Thomas Restoration was our favorite contractor out of 10 that we used in the work on our 1906 Gunderson. And there wasn't much of a contest, they're that good. Pete Thomas is as direct and honest pleasant a guy as you're going to find. Certainly a bigger gentleman than 99% of the contractors your'e going to meet. He's kind of like Tom Hanks in Saving Private Ryan - a man with another past who found himself in an industry that he didn't necessarily choose for himself, but he's flourished BECAUSE he's so unlike so many contractors. He's a historian for the Village and seems to have painted half the homes in the Village, with good reason. He loves what he does, he appreciates how 'easy' his job is - make things pretty and FINISHED. But he doesn't take it easy, they do it right. There are two main crews and we had both do our home - one handled the majority of the exterior, the other handled the reconstruction and painting of our front porch. They also came in and painted 3/4 of the interior (2 beds, stairs, dining, living, family, halls) when HVAC and electrical guys had finished swiss-cheesing the house. And Francisco and friends have been 'mudding' since they could walk. They mud like the wind, but not like a tornado - they don't spew or track dust all through your house. To a man, every person on every crew is courteous, diligent, and seems to work with incredible efficiency. They have all been with Thomas for years - 8, 12, 20 years. Guys who work with him are devoted and act like it's their business too. Voicek (sorry if I'm spelling that wrong) runs a very talented crew and he may be the best adviser on color and finish in the entire company - he has an actual developed taste and skill for pairing and choosing colors, in different light, on different surfaces, etc. Voicek's crew borrows Francisco from Francisco's crew to do all the 'repair' work. All those little dings and broken bits and stuff that's got to be put back together just right? The window that doesn't open? The door that's not hanging right? The light that needs a little base behind it made from scratch. That's Francisco territory and he's the most skilled guy in the company - painter or carpenter. He also works faster than any worker I've ever seen in any trade. Francisco is the reason we pushed Thomas to handle the general contracting of the porch work on our place and we were right to do it - he and Manuel (the other full-time carpenter at their disposal) were artists. The architect can draw it up, the contractor can price it up, we sourced our own materials, but it's on the carpenter to make it all come together and these guys were incredibly, incredibly skilled problem-solvers. ZERO shortcuts - they fought to raise the roof when the columns showed up an inch too short when others wanted to try to cut up the columns. It was the harder thing to do, but the right thing to do, and they work so fast that it cannot have affected the bottom line. And the bottom line may not be the cheapest (although in off-season, Pete seems to price a little more aggressively). In fact, I've been yelling at Pete for a year that he needs to price himself higher because they are worth it. They show up early when they say they're going to and they finish when they say they're going to and they update you along the way. They don't track junk through your house to the bathroom, they don't leave cigarette butts and soda cans all over your lawn. Just like super nice guests at your home, who happen to make it look really beautiful before they leave. They're welcome at my house any time. We're at the corner of Jackson and Elmwood, if you want to drive by and see what they did. Knock on the door if you want to talk about them. read more

Thomas Restoration (Pete Thomas) beautifully restored our Oak Park 1908 historic Gunderson home from top to bottom in record time! With major plaster and drywall repair, wall paper removal and water damage throughout, it was a complete 2500+ sq ft renovation project! Let us count the ways the Thomas team did a 5 star job, every day and with a smile! 1. Pete (and his team) have the knowledge and skills to restore your home for a lifetime. His work is pristine, quality to the studs with top of the line finishes. 2. He and his crew are on time, friendly and respectful to your family and your home. Always polite and good with the kids too :-) 3. Petes estimates are very competitive especially considering the quality of work, top of the line materials and labor of love by the crew. (You can always find cheaper "painters" out there...The Thomas crew doesn't just paint - they perfect your home from the inside out.) There are no hidden costs - we communicated easily about "add on" work that came up naturally throughout the job. 4. Thomas starts and completes the job when promised!! Pete was beyond flexible and kind as our timeline changed. Pete is a wise and welcome calm in the storm that is home reno. (An almost unheard of trait in the trades...in our opinion.) 5. Each member of the Thomas crew has an uncanny attention to detail resulting in a amazing finished product that impresses each visitor that walks through our door. 6. Francisco's carpentry work throughout our home from crown and chair rail moldings, built in cabinetry/shelving, drywall repair and custom furniture was efficient, top tier skills As well as 100% period appropriate. He and Pete go the extra mile to restore - not just repair! Our very top recommendations go to Pete Thomas and his crew - Francisco, Voytak, Mannie, Omar, Gio, Jason, Jamie... Hopefully we haven't missed or misspelled too many. What great guys! Thank you all. It was our pleasure! Jess & Bryan Jones Ps. Can't wait to do our exterior with Pete and team next! read more

We got 4 quotes for painting the exterior and trim of our 100 year-old stucco home, and Pete's was in line with the others and even a little cheaper for the higher-quality thorocoat quote for stucco. We set up a start date, and his crew arrived right on time and began immediately. I cannot say enough good things about the workers. They were polite, respectful of our time and property and worked non-stop even in the summer heat. Pete consulted with us at various times throughout the project to discuss how colors would work and which parts of the trim to paint in each color to make the final product as beautiful as possible. The best way to describe Thomas Restoration's work is to say that they treated our home as if it were their own home, putting in the extra effort on each detail to make sure things were perfect. Our windows are 100 year-old wood and needed a huge amount of work to sand, scrape, strip, and even cut open the painted shut frames, and by the time they were painted, they look like new and function again. The work is impeccable and our house looks like new! Because they were doing such a nice job and working so quickly (8 guys painted our house in 6 days), we asked them to paint our garage as well, which they not only did, but also replaced many rotting boards for us at very little cost. Even though they ended up putting in some extra work, Pete stuck to the quoted price. The project was done and cleaned up in about a week, and I the finished product is better than I had imagined going into the whole thing. Definitely worth the price we paid. I highly recommend you go with Thomas Restoration Painting. read more

After interviewing countless contractors to repair stucco, restore windows, and paint the exterior of our home, luckily we found Thomas Restoration who could do all three jobs. The best part of the quoting process was that Peter Thomas did a great job explaining to us how he could help us work with our budget by allowing us to pick and choose various levels of work for different parts of the job. The communication of specific / custom pricing was lacking with the 20+ other contractors we interviewed, along with the fact that no one else was able to handle all three of jobs needed. In regards to the work, my wife and I were extremely pleased as the house looks BEAUTIFUL! Jaime and his crew did a fantastic job transforming our dilapitated exterior into a house that immediately received unsolicited compliments from neighbors and strangers passing by. Throughout the process, Jaime's dedication to the work was obvious as he stayed late multiple times to ensure all aspects of the work were up to his high standard. The best part was Jaime's consistent communication regarding the progression of specific details and hours of each job, eliminating any anxiety of a surprise with the final bill. In fact, the price of the entire job was even a little cheaper than what we had plannned and budgeted for. My wife and I plan on using Thomas Restoration for future work around our house and have already recommened their services to our friends in the Oak Park area. Thanks again! read more

Pete saved our sanity. And our home. After seven months of an horrific contractor experience where the first guy abandoned our job and left with our money (Advanced Floors BMC) we hired Pete to clean up their mistakes, mess & finish what they never started. Most other contractors HATE fixing other people's jobs. Pete jumped right in and went to work. The level of finish is truly amazing. Attention to detail second to none. They showed up when he said they would. They worked long days. It cost exactly what Pete said it would - even when the guys worked a little longer than expected, Pete stuck to his original price. And Pete was always checking in, both with us, and most importantly, with his guys. He ensured they had what they needed to stay on time, pointed out areas where they needed to focus and meet Pete's finishing standards - always prioritizing to stay on time and on budget. We now have our home back after a nightmare from the old contractor. We have a lot of ambition left for remodeling our home and Pete will be our first and only call. Thanks Pete, Manny and Jesus! read more

Pete and his guys did an absolutely phenomenal job. They installed drywall on a really high ceiling above the stairs (around 15 feet above the stairs), restored wood trim throughout the entire loft, and painted our master bedroom. Pete was very hands-on before, during, and after the job. He made sure we knew what we wanted, why we wanted it, and provided really helpful suggestions during the process. Moreover, Pete couldn't be nicer and was always accessible. As far as price, Pete is beyond reasonable. Lastly, Pete was really flexible. We had a few more ideas in the middle of the job and after his crew had already completed the job. They came back on two separate occasions within 24 hours of us calling to accommodate our additional requests. We're in the market to buy a home in Oak Park and we will be calling them for any of our home repair/renovations moving forward. Couldn't be happier with their work. read more

My wife and I just finished a major renovation of our home in Oak Park, and Thomas Restoration Painting did all of the interior and exterior painting along with some very detailed trim work that no other contractor would touch. THESE GUYS ARE THE ABSOLUTE BEST !! Because of construction delays etc the project took about 8 months and Peter and Voytech were always there when we needed them. Other contractors would reschedule due to countless reasons making us have to reschedule Peters guys, bet they never complained and always came through for us. Their crews were as professional as can be, always thoughtful, impeccably clean, and they treated our home, our kids and our dog as if they were their own. Honesty and integrity are Peter's trademarks. Pricing was more than fair, and they saved us $$ on the trim work. We will never waist our time calling anyone else for our painting or restoration needs. read more

This company was fantastic right from the start! Pete Thomas (the owner) came to our house and walked around with us to survey what needed to be done. It was professional and he listened closely to what we wanted. The estimate he gave us was reasonably priced and not over inflated at all. When the work began, his workers: Wojciech Urasinski, Manual Aguilar and Reynaldo were here on time, every day (weather permitting) and extremely friendly yet professional. We have not done anything to the outside of our home for the 25 years we have lived in it and it looks like a brand new home. We have had more compliments from friends and neighbors, that the pride I feel in our house had increased greatly! I highly recommend them for any of your home repair needs and we will be using them again in the near future for some inside renovation projects we want to have completed. They were the best!! read more

Pete Thomas and his staff are fantastic to work with. Pete is very thorough beginning with the bid process through the the final inspection. Pete takes time to evaluate the project then with a second meeting he presents his bid and reviews in detail all that needs to be done. All of Pete's employees are very careful and take time to ensure all personal affects are carefully protected from construction/repair dust and paint droppings. Thomas Restoration pricing is extremely fair, competitive and worth every penny for the service provided and quality of work. As much as price and work quality are important, so is timeliness of keeping to the promised completion date of the service which Pete and his team did. I have more more work to be done and I will not hesitate to enter into another agreement with Thomas Restoration. read more

4 years ago Thomas Decorating painted the exterior of our house. Their preparation ( including, power washing, scraping, removing storms and screens, caulking replacing rotted wood) was so detailed and complete that the house looks as good today as when they finished the job. They are meticulous about clean up. Its on going and every single night.. We were so impressed we recently called them back to paint the interior. Again, A superb job! They were fast, clean, polite, courteous.They move the furniture and pictures on the wall and back again. We were able to sit in our den and watch TV every night. They paint huge sections of the wall to make the final choosing of color actually fun The house was transformed ! We would enthusiasticlly recommend these people for any job big or little They get 5 stars. read more

Peter is a really nice, honest guy who is not trying to rip you off. He is reliable, trustworthy, and has really great painters working for him. His company painted the entire exterior of our 1920's stucco house and wood garage, including many, many windows, and did a great job. He suggested a slight color change that really made the house look significantly better. We also used Peter for the entire upstairs of our home a few years ago and were very pleased with how the job turned out, and with how it proceeded. They took good care to protect our things and made it as minimally invasive as possible. Recently we hired Thomas Restoration for a one-day leak repair job. It turned out to take less time than Peter thought it would and he charged us $150 LESS than the estimate! That's rare indeed! read more

I cannot say enough about the great experience we had with Pete and his team. We recently had them paint the exterior of our 100+ year old house and not only does it look AMAZING, it was such a pleasure working with the whole team. They were professional and courteous and were great around our 2 small (very curious) children. My extremely detail oriented husband didn't even complain once- which is shocking!! Pete's team also speaks very highly of him and he of them- they have been working together for many, many years. We liked them so much that we immediately asked them for help with other projects. Pete and his crew show up when they say they will and the job was done when they said it would be- and it was done beautifully! We will definitely be using Pete for future projects!!! read more

We could not be happier with the work Pete and his crew did on our home! We needed our entire house stripped of paint, much of the wood repaired, decades old window trim removed and restored. We also had them demo the existing ceiling over our front porch and replace it with brand new bead board. Everything looks fantastic, we've actually had people come to our door to compliment the work and ask who did it. Our home in Oak Park was built in 1888 and is designated historic, so we didn't want just anyone to do the work. Well, Pete's expert team is detail oriented, professional, and friendly (which is a nice bonus when you have a team of people working at your house all day for weeks!) Hire Thomas Restoration Painting, you won't be disappointed! read more

We used Pete and his crew for both interior and exterior projects, and they exceeded our expectations in every way. The job was delivered on time, under budget, and with impeccable quality. Pete's team is incredibly thorough with their prep work and pays attention to every single detail. They are also exceptionally neat, performing a complete cleanup at the end of every day. Throughout the process, they were highly responsive and even offered valuable carpentry suggestions that went above and beyond the scope of the project. It is rare to find this level of professionalism and care. We are thrilled with the results and look forward to using them for all of our future projects. You simply cannot go wrong with this firm--highly recommended read more

Pete was extremely easy to work with when I had my bedroom painted. I recently ran across some Before photos and was struck by the contrast, and how much I appreciate the room now. It's an old house: (cracked) plaster walls, double hung windows, crown molding for hanging pictures, etc. I'd begun the job myself (big mistake), so they had something of a mess to start with. None of that was any problem for them, Wojecit did a fantastic job, and it all came out great. The work was done in January, and evidently winter's an excellent time for an interior job - they were able to start work just a few days after I got the estimate. read more

Pete Thomas and his team have transformed our Oak Park house! Between a complete roof tear off, major stucco repair, a brand new front porch, relocated and new gutters / downspouts throughout, and several coats of new paint, our 1908 house looks brand new! We could not have been happier with Pete's team, their workmanship, their competitive prices, and their responsiveness. They were also great with our 2 young kids: making sure to clean up everything on daily basis, and even humoring my 3 year old when he wanted to go out and inspect from time to time! My family and I could not recommend Thomas Restoration any higher. read more

I recently had Pete and his team repaint the interior of my home and I was very pleased with the results. They were able to start work very soon after giving me a quote and were able to finish a large job on a quick timeframe. Throughout the job they were good about keeping me updated on the progress. I cannot say enough about the quality of the work. The attention to detail is top notch and they go the extra mile to make sure everything is up to and above expectations. I would highly recommend them and plan to use them again for any future jobs I have. read more

Thomas Restoration came highly recommended to us from several neighbors who were repeat customers themselves. We could not be happier with the result of our exterior paint job! Our team, lead by Omar and Timo, were so polite, accommodating, and knowledgeable. Their work was quick and very precise. The prep on our house was labor-intensive as lots of scraping and the replacement of rotted boards was necessary. They were thorough, skilled, and tidy in their workmanship. We have received many compliments on our "new" house! Thank you, Thomas Restoration!! read more

Thomas Restoration opened up my enclosed porch and painted the trim for our entire house in June 2023. I am very pleased the work. The porch is now airy and bright. It looks like it was never enclosed. The trim was done carefully and the attention to detail was excellent from the entire crew. They completed most of the work while we were out of the country and we returned to beautiful work! The price was very reasonable for the quality. They finished on time and on budget. Very happy with the work overall. read more