dhon in Burlinton

Landscaping is a set of intensely personal preferences, embodying many styles, materials and components. Wolfe, the Owner, spent time with us to determine our style preferences, including flowers, shrubs, trees, walkways and even the shapes and type of stones preferred. That discussion evolved into a design with pleasing curves, textures and colors and a wide variety of plants carefully chosen to complement the house, deck and patio colors. The work started with protection of the existing grass and careful positioning of the bin to allow driveway access – all thoughtful details. The street was left clean every night. The finished product has created a back yard oasis that will enhance our enjoyment of the garden space and the value of our home. Some reviews dwell on the cost of the work – it was substantial. But you only get what you pay for and that included: • Careful workmanship – protecting existing yard features • High quality soil mix replacing at least 8" of the existing substrate • Excellent quality and variety of plant and tree specimens • Careful preparation of the planting beds • Artistic placement of rocks and walking stones • Clever use of bark fill around the swing set, providing a defined, clean, durable and safe play surface • A visual delight – and happy homeowners The work took 5 days in total and the property was left clean and neat at completion, far exceeding our hopes and expectations.

When the oven in our Gas Stove did not heat up properly, I knew I needed a Service Technician. A quick check of the HomeStars site indicated that Cascade Appliance Service Ltd. has a good record on a range of appliance problems. A quick call set up the appointment and I provided the appliance model number by texting to the number provided. Steve arrived on time, had the new igniter for our stove with him and quickly replaced the old one after testing its performance. [It failed.] The new igniter worked as required and the cost was very fair [especially since I knew the job was being done correctly.] I would not hesitate to recommend Cascade and will use them again if needed.

As part of some upgrades to our home after living in it for about 13 years, we decided to replace the builder's cheap imitation garage doors -- thinner than a typical tin can and not insulated. Steve showed up about noon having been delayed by an accident on the 401 -- but Dodds called to let me know of the delay (much appreciated). I would describe Steve as pleasantly obsessive -- he was shocked by the installation flaws perpetrated by the Builder's contractors. The installation started with the efficient removal of everything but the vertical supports at the end of the tracks -- 2 regular size 8' x 7' doors were involved. As the new material was being unloaded and installed, I noted the much heavier and higher quality components, the effective internal weather seals on the door sections, etc. By 9:00 PM the installation was essentially completed, including hook-up of one existing opener and installation of a new one on the other door. In testing, a small "click" could be heard on one roller on the left door. An hour later the click was gone -- hard to diagnose and correct but Steve stuck with it until the installation met his standards and everything was cleaned up. A superb installation -- thanks to Dodds and Steve.

As part of our home upgrades, the entrance door and the double doors to the deck needed replacement. The issue with the deck doors was the afternoon sun blazing through the transom onto our dining table. The front doors did not seal well and were drab in appearance. We obtained quotations for replacement from 5 different companies -- some visited the house, some did not. The QSI Salesman, we'll call him Peter, made three separate visits to discuss details, options and suggestions. Ultimately, we selected QSI -- actually the highest quotation. We agreed to wait until January for installation -- but odd details in the framing of the existing front door required two visits from the template maker, the latter with the inside trim removed, to finalize the details for the new door to fit properly. The Installation day was windy and snowy, and even with an installation crew of four, some snow and dust blew in -- but nothing that could not be cleaned up. The new doors are spectacular. The front door finish, hardware and decorative glazing is amazing, the fit and finish is superb and the overall effect is spectacular. The finish carpenter, Gary, was a true craftsman -- great attention to detail backed by real know-how when it comes to working with wood. The back doors are full 8' height with internal blinds, allowing us a great view of our new deck and the ability to shade the afternoon sun when needed. Our dealings with QSI and the excellent quality, fit, finish and functionality of the new doors reinforced our decision to deal with them and install their products. We highly recommend QSI and hope that you are fortunate enough to have as creative a salesman and wonderful experience as we had.

What is professionalism? In simple terms, it is doing everything politely, competently, exhibiting mastery of the trade and an understanding and experience with related peripheral factors. Solutions Electrical Electrician, Joe and his apprentice, Stephanie were everything I could have hoped for to install six new pot lights and two pendant fixtures in my kitchen, replacing a 13 year old fluorescent fixture that is no longer in style. The Team arrived a few minutes early – punctuality is really being politeness. They brought all the necessary materials – dimmers, switches, wall boxes and octagon boxes for the ceiling – all specifically for retrofit work and high quality. They even brought a very heavy duty bag for garbage! Together we took about 2 hours to lay out the new fixtures to achieve the optimum aesthetics and even lighting coverage. All the openings for pulling in new wiring were cut with a hole saw fitted with a dust shield. Cabinets and the new counter top were protected by plastic sheeting. Wall repair will be relatively easy since I have all the pieces that were cut out – thanks Joe. The existing circuits were relocated to suit the new fixtures and Stephanie began installing the pot lights. Joe then demonstrated a combination of magic and perseverance in running in a new circuit from the basement – the existing floor was really tough drilling because of some of the material being particle board which blinded the screw tip on the drill. Ultimately the wire appeared in the basement ceiling and was fished to the panel and connected. The hole in the wall used to drill through the floor became an outlet – again, thanks. The lighting is bright, modern and looks great. For the work involved, the cost was very fair and the high quality fixtures will pay off in long term reliability. I was fortunate to have such a great team perform the work – I would use Solutions Electrical again if I needed electrical services, and I would not say that if I wasn’t extremely pleased with the results.

If ever a deck was built with all 52 cards, my new one is it. Starting with a conceptual drawing developed by "Let's Landscape Together", which shares an Office with "Just Decks", all parties worked together to pare down to the optimum design for my budget, meeting quality, elegant design and usability objectives. Oddly enough, the adjacent patio was installed several months ago, but the deck had to wait for the Building Permit from Burlington. Recent good [and extraordinary] weather created an opportunity to build, and Just Decks jumped on it. Construction took almost exactly one week, with a skilled team of two doing the work. It turned out amazingly well -- true craftsmanship in the construction, a very solid foundation, every board on the top of the deck is joint-free [one single piece of Trex] achieved with 12' and 16' pieces, picture-framed stairs precisely fitted, horizontal skirting visually aligned with the stairs -- and more. The lighting is skillfully placed, illuminating the deck and the stairs for safety. The hand railings are solid, sturdy and straight, not to mention plumb as well. I have been supervising construction in industrial settings for over 50 years -- and this deck is a benchmark for quality and value. You might get a fancier deck by spending much more, or even a larger one, but I am confident in saying that this deck is a superb execution of the design.

One of the upgrades we are doing to our home is the rear deck and patio. The patio is completed now because a Building Permit is not required. Let's Landscape Together provided some excellent design ideas and together we settled on a patio design to suit the new deck [planned for Spring 2016]. In preparing the design, Let's Landscape Together did a complete survey of the yard and were able to undertake the work without the deck in place. Materials were delivered and the concrete components were moved to the yard by hand in a wheelbarrow. The fine stone, however, was conveyed by a pneumatic, truck-mounted system that saved many trips and hours. A deep base of sand and fine stone was installed, accurately sloped for drainage and the retaining wall portion installed, followed by the paving slabs, then the stabilizing material and the planting beds. While it looks mysterious to the neighbours, being about 6 feet from the existing old deck, the workmanship is excellent, the clean-up was thorough and the care taken was impressive. We are extremely satisfied with the result and enjoyed working with Let's Landscape Together.

Part of our family recently moved to Calgary, leaving us with some rooms needing refreshing. I heard of True Colours Painting through a work colleague and contacted them for a quotation on refinishing a large basement playroom [becoming a teenager's new space] and a large bedroom [becoming a guest room]. Paul and his assistant Kaz arrived right on time, checked the surface preparation and made some fine adjustments and did some sanding, then started painting. About 6 hours later, to my complete delight, the two rooms were completed. Paint application is smooth and even, cutting in is precise and the area was left spotless. A First Class job.

As part of our home upgrades, we decided that the old Arborite counter-top in the kitchen had outlived its usefulness. We shopped several granite sources, obtained quotations and examined their granite displays. By far, the Custom Granite experience was excellent -- we made three visits for more samples, agonized over the final choice and selected Star Galaxy -- a black granite with tiny reflective surfaces embedded in it -- like a beautiful night sky. The installation went quite well -- Custom Granite folks removed the old counter-top and replaced in in less than a day, including installation of a magnificent Stainless Steel sink purchased from Custom Granite. [I did the plumbing later, including replacing the faucet]. The result is spectacular -- the Ogee edge was done skillfully [although it is not quite as shiny as the top surface because the latter is sealed at the Granite Quarry] -- rounded exterior corners are a delight, a pleasant change from the old counters. Workmanship was excellent, the installers were polite, capable, worked neatly and were able to manage one huge slab about 42" x 6-1/2" by themselves. We are extremely pleased with the result and our dealings with Custom Granite -- they did what they said they would do -- and very well.

As part of our house updating and renovation we replaced the kitchen counters and updated the backsplash with modern linear tiling -- a composite of Glass, Travertine and Marble. We were indeed fortunate to have one of their best installers and despite the very cold weather which makes the cement and grout take longer to set, the project was completed in only 2 days -- without any real disturbance to our using the space at the end of the day. The attention to detail was superb -- very exact fitting against the wall and window frames, smooth complete grouting and an excellent clean-up at the end of each day. Thank you Eden's Tile-It for top notch service -- the result exceeds our expectations and we are very particular about workmanship.