GL in Ottawa

Please read this before you consider Strang Construction! The owner, Bradley, has the worst costumer service, does not check in on the jobs in person often enough to see how the work is going (only came by once during the first week or so of the job) and his workers are constant no shows. I was getting textured ceilings removed on the main level of my home and was told it would take 10 days to do and it would be done by the end of the month. Work began on Friday Oct 9 and it still was not completed by Tuesday Oct 27 because the one (any only) worker who was assigned to the job was not showing up at least twice a week. Not once did was there someone at my home to work for a full week. Yes things do come up (the workers truck broke down early in the job) but Bradley would not even call to let me know on the days that no one would come by. I would always have to reach out and he would text an excuse and that someone would be there tomorrow. He would not even offer to send someone else to cover those days missed. Those constant no shows to unfinished work. Yes when the worker would show work was done but it came to the point where he would constantly be saying "two more days...it'll be done tomorrow" but then he wouldn't show the next day to complete the work and it was dragged out. In reality there was maybe 2 days left but on Oct 27 a complication arose. Parts of the ceiling fell away. I was told by the worker someone would be there the next day to repair and completely finish the job. I was skeptical as the type of problem looked like it would take additional days to fix. The next day came...no one arrived, no phone call, nothing. The final ticking point was when I noticed that another room had the ceiling falling as well. Livid I called Bradley and he would not answer. I had to call 5 times in a row only to get a text saying he would call me back in 5 minutes. Time passed...nothing. I tried calling again...no answer but yet another text with another excuse to why he could not answer. Upset I replied with how unhappy I was with the lack response on his end, not finishing the job in a timely manner and photos of the ceilings in the state that they were in. It was enough. He texts me (of course he avoids calling) and says that who he sent the day before rushed through the job and didn't let the mudding (some type of plaster) dry before painting the ceiling and that he will be by TOMORROW with the worker to fix the patches and finish the job (when someone should have been there already today to fix the work!). But that was not true because I learned through this process that mudding needs to dry, then sanded, paint and then a second coat and with how things were going this would potentially add an extra 3 days work to the job on top of the finishes that had to be done elsewhere in the home...but no one even shows up in that many days in a row to do anything! So who knows how long this would take. This was URGENT. I told Bradley to forget the job, to not come by, and that I wanted a refund as his company was unable to hold their end of the contract. At that point he called saying someone will be by that day and insisted that it would be done in 2 hours. That would be rushing yet again and the same problem potentially would happen. I refused and repeated that I wanted my money back so I could pay someone else to finish the work instead. Of course he refused because most of the work was completed. But its not just that. Its how long it all took and now this. I waited enough for the work to be done and dealt enough with the constant no shows and lack of communication that I no longer felt confident that this would be completed and in the quality of work that this company lives up to. That evening I had my husband go up on a ladder to check one of the parts that had fallen (to see how bad the work was) and more of the ceiling came down!!! Some type of tape that was used gave way. Unacceptable! Save your time and money. Please look elsewhere. Do not let Strang Construction into your home.

Disappointed in the standard in which Leo and his workers at Capitall Windows adhere to. I previously had them do work on windows for my home and decided that I would go with them again for a bedroom basement window. All I knew for that type of job was that it meant that the foundation needed to be cut into so that a bigger window could fit. I asked if this was possible for them to do and they said it was and that they hired their own people/company to cut the foundation. They said it would take a day, no problem. Now I am not a contractor or anything and when they finished the job at the end of the day, I looked at the work and everything seemed fine. Two weeks have since passed and only recently has it rained in Ottawa and I noticed that water was now coming into the basement bedroom that got the enlarged window. This was not acceptable at all. Fearing that something may have happened to my foundation, I called for someone who specifically works in foundation repair to come take a look. When that person came, he just shook his head right away when he saw outside what Capitall Windows had done. He said that whoever Capitall Windows hired to cut the foundation has now compromised the structure of my home and that the work was left unfinished. He also asked if Capitall Windows got a work permit since the foundation had been worked on and I never was told of a permit or saw one. Again, I am not a contractor or someone who works in construction and I did not know any of this. Apparently, a permit is required when cutting into the foundation because the structure of the house is being tampered with. He also explained that since more of the foundation is exposed it also needs to be protected by the elements (summer/hot and winter/cold) because the dirt surrounding the foundation originally is no longer there and therefore there needs to be insulated. He said this is important because, once winter comes, the cold air can get into the foundation and cause cracks and multiple other problems long term. Furthermore, to top it off, he said the work was left unfinished and there were edges around where the people who cut the foundation should have done parging to seal up the work. This was not done and water is now coming into the room. Additionally, to fix this absolute mess is now going to cost me more than what I already paid in the first place. Disgusted with everything that I have now learned, I have since contacted the owner Leo at Capitall Windows. Leo was uncaring to my concern as a customer and would not even offer an apology or reimbursement from the poor work. Leo was dead set that the only problem was the parging and did not want to acknowledge that the insulation of the foundation needed to be done as well. It seemed that Leo did not understand why the foundation needed to be insulated to protect the home. Leo kept saying “we don’t do parging, the water coming in must be from something else, this second opinion is just trying to get money out of you”. Excuse me? The water was not coming in before and now it is. It’s obvious that something is not right. Leo was stuck on the parging as being the only issue and wanted one of his guys to come by for a “small fee” to fix it. I should have been told in the first place that parging would have been required afterwards…why was I not told in the first place and only to know afterwards now that water is coming in? No. Clearly for the work to be completed properly was above the skills that the Capitall Windows workers have. There is more that needs to be done now than a simple coverup/sealing of the foundation. Whoever Leo hired to do the foundation work half a*sed the job and, Leo, you are standing behind work that is embarrassing to be proud of. I will never contact Capitall Windows again and to whoever reads this and is thinking of choosing them to do work, I say: look somewhere else.