On Side Restoration Services Ltd.

I will be brief. When we had our fire, I was devastated and didn't really understand that we had choices about which company did our restoration. The insurance co. Recommended onside, so I made a snap decision and went with them. This was a very bad decision. I agree with many of the other reviewers here. Onside talked a good game but were terrible. The work was so bad, it was like it had been done by children. Our things were lost and damaged. We were told the job would be complete in 30 days. It is now 6 months later and I am still trying to track them down to complete the work. The worst aspect of our tragic fire was Onside restoration. spectacular incompetence from start to finish. Please, do some research before choosing a restoration company.

Long story short, Sears Home Services replaced my home's ageing cedar roof with a new ashfalt shingles. They tried to save a buck and use the existing 20 year old cedar spec flashing on my skylight and well, it leaked like hell has no furry come the fall weather and caused 15K worth of damage.

Now, this is where On Side comes in to play. Sears Home Services' insurance company commissioned On Side to repair my walls and ceiling in my entrance. They were very very very slow. The first guy that came to my house did drywall repair and painting. He did a very poor job finishing the drywall and I don't believe he even bothered to prime the patches in the wall as it left an awful sheen in direct sunlight that stuck out like a sore thumb. After a complaint to the project manager, he was sent back again and failed again. Eventually, On Side sent in their senior painter who did an excellent job and apologized for all the trouble.

At this point, It was all forgiven, however On Side failed to contact me to close the claim or see if I was happy with the end result. 9 months later, I was send a letter from them threatening collection which was shocking since they never send me a bill!

I called them up, explained the situation and they eventually acknowledged they failed to close the case and we settled.

Overall, I am not impressed with this company.

The demolition of the ceiling and cleanup were done quickly and efficiently. However trying to get them back to rebuild was where the trouble starts. It took just over 3 months of continuous calls with the same empty promise of " We will be there next week". When they finally showed up, the drywall guy was very nice and did a great job. However he was a one man crew doing it and it took several days for that portion. Then the painters came out and caused more damage than than fixed. They tried painting the walls, but left lines and only painted down to the bottom 1/4 of the wall leaving a very visable line of paint. Then the sprayed the ceiling and got white overspray all over various parts of the wall. I was up stairs when they were working and I could hear them talking and they actually said " just leave it, maybe he won't notice". He was referring to several mistakes they were both making. They scrape marks on the newly sprayed ceiling, sections of wall that were missed when painting, they dented the entry way wall with their ladders, and put several large deep scratches on another wall. As they cleaned up they left my front steps with white paint stains all over from the brushes, and paint dripping down the cans. I had them come back and "try" to fix the scratches, dents, and missed sections of wall. However they never showed up for several weeks and I ended up repainting and fixing it all myself.
I strongly recommend not using this company. They have no skilled trades people and will not stand behind the work they day. I will come do the work for you just so you don't hire this poor excuse for a company.

Very slow painful process dealing with this company. Many delays in service and extremely poor communication. Damaged property but did not replace. No followup at all. Avoid this company, call somebody else.

Worked around our schedule to restore a whole basement suite from major flooding. Quick, personable and professional. Always letting us know what was going on with the project, would recommend. Always on time and ready to work.

We lost our whole basement/furniture in June 20/13 in Hi River..Our ins adjuster recommended On Side to be gen contractor..They came, assessed & committed to job..We had basement stripped/power washed & decontaminated (black mold)..Then insulated for winter..We went "south" till mid april & upon our return On side began restoration..Finished 7.23.14..
Overall did excellent job.We knew not who to contact for restoration so kudos to Kris @ Crawford & Co for recommending On Side. Whenever we experienced delays etc, it was only due to sub-trades who have totally diff idea of what service is..On Side sure knows tho.!.The whole team at On Side is one of which ownership can be proud..
Very special thank you to several key people (hope do not miss any)..
Robert Brand, Reg Mgr; Paul Unger,proj mgr;(Trevor as asst);Atlan Contracting (Devin & Jason); Travis etc.;Vanita (office) & many other workers..i.e. Tony,Jeff,Jason who did drywall & painting..
Yesterday Devin & Trevor came for final "touch ups"..
I have read some bad comments,we. find hard to believe. If ever asked, we will def rec On Side to "all".
On Side staff are all courteous, honest & timely. +++ They did a very good job..We know how busy they have been the past year.It was tough on our patience, at times, but can you really understand they must have the patience of Jobe. Finally, whenever we were stressed, Paul Unger has an inate ability to calm things down..& always "made things happen"..
Denise/Lorne Cook

This company came recommended by our home insurance company.
The employes did a fantastic job packing all our stuff and rebuilt our home. The rebuild took 4 months longer than expected and the work that was complicated was good

On Side is one of the worst companies I have ever had the misfortune of dealing with. They cleared my home after it a house fire. They also listed and valued the home contents for insurance purposes, and stored the contents they deemed salvageable. In every possible instance, there were major problems that were so outrageous that they managed to be the worst part of what was already a very difficult situation (that is, my house burned down, and the worst part was dealing with On Side). First, they ignored many of my instructions about what was to be thrown away and what was to be kept. For example, they disposed of priceless heirlooms and kept a useless dryer from the 1970's, and other junk I had said should not be kept or restored. Then, they tried to charge 14'000$ for their service, which seems to me a massive over-valuation, since renting a dumpster would have cost about $1000. Not to mention, they had done the job poorly. Finally, they charged $500 a month for storing the useless junk they had kept (despite my instructions to the contrary), even though a storage place in the same area (NE Calgary) costs about $100 per month. When I objected, they threatened to throw away my things. When I then went to pick up my things, even though I didn't yet have a permanent home to put them in, they tried to charge me to throw out the things I didn't want to keep (which they should have done as part of the original service). The whole experience was horrendous. I feel sorry for anyone who has to deal with them.