Len from East Gwillimbury

After interviewing several landscapers in 2006 we hired Visionary Landscapes. By the time we realized we were in for trouble they had torn up too much of our two acre property for someone else to come in and take over. My wife literally project managed the entire job. Workers were lax and came and went at will, deadlines were never met, we suspect money we paid was spent on other projects. This company took on too many big projects and was spread too thin. After the work was finished (a 6-7 month job in 19 months), we spent this summer, 2008, repairing stonework that literally fell apart because of poorly mixed grout and replacing trees and shrubbery that were planted incorrectly. We also had to hire another company to make repairs to the new gunite pool. Bruce Maclaren's intentions and visions are good; however, he doesn't have the business sense or the labour force required to ensure the quality of the finished product. Buyer beware...the pictures are beautiful but the frustration and stress involved in getting to that point is huge. Also, he maintains that he cannot stand behind his warranties because he has no money. We wouldn't use him to make any further repairs after he "fixed" our stone front porch three times and it fell apart yet again.

Mary-Anne has a keen eye for colour and design and she can do so much more than just paint. (see her website) However, that's what we needed and the finished look of the rooms in our home is just spectacular. She takes extraordinary care to prepare the surfaces, and she is a perfectionist when she paints. Also, she is a joy to have around - pleasant and considerate. When the job is done, the cleanup is so thorough that the only clue she was there is the beautiful new paint on the walls. No one else will ever touch a paintbrush to our walls!

Our basement is finished, finally; however, Marek is now over four months in arrears to the tile company for the tile installation which was completed on June 24, 2007. The owner of the tile company has been very patient, but he is considering putting a contrator's lien against our house because of this unpaid bill. Marek's own tile subcontractor refused to take this job so he contacted the company from which we purchased the tile and used their installer. His plumber also was not available to do our job, so Marek contacted our plumbers. He also did not pay them in a timely manner. This seems to be a pattern. He has told us he will make the payment over and over again, and even knowing that we have contacted the Better Business Bureau and the Ministry of Consumer Affairs has not prompted Marek to actually make the payment. Marek, if you read this, you need to understand that we won't stand for a lien against our home. Pay the bill. We emailed you the address of the tile company again today, Nov 8, 2007.