... ? I have suggested that since I've rented for 18 years (why? What was I thinking?), never got a service call or a check-in, and had been on the receiving end of some frustrating customer care perhaps they would consider waiving the fee. Maybe they will, who knows. I see a lot of 10s among the reviews, so clearly they get it right sometimes but they sure didn't with me.

In these days when it can be hard even to find someone who actually shows up the day they say they will, Steve Brannan's service was outstanding on every level. Prompt, pleasant and efficient. The price was on par with, or perhaps marginally higher than, other service providers, but in my opinion the service was better.