Martin Pyle from Toronto

Like many others in my neighbourhood, when my family needed more space we considered moving (near the height of the market, so no) or adding more space to our home. We struggled to find a contractor, but one came highly recommended - True North. Thankfully, we followed that advice, and could not be happier. Daniel, the owner, is terrific to deal with. He knows what he's talking about and came in on budget, except where our choices added some costs (e.g., moving the water main). Josh, the site manager, made sure that everything needed for the project was there, and on time, and that any issues were addressed immediately (e.g., I had a broken water main shutoff, he got the city out almost right away). But, the real joy of the experience was the crew that did the work. The foreperson, Keith, is amazing. Nothing phases him, and he never stops putting in maximum effort. On day one of the project, they removed my front window for access, and it turned out that the window was structural (in case you don't know, that should NOT be the case). Removing the window forced bricks to fall, and the wall to start caving in - but the crew immediately got it shored up, and came up with a solution for the longer term. At that point, I knew I had the right people. The crew (Matt and Gage, in addition to Keith) were incredibly friendly, polite, and hard-working. Most telling, they developed great relationships with my neighbours, as well as my family, meaning that I did not have to deal with complaints. Overall, would highly recommend this company (and ask for Keith).

For a variety of reasons (cats, smokers, popcorn WALLS), we needed to take out most of the drywall in our home and replace it. While I'm pretty handy (my wife and I have renovated, top-to-bottom, three houses on our own before this one), we were on a tight deadline before the required move-in, and so we decided to outsource the mudding and taping. Our new neighbour had used Taping Excellence (TE) in a similarly-aged home (old - over 100 years) and showed us Sebastian's previous work - it was amazing. We still got multiple quotes for the work, and while TE was not the lowest, my wife and I felt that if they could match our what they did at our neighbours, it would be worth it. Were we ever glad that we did. There is a certain art to mudding and taping - when a house of this age settles, nothing is square, nothing is even. Sebastian and his partner Ed worked their magic and hid so many of these flaws, it was amazing. That being said, I am sure that there are a number of contractors who are equally proficient at their jobs. The reason I am recommending them so highly is not just because of their skills (you would expect a contractor to be able to perform the task specified), but rather the unheard of customer service. As I mentioned, we were on a tight schedule that was dictated by the flooring installation (set first). I've worked with several contractors in the past, and in my experience you get two kinds: those who promise and don't deliver, and those who tell you why it can't happen. Sebastian and Ed at TE gave me a third category: contractors who warned and explained why a deadline might be difficult to meet, but then found a solution to make it happen. Their solution? They sacrificed their own personal schedules to come in nights and weekends - because they truly care about helping others. I could go on and on about how wonderful they are, but two more quick points should prove it to you. I was supposed to put up the drywall myself, as I was trying to save some money on the job. A few setbacks and difficulty getting help meant that I couldn't get the drywall up on time. Desperate, I called Sebastian and Ed - and they made it happen by coming in and helping me out. Did they charge for this? Of course - they are running a business. But, they gave me a rate that was more than fair, even though they could have extorted more money. Finally, after the job was complete (and beautiful), I was installing pot lights. On numerous occasions, they told me to do so before they finished, in case there were any mistakes. Again, I had confidence in my planning and other scheduled tasks, so I couldn't do so until they were done and gone. Guess what? I messed up 4 holes (like they predicted) and had the flooring install in 2 days. I called up Sebastian and Ed and explained the situation (and my shame for not following their advice). They shifted their schedules and once again, made the fixes happen. I normally don't write reviews, let alone ones that are this long, but when you are dealing with a couple of guys who are this professional, this skilled, and this friendly, I felt like I had to share my story. I've renovated multiple houses over the years, and have never come across such great contractors. I am finishing the basement in the next year, and I was planning on cutting costs by doing the mudding and taping myself before I came across Sebastian and Ed at TE. Now I will definitely bring them back because in the long run, it saves money. Their prices are better than reasonable (heck, they should charge more for the quality), and it will save me time and frustration (I'm an okay taper and mudder, but I will spend almost as much in sandpaper and extra mud as I would on these pros) and it will give me another chance to have the guys over (did I mention how friendly and funny they are? we teased each other throughout the process). If I could give a rating higher than 10, it would go to Sebastian and Ed at Taping Excellence.