FAQs & Testimonials

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Frequently Asked Questions

TUCKPOINTING

Is it better to go over top of the old mortar joints or remove?

I almost always recommend grinding out the old mortar joints on brick, block and stone, so the mortar is accepted and both color and depth are a constant.

Bathroom

When renovating a bathroom what do I use in the shower area?

I recommend, also endorsed by our outstanding Professionals, Denshield boards, always are used in the tub enclosure, this provides that once porcelain tile, ceramic tile, marble or granite is installed its permanently watertight.

VINYL SIDING

When I install vinyl siding should I first insulate?

I always recommend insulating prior with premium insulation, its your opportune time to insulate at the cold side.

WATERPROOFING

Is it important to install weeping tile when waterproofing?

This is a crucial part of a complete waterproofing procedure. Weeping tile and gravel ensure the water at the base of your foundation be properly conducted to the appropriate clear drains.

INTERLOCKING BRICK

What is the best sand to use when installing interlocking brick?

Professionals recommend polymeric sand be used for strength, beauty and the awesome job it does of preventing those bothersome weeds from coming back. I also recommend tumbled stone, looks great with any exterior decor.

CEMENT PARGING

My cement parging is rusting, yellowing and hollow, what can I do?

Our trained professionals in the field endorse our unique method of combining cement, glue and fiber-coat in the proper parging method along with our watertight caulking and edging to ensure that our parged foundations, porch re-surface and steps look great for many years to come. We never recommend wire mesh, this creates rusting and hollowing.

I am buying an old home, are there any insurance issues with older homes?

In particular, there are certain issues that you may need to address. These would include: old oil tanks, galvanized steel pipes, 60 amp electrical service or knob and tube wiring. Additional major areas of potential concern would include waterproofing issues, the state of the brick work and foundation and also the condition of the roof.

Do you work on Condo units?

Yes. Upgrading your Condo also increases it value!

Do you do small jobs?

Yes, we do small jobs, big jobs and everything in between.

Are all your estimates free?

Yes, contact us to arrange a free estimate.

What our clients say about us?

Testimonials

"

I cannot say enough good about the work done by Fred and Guido in the basement of my very small 1929 home. It was gutted and completely renovated to make a bright, cheerful, welcoming space. It makes me happy every day. The challenges of making the most of my two small downstairs rooms into a guest room and laundry/storage/washroom/furnace room were met with professional expertise and problem solving skills extraordinaire. The work was completed in a timely manner and any questions or concerns I had were addressed with respect, good humour and obvious care for the job. Renovating is always stressful but being able to entrust the work to Fred and Guido was a gift. I am so thankful to them for looking after me and my home! I can heartily recommend Fred and his team. Guido was the best!

Carol
Toronto

"

My husband and I were looking for a company to change our eavestrouves,soffit,fascia,and reshingle a small roof. We searched for a while, but a lot of our calls went unanswered. We came across the Zaza flyer in the mail and decided to give them a call. We realized that this is a busy time of year for this type of work, but Fred was the only one who responded almost immediately. We had a quote from another company that was a lower price, but we were impressed with Fred. He really cared about our job and his workers were outstanding. They made some suggestions that were different from what we had originally wanted and we are so happy they did because it came out awesome.Fred followed up each day, the job lasted 2.5 days, and ensured we were happy with the progress. The work was done well and in a timely manner. We were very satisfied with the quality of the work and the workers were great and did a great job cleaning up after the job was completed.I would highly recommend Zaza Contractors and will definitely use them for future projects.

Thank you for a job well done!

Kevin and Silvana

"

Fred, we would like to express our appreciation for the excellent work on the renovation of our three piece bathroom at the end of January 2015. Joan and I appreciated your clear, businesslike manner from the moment we met you. The renovation took place in the time period we agreed and was complete within a seven business day time period and came in on the agreed budget. Your staff, were on time daily and kept the disruption to our home to a bare minimum. The floors and space were well protected and the work was completed in a very professional manner. The renovation involved a complete gut job and removal of all materials was done with the least mess possible. The bathroom was a total renovation including a new vent through the roof and all of the work was well done and clearly constructed well. We have experienced previous renovations and as a retired draftsman understand the importance of good construction; it is very clear that your crew knew what they were doing. Both gentleman who worked in our home, are great professionals who did a wonderful job. Finally thanks for the great cake when the job was complete. We will recommend you to our friends and will be in touch for any future work.

Joan
Toronto

"

I hired Zaza Contractors to water proof my leaky basement, and truly I couldn’t be happier with the results. Fred retuned my call promptly, came at the agreed up time and gave me an estimate for my foundation. Later his crew arrived on time, cleaned up and even finished earlier than estimated. The job completed, Fred came to inspect and everyone was pleased. I don’t know about you but that exactly what I want in a contractor!

Darlene
Toronto

"

Very pleased with all major aspects of our porch reno/restoration by Zaza. Fred’s estimate turned out to be exactly what we paid in total for the finished job, and I thought it a very reasonable price for the meticulous work (plus thoughtful extras) done by Brendan. The house looks stunning from the street and even up close the restoration work on our 110-year-old columns, porch rails & spindles is quite impressive. Both Fred and Brendan were timely, always friendly and communicative. There were no delays or significant glitches at any point. Brendan brought us a hanging basket for the porch and Fred arrived with a yummy Italian almond-custard pastry when he came to pick up the final cheque I would not hesitate to contact Zaza for future work.

Jim Bartley
Toronto

"

This past spring we hired Zaza to renovate our basement – it’s an old semi built in 1904, and the basement was quite “raw”. Zaza and his team did a superb job: they were very professional, always on top of all issues and angles, and turned our ideas & wants into a wonderful, liveable space. We definitely recommend him, and we have, to anyone looking for an honest, professional, and knowledgeable contractor.

P M
Toronto

"

A friend recommended Zaza to us and we could not be happier. The professionalism and attention to detail were second to none. Plus they replanted a small Chinese Elm tree that the raccoons had dug up. My grandfather was so impressed, (he bought us the tree), that he hired Zaza to renovate his whole house!! Way to go Zaza!!!!

Chris Gerald
Toronto

"

We called Zaza for an estimate on repairs to both of our bathrooms, including some demo, drywall work, tiling and toilet replacement. They were so prompt and helpful! Within 10 days of our call, our bathrooms were done! They quickly solved the little problems encountered along the way. They were also very friendly and tidy. I found their price good, and have recommended them to others already.

Laura
Toronto

"

Fred Zaza gave us a quote that was not the cheapest by any means, but was comprehensive. We were impressed by his thorough analysis. His guys did the work and cleaned up after the job and came back later when we needed something tweaked. We were very happy with the job.

Claudette Bunting
Toronto

"

Joan and I would like to express our appreciation for the excellent work on the renovation of our three piece bathroom at the end of January 2015. We appreciated your clear, businesslike manner from the moment we met you. The renovation took place in the time period we agreed and was complete within a seven business day time period and cam in on the agreed budget. Your staff, were on time daily and kept the disruption to our home to a bare minimum. The floors and space were well protected and the work was completed in a very professional manner. The renovation involved a complete gut job and removal of all materials was done with the least mess possible. The bathroom was a total renovation including a new vent through the roof and all of the work was well done and clearly constructed well. We have experienced previous renovations and as a retired draftsman understand the importance of good construction; it is very clear that your crew knew what they were doing.Both gentlemen who worked in our home, are great professionals who did a wonderful job. Finally thanks for the great cake when the job was competed. We will recommend you to our friends and will be in touch for any future work. Cheers

Joe & Joan Arruda

"

Zaza Contractors re-did my kitchen, bathroom and basement as one large project. We had worked with Fred previously when he re-did our roof for us and we were very impressed with his aftercare in particular. Fred’s quote was not the cheapest but his presentation was thorough and well laid out and we decided that he was worth the money.Fred’s team, composed of Guido and Rocco, were on time every day, cleaned up every day and made a huge, long job very pleasant compared to many stories that I have heard about kitchen renovations. They were professional and courteous and always solution minded. The quality of work was impeccable. I had heard horror stories of projects running well beyond the timelines and way over budget and neither outcome was true for us. We were renovation novices and asked for several modifications along the way and Fred was willing to accommodate each change to the design with no fuss.In the middle of our project, there was a huge storm which resulted in a flood in our basement and Fred was able to call in a water specialist who handled the issue immediately. Fred’s team honestly became a part of our family through the renovation. I was really sad when the job was finally completed even though I was thrilled to have a stunning kitchen, bathroom and basement.Throughout the project I worked with a couple of other contractors beyond the scope of the project that Fred managed and when I compared their service to Fred’s, each one of them fell short. That if nothing else convinced me of how great Fred’s team was.I would recommend Fred and his team without reservation.

Samarie Lumsden

"

Back in 2013, I contacted Fred Zaza about some renovations to my very old East York home. I had picked Zaza Contractors along with a few other to provide a quote on what I wished to do.Upon meeting Fred, I was very impressed. He took the time to talk with me and brought in members of his team to actually see what I wanted to have done. Once the work commenced, what I found most satisfying was the fact the everyday I saw progress on my renovations. Every night, the construction site was always very tidy with no litter or debris. Fred would provide me with regular statuses on the progress of the job and they finished the project when they said it would be done. But most importantly, the whole team was very helpful in answering my questions and telling me what the issues were and how to fix them.Overall, renovations are very stressful and disruptive to one’s home life. From my experience with working with Zaza Contractors, I would gladly use their services again as well as recommend them to friends.

Katie P.
East York, Ontario

"

Our experience with Fred and his team was exceptional. We used his company to waterproof the side of our house. From the initial consultation and quote right through to the final completion of the job, including clean-up, my husband and I were impressed. They were professional, courteous and carried out top quality work. The price was reasonable and I feel confident that our foundation wall was waterproofed by people (Andrew and Les) who know how to do the job right. I highly recommend their services and will not hesitate to use them again for other work.

Marion
Toronto, Ontario

"

This letter is to let you know how pleased we are with our beautiful stone patio built by Zaza Contractors and Fred Zaza`s talented professionals: Andrew, Lester, and David with the help of the two young nephews. Andrew’s overall knowledge and his passion for excellence were much appreciated.As a team, these guys were professional and the clean-up after the drainage ditch was completed, well, you would never know there had been a ditch down the property line.Looking forward to doing business with you and your team in the future, Thank-you again.

Ken & Arlene Crichton

"

It’s not because they started the 3 jobs they were contracted for soon after being hired. It’s not because every person who came to work on the jobs was polite, friendly and professional. It’s not because the job sites were always cleaned up after each work day. It’s not because the jobs were finished to our complete satisfation and in a timely manner. It’s because Fred Zaza is a contractor who is a real professional who promised all of the above and delivered on everything with constant, friendly communication. I would highly recommend Zaza Contractors to anyone, anytime.

Maryann Selzer

"

We have worked with Fred Zaza on 2 significant projects around our home, concrete work at the front to create storage and drainage under the front porch and at the side of the house and also the tiling of a basement floor damaged by flood. Both situations required a creative solution to not only resolve the problems but to enhance the enjoyment and usage of the areas. Fred had great ideas and a great team of professionals who did the work with efficiency and pleasantness. They left the work site every day in a tidy state so that during the construction, our family was not too inconvenienced. When encountering the expected bumps in the project, they were able to deal with them very successfully and to our complete satisfaction. Both times when the work was completed, the rest of the house was jealous at not being given the same attention.We are happy to recommend Fred Zaza & his team of Professionals and will definitely work with them again on any of our renovation needs.

Susan Feldman & Ombretta Debois-Masson
Toronto, Ontario

"

I wanted to extend my sincere thank you to the excellent work done by Fred, and the rest of the team.Our old shower was dark and small and the new renovation has brought new life to our bathroom. The team could not have been more pleasant to work with and they were complete professional and friendly on site doing the job. I will definitely be calling on Zaza Contractors for future jobs and telling all our friends if they need reliable, on time and on budget renovation work done. It has been a great experience dealing with your entire teamThank you and I’m sure we will be in touch again.

Ana & Mark

"

I can’t tell you how concerned I was when it came time to find a contractor to do work on my new house. I heard nothing but nightmarish stories from friends and media talking about contractors taking advantage of people.

However, after I met with Fred from Zaza Contractors, all of those fears were put to rest!I loved how the contracts were clearly communicated and that the estimates were fair but what really impressed me was the fact that once Zaza Contractors start a job, the workers are there every day until the work is done! Also, the “A” rating from the Better Business Bureau didn't hurt!

Thanks to Fred and the skilled workers from Zaza Contractors, I can easily say that I now know a contractor I can trust.”

Kind Regards

Drew Nesbitt BA, TCMP, Ac., ROHP
Acupuncturist, Toronto, Ontario

"

It is my pleasure to provide a reference for Zaza Contractors, We found out about Zaza Contractors purely from their mailbox flyer and after receiving quotes from 3 other companies, Zaza wasn’t the cheapest or the most expensive but what sold us was Fred Zaza.

It was nice to see the owner of the company come himself to do the quote, he was on-time and fully prepared to make a quote on the spot as well as provide us with on the spot references. He exuded professionalism and confidence in what he does. We booked the work in June for the upcoming fall and as the time approached he didn’t forget about us and proceeded to book us in ahead of schedule.

His onsite team were bright and early every morning and were friendly and considerate to every family member coming in and out of the house. The site was kept clean and tidy throughout the 4 days of the work to the point that even neighbours commented on how undisruptive it was, Fred continued to be proactive with communication throughout the work giving us updates as the days progressed. The quality of the teams work was quite evident as they were meticulous in every detail.

In the end, the team finished on-time without any delays, without any additional hidden costs and with a client experience that I wish everyone could have with contractors.It would be my pleasure to provide any reference needed for Zaza Contractors in the future. Please feel free to include our name in your next list of references when quoting work or add this letter to your testimonials. We were thoroughly pleased

Thanks to you and your team

Kind Regards

Allison and Harlan Simpkins

"

Hi Fred, just want to thank you for the prompt professional service you provided in the construction of a deck at our home. What we (my spouse and I) admired was the careful manner in which the work was done to our satisfaction without damages to other things; my wife’s garden trees etc. Additionally, the level of respect demonstrated by your staff is seldom seen in this kind of profession.

Thank you

Chris & Rose

"

A couple of years ago Zaza Contractors, with his team, did my bathroom renovation, and I was so pleased I had them back to do my kitchen. Hearing from my friends and colleagues about their renovation experiences. I am very lucky to have chosen and used Zaza Contractors for these projects. Fred and his team have been great to deal with. They are conscientious, respectful, punctual, with the end result as we had agreed. When I have another such project, I know who I would call.

Thanks

Laura T.
East York, Ontario

"

Fred did an excellent and professional job – on time and in budget, provided excellent service and was extremely reliable and courteous. We recommend Zaza Contractors and their courteous workers.

Thanks

Doug and Linda McDonald
Thornhill, Ontario

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The entire renovation was handled by Zaza Contractors in a professional manner. We were very satisfied with the end product!

Bill and Ruth Patterson
Thornhill, Ontario