a.koschate in Burlington

I went to the website to look for contractors and picked out four. I called three and filled in Deluca’s on-line form. Surprisingly, Deluca was the first one to come out and meet with me. The sales rep, Dan was very good. I must say that the reps from the other companies were also good, but I found Dan to be a little more realistic with the estimate and forthcoming on good and bad recommendations. It is too bad that the sales rep is not the one on scene doing the work as well. I noticed with past contractors that you may be really happy with the sales rep, but when the workers come - well - it can be disappointing. Dan’s estimate was generally more expensive, on the other hand, he knew that at least 5 sheets of plywood was needed and put that in directly. The other people generally had a lower estimate, but potential plywood costs were put on as a footnote and so they were out of the main quote. There were also differences in opinion regarding venting - I went with Dan’s recommendations. When it came to doing the work, I must say the crew - all of them - worked hard for the day and a half it took to do the job. When I thought they may have missed things like installing a bathroom vent, I was wrong. They were on top of everything I needed, before I mentioned it. They also went the extra mile, by helping me to install foam baffles, by shingling a small shed next to my main one, and by completely removing all debris from the job. They had music, which I was worried about as I didn’t need to hear complaints from my neighbours (or my resident mother! ). I like to work with music, but not everyone likes my taste in music. Suggestion - I do like to see team uniforms - it adds to professionalism. I was also glad to see Deluca follow up on my satisfaction with the job. Later, they sent me warranty papers for the roof. Overall, I was very happy with the company and would hire them again.

I thought I’d get a professional job done, especially for the price I paid - but I was wrong. Babysitting was needed to get the job done. They forgot to do work as agreed upon until I reminded them: install a cable, get rid of an A/C copper pipe, install a surge protection device. They were having a special - normally the sell the device for $349 plus $185 service call, but because I was having them install a new panel they offered it at a bargain price of $ 249+ hst. Unfortunately, they write their estimated up in a manner in which you have no idea what equipment you’re getting. This device was about the cheapest of its kind - less than $50 at Home Depot. It can be installed in a couple minutes. There are better units that cost more and take more time to install - something which I thought I would be getting. Poor workmanship is another issue. When the panel was installed, they elected to destroy my enclosure cabinet and cut the panel into the drywall below. They said it was too long. After the job, I noticed that if they had taken an additional 15 minutes of time, they could have cleared out two useless junction box an obsolete heater panel to make sufficient room for the new panel. Instead - it was a job of slap it in and get it done as quick as possible. Outside, they left a ground wire draped across the new spa panel. Was it needed I asked? No the electrician says - he cut them off his house as they are problematic. So why leave it draped over a new electrical panel? He took a side cutters and removed it in less than 30 seconds. Two electricians came, but only man worked, while the other spent most of his time making calls - no for my job through - for other jobs (at my cost). The spa install was an easy job - involved routing 20 feet of interior cable along a ceiling, into an outdoor spa box, laying another 20 feet of outdoor cable and connecting into the spa. I dug and backfilled the 18-inch deep trench for the cable and provided them with a hole in the block house wall. Essentially, one man worked for less than 4 hours to get the job done and the overall bill to me was $2400, which I was told a couple times that it would take a full day. It took me 5 hours to do the trench (and cut sidewalk concrete) - at their rates, I’d hate to know what that would have cost me in addition. Now, the $2400 bill included $145 for an ESA permit for the hot tub and a $90 ESA permit fee for the panel upgrade. I assume that’s legit, but I don’t know. After seeing what was installed, I found that I could by all the parts for under $800 at Home Depot. The Siemens main panel Calibre installed is a piece of junk. The switch labels are too hard to read of because of poor labelling and upside down geometry. On the other hand, the Eaton spa box was good. In the afternoon - they waited for hydro - I offered them cash to do some other work around the house. After waiting for several hours they followed up with Hydro - as it turned out Burlington Hydro had not been called back. An error made on the ESA inspector. They decided to leave since it would take more time for Hydro to show up and decided to leave the main panel on so the house would power up. They told me they would have to come back to label the new box. I’m away and come back to the house and find Hydro sitting. They can’t hook up the power. Apparently, it was wrong for the electrician to leave according to Hydro. Hydro won’t turn on power without confirmation that the main panel is “off”. I waited a week for Calibre to return to finish the job. I call Jeff and voice my concerns. Instead of coming over, he tells me to send some pictures. I email him the info. Another week goes by and he doesn’t call. I call and he says he busy. He says my expectations differed from theirs. They’ll get back to completing the job at my house when they get time. Well, it been over a month now and they have not come back. I went to Calibre because my Jacuzzi dealer recommended me to them. As a result, I did not bother to get estimates. I thought the price seemed steep, but then I thought I was going to get a professional, quality and with good support. I as wrong in all three counts. I told Jeff that I would be writing this and that I would also let my Jacuzzi dealer know. He didn’t care. I recalled seeing a Calibre business card indicating that they pay for referrals. I guess I won’t be getting anything. Funny thing is - I never even asked Jeff for anything but to review my concerns with me. Lesson learned - get quotes, find out what equipment is being installed, get labour time and rates. It is the only way to know what to expect.