Fortune was the more economical (vs an architect) but still historically-minded option when we needed to restore our 140-year-old home's facade. Still a significant investment (!), but worth every cent. The team was extremely professional start to finish, from the communication with the scheduler/office staff to the artisans actually doing the work/painting. They left the work site spotless every single day, which we extra appreciated after having the opposite experience with another contractor who did the interior reno. The before and after photo speaks for itself-- our home is stunning and we are grateful for the team for their attentive, painstaking work. It was covered in aluminum siding from the 1960s when we got it, wood rotting beneath, and now the original materials (cedar shingles), in the original configuration wow once again. read more

Fortune Restoration - Before on the left, Now on the right! - Painters Near Me - Lincolnwood, Illinois

We have a lovely 1889 Queen Anne that is on the National Register of Historic Places, and is a Chicago landmark. Our house recently needed extensive restoration and repair, which was carried out by Fortune Restoration in October of 2024 to our complete satisfaction. Early this spring, following a series of violent windstorms, a plexiglass covering on the window of our third story turret blew off. We contacted Fortune and they sent a crew over two days later. The plexiglass was cleaned and put back into place and the trim around it was repainted. Even though this occurred a year and a half after the October 2024 restoration, we were not charged for this repair. Clearly Fortune Restoration stands by their work. We would not trust our house to anyone else. Sharon and Terry M. read more

I do not care for this company. They're big on trying to solicit new business by pasting advertisements on every doorway in the neighborhood, but they do not respond to any calls or request for estimates! This is indicative of a company that I will not trust. read more

Fortune restoration painters are very good at their profession. Pete is very good at paying attention to detail and making sure the job runs smoothly. he also stands by his warranty for any repairs that may need to be taken care of. I would highly recommend this company! read more

Fortune has maintained the oldest house in Chicago for many years. Please feel free to visit the Noble-Seymour-Crippen House at 5624 N. Newark and see their expert work. Fortune understands that working on a building that is a City of Chicago Landmark and a building on the National Register of Historic Places requires care and commitment. The Norwood Park Historical Society is grateful for our long term partnership and our grand house thanks them too. read more

Fortune Restoration - The flagpole returns to its original state. - Painters Near Me - Lincolnwood, Illinois

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An experienced representative came to my 69 year old brick home to help me assess if my brick and foundation needed repair. I feel I was given a fair and honest opinion....my issues were not a big concern.... I did not need their help.... a skilled mason could resolve my home's issues. I am grateful for the honesty and expertise of Fortune Restoration. read more

Paid for a Cadillac but got a Rolls-Royce! Some of the endless POSITIVES: Thorough inspection of job site and discussion with client followed by written and detailed bid, before Tom left; work was tentatively scheduled a few weeks out at customer's request and was begun precisely on tentative start date. Crew: 6 men worked dusk to dawn for 5.5 consecutive days; immaculate protection of landscaping, gardens, potted plans, statuary; flawless clean-up at end of each day; polite; daily communication with crew captain; exquisite attention to detail, responsive to client comments and requests within scope of contract; finished job was perfect! The only NEGATIVE: We didn't find Fortune Restoraton sooner. No one but Fortune Restoration will ever paint for us again! (No discount or perks for this glowing review! ;-) read more

We hired Fortune Restoration to paint our exterior balconies(20), some facia and a couple Juliet balconies. The workers were very professional, came to work every day on time and completed the job as expected. They were organized, neat and did an excellent job. They responded to any "glitches" in a timely manner and made sure before they left that we were satisfied with their work and everything was done as per the requirements of the quote. I would highly recommend Fortune and hope to use them again, if needed, in the future. read more

Stay away from this company. Their estimate came in higher than others and we went with them because we thought they'd provide better window installation quality. We were totally wrong. They messed up the installation multiple times, extremely dishonest in the contract and after only three years our windows are already falling apart. All for 30k. Not worth it. Now they refuse to respond to any of our calls or emails. read more

Fortune Restoration - Trim is pulling away from windows and we're taking in water - Painters Near Me - Lincolnwood, Illinois

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Fortune Restoration is an excellent company. They are fair in their quote, fulfill it, pay attention to detail, listen to your requests, plus the end result looks great! Am so glad I chose them for painting, tuckpointing, and carpentry. And, if you get Bernie Halloran, Senior Sales Rep, managing the work and suggesting options, you are indeed fortunate. He is a pro. Am so happy I found a company that works with you and does a great job. read more

I've used Fortune Restoration in the past when I managed condominium buildings. After seeing the cedar siding work they did on a friend's house I decided to call Tom Fortune for my own residence. Tom took the time to listen and called his lead carpenter to discuss the various siding and trim options. He was able to write the estimate on the spot. They started quickly and there were no delays once they began. Their crews were communicative and professional. Tom also stopped by regularly to inspect the workmanship and make sure I was satisfied. Fortune removed the existing metal siding on the house, replaced the soffit and fascia with PVC which was quite labor intensive, sided the gable ends and small front dormer with cedar, stained the new cedar, and painted all the new trim and exterior windows. They left the area in very good condition. I'm very pleased with their responsiveness and quality of the work and recommend them without reservation. read more

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Temo from Fortune Restoration came and did an emergency paint job on two areas in my house. Some of the best and most efficient work I have seen. Highly recommend. read more

Fortune Restoration just finished another project for us, they are a terrific company. We've used them numerous times for exterior and interior painting in addition to tuckpointing and carpentry, and the result is always perfection. From preparing a complete and clear proposal to scheduling the work, to arriving on time, they are a model for how to run a business. The crew, this time supervised by Stell, was outstanding. Our 1927 home in the Galewood neighborhood of Chicago thanks them as we do. Maybe this should be a 6 star review? read more

Fortune Restoration - a sign in front of a house - Painters Near Me - Lincolnwood, Illinois

We requested a free quote and the business owner came by our home. While it was immediately clear the projects were interested in wasn't a fit for his business' services, we spent the time to discuss our projects and recommended some other local companies in town who could better assist us. What stood out the most was his concern for our daughters safety (disrupting lead paint / lead dust). Incredible. It's a shame we couldn't hire them. Seems like a very reputable company led by a thoughtful and knowledgeable person! Thanks, Tom! read more

Ok so I really think they do good work, but last time I used them for a small job they gave me a verbal quote and I went with it. When complete they said the first cost was wrong and it was going to be more. Always get quotes in writing so matter how small. read more

A few weeks ago, Tom came by our condo building to provide a free inspection of an area in the basement we were concerned had water damage. He was friendly and very honest, giving us an assessment that put our minds at ease. He explained what we were looking at in plain terms we could understand and in no way tried to sell us any services we didn't need. He really earned our trust that day. It was a great experience, and should we ever have a job that would require work beyond an inspection, Fortune is now at the top of the list of calls we'll make. read more

Tom came by our 19th century home for a free quote including varnishing, painting, removal and installation of wallpaper, and minor repairs of wood paneling. The crew of 5 men worked for two weeks and did stellar jobs. They even threw in a few minor repairs that weren't included in the original agreement. They did a good job cleaning up as well. Would recommend. read more

I had a very good experience with them. They painted and repaired some decorative metal on the front of my house that i had neglected for a long time. I had no problem getting them to come out and give me a quote. It was a fair price for the work. The work was done quickly and efficiently. I would definitely at least consult with them again for another painting project. read more

We just finished our fourth project with Fortune Restoration: major plastering to repair vintage interior walls and painting. Terrific workmanship. Great project management. Started on time and finished ahead of schedule. The crew was friendly and cared about their work. We've also hired Fortune for tuckpointing, repairing fire damage to a garage and exterior painting of a wood frame house. Great value. read more

Fortune did an excellent job of staining and painting our 19th century Queen Anne. The project was large and complex, with six colors, but was completed over 12 days. The crew replaced wood, caulked, sanded and power- washed for 5 days before painting. The work was meticulously done, and the crew were very pleasant to work with. The manager, Andy, was especially helpful and considerate, with an artistic eye. Highly recommended. read more

Matt and the Fortune team were attentive and had great customer service through the entirety of the project. Would definitely recommend. The work is top notch as well! read more

We highly recommend Fortune Restoration! Our 140-year-old, five-story condominium building needed maintenance of its Indiana sandstone decorative rock which flanks the entrance and the structural steel in balconies, gates, stairs and railings. Our Fortune Restoration sales rep, Matt Fortune, invested the time to thoroughly understand our needs and provided a competitive quote. The crews were led by Marco Castillo and Rodis Valasquez, both of whom were attentive to detail, patient and informative when answering questions and explaining the process. Adequate time and materials were devoted to preparation leading to a durable, visibly attractive outcome. This is a professional operation to whom you can trust your project. read more

Fortune repaired and repainted the entire exterior of my very large house, a nineteenth-century building that had been neglected for quite a long time. It was an expensive project, and one that needed care and skill if it were to be done right. Everything about the project went very well: the workers were skilled and hard-working, the foreman communicative and creative in coming up with solutions to the little problems that inevitably arose from time to time. The house looks transformed. I would definitely recommend Fortune to others. read more

Some guy walking around my neighborhood today not only left an unwanted flyer for this company in my door, but relieved himself behind my property (and in clear view of a security camera). If this is the kind of inattention and lack of housebreaking I can expect from a Fortune Restoration, I'll kindly take my stucco repair business elsewhere! read more

If I could give zero stars I would, but I had to enter a minimum rating in order to make this post. We have extensive water damage to our living room dining room for which we wanted to submit an insurance claim after we got our roof repaired. Tom Fortune came to our home and quickly drafted a quote for $3500 to replaster portions of our ceiling and cove molding and to repaint the entire ceiling - I know it's an outrageous cost, but they appeared to have good reviews. Since we intended to submit a claim to our insurance,we weren't that concerned with the inflated bid. BUT - the bid didn't have enough detail for our insurance provider. They wanted a breakdown of the $3500 cost - How much for moving furniture? - How much for the plastic protective covers? - How much for plaster? - How much for painting? - How much for materials? - How much for labor? A reasonable request from the insurance company-- right? But impossible to extract from Fortune, because we suspect they marked up their costs over 100% or maybe more. For a month, we tried to chase down details for our insurance company - many unreturned calls and emails. When my husband finally did reach Tom Fortune, after a long call he was unwilling to breakdown the cost, and he actually abruptly hung up on my husband ending the call. We tried one more time and thought we were getting somewhere with an office assistant, but ultimately Tom called back and said that they were unable to help us. When we asked why the response was THEY ARE NOT DOING INTERIOR WORK DURING THE CORONA VIRUS OUTBREAK So my advice is to not waste your time with Fortune Restoration. This company is an overpriced scam. read more

Quick and accurate bid was submitted within an hour. The job was done well, using high quality materials and finished on time (this was particularly important because of the rapid approach of winter). The job was to prep, waterproof and paint a masonry and brick exterior wall on a three story home. The team members were courteous, prompt and always checking to see if we satisfied during every step of the 3 day process. I highly recommend them. read more

This contractor is generally unresponsive. The staff seem to lack a good understanding of English in written form. The firm also seems to lack an understanding of the Village of Oak Park ordinances or are indifferent to proper compliance with the VoP's codes. Staff are generally indifferent to details of their work. read more

Pete Fortune and his crew did a spectacular job in painting our 1897 Victorian house. The prep work they did in sanding, caulking, replacing rotted boards, hand-cleaning and disinfecting mildewed areas and more was nothing short of astonishing. The painting itself, by hand, was meticulous. They went beyond our expectations and we recommend them without hesitation. Plus, all the crew were not only professional but nice and, for the most part, wore masks and respected the very real crisis we find ourselves in. I'm happy to talk with anyone regarding Fortune. We are very pleased with their work. And so is my 100+ year old home, which now looks like a new structure! read more

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Initially I communicated with Bernie who was very professional and responsive both via phone and email. I was pleased with his ability to point out many details that other companies from whom I got estimates either missed or didn't call out specifically. My house needed quite a bit of wood replacement and I felt that Bernie's knowledge and Fortune's array of services best fit the need. Luckily, they also came in with an estimate that was right in the middle of the others I received. I probably would have hired them even if they'd been closer to the top since the others were focused more exclusively on just the painting. I was happy to find that when they came out, they had a separate carpenter in addition to the painting crew who did the wood replacement. They also filled the foundation alongside one of the side of the house and did tuckpointing work on the chimney. Talk about a one stop shop! I was impressed with the efficiency of the crew - it took exactly the five days that Rafael estimated in the beginning but it doesn't appear that they skimped or took shortcuts (like the company we had do the job several years ago). I know they have a lot of bad reviews for covering the neighborhood in fliers and evidently because of poor responsiveness, and while I've gotten annoyed with the number of fliers myself, I got 20% off because of the flier they gave us this spring and I had no issues with communicating with anyone. read more

Fortune recently completed an exterior paint job on our home in Wilmette and we are very pleased with both the results and the attention given to our satisfaction throughout the job. The work crew exceeded our expectations by completing some simple carpentry tasks and then called in a carpenter (at our request) to finish a few jobs at a reasonable cost. There were regular quality control visits by both by a manager and by the owner who ensured the finishing details were done right. Overall, our home required a substantial amount of work (wood trim windows and trim that had been neglected) and the job that Fortune completed transformed the appearance. Highly recommended and we would hire Fortune again without hesitation. read more

Don't do it, unless you want to re-paint things yourself. You will not get good advice about how to paint what. You will have to closely monitor the workers, because not even their foreman can! They will send in such a large team who will do everything so fast, good luck trying to monitor it. Peter's favorite phrase when you discuss the things that went wrong is, I never said that! Awesome! Seriously, look elsewhere. I find something else crappy they did to my house everyday. read more

If you are serious about a high quality and professional painting and restoration job, then Tom Fortune and his fantastic crew should be your first stop. Incredibly professional. Fast estimates that are accurate. The work is superb. They did wood repair (including rebuilding our wood gutters) and painted our 1889 Queen Ann and the results are breathtaking. Worked with their Benjamin Moore color consultant and it really turned out perfect. Both their carpentry and painting teams are efficient and professional. Everything perfectly clean at the end of each day. I could not recommend them more highly read more

We contacted Fortune Restoration in April to request a quote for repainting our 1908 Arts & Crafts home in Wilmette. The next day Pete Fortune came to assess the job. As we walked around the house, I asked him whether they could do a number of other things "while they were at it" (e.g., replace rotting fascia, deck and fence components, power wash and restain the deck, paint the inside of our garage). Each time the answer was "sure". We received a reasonable and comprehensive quote within a few days and were placed on their late-May schedule. Their crew started right on time and did a great job. The leader, Luis, was fantastic to work with. He was very pleasant and professional, keeping us fully informed, making some great suggestions and efficiently working around the frequent rain throughout the project. Like Pete, Luis always answered "yes" when we asked for modifications to the original plan or changes to their work sequence. In summary, we are very happy with the quality of their work and would highly recommend Fortune Restoration. read more

No show. No one answers the phone. This was a red flag for me, but decided to bite the bullet and left a VM for an estimate on painting the entire interior of the house after looking at the discount promotion on their flyer. I did get a call back later on to schedule a date and time. I was told that the one of the owners would be coming out to give me the estimate himself. Well, should have read the earlier reviewer prior to scheduling. The guy never showed up and no phone call. Of course I called the company and guess what, got the VM again. read more

We engaged Fortune Restoration for interior and exterior painting. As is often the case, the project evolved and became more complicated. I can't say enough great things about working with Fortune and their team of professionals. We found their workers to be friendly, thorough, trustworthy, and always responsive. The quality of their work was second to none, their cleanup was exceptional, and I would strongly recommend Fortune Restoration for any of your home or commercial projects! read more

Fortune Restoration has serviced my needs for years. Great job, they stand by their Warranty and are pleasurable to work with. I would highly recommend Fortune Restoration! It's hard now days to get honest and family owned business. These are the guys for all restriction needs!!! read more

Fortune just completed major carpentry reconstruction and painting on my home in Rogers Park and I can't give higher praises for their work. Five stars plus****** . Mine is a vintage home and most standard quick money contractors won't even touch these houses. Fortune's onsite crews are craftsmen (not just carpenters and painters) and they take extraordinary pride in their workmanship. The finished project is wonderful and I am incredibly pleased. Fortune is not cheap but they are reasonable and also fair on the unexpected cost overruns that can happen with vintage buildings. This is a high quality, professional contractor and someone you want working on your home. read more

We received estimates from other providers and while Fortune was not the lowest, we felt their tuck pointing expertise combined with their painting reviews was worth the extra cost. After waiting just a few weeks for the weather to clear, Fortune had a team out to our home to apply sample colors we had picked out to the brick. When we were still unsure of our color options, the crew leader Jose went back out for more options and returned with just the color we were looking for over the next few days. Painting started quickly as there was an opening in the schedule and the entire job was completed in 3 days. We can't say enough how pleased we were with Jose and his crew's attention to detail, the pride they obviously took in their work and the open lines of communication between all parties. When we realized midway through the job that the 2nd floor siding on the side peaks of the house would need painting as well to fully achieve the look we were going for, Fortune worked with us to make that happen with a price that we felt was fair. The transformation is even beyond what we were hoping for. read more

Painted inside and outside of the house. Workers were very professional and responsive to our requests. House was finished a few days earlier than their estimate. Once they started they returned every day until the job was done. Quality of their work was outstanding. I would use them again and recommend you use them also. read more

Buyer beware! Fortune Restoration came to my house on two different occasions approximately 6 mos. apart. The first time in the Fall of 2017, the second in February 2018. The owner, Tom, gave me a very quick estimate the first time around to paint my cabinets and said that "it will cost approximately $1000 on top of that if I decide to strip and restain." At that time he also quoted to paint my desk cabinet. When he came out 6 mos. later, WITH THE "WINTER DISCOUNT," he quoted my cabinets at close to $12K (a $5800 INCREASE FROM HIS PREVIOUS QUOTE) to strip and restain and lowered the cabinet re-painting by $750. Fortune Restoration has NO RHYME OR REASON BEHIND THEIR PRICING (no labor rate or hours) just made up numbers at the owners whim. When I told him about the discrepancy he pretended like he never gave the previous quote and just tried to justify the increase. read more