Steve got his start in the construction industry working as a framing carpenter for a local production builder. He worked on a 6 man crew hauling lumber, running a nail gun, standing walls, anything the crew needed. Prior to that, he had tried his hand at a few other odd jobs and professions. His focus during college was to become a psychologist but it didn’t take long for him to figure out that he wasn’t being fulfilled.

“I remember coming back home one winter break and telling my dad that I was going to switch majors. I wanted to become a lawyer like him. He just looked at me, thought for a while and asked me why. I told him that I wanted to be wealthy and lawyers make a lot of money. He just smiled, put down his book and said, nobody will ever pay you enough to be happy son. Find a job that makes you happy and the money will find its own way. His next question, as simple as it was, moulded me into who I am today. He asked, “If you didn’t have to worry about making money, what would you go out and do right now?”

It was clear to him at that point, standing on a muddy job site, holding an arm full of 2×4’s that he found what he was meant to do. The joy he experienced from creating a home out of a pile of sticks lit a fire inside him and made him hungry for more. At that time, the building industry was going crazy but there was a serious lack of dependable people in the industry. There were times when he would be the only one to show up for work in the morning. One day, the owner of the construction company showed up to find Steve framing alone. “He told me that if I could pull a crew together, he would hire me to frame all of his houses. I needed to find some dependable guys, enough tools to run a whole crew and on top of that, I had no idea how to run a business but I really didn’t have a choice. I couldn’t keep showing up to work in the morning wondering if I was going to work that day.”

Fast forward three years and Steve has 20 carpenters working for him. 5 crews of 4 guys framing around 30 homes a year. Things are going great, life couldn’t be better and then… boom. The bottom falls out. The market crashes and Steve watches builder after builder go out of business. “It was a tough time. There were no houses to frame and I started to worry about losing it all.” As things were looking bleak, he got a phone call from a woman asking if he would be interested in building her a porch. His experience at the time was limited to just framing but he said “Absolutely!” why not? A porch turned led to a basement finish. A basement finish led to a kitchen remodel and before he knew it he had become a remodeler. Renaissance Builders and Remodelers to be exact.

Throughout the years trends have come and gone but one thing that has stayed consistent is Steve’s honesty and integrity. If you hire him to build you a home or remodel your existing one, you won’t ever have to worry about a single thing. It’s as simple as that. I have watched him go above and beyond for people over and over and over again to make sure they are thrilled with their projects. I’ve witnessed him ……. I’ve met people who hired Renaissance Builders 20 some years ago to remodel their home and they all sing his praises. His attention to detail, his commitment to quality and the simple fact that if he says he’s going to do it… he does it. Steve Jochim and Renaissance Builders are not perfect. Every builder has problems. Every builder hits road blocks. What really matters is how that builder handles them. If you want to a wonderful building experience, look no further.