Avalon Construction & Design

As a high quality subcontractor, we have had the opportunity of working for John Elias and the team at AVALON CONSTRUCTION and DESIGN for some time now. Their commitment to a single and consistent drive in providing their client's with an elevated level and standard of trade quality work in the design and construction of their custom homes has made our work so much easier. We blend in well with their brand and offer our recommendation to any potential clients and prospects considering their services.
Mar 17th, 2024

John & Shelby have an amazing set up. Incredibly creative eye for design. Very well organized. Quality work with beautiful finishes.
Jul 24th, 2023

This is going to be fun..." said the trusted framing carpenter of our General Contractor, John Elias of Avalon Construction & Design's. It was so refreshing that everyone involved from top to bottom was as excited as we were to take on the challenge of our project! This made us feel, from day 1, that we had picked the right contractor to tackle our major renovation and doubling the footprint of our 1890's Victorian. Spoiler Alert - they did a magnificent job and so there's no doubt that building a new home would be a piece of cake for this crew. John viewed our project as an exciting challenge but made it very clear at the planning meetings that things might not turn out exactly as we were hoping, as there was no way to know what was done before or what was inside the walls on our 100+ year-old house. This positive but cautious/honest attitude was appreciated because it helped set expectations. That said, John and his team exceeded our expectations. John's positive attitude clearly emanated through to his crews. There are many contractors that can build a new home, but his team didn't just build a new home. The Avalon team turned our dream into a reality and breathed new life into our 1890's Victorian. In the 1800's, an era when builders didn't have architectural plans and built as they went, the potential challenge for adding on was real. Our project wasn't always easy, there were "build as you go" decisions that needed to be made, but John and his team quickly figured out solutions that made the end result better than originally anticipated and didn't miss a beat on project timing. Truly remarkable. What we feel may set John and his team apart from others is how they handled any small issues that were discovered after the fact. We've been living in the home for about 4 months now and have discovered minor issues that are always readily addressed. It says a lot about a General Contractor or any person to recognize an issue (post punch list), take responsibility for that issue and then ensure it gets fixed in a timely manner. There weren't many, just a few (as every project of this magnitude is bound to have) but taking ownership and making sure it is rectified is so very refreshing. Never pushback, just results. As a result of brilliant craftsmanship, attention to detail, full transparency, constant communication, and feeling like a real partner, we 100% will ask Avalon to do any future projects. No question. Thanks again John for everything!!!
Jan 9th, 2024

We hired John Elias and his team at Avalon to build our home in South Barrington and had an outstanding experience throughout the entire process. We initially started the design process working with another design and build firm, but decided to cut ties after the architectural plans were completed and look for a different builder. With the prior firm, we experienced a host of issues during the design phase (e.g. lack of communication, missed deadlines, did not listen to our input, etc.) and knew it would have been an extremely frustrating build process. John Elias was recommended to us and it was a great experience from the initial bid conversations through the build. It was obvious from the beginning that John was different than other builders. He was transparent from the start and throughout on costs and any changes (which will happen). He also provided attention to detail on every aspect of the build process that I dont think youll find with other builders. From recommendations on how to improve functional/design aspects of the house to the finer details, he ensures the house is of the highest quality. I cant count how many times he brought up different recommendations for our house that created more work for him, but really improved various aspects of our home. He is also someone who is a pleasure to work with and always makes himself available. He would spend hours at the house with us and never made us feel rushed. I cant recommend John and his team more highly for any remodel or custom home build!
Jan 2nd, 2024

We have just completed construction of our house in South Barrington, and we wanted to share the superb experience that we had with Avalon Construction and Design and John Elias. John Elias saved us actually. Our story is a long one. We had started with a different builder because they were less expensive than Avalon. This other builder started with a Design Phase where we paid $10,000 to work on blueprints and drawings with their architect. However, this builder did not permit us to talk with the architect; rather, all communication went through the builder to the architect who communicated back through the builder. This cumbersome communication was suboptimal, and I would strongly recommend against this for anyone planning construction of a home. Direct communication with an architect is critical. The issues with architect communication turned out to be minor compared to the debacle that arose over budget. We started construction during COVID so the cost of lumber was skyrocketing each month. When we received an initial bid on lumber, I asked this builder if the bid was based on the spot price of lumber from July 2021, which was when lumber had peaked. This builder would not provide a straight answer resulting in multiple frustrating conversations. I then asked him to send us the bid so that we could review it. To our surprise, this builder refused to disclose the bid. At this point, we began to wonder what this builder was hiding, and things rapidly degenerated. When we completed the Design Phase, the builder ultimately produced a budget that was well above our original discussions. At this point, we were down $10,000, but we knew that we needed to go in a different direction. We called John Elias and Avalon in mild desperation to see if he would make a formal bid for our project. Avalons bid ended up being lower than the bait and switch builder we had started with, so we signed with John. It was the best decision that we made. Our experience in working with John Elias and Avalon for the rest of the construction was superb. The process of building a house is inherently painful, but John managed to make it a great experience. First, John holds himself to an extremely high standard so the quality of the construction and installation is outstanding. Second, John is a workaholic who easily puts in 80 hours per week. Hence, he was constantly on top of issues with the construction and paid fastidious attention to our house. He knows our house like the back of his hand. Any time that I called him to discuss any detail, no matter how minor, he knew exactly which part of the construction was involved and how the drawings looked for that part of the house. Third, he understands that he is a steward of the resources and budget that are allocated to the house. I have friends who have had miserable experiences with building because their interaction with their builder became adversarial over money. This never happened with John because he treated our money as if it were his money. While we came in over budget, we discussed every single item that was over budget so that those items were conscious decisions about which there was consensus. Finally, and most importantly, John Elias conducts himself with a level of honesty and integrity that is beyond reproach. There was absolute and complete transparency about every single item in the budget that ultimately went into the house. I had an open invitation to communicate with any sub-contractor on the project. Nothing was hidden because there was nothing to hide. We are thrilled about how our house has turned out, and we love living in it. We give Avalon Construction and Design and John Elias our highest and strongest recommendation.
Oct 21st, 2023