Rebuilding American history one house at a time!
BALANCING THE ELEGANCE OF HISTORICAL HOMES
WITH A LITTLE SOUTHERN CHARM
Welcome
At Tilted Porch we are making it our mission to restore the beauty and elegance of the old homes and add that southern charm with Victorian and Farmhouse feel. As we like to say, rebuilding American history one house at a time! Currently we are working out of Georgia, but open to expansion.
Meet the man behind the construction
BRAD JONES
They asked for a Bio, so I said put a tool belt a Boat and a Firetruck all in one then you got me!
I was born and raised in Ft Myers, Florida. I’m blessed to be raised by two parents that are my best friends today. My mother said my vision of building and designing started in Elementary. I built her a two-story clay house for Christmas. Yes, she still has it. It sits on her mantel at Christmas time. I also have a wonderful brother that paved the road for me growing up. I started construction around 14 years old working with my father learning the different tools and saws of the trade. At that point I could never put down the tools. I was always intrigued with fixing anything from motors to building construction. I learned at a early age tools can be dangerous. I had an accident at 14 with a jointer saw and lost a finger. It’s kind of funny today. Growing up and becoming a superintendent my crews knew I was serious if I used my nub to point at them! Lol. We would all laugh on the job. I ended up getting a cool job test driving Jet Skis for a living. Worked for a company named Polaris. That lead me into more engine mechanics which developed into Test driving motorcycles in Palm Springs California. We test drove and developed the Victory Motorcycle. I continued my construction in Cali also. Small renovation jobs. Then I needed more! I went to the Fire Academy to follow in my brother’s footsteps. Once I graduated with the Fire Academy, I was affiliated with Riverside County California FD. After 4 years in Cali my grandfather Ray had passed away and it shook me up. My grandfather and I were very close. Our birthdays were one day apart so we spent most of them together. I woke up and realized on morning in California that I’m blessed to have such an amazing family, why I am so far away? So, I packed it up drove back home to Ft. Myers to be with my family. After realizing Florida didn’t accept my Fire Certifications from California, I went back into construction full time for years, then became a Superintendent for one of the largest Commercial Roofing companies in the country. Man, that was a crazy ride! Little did I know that wasn’t where I was meant to be. I became a full-time fishing guide since I grew up fishing the area of Pine Island, FL. I had the pleasure of fishing with all kinds of folks from politicians, to celebrities, and even rock stars. Now that was cool! I fished out of a private island called Useppa Island.
Well, I decided to go back to the Fire Department and went back into the Fire Academy at 37 years old. I was the oldest in our class. I told all the recruits to get behind me, I’ll set the pace! Lol. I was Blessed to get hired by the Iona McGregor Fire District where I got to Captain the Maine Rescue Unit and meet some of the greatest men I’ve ever known. I continued to guide on my days off at the fire department and do construction. I dropped a client off one day at the Tween Waters marina. That’s the day my world changed! I ran into my wife! Well, she would become my wife. You see, I use to rent jet skis at South Seas Plantation on Captiva Island in my late teens. That’s where Nikki and I first met. I hadn’t seen Nikki in many years until that day. I asked her if she wanted to go fishing since I still had a little bait left. She replied, “YES”. Thank God! I took her to my best spot, casted her line into the water, then gave her the rod and reel. Nikki said, “ You don’t need to cast my line, I’m pretty good at casting my own.” I replied, “ What are you doing the rest of your life?” Of course we caught nothing! Two months later we were married! I was blessed with three amazing kids.
I continued with my construction, Firefighting, and fishing for years. My passion for building continued to grow increasingly as the years passed. Nikki would help with the design and décor of projects. We started building furniture and restoring old furniture. Nikki's vision and design inspires me everyday, and she’s the glue that keeps us all together. Just when I thought everything was perfect and couldn’t get any better, I was approached by a gentleman that had an interest in my building and vision to design. We met and talked for hours. He drove up to see our Georgia home which really showed our vison to take the old and balance the elegance of Victorians and Farmhouse. Nikki and I decide to take a chance and chase the dream down. This gentleman became my business partner and a good friend, Stuart Bell. That’s when Tilted Porch was born! I figured every house we renovate has a tilt to the porch, so it fit. We love the history of these old houses, so we decided to start buying them up and bring them back to its original feel with a little Southern Charm. As we say, “Rebuilding American History one House at a Time!”
If you actually got through this entire Bio thank you for reading!