Slavko from Toronto

My home theatre project was a very long, complicated and often frustrating story. My story starts with three different companies giving me quotes for the job. The job initially started with a budget of $40,000 for a theater only but I decided along the way that I wanted a concession area and arcade along with a theater. Long story short, the company I hired wasn't very good and I eventually hired Chris and Mike from Built Different Construction and my project turned around in a flash. First and foremost, Chris is about as honest and straight up a human being as you will ever meet. A promise made is a promise kept. In addition, the word "no" is really not in his vocabulary. He always seemed to find a solution to EVERY problem which was created by others. He won't cut corners and he won't sell you a fantasy. Second, Chris and his brother Mike are wood-working wizards. You'll see in the pictures below, I asked Chris to make me a custom cabinet (purple in colour and in the shape of the marvel "M"). He did it from scratch. Chris had promised that everything would come with drawings and virtual renderings and again, everything was advertised. He also is super creative and comes up with ideas that nobody else thought about. So, I wanted a 12" riser in my back row but this was complicated by the fact that my ceiling was only 7'9" and the projector had the potential of getting in my sightlines. So, Chris was able to carve out an area in the ceiling and raising the projector by 2 inches, which made a significant difference and was still fit the room aesthetic. Another amazing improvement was that the company I had originally hired failed to run a conduit from the AV equipment to the projector or any other part of the room, even though when they started to job, the walls were fully open. It would have been easy but they chose to cut corners. When Chris came in, I asked him if he could do it without opening up the walls and low and behold he ran a 1.5" conduit from rack to projector (about a 25 foot run) without poking a single hole in my walls. He is truly a magician. Lastly... I have a meticulously clean home and I have NEVER seen anyone work as clean as these guys. This may or may not be important to you but Chris has invested SERIOUS money in air cleaners, high powered vacuum systems, all of which is designed to keep the cleanest work environment I've ever seen in construction. He also demands this level of cleanliness from any 3rd party contractors he uses (like plumbers or electricians), so you can rest assured your premises will be well respected. Built Different Construction isn't just a Home Theater company, they do everything (as you can see from my concession area) and I plan to use them next year with an outdoor kitchen and pool.

I first met with Gil regarding getting sound acoustic panels throughout a dedicated home theatre I have in my house. My room is large with a 146" (2.35:1 screen), JVC Projector and two rows of stadium seating, with an elaborate 7.2.4 Dolby Atmos sound system. During our first meeting, I pointed out a significant problem with a rattling wall, where my screen was located (along with 3 in-wall Focal Speakers) and a 1200 Watt subwoofer. The wall rattled so much, it really ruined the movie and music experience. Gil looked at it and basically said, "I can fix that". So here is the first positive I will tell you about this company... I never heard the phrase "we can't do that". I never heard, "that's impossible". Gil is like the modern day Macgyver. Gil can make it happen. He could probably build you a car with a clothing hanger, battery and some duck tape! I ended up hiring them to tear down and redo my screen wall. Keep in mind, the first time the wall was built, it was done so by a company specializing in home theater construction, but they knew nothing compared to Gil and City Soundproofing. Here is what Gil did (in part); He tore down the existing wall (which abutted a stair case on the other side), he built a new wall, which was decoupled from the frame of the house. He put two sheets of drywall, with green glue between them and he insulated everything with Roxul Safe and Sound. He also built a special "box" for the subwoofer and he made sure that the stair side wall, was propery affixed to the frame because it was basically attached with only a few nails by the prior company. The true test came when the final product was completed and we cranked up the sound. The Demo disc was Hans Zimmer live in Prague. The track for testing was "Time" from the movie inception because it has some really low frequency bass. The screen wasll wasn't 80% better, it wasn't 90% better, it was 100% better. The rattle from the screen wall was completly gone. The sound transfer to the staircase was gone. The sound improvement and clarity from the LCR channels was noticeable. The bass was cleaner and more crisp. I told Gil that I only had one problem now... he did my screen wall so much better than the rest of my room, I'm contemplating bringing him back to fix the rest of my room. One last thing... I HATE construction. Part of the reason why I hate it, is the mess associated with it, but not with City Soundproofing. They were absolutely meticulous in protecting my room by putting up plastic, they had drop sheets on the floor and they vacuumed after everyday. I cannot recommend these guys enough. I can and will use them again in the future. If you need someone to do soundproofing, acoustic paneling, proper theater construction, these are your guys. Thanks guys!

I moved into this home two years ago and Noman from Beaches Irrigation has been my "go to" guy for irrigation ever since. Noman taught me how to use my system, walked me through making minor adjustments to the sprinkler heads myself and has saved me everytime I've made a boneheaded move with my sprinklers (like puncturing a hose while trying to dig out a tree). Noman understands that I am passionate about my grass and how important a comprehensive and easy to use irrigation system is in the scheme of lawn care. I've attached some before and after pictures of what my lawn looked like when I first moved here and how some tweaking and adjustments suggesteg by Noman, made a world of difference. The proof is in the pictures. Highly recommend Noman and Beaches irrigation.

I could give the short version, which is simply that Edward is fantastic, but that really doesn't explain why it's true and why I will continue to use him into the future for all of my installation and repair needs. About 4 months ago, my Samsung refrigerator was continuing to behave like an absolute piece of junk (ice maker freezing constantly and other issues) and instead of pouring more money into it, I went out and bought a new fridge, without contemplating how it might fit. Well, because I'm a genius, my new fridge fit perfectly, except for the fact that I couldn't really open the left door because of the wall oven next to it (French doors), which you might imagine is a bit of a problem. So, I did the only thing a reasonable person would do... I compounded my error by ordering a new wall oven (without measuring) that would hopefully allow me to fully open my fridge door. So, I call Edward after reading all of the rave reviews on Homestars and I get him on the phone and I liked him from minute one. There was no humming and hawwing, no excuses, no tempering expectations... he just said, "let me know when it comes in, call me and I will do it". Sounded like my kind of guy but at the point, you never know, he could have been one of those guys that says one thing and does another. My concern was that by the time my wall oven came in, he could have changed his tune. Four months later and after many delays, I found out the oven was coming on Saturday. I got a whole TWO DAYS notice from the store where I purchased the oven. I called Edward immediately, I told him what it was about and he simply said... "when is it coming". I said, "they aren't sure, but between, 2:30pm and 6pm". He said, "call me when it comes and I will put it in". Again... no excuse, no..."I'm so busy, it's a Saturday, my wife just had a baby, Covid-19, aliens, blah, blah, blah..." Simply, "let me know when its coming and I will do the job". On the day of the delivery, I got a notice from the store that my delivery window changed to between 1pm and 5pm. At 1:55pm, they called me to say that the delivery truck was 5 minutes away. I called Edward and told him the oven would be at my house at 2pm. He told me he'd be at my house by 2:25pm. Like clockwork, Edward arrived right when he said, and lucky for me, the appliance guys were only 30 minutes late and arrived at the exact same time as Edward. They brought the oven and the delivery guys took off like my house was on fire and Edward handled everything thereafter. He asked me "if I had measured the oven" before I purchased it to make sure it fit the space and I answered "of course not". He chuckled a bit as I'm sure he's use to dealing with my kind of genius!!! The new oven was not a perfect fit, but Edward had a solution to every problem. Again, no excuses, no BS, no "this is going to cost you more", he just got to work and solved the problems I had created. It was like watching an episode of MacGyver. He installed the oven perfectly and then he looked at me and said, "I've done my job, now if the fridge still doesn't open, its on you". I took a big gulp and he said, "just kidding, I already measured it for you, it will work". And with that said, I have a beautiful brand new Bosch, in wall oven, that was installed perfectly and fridge door that I can now open. Edward also helped me install an undercounter wine fridge and pointed out some other issues that I could fix myself (yeah right). I'm adding a bar in my basement and Edward will be back to move a dishwasher, add a water line and connect that crappy Samsung to my bar. After he installs the water line to the Samsung, I'm going to call him to my house every 4th day to fix the constantly freezing ice maker. PS - it has nothing to do with this review, but Samsung should stick to making TVs. I just moved to this new house but I am ecstatic to have met Edward as I will use him in the future for all of my appliance needs. I cannot recommend him highly enough. Amazing dude, amazing company.

I purchased my current home and it already had a sprinkler system installed and I saw that it had been installed by Beaches Irrigation so I decided to give them a call to teach me about the system I had inherited (back in September). I spoke to Noman and he was the one who came to my home and taught me how to use my system. He was great. Thereafter, I used him to close the sprinklers prior the winter and again, he showed up promptly and did the job. Now, in the spring, I needed Noman to come and open the system and make 2 repairs and one change. I had inadvertently damaged one of my underground hoses and I also broke the outdoor Y connector. I also wanted Noman to move one of my sprinkler heads to a new location. He showed up as planned and did the work perfectly, efficiently and at a fair price. In fact, I accidentally gave him an extra $20 and when he got back to his work van to count the money, he realized him I overpaid him and he returned the $20. I would never have known. In any event, I couldn't recommend Noman and Beaches Irrigation high enought. He is super professinal, knows his stuff and will be handling all of my sprinkler needs for as long as we need them.

I ordered the minimalist package from Frogbox for my move a few months ago. Everything was delivered on time, Covid compliant and as exepected. The green frog boxes are SUPER sturdy, large, easy to use and made our move a breeze. Save buying flimsy carboard boxes that inevitabley end up in landfill. This was the environmentally, price competitive best way to move. The only downside is the boxes are a tad heavy, but nothing that should deter you from using them or this very efficient company. I would highly recommend them.

Handled our family move in August of this year. All items taken care of properly. All furniture wrapped as promised and moved from one 4 bedroom home into another. Thanks Colin.

I purchased a new home about 3 months ago. At the time of the purchase, I was told the home had a hot water heater and really didn't think much about it. Moved in and didn't notice at first because the kids were on summer break but once we got into our regular schedule we noticed that their was insufficient hot water. We tried various work arounds (shortening shower times, staggering them a bit etc...). Nothing seemed to work and it was clear this 50 gallon take was insufficient for our family of 6. My old home had a 60 gallon take which seemed to work fine. So, I called Enercare and told them I would like to replace the tank, either by purchasing new or renting one from them, depending upon the price. They immediately told me that returning was NOT an option under any circumstance. They also told me that a new 60 gallon take would be prohibitively more expensive per month. I asked them if they could rent it at the same price and they said "no, prices are fixed". So, I went back to the "return" option. After quite a bit of haggling, it turns out you do have the option to "buy back" the existing tank (which is five years old). So, what's the catch? That cost of the tank is $1,462 including HST. A 5 year old 50 gallon tank, which is more expensive than a brand new 80 gallon tank. I spoke to Customer service rep, Shiraz and Water Tank Manager Mahabub and neither one was willing to do anything to help our situation. They kept repeating... "well, if the tank wasn't working, that's a different story, we'd break the contract"... to which I replied, "yes, but it isn't working for us, because inevitably every morning two members of my household have to take 2 showers". There responses just got progressively worse and more nonsensical. If you are stuck doing business with these guys, get out when you can. I will NEVER do business with this company. This is organized extortion. How our government can let these guys operate under these terms is mind blowing.

I contacted Neil at BBQ Boy in May 2019 for a two repairs. The starter on my Napolean BBQ and to repair my Traeger Smoker. It took about a week to get him to come out to my home (in Toronto) and he repaired the starter on the Napolean but did not have the part for the Traeger (he said the problem was the control board). The repair took about 40 minutes because he also cleared the auger on the Traeger. He said it would take up to two weeks to get the part for the smoker and he would come back and finish the job, when he got the part. He charged me over $300 for the service, which I was willing to pay because I had assumed he would come back to finish the job. After two weeks, I called Neil and spoke to him and he said he "ordered the part" for the Traeger but it had not come in yet. So, I waited. A few more weeks past and nothing from Neil. By mid-June, Neil was no longer answering my calls from my cell phone, so I called him from a landline and finally got him to answer the call on July 11, 2019. He said he "had the part" and that he would be at my house the next day. He never showed up. I have called him, texted him, sent him emails and he has not responded. He was quick to take my money, but he did not finish the job. I will be taking him to small claims court now. I would strongly advise against using him. He is terribly unreliable, dishonest and evasive. After almost 3 months, my smoker is still not working and if I had relied on someone more competent and trustworthy, I would have had the use of the grill all summer. The last thing I want to mention is read some of the negative reviews and you'll start to see a pattern with Neil. When (and if) you can get him on the phone to finish the job, he will tell you to text him your address or he will be there tomorrow or some other half truth and he will have no intention of fulfilling his promise. Avoid BBQ Boy and Neil.

Our need for a staircase reno was overdue but became fully necessary after we had some water damage in our home and had to rip out some old laminate. After doing a bit of research and speaking to various contractors, I was told that laminate flooring on a staircase was not the way to go, even though I was using laminate in the rest of my basement (as it was a better option than hardwood because of moisture). So, I came to Homestars and looked up "stair builders". SB Hardwood came up as one of the results and I immediately sent them an email. Simon was quick to reply and asked me if I could send him some photos. I did so and within a few minutes, I had a quote. Not only was Simon quick to reply but he was also very informative in answering my questions. We exchanged a few more emails and a phone call and Simon arranged to come to my home and peruse the project. I had other companies from Homestars quote the job, but nobody was as prompt or reasonably priced as SB Hardwood. Simon showed up at our home on time and upon speaking with him for 10 minutes, I knew we had the right guy for the job. He understood what we wanted, explained the process fully and NEVER deviated from his quoted price. In a nutshell, he was completely honest from the opening email to the moment they left our home. We were in a bit of a rush to get this job done and Simon managed to squeeze us in to their very busy schedule. They were scheduled to start Wednesday at 1pm and they showed up at my home at 12:50pm. He told me it would be about a day and a half job and he was right on the mark. The stairs came out amazing. He ordered us a two step custom stain which matched our new laminate identically and the workmanship was great. Courteous and clean. They did all of their cutting outside and they cleaned up perfectly after each day. This is a family run business and they treated our home like it was their home. Simon, his Dad (and probably another extended family member) did the job like true pros. Even my other contractors that are at my home repairing other areas of water damage commented on how good the stairs came out. I'm just really impressed that Simon and his crew delivered 100% on everything they promised. Thanks guys. My wife and I were so impressed with the work, we are having Simon come back in August to redo our entire third floor hardwood and stair case. If you need hardwood floors or a staircase done, these guys are amazing.