Jim Gracia and his whole team were such a pleasure to work with. Jim is so professional and thinks of everything. He has remodeled a ton of kitchens, so he foresees most issues before they arise. He had a great relationship with our kitchen designer (Kitchen Design Partners - Nancy Jacobson), so the entire process was painless and often didn't require much effort on my part. Jim is also creative - he came up with the perfect solution to fix a weird nook that resulted from some demolition work. Jim was very quick to respond to any questions, and always made me aware of the work schedule. Jim's estimate broke everything down nicely allowing us to see how much some extra work would cost so that my wife and I could decide to move forward with some projects and forego others that were outside our budget. But most importantly everything looks amazing. The picture says more than I ever could. I will definitely work with Jim again in the future for any remodeling needs. read more

Update 7/18/23: B quality, D service and A+ (premium) pricing. We were given several promises and "no, problem, we can do that" sort of talk, and later on as the project went on and invoices were paid (we always paid on time), some of those promises were magically no longer possible. We paid on time, always, but timelines by Jim were not kept. I do not mean timelines related to supply chain issues or them being busy....we totally understood that. What I mean is that he would say he would call/text at a certain day or time and we would never hear back. Sometimes it would take a MONTH to hear (no joke), it would take a MONTH to get an invoice. It took from June to November to address our punch list which just took 1.5 days of actual work on site. Most of the work was great and good quality, and they clean up after themselves well every day. However, some of the subcontractors would lean materials against newly painted walls and they did leave pizza boxes lying around and fast food containers at times when they left for the day. As the project came to a close, the response time was longer and longer. There's no excuse for it, but I think I would use them again as the work is good, as long as you are very patient when you don't hear back as promised. Also, we had our cabinets repainted and the subcontractor had to touch them up after we noticed several unpainted areas. Since the project we have also noticed that they did not move the refrigerator to paint the walls next to the refrigerator and you can see if you stand in front of the refrigerator the old paint color next to the new paint color on the wall. I will have to have someone to come in and fix that. Additionally, the tiles in the bathroom were installed with bubbles in the caulk. They did fix that. Jim also told me they could not remove the rust from the door hinges on the doors of the bathrooms without taking the doors off the hinges, and that it would be a huge undertaking. Since then, we've had the building superintendent take a look, and he was able to remove the rest from the door hinges in a couple of hours without removing the doors. Cost me $150. Easy. ***UPDATE: I would not use this company again. Jim told me point blank at the initial meeting they could move a thermostat from the middle of a wall (eye sore) to the corner so I could have a cleaner look. This was something I expressed wanted and was told it was no problem. After the contracts are signed, and after invoice after invoice was paid on time, I would bring up the thermostat being moved, and it was always pushed to the side in the conversation. Eventually, I was told by Jim that it would be too expensive to do and far too difficult. In the end, the thermostat stayed in the same location and they replaced it with a new thermostat of their choosing. The thermostat they chose and installed has poor reviews online. The thermostat has not been giving accurate readings since April and we reached out to some HVAC companies about coming by to check it out. Three companies came and all said our HVAC system was fine, but the new thermostat Jim installed was faulty and was the problem. There was no way for us to get an accurate reading. I texted Jim the situation and told him that the HVAC company we trusted and we have used before was on site and was willing to install a new thermostat including labor for $300. He texted me back saying that he was at a sporting event in WI and would call me as soon as he could. In my text, I asked him how he would like me to proceed, and if I should have the new thermostat installed since the HVAC guy was already here and if they would reimburse me or if they wanted to come by and replace it later. I never heard back from Jim, ever. Not a peep. So unprofessional. I have passed along his information to 3 designers as I'm in the industry. This is not how you treat customers. The HVAC company came back days later and installed a new thermostat - now everything is fine. I paid for this out of pocket. Still, nothing from Jim. read more

I cannot rave enough about my experience with Jim Gracia and his company, Before and After Construction. I have worked with Jim on three separate projects: two separate small projects to remove dated built-ins and repair the wall, and most recently to be the General Contractor for a huge kitchen remodel. The kitchen project involved completely gutting my kitchen, laundry room and adjacent bathroom, and then installing new cabinets, countertops, flooring and lighting. The project involved carpentry, electrical work, and plumbing. Jim and his crew were at my house 5-days per week for about 3.5 months. The things I loved most about my experiences with Before and After Construction on the kitchen remodel project are: * Excellent communication! Jim, the owner, texted me almost every evening to let me know who would be coming to my house the next day, what time, and what they would be doing. There was never a time when the project was halted or I wondered when it would resume. * Jim is totally hands-on. He was personally onsite frequently, and was always onsite if something major was taking place that day. He is also very responsive to texts or other communications. * Jim is a perfectionist. He spotted issues that I would not have seen or considered, and he made sure everything turned out perfectly. * The crew of workers is outstanding! They are all long-time employees of the company and are nice, trustworthy, respectful, clean, and excellent craftsmen. They too are perfectionists about their work. * Jim and his crew are meticulously neat. They put down plastic walkways to anyplace outside of the kitchen they needed to go, and cleaned up beautifully at the end of every single workday. If Jim was not onsite himself, his crew sent him a photo to show him that the workspace was cleaned up before they left. And whenever something new was installed (cabinets, countertops, floor), they quickly covered it (after giving me a quick sneak peek!) to protect it from the ongoing work. * The initial proposal for the work was fair and comprehensive. There were no unexpected change orders or surprise additional billing. Each invoice was detailed and delivered per the proposal as the work progressed. There is no doubt that not having a kitchen for three months is dislocating and inconvenient, but Jim and his crew minimized the stress with their diligence, cleanliness, responsiveness, friendliness, and outstanding craftsmanship. I would wholeheartedly recommend Before and After Construction to anyone doing home remodeling work. read more

Before and After Construction/James Gracia. After wasting a year (no exaggeration on timing here folks) of our time discussing our kitchen renovation in extensive detail, then after much pushing to get a quote from Jim Gracia, 1 month from ground breaking on our kitchen project, Jim sends a very unprofessional estimate (no specific allocations just a total amount) that was completely out of our budget. We communicated the budget from the very beginning. This was such a waste of our time. And was very dishonest. Or perhaps a larger project came along? I don't know. Either way, Uber unprofessional. I don't normally write reviews, but I feel I should warn other people out there who are just looking for honesty from the very beginning. Look elsewhere. J.J. read more

Had a great experience with Jim and his master carpenter Dennis in shoring up the supports on our 100+ year-old house. Jim talked us through every step of the process and gave an excellent detailed estimate and scope of work. Work was done efficiently over two days. Now our house should last another 100 years! read more

Jim and his team were extremely responsive, attentive and efficient. He was in constant communication updating me on the process throughout. I highly recommend to anyone. Outstanding service provided. Thanks Jim! read more

I agree Jim and his team are very professional. They show up when they say they will and they clean up every day. Jim is also very easy to work with; he clearly wants his customers to be happy with the result. The reason for my 3 star rating is to caution folks to really understand what Jim and his team can, and cannot, do before signing a contract. Carpentry jobs seem to go well. Plumbing jobs... not so much. As with any contractor, the more specific you can be, the better. There were several instances where items on my job had to be redone, or were done with poorer quality than I expected, because Jim and I didn't get on the same page. I would also suggest that if you're going to have Jim install carpet you cut out the middle man and go straight to Empire carpets. That's who Jim hired to do my carpeting. My bottom line is Jim charges A+ rates and delivers a B+ job. If it's worth it to you to pay the premium, knowing you're working with someone who's reliable and honest, then by all means hire this company. read more

Jim Gracia is an excellent contractor. He's cordial, creative and never misses a deadline. I had him build new offices for us in Chicago and he did it in record time. The guys who work for him are excellent too and Jim coordinates everything perfectly. I'm a very happy client. read more

Jim Gracia and his team are great! From beginning to end of the project they are professional, helpful, and efficient. They also are there when they say and clean up - something not found in all contractors/construction companies. They also know what will and won't work, but are open to new ideas as well. I will use them again and recommend you talk with Jim when looking at a new project. read more

We used Jim/Before & After Construction for a full room renovation that we designed, with his assistance. I have nothing but good things to say about the experience - and I have to admit, I can be a pretty "hyper" customer (I expect a lot from the folks I'm doing business with). The entire process was laid out properly and Jim was extremely communicative. Over the weeks that he worked on the renovation, we were able to witness his extreme attention to detail and his ability to bring to life our vision for the room. In the end, we were so impressed with the finished product and have received nothing but compliments on the room. And, it's definitely become one of our favorite rooms in the house. I haven't been impressed with many contractor's in Chicago, but I have been impressed by Jim/Before & After Construction. I trust Jim and I'll continue to use him and his company. read more

Jim Gracia is an incredibly professional, knowledgeable and honest contractor. We all know these are hard to find and Jim and his team are true gems. They have done a plethora of work for us (building add-on bedroom, installing hardwood floors, and our biggest project, construction stairs and a dormer for rooftop access from our condo). We all know things come up (weather, delays) and Jim handles everything with ease and professionalism. He is always in touch with updates, pictures and his thoughts on how to get the project done. He always goes the extra mile to ensure his work is top-notch quality. This is show by our big project passing city inspections without a hitch. We look forward to referring Jim to friends and using him for any and all construction projects in the future! read more

I recommend Jim Gracia and Before & After Construction to anyone embarking on a renovation or remodel project. I found Jim to be very honest and accomplished. I particularly appreciated how timely Jim and his team were and how responsive Jim was, in terms of keeping us updated with the daily progress and next steps. We hired Jim to turn a creepy, dark basement utility room into a laundry room, and it turned out fantastic. read more

I hired Before & After Construction on two occasions and was very happy with their work. The first project involved adjusting/reinstalling a kitchen countertop and leveling a window ledge. The work was spot on, and Jim provided good advice on some other projects taking place in the kitchen remodel. Our most recent work required drywall throughout a basement condo that had been mitigated from flood damage. Jim gave an honest and thorough estimate; the walls look great. He doesn't cut corners and he's knowledgeable about all aspects of construction. read more

Jim Gracia is the Owner and Project Manager of Before and After - and he is great to work with. We hired him to oversee the completion of our rehab & addition after our original contractor left us with a mess and told us he was bankrupt. Jim came in, assessed the situation, was frank and honest with us about what he could and could not help with, and then organized the mess so that he and his guys could quickly fit the work into their schedule. He stuck to his prices and his completion times and he was always helping us look for the most economical way to approach the many problems we were left with. He had some great subcontractors - and he watched their work carefully on our behalf. If something wasn't done the way he wanted it done, he made sure it was re-worked until he was satisfied with it. His workers were prompt, courteous and they even let our dog out one day when we suddenly had to go out of town for a funeral. Jim was always easy to get in touch with, responded promptly to e-mails or phone calls, and took personal pride in making sure our home became our home again. We wish we had met Jim Gracia at the very beginning of our project - we would have enjoyed working with him and our house would have been completed by people who knew what they were doing. Jim is a quality guy. read more