Provider profile
Excel Fire And Water Damage Restoration Services
Provider snapshot
What this listing says
Chicago-area homeowners dealing with water emergencies who want same-day response and a single company to handle mitigation through reconstruction, including insurance coordination.
Best for
- Homeowners in the Chicago suburbs dealing with a flooded basement, burst pipe, or sewage backup who need someone there within hours.
- Property owners who want one company to handle everything from water extraction through drywall replacement, avoiding the hassle of coordinating separate contractors.
- Insurance claimants who want a restoration company that works directly with adjusters and handles the paperwork.
- Commercial property managers in the greater Chicago area needing emergency restoration with capacity for large-scale jobs.
- Homeowners who need mold testing and remediation bundled with water damage repair.
About this company
Excel Fire And Water Damage Restoration Services operates out of Elk Grove Village, Illinois, and serves the greater Chicago area. They handle the full cycle: water damage mitigation, mold testing, mold remediation, fire and smoke damage, sewage cleanup, and reconstruction. They also do commercial restoration work.
What stands out is the scope. Most restoration outfits subcontract the rebuild. Excel keeps mitigation and reconstruction under one roof, and they coordinate directly with insurance adjusters. They offer financing through a third-party provider, which is unusual for this category. They run 24-hour emergency service and reviewers consistently confirm same-day or same-evening arrivals.
The team is large. Dozens of field technicians and project managers show up by name in reviews, which points to a sizable operation rather than a small crew. The Spanish-language review praising construction manager Sergio Robles suggests bilingual capacity on the reconstruction side.
A 5.0-star rating across 698 Google reviews is rare for a company of this size. Most restoration companies with this volume land between 4.5 and 4.8. The negatives that do exist cluster around project management communication, not field work quality, which suggests the front-line crews are strong even if the office follow-through has gaps.
Services
Service area
Headquartered in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. Serves the greater Chicago area. Reviews confirm jobs in suburban Cook County, Fox Lake (Lake County), Des Plaines, and at least one project in Wisconsin. The service radius extends well beyond the immediate Chicago metro, though response times and pricing may vary outside the core area.
Review consensus
Fast emergency response is the dominant theme. Reviewers repeatedly describe same-day and same-evening arrivals, sometimes within an hour. Justin Baker appears in the most reviews, praised for efficiency, clear explanations, and attentiveness. Kevin Lin draws similar praise for calm, knowledgeable assessments during basement flooding emergencies. Noah Kostkiewicz is praised for quick damage assessments and working closely with insurance adjusters. Nathan Gomez, David, Tim McLaughlin, Kaylin, and Miguel each appear in multiple positives. Field crews get near-universal praise for professionalism and respectfulness toward the property. Several reviewers highlight that Excel billed insurance directly and handled all coordination, reducing the homeowner's burden.
7 found across 698 total reviews at 5.0★. Three 1-star reviews describe different problems. Sean Chapman paid $1,000 for equipment that shorted a circuit and worsened his crawlspace flooding, then says Noah ghosted him and blocked his number. The owner responded the same day offering to resolve it, claiming a phone signal issue. Jimmy Harvard Jr. says Excel never delivered a promised estimate after two weeks and then publicly claimed no damage existed, which he disputes. The owner response says their project manager inspected and found no flood-related damage warranting restoration. Martin Armstrong describes a reconstruction quote that jumped to nearly 3x the original after his ceiling was already demolished, followed by months of delays and radio silence. No owner response was posted to that review.
The split between field work and project management is the defining pattern. Every negative review praises or at least does not fault the field crews. Every complaint targets what happens after the hands-on work: estimates that never arrive, project managers who stop returning calls, reconstruction quotes that change. Even the 2-star review from a Local Guide with 39 reviews says explicitly that field workers were great but project managers gave zero communication. Owner responses run about 71% on negatives, with quality that varies. Some engage with specifics, but the Kyle Yonkers response thanks a customer for a 5-star review when the actual rating is 3 stars, suggesting at least some responses are automated or misrouted.
Noah Kostkiewicz (project manager/assessor — mostly positive, one negative naming him for ghosting). Justin Baker (field technician — consistently positive). Kevin Lin (field technician/assessor — consistently positive). Nathan Gomez (field technician — positive). David (field technician — positive). Tim McLaughlin (field technician — positive). Miguel (field technician — positive). Luke (field technician — positive). Kaylin (field technician — positive). Mitch (field technician — positive). Reid (field technician — positive). Reuben (field technician — positive). Martin (field technician — positive). Matthew (field technician — positive). Nick (field technician — positive). Carlos (field technician/reconstruction — positive). Edgar (field technician — positive). Blake (coordinator — positive). Eric Moriarty (project manager — positive). Frank/Frankie (field technician — positive). Brandon/Branden (sales/reconstruction — positive). Ron (reconstruction — positive). Geo (reconstruction — positive). Jacob (field lead — positive). Alexis (field technician — positive). Enrique (field technician — positive). Jose (field technician — positive). Sergio Robles (construction manager — positive). Jason (field technician — positive). Alex (field technician — positive). Keithan (field technician — positive). Julius (field technician — positive). Chris G. (field technician — positive). Nate (field technician — positive). Brian (coordinator — positive). Marty (field technician — positive).
The field crews earn the 5.0-star rating. If you need emergency water damage work, you will likely get someone at your door within hours who knows what they are doing. The risk is what happens next: reconstruction estimates, project manager follow-through, and the handoff between mitigation and rebuild. Ask for your project manager's direct contact information on day one, get the full reconstruction quote locked in writing before any demolition, and follow up proactively rather than waiting.
Keep in mind
- Excel does both mold testing and mold remediation, which creates a financial incentive to find mold and then charge to remove it. Ask whether they use a third-party lab for test analysis and whether you can hire an independent inspector to verify results.
- Multiple reviewers report project managers going silent after mitigation wraps up, especially during the reconstruction handoff. One reviewer waited five days with no contact; another spent a month chasing updates. Pin down your project manager's name and direct number before signing.
- One reviewer described a reconstruction quote that nearly tripled after the ceiling was already torn out, leaving them with little leverage to negotiate. Get the full reconstruction estimate in writing before authorizing any demolition work.
- A Wisconsin-based reviewer found that contract pricing was based on Illinois rates, which their adjuster flagged. If you are outside Illinois, confirm the fee schedule matches your area before work begins.
- The owner response to one negative review referenced a 5-star review that the customer actually left at 3 stars, which suggests some responses may be templated rather than individually reviewed.