Family-Owned. In-House Labor. Open Books.
We Build It. We Own It.
We Don't Walk Off Jobs.
Revolution Contractors is a design-build general contractor based in St. Petersburg, Florida. 20+ W-2 carpenters on payroll. Open-book pricing. Nine years of making things right.
How We Got Here
Revolution started out of necessity. Three partners -- Jeremy Wharton, Thad Niehaus, and Brent Patterson -- were doing real estate flips in St. Pete and kept needing a contractor's license. In the process of Jeremy getting that license, they realized something: they liked construction a lot more than real estate.
So in 2016, they went all in. No outside investors. No franchise playbook. Just three guys who'd spent nearly two decades building relationships across St. Petersburg's construction and real estate markets, betting everything on the idea that contractors could do better.
Today, Revolution runs 15+ active projects at any time with another 30 in development. The company has grown from scrappy origins to a design-build operation with 20+ employees, a fleet of vehicles, 401K matching, and paid holidays. But the core hasn't changed: take care of the people, do honest work, stay until it's right.
“Nobody's looking out for us. We view each other as family. Making family a priority -- whether that's having the kids with us or being flexible around work -- that's what being family-owned actually means.”
The In-House Difference
Most general contractors are “paper contractors” -- they sub everything out and hope the crews show up. We took a different path.
W-2 Carpenters on Payroll
Our carpenters work for us -- not for whoever's paying most that week. W-2 employees with benefits, not 1099 day laborers. That's how you control quality and keep a schedule moving.
Dedicated Superintendents
Every project has a superintendent on site running it day to day. Above them, a general superintendent oversees all active work. Multiple sets of eyes on everything we build.
Jobs Walked Off
We've never walked off a job. Never been fired from one either. When we start something, we stay until it's right. That track record isn't an accident -- it's a policy.
Why In-House Labor Matters to Your Project
When a contractor subs out all the labor, your schedule depends on crews who have three other jobs. If a better-paying project comes along, your kitchen remodel waits. Our carpenters show up because it's their job -- not because they chose your project over someone else's today.
Schedule control -- we don't sit jobs
Consistent quality across every phase
Carpenters who know our standards cold
Faster mobilization when permits clear
Open-Book Construction
We use a Time & Materials pricing model. You see every dollar -- where it goes and why it went there. No hidden markups, no inflated fixed bids designed to cover a contractor's risk at your expense.
Here's how it works: during pre-construction, roughly 75% of line items get locked in with hard bids from subcontractors and confirmed material costs. By the time construction starts, your budget is 90-95% certain. The remaining flexibility protects you, not us -- if framing goes faster than expected, you only pay for the hours it actually took.
Every week, you get a budget report showing actuals versus estimates. No surprises at the end. No invoice that doesn't match what was discussed. You keep your hands on the financial steering wheel.
“T&M allows flexibility in the older housing we have here. In a 100-year-old house, we know four generations of grandpas and dads did their DIY work. T&M lets us communicate clearly and bill fairly for what we find without trying to guess what's in a 100-year-old wall.”
-- Jeremy Wharton, Partner
Where T&M Saves You Money
- +Demo & framing that finishes faster than estimated -- you only pay actual hours
- +Project management -- as we get more efficient, the savings pass to you
- +Material choices -- collaborate on good/better/best instead of getting locked into whatever the fixed-bid contractor budgeted
What Fixed-Bid Contractors Hide
- -Padded estimates to cover their risk, not yours
- -Lowest-cost materials because they pocket the difference between estimate and actuals
- -Change order games -- low-ball the bid, then charge premium for every adjustment
Hard-Won Expertise
Everything we know comes from doing the work -- not from a textbook or a franchise manual. These are the specialties that set us apart.
Coastal & Flood Zone Construction
We've completed over $20 million of flood zone work through the years. Starting with Hurricane Michael in the Florida Panhandle in 2018, through Hurricane Ian, and most recently Hurricanes Helene and Milton right here in St. Pete -- we've been in the field when it matters.
FEMA's 49% rule has a lot of nuances, and most contractors who aren't experienced will tell you a project simply can't be done. We know better because we've navigated those rules dozens of times across different municipalities, each with their own interpretation.
Historic Preservation
Our award-winning Old Northeast project tells the story: we basically rebuilt from the studs out a hundred-year-old wood single-family home. Modern upgrades where they mattered -- windows, systems -- but we maintained as much of the original woodwork, doors, and framing as possible.
Historic work demands higher skills from carpenters, more sophisticated planning, and experienced administrative staff who know how to work with the city and historic review boards. That's our wheelhouse.
Design-Build Integration
When you come to us with just a vision and an idea, we function as a design-build contractor from the start. We pair you with architects, designers, and engineers we trust -- professionals we work with daily who deliver great work at fair prices.
The advantage? Budget conversations happen alongside design conversations, not after. A lot of architects have trouble reconciling someone's vision with real-world costs. We keep both in sync from day one.
20+ Years in St. Pete
Kenwood, Old Northeast, Snell Isle, Roser Park, downtown condos, Tierra Verde, all the beaches from Pas-a-Grille to Indian Rocks. We've built in every neighborhood and dealt with every building department Pinellas County has.
The St. Pete building department is notoriously difficult to navigate. It requires a contractor with significant experience and relationships inside that department. We've been doing it long enough that permits are part of the job, not an obstacle.
Getting Off to a Good Start
The early design and selections phases are every bit as important as any field work. At Revolution, we team with dedicated and experienced architects, designers, draftspeople, and engineers to make sure the groundwork is laid properly and the project is set up for success from the beginning.
When the right players are invested from the beginning, it creates the smooth project delivery and communication you deserve. We don't hand you off to a sub-team. Our partners know who you are, the partners answer the phone, and the pre-construction process has a clear handoff to the field crew that's going to build your project.
We conduct our business honestly and in the most straightforward manner we can
We make every effort to keep communication and strategy transparent
We ensure the work we produce is excellent every time
We don't stop until we've achieved client satisfaction
Proof, Not Promises
Numbers tell a better story than marketing copy. Here's where we stand.
Revenue from repeat & referral clients
Average project size
Flood zone work completed
Years of making things right
The People Behind the Work
We get a lot of compliments on our work. But we get just as many on our people. The two are absolutely functions of one another. We spend real energy and resources building a positive, growth-minded culture -- and we hire and grow the team based on our ability to advance that culture.
We surround ourselves with people we want to be around. Our subcontractors aren't just vendors -- we get to know them and their families. Company events, celebrations, a stable of loyal subs and suppliers who've worked with us for years. When we call, they show up.
Growing a team of people and helping them improve their lives -- that's something that resonates with us. It's what we're drawn to. Not just revenue growth for revenue's sake, but building something that makes everybody's life better.
Meet Our Team