Better Contracting Services

We'd discovered Better Contracting at the Home Show. They replaced the roof on our old Victorian home in Toronto. It had 7 tons of roofing materials (2 layers of shingle and a layer of the original slate) that had to be removed, which is why the price was higher than the average. Although they were very busy and difficult to schedule, we didn't mind the wait, knowing they work with Mike Holmes. We found them to be excellent. Great attitude, good work ethic... and they cleaned up after themselves.

I had gotten many quotes, Better Contracting was one of the highest, but their reputation was the reason I chose them. Repair job was not done propeprly, they forgot to do certain things, had to call them back.
Annoying, felt I had wasted my money. As a result damaged occured to my livingroom ceiling, which is plaster. Actually the ceiling has swirls all over it, a lost art form. Now I find myself with a damaged ceiling. Water running done the back wall of the house. Honestly getting through the front lines a Better Contracting was a challenge. But, when I did, Mike Graves sent his team out, admitted the problem was their fault, that kind of honesty shocked me, I tought I would be in for a battle. They repaired everything and then some. They noticed my vents at the back might be an issue they repaired everything at not cost to me. As for my plaster ceiling, Mike sent me Mario. Bit of challenge setting up appointment to get the job done. But honestly well worth the wait, Mario did an amazing job. He filled in the crack one inch at a time, the pattern on the ceiling is perfect. he painted the ceiling of the living room and dining room as they are really one space.
He was neat and tidy. No mess to speak of. Mike Graves and his team were as good as their word. I would have no problem recommending this company to anyone or Mario either if you need plaster work..

My roof has been leaking for the last 2.5 mths. I called a few places in my area and all said everything was OK. One guy replaced a few shingles and said that was the problem. Obviously it wasn't because I still had a leak the next snowfall and thaw. One place actually told me to redo my entire roof, which is only 2 yrs old. I sent them away very quickly.
I saw Better Contracting Services on Holmes and Homes and spoke with Michael Graves directly when I called in. He had a guy on my roof the next day.
They were completely thorough and checked everything that could possibly be wrong. Them came to the conclusion of an easy fix which cost me minimal dollars. They made a very frustrating situation seem very easy.
I live in the Lawrence Park Area and would not hesitate to recommend this company to anyone. I have no doubt they are honest and reliable and take pride in their work.

Good job Better Contracting Services!

We are thrilled with all of the work done by BCS. Everyone from BCS was extremely dedicated, worked hard and the quality of the work done was outstanding. When we need work done on another property we own, BCS is the company we will definitely hire. HIghly recommend these folks.

The guys just finished replacing my gutters and fascia and it looks fantastic. They were extremely helpful and very profesional and assured me if there were any issues that they will be back to fix it. They arrived on time and completed the job quickly on schedule without taking short cuts.
I am very happy that I did not do the job myself and would highly recommend them to anyone

A truly professional job from start to finish. My sincere thanks to Mike Graves and his crew for their hard work. The quality in workmanship, right down to the yard cleanup, was second to none.

Barely a passing mark for BCS. The trouble with these sorts of companies that grow too fast too quick is that their main crews cannot meet the demands of their workload, so work is sub-contractred. This appears to be the common thread of reviewers who post 9's and 10's with those who post 4's and 5's; higher ratings are most likely to have a BCS crew whlle lower ratings most likely have a subbed crew.

Commonly, all reviewers have had great first impressions with the sales rep. Workmanship appears to be in order and generally the crews clean the site afterwards. We noticed a problem with our window at the side of our house once the siding was completed. Instead of properly installing the final piece of siding at the top of our house, and terminating the siding into a flashing/modling properly, the crews resorted to a larger capped piece around the window with plenty of caulking to hold it in place. Hindsight tells me that the information we provided to BCS that the windows would be replaced in the near future, lead to a poorer quality installation.

We had our windows replaced in December of 2011 and the comments from our window installer was that BCS had most likely subbed it out to a company with little knowledge of how to properly tie-in (waterproof) around a window properly. Our window installer was fantastic and had the knowledge of how to properly create a water-tight window installation, and our concerns and the leaks are presently mitigated.

If you decided to go with BCS ask bluntly if the crew for your reno will be a BCS crew or a subbed crew. Refuse the answer and service of a crew who is not committed to BCS beyond the final payment. This seems to be a common cause of frustration, when requesting deficient work being correctly addressed.

Don't be fooled by the Mike Holmes stamp; even the subcontractors he uses and references need to be scrutinized and vetted for performance and workmanship.

Our experience with Mike Graves and the crews of Better Contracting was nothing short of professional. Mike provided me with honest advice and solutions to fix my roof problems without going over my current budget. Too many times home owners think they know what the best solution is or what will look best. At first I was not sure, but now I’m really glad that I listened to all the Mike had to say, his professional experience shows and I appreciate it! I would also like to thank the crew foreman Jeff, Rob and Marco for the excellent work they did. Jeff took the time to explain their work and even show me pictures of my roof issues, no more leak into my garage! Rob thanks for the amazing metal work and the custom downspout box that looks wicked. Marco thanks for working with me on the downspout placement, looks amazing now! If you are looking for professional grade work and want to be treated right, look no further than Better Contracting.
Thanks, Ryan & Jen

We hired Better Contracting based on the Mike Holmes web site. It took two months after signing the contract to get the job completed. I was told it was due to all the rain in the forecast. Finally, the day came and the job was complete. Here I am admiring the great workmanship! Two months later, we decided to replace the insulation in the attic. To our surprise, not all the plywood was changed. I called Better Contracted immediately and I also sent pictures of what we found. Mike Graves offered to schedule another date to have his crew come in a pop the old plywood and add new sheets in the specific areas. When I told him I wanted a the complete roof to be re-done i.e. underlinement and shingles, he refused, saying it would cost him too much money??? When I questioned why they did not comply with the contract, Mike said that the guys on site felt the plywood is good shape. He also question thier judgement and agreed that it should of been replaced. I informed Mike we do not want the roof to be fixed as we are concerned about future problems. It needs to be done right or we have to spend more time and energy in repairing the plywood that is left..Mike ended the conversation saying he is going to fire the guys and to Have a Merry Christmas???
This company is not worth our hard earned money. Customer service, complete satisfaction or fulfilling the contract is not Mike Grave's focus.
The good thing about all of this...thank goodness we found out now rather than later!!!

Three or so years ago, we were looking to have our Ease Troughs replaced. We found Better Contracting by watching a show on HGTV and decided to get an estimate from them.. We got quotes from a few other companies but decided to go with Better Contracting. They did such a great job I decided to get a quote from them when we redid our roof. They were much more detailed and were very thorough in what they would do. There were no hidden costs. Paul was very helpful in making sure we picked the correct roof and made sure we understood what we were getting and how it would get installed. They did such an amazing job. I video taped the installation and it was like watching my HDTV show all over!!! I was so impressed with their work that when it came time to do my Soffits, there was no doubt I would go back to Better Contracting. In all instances they were prompt with the quote and even more prompt with the installations. They took care of everything with excellent results. Even the small job over my front door. They make sure everything is cleaned up and back in order when they are done. You can't even tell they were there, except for the excellent results. The guys were courteous and friendly and really knew their job. I highly recommend Better Contracting.