Walter Townshend & Son Inc.

We moved into a home in 2014, with two wood burning fireplaces. Right away, we noticed when we lit one fireplace, the other one would fill with smoke, and essentially smoke out the room. We called another company, who came 4 times to fix the problem, but the problem persisted. After spending hundreds on solutions that didn't work - we abandoned the idea, because we didn't want to keep wasting money with a company who clearly had no idea what they were doing.

We revisited the problem in 2015, called a bunch of places to get quotes and opinions - and only ONE company offered to come to our house to look at the issue first hand. That was Townshend and Sons. From the very first visit, to the last day of work - Ron and his team impressed us. An incredibly professional and kind person, Ron went above and beyond what we expected from him. He explained the problem to us, in ways WE could understand. It was also clear that he knew exactly what he was talking about, had an enormous amount of expertise in the matter, and was not just thinking about the money he would make (unlike other companies we called, who wanted us to commit before they even came to see the problem).

The solution was to install a gas fireplace insert in the basement, and fill the basement chimney - because there was crossover of smoke between the two chimneys. Of all the companies we called, this was the only one that suggested this solution - and the one that made the most sense. Ron explained to us many of the houses in the area were built this way, and the chimneys weren't quite built up to the same code they would be today, they were too narrow, the materials used were subpar, which created cracks between the two chimneys, hence the smoking out when one was lit. We also liked that he had done a lot of work in our neighbourhood.

Ron also suggested we visit a home that had the same gas fireplace unit installed by him so we could see the product in action, and the look of the insert before we committed. This was very much appreciated and gave us the confidence we made the right decision.

The work was scheduled very fast, the price for the work was incredibly reasonable, and best of all - affordable for us. Even when the project took a bit of a detour, and required a lot more work, demolition and material than originally expected after the wall was opened - Ron stayed true to his quote, and we only paid a little extra for the extra material. Which we had absolutely no problem with. Having dealt with a lot of contractors over the last year, this was the most honest work we've ever had done! We have had people double their original quote on payment, and we appreciate that the Townshend team stuck to the original commitment.

Ron and his team also came back after the work was done to adjust the chimney heights, on their own volition. This helped with the downdraft between the two chimneys, and there is absolutely no more smoke in the basement when we light the upstairs. He also identified a problem on our roof that could lead to bigger problems, took a photo while he was up there - and suggested who we might call to fix it!

And best of all.. We can now use our fireplace upstairs without the basement filling with smoke! And use the basement without filling the upstairs!

We don't write reviews often, but had to for the Townshend team. We cannot recommend this company enough. Professional, skilled, clean and incredibly reasonably priced - just some of the reasons why you should call them. The fact that they are genuinely kind and caring people is the icing on the cake - they don't talk down to you when explaining the work, and really spend the time to make sure you understand - which was a breath of fresh air! We will be calling them for any future work, and have already recommended them to family and friends.