Reviews

9/10

Eugene performed some bathroom tiling re-work and vent installations at our century home. We really didn't know what we needed, but wanted to repair a leak resulting from the crack in the tiling in a difficult spot in the bathroom close to the bathtub. Eugene provided a creative solution and the results look great. We also took the opportunity to have him install bathroom fans for us in 3 bathrooms as well as exterior venting for our kitchen fan. He paid attention to the details and did a very professional job. The only reason he didn't get perfect marks was due to the timing of the job. It took a few times back and forth to get the work complete, some of which was our fault, and some just due to some simple miscommunication. I still wouldnt hesitate to recommend. Thanks for the great work.

Approximate cost of services:
$1,000.00
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful?
Company Response

Thank you Lawrence for the review! It was a pleasure working on your century home.

Communication is critical on a renovation and I take full responsibility for the mishap in scheduling, Thanks to your review a new system is in place to make sure it doesn't happen again.

I hope in the future we'll work together again. You can always count on our workmanship and be assured with our ability to be flexibility with our scheduling to accommodate your growing family.

All the best,
Eugene Wong
Owner
DDIY

10/10

I called Valentin to get a quote on new water service installation to replace a lead water pipe going to my home. He came on time and walked me through the process, potential costs, and all the questions i had on potential additional costs, complications, warranty etc. Having obtained some other quotes, Valentin was not the cheapest, but he also gave me the most confidence that he and his team would do the job right. Cost for the service was $1600 for the Water Service replacement, $420 for some inside pipe replacement, and $80 for the installation of a pipe, shut off valve and installation of an under counter water filter. The job took longer than expected, but he did not charge us for that time, and stuck to his promise. All in all, I was very satisfied with the job Valentin and his team did, and will use Strong Plumbing again in the future.

Approximate cost of services:
$2,100.00
Any advice to offer fellow homeowners facing a similar project?
Get multiple quotes, and go with someone you trust.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful?
4/10

Given my good recent experiences finding contractors on homestars, I decided to call Drainworks to get a quote on a lead water service pipe removal for my home. Part of the appeal of calling this company was the "100% commission free" advertising that led me to believe this would be a no pressure type of experience. We worked out a time, and I was told I would be charged $69 for a quote. I found this a little peculiar since most contractors don't charge for a quote for your business, but I agreed, since the phone rep assured me that i could use the quote fee as credit against the work done, if i chose to proceed with Drainworks. Sounded fair enough. The drainworks rep came and proceeded to do the work and talked us through everything. However, the costs were approximately 50% more than what my home inspection report had estimated, so i figured i should get a second or third opinion. The rep explained to me the rationale for the quote, which was fine. I was not arguing the cost. However, I would be doing a disservice to myself to not get at least another quote when the difference was $1500. I asked if i could have a day or two to review the quote and get some other opinions. I was then told if that were the case, i wouldnt be able to apply the quote fee of $69 to the service. That's $69 on a $3100 quote. This seemed a little nickel and dimish on the company's part, and in a way, going against their principle of "no pressure tactics". Certainly seems like one to me if a discount is only available in the next 5 minutes. At any rate, given my situation, i owed it to myself to get another few quotes, which i did. I decided to go with another contractor on Homestars for the work. It was a bit cheaper with some other contractors, but ultimately, my decision on who go with came down to who I felt like i could trust. Nickel and diming a customer when your top line advertising implies the opposite does not illicit trust. EDITS POST-COMPANY RESPONSE: I'm not here to argue with the company's tactics. People can read and take from it what they want. With that said, I edited this response to correct the pricing typo in one portion of the review. (in 3 other spots, it had the correct price before the company response was posted). I was told by the rep that work would begin on another visit, so they would have had to come again regardless. All in all, I think I'm a pretty reasonable person, and as i said, it came down to tactics that made me feel like i could not trust the service provider. To each their own.

Approximate cost of services:
$69.00
What could this company do to improve their services?
practice what they preach.
Any advice to offer fellow homeowners facing a similar project?
Get multiple quotes. If you are thinking of going with this vendor on a major project, get other quotes FIRST.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful?
Company Response

**Lawrence** Firstly, let us clarify that the assessment fee is $69 and not $79. Let us also clarify that it was disclosed to you over the phone before scheduling the appointment that the $69 would only be applied if proceeding on the spot. The reason being is that when proceeding on the spot, an additional visit is not required. As it does cost to send a non-commission based, salaried technician to your home, an additional visit would garner additional costs. Also, the fact is that you initially did not book the appointment with us after being informed of our process, but then called back to book after thinking it over. How can it be a pressure tactic when you were informed up front before you made the decision to book the appointment? DrainWorks followed through exactly as we said we would. In addition, we always encourage our customers to obtain multiple quotes should they choose to, and as such, we offer a 10% price beat on comparable quotes, which in essence means we do offer the lowest price.

10/10

We hired Jacob and Rose to do a detailed cleaning of our home before moving in. The previous homeowner had a cat, and I have allergies, so i wanted it to be free of cat hair, litter, as well as the odours and stains in the carpets. Furthermore, my wife is pregnant, so we wanted to ensure they used non-toxic cleaning supplies in their cleaning. Jacob and Rose came with one of their assistants and worked for 4 hours in total (12 total man hours - so basically $30/hr), and cleaned the entire house from top to bottom, including the basement, 2.5 bathrooms, and kitchen appliances. Total square footage was about 2200. They walked through the home with us and we talked about what specifically we wanted them to focus on. they were careful with the floors and materials, making sure not to scratch anything with their bins and equipment. They started the 4 hour work clock AFTER the discussion and walkthrough, which was appreciated (I don't think every cleaner would do that, even though its the right thing to do) Overall, we were happy with the job they did in the time frame they had. maybe one or two minor spots missed that we hadn't seen on final walkthrough, but honestly, that's just being picky. I've since moved in, and don't seem to have had any allergic reactions, which is probably the best indicator of a job well done. Thanks guys, you're help was invaluable to us.

Approximate cost of services:
$300.00
Was this review helpful?
Company Response

Lawrence and family, Thank you so much for this great review and for your referrals! We are happy to have helped you and your wife prepare your new house before moving in. It is always pleasant to find out that a customer has no problems with the materials we are using, especially if they are prone to allergies or have sensitivities. Thank you again for taking the time to leave this great review! Yours, Jacob & Rose

10/10

Paul and Tony arrived on time and on schedule to do a cleaning of the ducts, chimney and dryer vents in a home we had just purchased. Paul gave some good information about filters, the pros and cons of each and left me to decide what i wanted to do. no pressure tactics, no hard upsells. The breakdown of costs was: Ducts-225, Chimney-85,Dryer Vent-65, Filters-20 and then tax on top. They outsourced the carpet cleaning to a contact of theirs, who did a good job with that as well. They are not the cheapest in the business, but their price is fair and the service was fantastic. They got my place free of the cat hair that was left behind from the previous owners (i have allergies), and literally emptied out the chimney, that was quite possibly the most appalling amount of soil, soot, dirt, sticks, and stones, nests that you could have. Very happy with the service, and I'll be calling Canaduct again in the future

Approximate cost of services:
$446.35
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful?
Company Response

Duct cleaning is as important as dryer vent cleaning and chimney cleaning. It's not always about the money...safety is a priority.
Quality workmanship may cost a little more, but it's worth it.
Get all these services done at once, get a package deal and save.
See you soon Lawrence.