I did a bathroom/laundry (one room) renovation - a complete reno which involved gutting the room and relocating all the plumbing from one side of the room to the other. I searched for a long time trying to find a reliable plumber who actually showed up to give me a quote, gave me a reasonable quote and didn't give me the creeps or treat me like a dumb female. I actually quit and put the reno on hold when I couldn't find one and tried again 6 months later when I felt I could deal with the stress again. Thankfully this time I found Michael!

From the instant I contacted Michael and Karen to request a quote I was struck by their professionalism. Then when Michael came around to give me the quote I was impressed that he seemed to know what he was doing, was confident, didn't treat me like a dumb female (but still explained things clearly) and he did not make a big deal about the type of shower base I'd chosen to install onto my concrete slab (other plumbers said how hard it would be and made a drama about it).

After that meeting I was confident I'd found my plumber and Tomlinson Plumbing didn't disappoint. They confirmed dates a few days prior to the scheduled start date, arrived on time, were very clean when they worked and nothing was too much trouble. After they'd installed the pipes the plasterer and tiler came in to do his part. The tiler found a tiny leak in one of the pipes so I called Michael and within 20 minutes he had one of his plumbers at my house fixing the tiny leak. It was brilliant and meant no delays were caused.

I highly recommend Tomlinson Plumbing. I will definitely be using their services when I do my kitchen reno next year although I'll probably get them to manage the whole job because I can have confidence in Michael and it will be much elss stressful for me. (For the bathroom I hired all trades individually and did the project management myself - not recommended unless you really need to save on costs.)

The vet nurses are absolutely lovely, very helpful and give great advice although I'm not yet sold on the vets themselves. Their prices are fairly typical I think - approx $90 for annual injections, approx $300 for desexing of male puppy. The clinic is in a good location and has good parking facilities.

The staff at this pet shop have been great at giving me advice regarding my new puppy. They are always happy to help, even on the rare occasion that I go in and don't buy but just seek advice (although usually I end up buying something - I can't help myself!). Their prices are generally the RRPs so don't expect a bargain, but their great range and helpful advice encourages me to buy from them rather than seek out cheaper products online.

I phoned and requested a quote from a stump removal from the front of my property. Steve attended and left a professional quote for me in my letterbox (I was at work when he attended and inspected the tree stump).

I booked in for the job to be done. Unfortunately the employee who was going to do the job called in sick but Steve contacted me at 7:30am in the morning to give me plenty of notice. I said it was fine for the job to be done the next day. The next day the employee turned up on time.

The employee they sent to do the job was really nice and very efficient and did a good job. He was careful not to hit any pipes that we suspected may have run near the tree roots. Next time, however, I'll ask if I can pay a bit extra and get them to remove the mulch they left behind.

I would use them again if I had another tree to remove.

Approximate cost: $200

I'd often driven past this shop but never bothered to stop as it is in a strip mall and I prefer shopping centres. However, they had a 1/2 price sale of sunnies and I needed a new pair so decided to have a look. I had a wonderful experience. The sales lady was a darling who was so helpful and gave me honest opinions without pressuring me and the optometrist came out and was chatting and also gave a 'male's view' on which pair suited me best. I ended up getting a pair of Roberto Cavalli sunglasses that have an RRP of $700 for half price (+$200 for prescription lenses). I can't wait to pick them up in 1 week once the prescription lenses have been fitted. I'll definitely go back for all my optical needs because wonderful people like that need to be supported.

Approximate cost: $550

Yes, the decor for this restaurant is outdated BUT personally, I don't care. I've been twice and will keep going back. The food is delicious (fettuccine carbonara was yum and their Aussie pizza was great also), their food is EXTREMELY well priced (there is a huge $10 menu option), the maitre d is lovely and they have $12 cocktails. I highly recommend this for those who want a good feed, good value and don't care about posh surrounds.

Approximate cost: $10-20

I have used Parking Port several times. They are the most economical of all the airport parking options and it is run by lovely people. I won't hesitate to use them again.

I hired a tiler to do the tiling in my bathroom reno. He brought along Nino to assist him. They both did a great job, but Nino was particularly good at going the extra mile. I had a shaving cabinet recessed into the wall by another handyman and he did a shocking job, cutting out a beam and basically leaving the wall hanging by a thread. Nino repaired his effort and did an absolutely brilliant job. He was thorough and made sure everything was straight and exact. He was also a delight to have around (often singing or humming to himself). He was extremely polite and respectful. Both Nino and the other tiler were very hard working, turned up early, left late, didn't take a lunch break (I didn't make them work this hard!). They were also very clean workers. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the duo, and I'll be using Nino again for other carpentry work I need done around the house.

Approximate cost: $5000

I wanted a wall between the lounge and kitchen removed in my little unit. Domenic provided excellent advice and was extremely conscious of minimising my costs which I really appreciated. Would definitely recommend and wouldn't hesitate to use for future projects.

I've always had long hair and decided to go short but was terrified as I don't have a usual hairdresser I trusted. Based on the reviews on this site I decided to drive to the other side of town to try Miles Wilson. The result? Fantastic! All the ladies were lovely and the lady who cut my hair (Virginia) did a brilliant job. I absolutely love the result and have booked in next week to get my colour done. Can't wait to go back!

Approximate cost: $84