The star is because the office staff was pleasant. In 2022, we discovered that squirrels had chewed a hole in our roof. Water had gone into 2 upstairs bedrooms, and our Dining room. Our Insurance company said we had to use Cera. Due to the extent of the damage, we had to go to a hotel for 6 weeks. We were told our belongings would be put in a POD or storage shed. When we went back to the house the day after we moved out, we found our furnishings PILED up on each other in our kitchen & family room. We had to climb over furniture to get our computer & other electronics. Since we had been told things would be stored, we assumed we could come back & get things-including food which we had not taken. We came back to check on progress, and often found nobody there. Our neighbors reported crews were not there many times. Our attempts at communication with the supervisor , for updates, were often not returned for several days. When we came back after several weeks, we were told we COULD HAVE moved back in days before. Being in a hotel, with 3 cats, and a dog, DURING COVID, we 3 adults had not been very comfortable. So, in checking the work, we found 1) carpet that did not reach all the way to the edge- leaving tacks to step on. 2) a place where drywall had been repaired, where there was a hump in the wall, visible from across the room 3) carpet into our basement that had been removed was not replaced. We continued to find little things, but left them. HOWEVER, when we discovered a leak in our roof in another part of the house, we looked up in to the attic, and found BLACK MOLD everywhere. We feel certain that Cera never checked inside the attic -since there had been a hole in the roof-and did not adequately address the moisture that had gotten into the attic!! We are hopeful-but not optimistic- that our insurance will cover the restoration. Do NOT use Cera! read more

We used Cera for a complete bathroom remodel. As part of our agreement they gave us an itemized list that included a material allowance for things that we would need to select (ex: tile, tub, plumbing fixtures, sink, etc.). I worked hard to keep my selections well under the allowance totals in order to keep my overall cost as low as possible. In many cases, I purchased the products on my own credit card and was told I would be reimbursed. When the final invoice was issued it was clear that I had not been reimbursed but was instead charged the full allowance. In addition, I was invoiced for work that was not done at all! After I insisted on a meeting with the operations manager (who was very ineffective) and the project manager it turned out that Cera actually owed us over $2000. Had I paid the $3000 final invoice without checking we would have overpaid $5000. The plumbers they used were terrible. They ruined a very expensive kitchen faucet by not flushing the water lines of debris before turning everything back on after demolition. They did replace the faucet, but only one part and it is not as good. The plumbers also put in the tub unlevel the first time and had to be called back. The bathroom sink pop up assembly was not installed properly. After a year it failed and I had to call in my own plumber to fix it for a cost of $250. The Project Manager, George, was very easy to work with and was professional. The worker who was here to do the actual work was here nearly every day, all day and worked very hard. The Operations Manager was the worst I have ever worked with. At the very beginning of the project - one day after demolition had begun - he told me that we needed to provide drawing to the city in order to obtain a permit to do the work and said that Cera had architects we could use if we did not have one of our own. He said it would take a month to get the permit after that was done. I was furious and called the project manager who informed me that the Operations Manager was incorrect and that we did NOT need any of that done. We had a permit and work continued. I love the bathroom but only because of the way we designed it and the products we chose. read more

Chris Lenahan responded when we noticed water dripping from our can light and bathroom fan! He showed up promptly to assess the damage and got us on the calendar with a top notch crew to remedy the situation. His team, Alex, Javier and Armando were exceptional from start to finish. Not only was everyone friendly and professional, but the attention to detail and the extra effort to protect our home from any work damage was so appreciated. Thank you to all! read more

Living through damage in your home is anything but pleasant; however, working with Chris M, Chris L and George and their teams in the office and crews in the field made for a harmonious experience. The communication was seamless and we were informed every step of the way. Their attention to detail, interfacing with our insurance company, and commitment to a job well done was beyond impressive. read more

We had water/water damage in much of our house from a squirrel hole in our roof. Our insurance company said they only do business with cera, so that was that.When the "construction manager" came, he said our belongings would be in a Pod or storage unit, and we needed to vacate5-6 weeks. We boxed up most everything except furniture,of course. When we came to check on things a day later, we found our furniture,etc. was PILED in our kitchen & family room..to such an extent we had NO access to our refrigerator or pantry (we had not packed up everything because we had been told our things would be stored elsewhere..Precarious climbing got us to our computer.The only time we got any word on progress was when we called them..in fact, were told we could have moved back in a few days before we did-but nobody told us. We found carpet taken out that was not part of the project, paint on door frames and floors, drywall mud on door frames, drywall had not been adequately sanded..there was a bump visible from across the room, carpet laid that did not reach the edge of the floor (enough room for toe which were poked by the nails left from the old carpet,!),shelving not put back where they had gotten it., hardwood flooring that was rough to the feet in spots, wood that was not sanded even, We had them back once to fix the highly visible problems, but did not want them back for anything else. I give one star because the workers were polite . read more

This is the worst company to do business with. The office staff dosent Return calls they make appointments and don't show up. My husband and I waited all day on a Friday for a 11:30 am appointment to look at floor samples to replace the damaged ones in our kitchen. Around 4:30 pm I called the office and was told they could not find any all they were able to do was send me a picture on my computer. This was going on from February till now. They finally finished the floor they have the best of the best workers. There office staff needs a lot of improving Js read more

When working with Miguel the project was going smooth but as soon as he quit everything has been hanging since he left. There has been Zero progress. It's been a year and they have not finished the remaining items which are as follows. Fence Reglazed windows Put a screen on window There has been No effort as this company is busy in big projects and making money. Take your money somewhere else as they don't need the business....... read more

I am a Realtor® in the suburban Chicago market. In January of 2018 I checked on a "Soon to be listed" vacant home for a client of mine because we had below zero temps the whole week before. All I heard when I got to the door was the sound of pouring rain. To my horror when I walked in, I found water coming down from the second floor to the basement. My plumber was able to get the water turned off within 30 minutes. Once off, I reached out to Chris from Cera. I was given his name from one of my contacts. He and his crew contacted my owner and was in the home that evening cleaning up everything to prevent any mold from growing. This was not an easy or short process. Everything was rebuilt from the studs on up. Any time I had a question or concern, it was addressed immediately. Kara Good coordinated the design with my client from day one until the project was complete. She did an awesome job. Choosing just the right color and design. Everything is spot on with the current trends! She went out of her way to meet with contractors and even my photographer when I was unable to be there. Now the house is done and my clients have put the home on the market. It looks fantastic! We've had numerous showings and anticipate an offer soon. Thanks Kara, Chris and everyone at Cera for a job well done!! read more

Chris Lenahan at Cera Restoration is so professional, honest and easy to work with! Super experienced from quote to completion! He was very knowledgable and accommodating, and the hard-working crew to do a complete tear-off and replacement arrived promptly and proceeded to do a complete tear off. I had 4 men working on my roof and 1 lady on the ground picking up after them! They installed my beautiful roof expertly, and completed the job in one day! Everyone of them were friendly, professional and left things immaculate. They definitely are an A+ and highly recommended!!! read more

I highly recommend Chris Mancera and CeraRestoration for any restoration needs. Chris and all of his crew members were very professional, reliable and friendly. They helped us restore our office after a car ran into our brick wall. They did masonry, drywall, tiling, painting and installed new flooring. Chris was always quick to respond to any questions or concerns. Everything turned out beautifully. Thank you to Chris and your crew members. read more

I had water damage in my crawl space I filed a claim with my insurance co. This company comes out because the insurance company sent them and the guy says no need to file a claim just use soapy water and some bleach and clean it no need to file a claim it's not worth it your deductible is one thousand dollars and it will be no where near that cost I said ok since it will not be that expensive send me an estimate because I don't want to go in the crawl space and clean it he says ok I will email you an estimate no worries WELL.... they sent me an estimate for 850 dollars just under the deductible that was annoying and frustrating plus once you add up the work that the plumber did it was worth it to file the claim they are not knowledgeable and i'm sorry 850.00 dollars is alot of money for a job that only needed soapy water and some bleach then they told the insurance Co that there wasn't enough damages to file a claim so the ins co closed the case they didn't take into consideration that I already paid the plumber over a thousand dollars so the deductible was met which he was well informed of this my question is why are you advising people not to file a claim when you don't know how the insurance business works I will be informing and writing a letter to my ins co not use this co for business we pay alot of money for our ins and good reliable honest and dependable companies should be contracted further more when I explained this to their so called office manager who is nothing more qualified than a receptionist also has a nasty disposition they are money hungry and only want to look good to the ins co because they talked you into not filing a claim and then they over charge you my opinion of this co is 1 word INSOLENT!!!!! I'm upset that I had to put 1 star because it should be 0 read more

I had the unfortunate situation of coming home from vacation back in September 2015 to a broken toilet supply line that gave way to a flooded 1st floor bathroom and basement. I contacted my insurer State Farm, who highly recommended Cera Restoration for the cleanup process. As water was still pouring into the basement, Chris Lenahan arrived at my house within 60 minutes. After checking moisture levels and a quick tour of the damage, he instantly dispatched a crew of over 10 people to come to the house. Chris was very professional throughout the process and told us exactly what was going to happen. This crew worked from around 3pm to midnight, completely taking my basement down to the studs and getting out all the damaged finishing and personal property. Despite all the damage to my home and belongings, it was very impressive to see how quickly they worked. After having the reality set in, Chris kept in close contact over the next week to start with the repair, design, and construction of our bathroom and basement. Chris, having worked closely with State Farm in the past, helped me out a great deal, facilitation the claims process with State Farm. Chris met with the claims adjuster, the repair was approved and we were off. Chris originally gave me a pretty aggressive timeline for repairs so I was skeptical, but after the first week, it was amazing to see how fast the crew works. Our project manager Chris Mancera handled his subs very well and always communicated my ideas effectively to his crew. We also used Cera to fix up other projects in the house at the same time and I was constantly hitting Chris up for more change requests as I was seeing the quality of the work. This week will mark the final compeletion of our project with Cera, and our basement is the best looking room in our house. Cera went above and beyond and made our damaged basement even better than it was originally. Even the trim and baseboards have a high level of craftsmanship and finish not seen throughout the rest of the house. Cera also took the time to insulate the basement (was not done previously by old owner), and its now the most temperate room in the house as well. I will definitely use Cera in the future for all of my large home improvement projects, the communication is top notch, the detail and skill of their work is second to none, and they were a pleasure to deal with. They turned a very stressful situation into an exciting renovation that saw our dream basement become a reality. read more

We recently had water damage in our apartment from a leaking water heater from the apartment upstairs. We called CERA restoration and they immediately took care of the water and mitigated the damage. We highly recommend them for their excellent personal and professional service! read more

Since leaving this review almost two years ago I'd like to apply an edit... Two years later I now realize the poor carpentry work performed in my home, especially the doors. In the summer, very few of them close completely. I suspect they weren't fitted properly nor were they primed causing them to swell during humid times in the home. Cera's handling of my concerns at the time of the project was appreciated...I hope their work has improved for new clients. Bought a place last fall and wanted to change out the doors and trim as well as paint. Cera Restoration was recommended to me so I arranged for a consult. The carpenters and painters were efficient and professional and a small painting issue was corrected immediately. Chris L. And Chris M. were great to work with. I'd recommend them highly. read more

We recently had some water damage in our house and not knowing who to call, we looked up companies around our area and decided on Cera Restoration. Glad we did! Cera Restoration came out the same day I called to write an estimate for the damage. The next call we received was from project manager Chris Mancera who came out and went over everything that was going to be done. Chris' crew started repairs almost immediately. Chris and all his crew were great to work with, super professional, quick, not messy, and went above and beyond my expectations. Chris made sure all my questions and concerns were addressed and taken care of. I would highly recommend Cera Restoration for repairs! I can not remember all the names of the crew but want to say thanks again Chris, Armando, Roger and the rest of Cera crew, much appreciated! read more

Cera did an amazing job on my home! They are caring guys who do an amazing job! I received a recommendation from a friend after they helped her with emergency flooding. They are more than willing to work with your schedule, and are very reasonable. I 100% recommend this company to anyone in the Chicagoland area! read more

My own personal experience with them was really bad. If I had to do it over again, I would have chosen someone else. Now that it is 2018 and there can no legal retaliation against me, I can/will elaborate. The workmanship is shoddy at best. Not even 90 days after moving back in, paint is falling, grout is coming up, silicone has shrunk and will all need to be redone. Because of the confusion and madness on moving back in day, they caught me off guard/pressured me into signing paperwork as if I wasn't allowed to move back in unless it was signed off on. Although there were still large items to finish, they brushed them off as "punch list items" and said these would be taken care of before I moved back in. They weren't. 90 days later most of these items still were not taken care of but they were demanding final payment. I had no problem paying them their final payment as long as the work was completed. We agreed that there were items to finish and I paid them 90% of the final payment (96% of total bill) and I was allowed to hold the last 4% until final punch list items that were 90 days past move back in date were completed. Once I paid them the majority of the final chunk of money, I was then informed that because I did not make the final payment within 60 days of completion, the five year warranty was not going to be honored and if I did not make the last payment since the final punch list items were completed a week after the large chunk was paid, I was going to be sued and held responsible for court costs and lawyers fees. Dont sign anything, dont agree to anything unless its in writing, make sure you read everything they put in front of you and dont let them distract your reading it before signing. They are very experienced in the distraction while signing making you feel comfortable and reassuring you that everything will be ok maneuver. read more

Completely unprofessional behavior. They kept us hanging for the repair work for 10 days after they performed a water mitigation at my home. Ultimately I had to get this done from somebody else. The employees are unresponsive and rude. read more

I would like to review the work, but after they came out to check the problem, they disappeared. No work done, no call back, no follow-up quote. Plenty of promises to get me the estimate, but nothing. A simple "We are not interested" would have stopped me from writing this review. Totally unprofessional, leaving us in the dark. Three words for Cera....CALL PEOPLE BACK! read more

Chris Mancera and Cera Restoration were not only professional and quick to schedule my kitchen demolition and reconstruction -- but the Company was transparent, reliable and knowledgeable!! The Company was able to provide me a number of options quickly and work with my tenants schedule during the reconstruction. I would definitely recommend and use this company again! read more

They do the worst possible Job. Cut corners. Didn't use the right under lament on the floor. Tiles were popping off. They regrouted and now the tiles are popping off again. Root cause is the under lament and they won't come fix it again. Under lament is basic tiling 101. Do not use this company. read more

Cera is one of the best companies I have ever worked with. They turned a crummy instance, our flooded basement, into a wonderful experience. From day one Dan (one of the owners) was extremely helpful. The cleanup crew was awesome. Then the total restoration from new drywall,paint, carpeting , and new doors was done with utmost quality and workmanship. Miguel the supervisor was very attentive and all communication was professional. Have to mention Roger, drywall crew, and painters were a joy to work with. Also the ladies in the office were very pleasant. Thanks Cera! read more

Cera Resortation repaired roofing and drywall, installed some trim, painted 5 rooms, and installed new carpeting. They are very professional and provided me with a detailed estimate and provided a clear timeline. Chris L, Chris M and Armando were easy to work with and they eagerly worked around my requests or changes. They also gave me great advise. I am very happy with the quality of their work and my home looks awesome. I would definitely recommend their services and I have! read more

I had fire damage on a rental property and cera has been great from beginning to end. My tenant worked nights which made the schedule very hectic for cera. They never complained once were very prominent and my home looks better than new!! Thanks cera read more

I recently worked with Cera Restoration to make significant repairs on a rental property. We were out of state at the time, which caused further complication. Fortunately, we crossed paths with Cera Construction to make the repairs. I am grateful for this as Cera turned a bad situation into one that was manageable. I was surprised to find how pleasant it was to work with them remotely as I expected the situation to be close to impossible to resolve. The Project Manager (Chris) and the Contractor (George) were pleasant, professional, and maintained a high level of communication. We are pleased with their work and will surely recommend them to others. read more