Ruby Bud from Edmonton

Jake cleaned up old plumbing & efficiently & effectively replaced a water supply valve. The next time I need a plumber, I'll definitely call them back. Jake was also very pleasant to deal with.

Independent Bath installed a cultured marble walk-in shower (in place of a tub) with a swinging glass door, bidet attachment and wall space heater into an existing bathroom involving separate rooms for the toilet and bathtub areas. Two doors and one & 1/2 walls were removed to create one larger, beautiful room. As this bathroom was designed for a senior in his nineties, Cam, the owner, made excellent recommendations that work extremely well for this senior who uses a walker on occasion. The shower has multiple, attractive grab bars (that double as mini shelves!), & it is large enough for the movable bath chair. The glass door swings easily, which is critical when you have next to no strength. The fixtures & surfaces are beautifully installed, yet should be easy to clean and to keep clean. "Nasser" & "Ernesto" did most of the work and their attention to detail and professional execution makes every cent spent worth it. The room is both functional and beautiful. I highly recommend this business.

Irish Steve replaced the gutters on a two & 1/2 storey house with three porches and a dormer window. In addition, new wrapped fascia was also installed. We installed 5" steel gutters with All-rex Microfiltration Continuous Hangar due to the multiple elm and spruce trees near the house. Steve did a beautiful job - you see it in the details from the nifty hinges, the hidden screws attaching the seamless gutters, & the cleverly notched deck to allow the continuous down spout run (it looks really good). He recommended a standard (not custom) colour that blends beautifully with the existing trim & he enhanced the architectural features of the house (open eaves), which is an accomplishment for gutter replacement. The house looks so much better. I highly recommend this business!

With the advice of staff at Amre Supply (to help me choose the correct product), I purchased and installed a "Panasonic WhisperCeiling DC Exhaust Fan, 50/80/110 CFM" in the rumpus room of my basement. The fan cost about $220 plus sundry supplies and my time. My goal was to ensure that I have at least 3 whole-house air exchanges every 24 hours to reduce indoor air pollution, which includes radon. The fan runs continuously, however, it has 3 dials that permit a variety of settings and it is switched at the wall to provide a temporary boost in fan speed. I am delighted by this product. Surprisingly, the air is exchanged without the house feeling drafty (it definitely smells better in spite of the dog), the temperature of the house stays more even (I have a variable speed furnace that I run continuously), humidity has dropped to below 35% and when the temperature dropped to minus 25 degrees celsius for a few days, by increasing the fan speed marginally, I kept the ice off the windows (first time in 15 years), and the radon levels have dropped to just above 200 becquerels (200 bq is the limit suggested by Health Canada). Fortunately, the fan is very quiet and we don't notice it operating while we watch tv or read in the basement. This has been a very inexpensive solution to solve my radon problem (which was originally tested at just under 900 Bq) & my humidity problem simultaneously.

I've had roots invade my clay sewer pipe annually for the last few years and got tired of cleaning up my basement from my backed up sewer. Pro Drain scoped the line and provided excellent advice as to my options. I elected to try "cured in place pipe" (CIPP), which is fibreglass epoxied to the clay pipe and then cured (a Formadrain liner). My sewer from the new backwater valve to the city service connection has been relined - a distance of about 40 feet. In addition, the plumbers found that one of the clay pipes had formed an 8" crack that likely would have eventually failed (previous plumbers had not pointed this out or this crack had developed in the last few months). The CIPP apparently seals the crack & I now can sleep easy knowing that my sewer line will no longer be blocked by roots, it shouldn't collapse from age, AND my basement won't flood with my new backwater valve. The Pro Drain team arrived on time and completed the work efficiently and professionally within a few hours and all I had to do was move a bit of furniture. I am enormously pleased with the quality of their work and the ease with which this was done (from the homeowner's perspective). They were courteous and cleaned up after themselves. No damaged yard for me! Addendum: Much to my surprise, the humidity in my basement (& the rest of my one storey house) rapidly dropped by at least 20%. It was around 60%, but it is now just above 40% (where it should be) even though the weather is warmer than when the pipe was relined. I haven't used a humidifier for years. I also notice that my house has lost its stench, which I had associated with my drains. Most importantly, my radon readings (Dec 2019) have dropped by more than half. In addition to the CIPP pipe, I have sealed the secondary sewer access and backwater value site with 6-mil. polyurethane plastic sealed with Tuck tape (both locations have exposed soil) & I've added a Green Drain trap seal. I still have work to do reducing my radon exposure, but the CIPP installation has made a tremendous difference in unexpected ways.

Everest (Doug & Fadi) were fast providing their quote and quickly available for installation. As they specialize in retrofitting backwater valves, they provided excellent pre- and post-installation advice. The installation required removing some concrete around the existing old sewer access, installing the backwater valve (a ML-FR4 (Fio) retrofit valve) and a new secondary sewer access, and mixing and pouring new concrete. They had it completed in less than a day and their work was excellent. They even cleaned up after themselves! Be prepared for a lot of concrete dust that takes a few days to settle.

I purchased the AO Smith Proline XE commercial grade, Energy Star rated, 33 gall. hot water tank (power vent model) from Butler Plumbing in September. They arrived on time, completed the installation efficiently and carefully, explained details about the tank, and they were very careful removing my old tank from my basement. They were courteous and professional and I won't hesitate to hire them again. I have only had the new tank a couple of months, but no issues have arisen as it provides plenty of hot water for 2 people. They were also quick providing their initial quote and I also did not have to wait long for the installation.

My 90 year old, hearing impaired dad was looking for new speakers. Bryan, the owner, was incredibly patient with Dad and knowledgeable about hearing issues. He spent over an hour talking with Dad, allowing Dad to try different products. Dad purchased a pair of headphones that were comfortable and which were suitable for hearing impairment. Bryan understood that Dad's issue was not one of volume, but of limiting outside sound so that Dad could discern words more easily. If you are hearing impaired, go to Gramophone for well-informed advice and excellent products to meet your unique needs.

After selecting a high-end faucet on the Internet, I arranged to purchase the faucet through Independent Bath Products. Although the faucet appeared to be fine when I received it, after leaving it in the box for a month, the packing tape lifted the powder finish on the faucet. Not only did Independent Bath go to bat for me with the manufacturer for a manufacturing defect, Independent Bath allowed me to change the finish given that I'd lost confidence in "powder finish" for a faucet. I ultimately received a beautiful brushed nickel faucet for no additional cost. Independent Bath handled all the negotiations, kept me informed the entire time, and all round gave excellent client service. Independent Bath has my loyalty!

Having called 2 other plumbers (ignored by one, questionable pricing by another), I landed on United. I received excellent service at a very fair & fixed price (priced by job, not hours): the plumber showed up within 2 hours of my call, cleared my basement drain efficiently, answered all of my questions knowledgeably, gave me good advice given the age of my home (65 yrs) & all around behaved professionally. I will definitely continue to use United Plumbing.

I decided to insulate my 65 year old, cedar sided house with compact cellulose insulation (CCI). CCI uses little energy in its manufacture, it wicks moisture, its a good air block, there's no risk of poisoning yourself from improper installation, & it's a good insulator. Can-Cell knows their product (WallBAR cellulose insulation), provided excellent advice & they even came out to the job site during installation (by my independent contractor). Even though I want to lower my GHG emissions, this reno is mostly about improving the comfort of my home. It also in not inexpensive, but it's way cheaper than building a new home. I am very happy that I chose Can-Cell and their excellent insulating product, WallBAR.

I had compact cellulose insulation blown into the walls of my 65 year old house, which required the removal of a part of my cedar siding and a portion of a living room wall. Insulation Police did exactly as they promised & VERY quickly: removed the siding without busting it all up, removed the old (& very dirty) batt insulation, blew the insulation in above & below stud braces, did an excellent job reinstalling the siding, did an awesome job repairing my living room wall, & kept the job site clean throughout. I am very impressed. Greg was helpful & informative & his guys were great. I can't believe how quite my house is and I'm able to keep the house cooler during these sweltering hot summer days. I'll try to post an update next winter when it is cold.