FSweetman

This is the second time we have used Michael's company. This time it was to replace the garage (12x20) and shed (8x8) shingles. Small job but Michael was able to schedule the job in a timely manner. He is so organized - nothing falls through the cracks with him. He was very responsive and kept me informed of what would happen and when. As usual, the roofing, cleanup, attention to detail was excellent. I particularly liked Anthony's workmanship. I highly recommend this company. Michael is really great at what he does. He has thoroughly earned the 99% satisfaction rating.

My 13 year old garage roof was leaking and I wasn't sure that the original contractor would address the problem so I decided to look for someone else. Frank was the first to respond and very quickly. He was patient while I sent pictures and explained things and a lot of back and forth. Must have taken more than 20 minutes of his time overall. The punch line is that the original contractor said that he would come by and fix the problem so I had ended up wasting his time. I figured he'd think that I was a flake after all that nonsense but he was very nice about it. It's usually difficult to tell anything about anyone when you're just emailing each other but sometimes, as in this case, that interaction can be as good as meeting in person. He was professional, understanding and came off as a nice guy. In fact, he will be the first person I contact for my next roofing needs.

Don’t waste your time checking other companies, just contact Century Aluminum. Our dormer did not fare well during the last wind storm in May. A large piece of dangerously sharp aluminum siding blew off and many pieces were loosened. With rain and more wind in the forecast, I was concerned about water damage to the structure and flying pieces that could seriously hurt someone. I needed something done quickly. I contacted several companies with high Homestars ratings. All refused the job except for Century Aluminum. The owner, Gary, responded very quickly (very important and impressive) but said he could not do the job within a week. However, he came the next day and secured the siding (for free) until he could send a crew to fix it/replace it. I had not initially thought of asking for a temporary fix and think highly of Gary for securing the area before more damage could occur. The other companies obviously did not care that serious damage/injury could occur if loose siding was left unsecured for a long period of time. I rate them as 0/10. I also very much appreciate that Gary handles the estimate process. I have come to really dislike estimators/salespeople. All they care about is making a sale with little regard to customer satisfaction. 6 weeks later, the English-speaking crew arrived to replace the aluminum siding with vinyl and custom drip caps for the two windows. They did a very meticulous, professional and beautiful job – not shortcuts were taken. They treated my house and property as if it were theirs. They took the time to answer my many questions, interacted with me and did not have the usual disinterested attitude that workers often have and which I hate. Matthew and Alex are the very best crew I have had working on this house in a long time. They take pride in their work, have excellent people skills, strong work ethics and care about customer satisfaction. It is so incredibly rare to find people like this. I was completely blown away by them. Thank you, Matthew and Alex. You were awesome and it was a pleasure having you around for they day. Thank you, Gary, for the quick response and quote and your superior professionalism. The cost was extremely reasonable considering the amount of work involved. Francine

I dug up some weeds in the front garden and unfortunately disturbed a carpenter ant nest. I had a window open on the house about 30 feet away. I thought nothing of it until that evening when I saw a few ants inside by the window. I still thought nothing of it until the next morning when there were hundreds of ants all over the window and radiator. I tried to control them with store-bought powder but after 3 days I realized I was losing the battle and need professional help as hundreds became thousands. I started calling early Friday morning on July 7 but was met with voice mails. I finally reached one well-known company but they said they wouldn't make it for FOUR days. By that time, I would not have been able to live in the house so was shocked. That is not an acceptable response time. I called the next one on my list, which was Pesticon. Someone actually answered the phone - no voice mail. In LESS than 2 hours Talib was at my house spraying the window frames, baseboards, around doors and outside the house and the area where I had found the nest. The next morning there were zero ants. What a relief this was. As Pesticon explained, it would take several weeks to get rid of them all because of their cycle of reproduction. They were right, by the middle of week 4, there were completely gone. Their being at my house within 2 hours was exceptional service and this is the kind of response that is needed for this kind of problem. These ants reproduce at alarming rates and I cannot imagine what my house would have looked like had they not come when they did. One recommendation - I had used store-bought ant powder to try to control them so when Talib came he had to get the powder off the windows and rads which made quite a mess as the powder was tracked through the house as he went about to spray the different rooms and floors. I had never had a fumigation before so had no idea how it worked. Had I known, I would have cleaned up the powder in advance to avoid the mess. It might be a good idea to ask clients if they used anything and what it was and guide them accordingly as far as preparing the area for the fumigation. Furniture also had to be moved to get to the baseboards so that is something I could have prepared for as well. We do not have a lot of furniture or decorations, etc. so not a big issue for us but I can imagine it could be in some houses. Just something else to think about. Thank you Talib and Pesticon. Your super-quick response time was awesome and very much appreciated. Francine Sweetman

This is the 4th time that I have used this company and have gotten 3 different crews. No matter who comes, they all have the same business standards. They introduce themselves, shake your hand, explain the costs and take away the junk and any recyclables efficiently and quickly. The booking process has been simplified greatly and you can book an appointment online in seconds. The appointment is confirmed via email and the crew call to let you know when they will arrive. If you book early enough in the day, you are likely to get service by the end of the same day. I once booked midday and had a crew show up within 1 hour. That's impressive! Thank you Ilya and your partner for another efficient pickup. I just wish that 1-800-got-junk started handling so-called hazardous waste. Maybe one day.

I used Megacity for about 15 years and until the last 3 or 4 years, I trusted them, mainly because of Darin's friendly demeanor. In the last few years, I have encountered several instances of getting voice mail when trying to book an appointment during business hours no matter what time of day it was. Businesses with land lines should answer the phone. I first had them install ductless AC and then used them for boiler cleaning. The installer of the AC assured me that there was no maintenance required and that it would be cheaper than window units - it isn't. After about 12 years, the indoor units started leaking so they cleaned up the drip tubes and checked the compressor. At the next service call, I was told that the indoor units should be cleaned because dirt causes imbalance in the fan and that these units were meant to be turned on and left on for the duration of the season. I did that and spent a couple of days cleaning the units as best as I could but the unit that is used the most, started leaking in 3 areas instead of just one. I guess dirt was not the problem! Using 2 buckets and a towel to catch the drips is not a solution. Since none of the suggestions worked, I decided not to bother with another service all and bought a room air conditioner instead. Now on to boiler cleaning - the last carbon monoxide reading was 86. The one before that 82 and before that, 78. These are within the limit but the rise, indicates a problem that I did not clue in on at the time because I had no idea what components are in a boiler. I had another company clean the boiler. The reading is now 38. The conduit/piping to the chimney were clogged with dirt. The heat exchanger was uncovered and it was filthy - 22 years' worth of dirt. The numbers speak for themselves. I now have a much better understanding of how it all works and what the components are and what a proper cleaning entails. It's much more than taking the burner cover off and vacuuming the burners for 22 years.

Until today, I thought furnace (boiler) cleaning was a pretty simple matter and that there was only one way to do it. Apparently, there is a right way and a very wrong way to go about it. For the last 3 cleanings, the carbon monoxide readings were climbing up after each cleaning - from 78 to 82 to 86. This is below critical but indicates a problem that I did not fully understand. The last company that I used took about 20 minutes. They took the burner cover off and vacuumed around a bit and that was it. Every time they did it, I always thought that it was something I could have done myself for free but figured that since they're in business, they must know what they're doing. Wrong! I finally decided to call another company and chose Leaside because the reviews were more numerous and good. This was a very good decision and one I wish I had made years ago. The current carbon monoxide reading is 38 so a dramatic and significant drop from the last reading of 86. Our boiler is 22 years old and the dirt inside it can testify to that. This boiler was never cleaned properly so it all accumulated over the years into the heat exchanger and the exhaust piping through the chimney. The only internal part that did not show 22 years' worth were the burners which had been somewhat cleaned over the years. The core of the boiler is the heat exchanger and it was filthy. I want to thank Dylan for his patience and for explaining what he was doing and the function of each component (and not minding my looking over his shoulder) and how all the dirt was affecting the furnace. I finally understand how it all works now. What he did makes sense. How it was done by the other company does not. So as not to frighten anyone about the cost, note that this intensive cleaning does not need to be done every year but if the monoxide readings start to climb up again, it would be very wise to have it done. Thank you Dylan.

Addendum - June 12, 2017 Andy called me after this review and he made good on the promise that should not have been made. I am very pleased about this company's ethics and its decision to stand behind the promise. A company which paints bricks came by today and made the bricks and tuckpointing match the rest of the old chimney. Awesome job and a significant improvement. Nothing stands out like a sore thumb anymore. This is what I was promised and this is what I got. Thank you very much Andy for making this happen. I truly appreciate your professionalism and business ethics. We need more companies like yours. Mistakes happen but fixing them is what counts. I found this company and two others on Homestars and chose to ask for an estimate because of the number of reviews that they had. I typically do not pick companies that start with an "A" or have multiple As because those companies typically only do that to come up first on the list and that causes me to worry about their veracity and abilities. I emailed them through Homestars and the salesperson called me back quickly and, if I recall, came the same day to give me an estimate - good responsiveness. I decided to go with this company because the salesperson assured me that the mortar would be tinted to match the old mortar on the rest of the bricks and that I, therefore, would hardly notice that the top of the chimney had been rebuilt. He went on to explain that the masons are very adept at aging the mortar to avoid the "stand out like a sore thumb" effect that is prevalent with most rebuilds. Under the pressure, and not having been able to get two other estimates quickly, I chose A & A. The manager called me and set up the job within a day or two. I had them re-point and replace some bricks on the front stoop which was looking pretty shabby and was an eyesore. Another job was to fix the mess that I had made while trying to fill in a small crack on the side of the house. Brian did a good job of fixing all that up but the mortal was not aged for this either. However, considering the original look, the stoop and the side of the house are greatly improved. James worked tirelessly all day to rebuild the top of the chimney and did a very good, conscientious job. The reasons for the 8/10 are as follows: 1. The salesperson promised something that was not delivered - aged mortar to fit in with the old mortar. He was also pushing hard to get me to sign a contract - walked onto my property with a contract in hand before we had even met! He kept saying that I would 100% give them a 10/10 on Homestars and to be sure to write a review so here it is. 2. As I was watching the mortar mixing, I did not see any kind of aging happening so I asked the mixer about it. I described what the salesperson had said and he said they do it by mixing in sand. Didn't quite fit what I was told but I thought I would wait and see. I asked Brian twice about the finished look. He assured me that it would not stand out like a sore thumb. When the mortar was wet, it looked good but once it dried, it was vastly different from the old mortar. I have enclosed a picture of the finished product about one month after it was done. Looks like brand-spanking, new mortar to me and it stands out just as much as the one across the street - the one that I was assured it would not look like. The work that was done was good work but A & A should concentrate more on the work and customer satisfaction and less on promises and Homestar reviews. If customers are happy with the work and were not mislead, they will automatically recommend the company and may even write a 10/10 review without being pressured into it.

Quality First Roofing is a very apt company name as it is truly what Michael, the owner, stands for and behind. I contacted the company via email and within 2 hours I received a call from Michael and he came the same day to check the roof and provide an estimate. Excellent, speedy responsiveness. Michael came in person - no pushy salesperson to deal with. I was very pleased that he, the owner, was the one giving the estimate. Dealing with sales people is very stressful for me, as they only have one thing in mind - making a sale - and often misrepresent the scope of the project due to lack of knowledge and lack of caring about the customer period. Within a few minutes of speaking with Michael, I felt a sense of trust and honesty that is almost impossible to find nowadays. I felt that he would do what he said he would do and only what needed doing. With most trades, you frequently are left with a sense of unease and wondering whether you picked the right company or not and often cross your fingers hoping that you made the right decision and will not get ripped off - once again. Michael and the crew showed up on time and did a fantastic job from start to finish. They put tarps everywhere and - something I had not seen before - put plywood sheets over the windows and anything else that could be potentially damaged by the falling debris - plants, water hoses, window wells, etc. I watched them work on and off all day and even with my untrained eye, I could see the attention to detail and the care that they took in removing the old roof and installing the new shingles while not damaging the property, plants, etc. They worked hard all day. Any breaks they took were very short. Finally, the roof was done, the vents and flashings were replaced and caulked and it all looked great. The cleanup was equally impressive. Considering that they were all men, the attention to detail during this process was amazing. It looked quite a mess before. Once they were done, one would hardly know that any work had occurred on the property. They checked every inch - driveway, grass, patio, flower beds, window sills. They even went to the neighbour's driveway and made sure that there was no debris or roofing nails on their property. Michael also came by during the day to make sure everything was going well. I don't recall ever having a company owner do that because they simply don't care how it's going. In fact, most owners don't show up at all (except to collect the cheque, of course). All you get is the crew and you hope that they were made aware of what they were supposed to do and that they know what they're doing. Michael also came at the end of the job and actually went on the roof to check on the work that was done and attended to a few minor details. Lastly, Michael did not once push for me/or ask me to put a review on Homestars. He actually does not need Homestar reviews as, for him, word of mouth will ensure that he has plenty of work to do. Most of the time, after I have some work done on the house, I breathe a sigh of relief that the experience is over and that the house has come out of it unscathed. This time, I was actually impressed and patting myself on the back for finally coming across a trustworthy company that actually cares about the quality of the work that they perform and have actual work ethics that are sorely lacking in a lot of trades. On the basis of the above, I wish I could have given a 12/10. Don't waste time trying to find the right roofing company, just pick Quality First and you will not be disappointed and will know that Michael will stand behind his work. Francine Sweetman