BEST HOME REMODELING COMPANY

Noble Contractor Solutions—founded, owned, and operated by openly gay contracting professional BJ Johnson—is committed to ensuring every client’s project becomes their dream home by the time their work is done. It’s that attitude that has earned Johnson this year’s Best Home Remodeling Company G&G award. 

Johnson and his team attend to every detail to ensure that everything matches, is of quality, is contemporary and fresh, and is personal to the client. “When we leave a house, it should look like we were never there—except that [our client] now lives in a very current home.”

While in New York City in 2016, Johnson decided to start his own business while he was attending that year’s Pride parade. “People go to New York to make their dreams come true,” he says, “but I was already there—and decided to come back home to make my dream come true.”

As a teenager, Johnson dreamed of being a famous movie star or model. But by 2015 when he was 34, he was a vice president of sales for a home builder, knew a lot about construction, and was loving it. 

“I was born in 1981, before car seats and everything,” says Johnson. “The first toy my dad gave me was a wooden hammer with a metal head on it. It was a little baby hammer—before all the rules about baby safety.”

Johnson’s father was a home builder who worked for his uncle, so as a teenager, Johnson worked alongside his father. With family connections to the industry, it’s easy to understand why home building is so personal and meaningful to him. 

Johnson now sees Nobel Contractor Solutions as a tribute to his father, who is still alive and a very active part of his life. “[This business] was just something my dad taught me as a kid, and I guess it reminds me a lot of him.” 

Johnson also sees himself as a disruptor in the industry. “[Contractors] don’t necessarily have the best reputation,” he admits. “They’re kind of frowned upon, like mechanics, car salesmen, or attorneys.” He combats this by being personable and using what he calls his “good gay genes” to transform his clients’ most intimate and personal spaces.

“You get to go [into peoples’ homes] and help them make their dreams come true,” Johnson says of his work. No matter the scale of the project, he recognizes how stressful it can be for his clients—an insight he gained while touring a window manufacturing facility. “When you start taking out windows, it’s like you’re performing heart surgery,” he explains, “and it’s a lot of stress for people.”

As a contractor, Johnson makes sure that his process is as enjoyable for clients as possible. “I always caution them in the beginning by saying, ‘I want you to know that you love me right now, but there are some days where it’s going to be difficult, and you just have to speak to me,’” he says. 

Fortunately, he prioritizes listening to his clients throughout the project.
“The best thing I can do is listen. That way, they’re telling me what they want, what their needs are, and I can truly make sure that both their dreams and their needs are met.”

For information, visit noblecontractor.com. 

REAL ESTATE

BEST FEMALE REAL ESTATE AGENT
Jessica Wahlquist
Finalists: Karen Derr, Paul Gomberg, Poonam Kapoor, Debbie Levine, Hunny Phillips

BEST MALE REAL ESTATE AGENT
Brooks Ballard
Finalists: David Batagower, Scott Brown, George Burch, Mark Chupik, Bryan Cotton, Jeremy Fain, Nicholas Bryan Guidry, Timothy Hampson, Thomas Phillips, Dan Pleason, Dan Ritchel, Joe Ross, Andy Weber

BEST GALVESTON REAL ESTATE AGENT
Tom Schwenk
Finalists: David Bowers, VJ Tramonte, Robert Zahn

BEST REAL ESTATE WEBSITE
HAR.com
Finalists: Boulevard Realty, Compass Real Estate Houston, Nan and Company Real Estate/Christie’s International Real Estate, Texas American Realty

BEST MORTGAGE PROFESSIONAL
Riaz Pooran/PrimeLending
Finalists: John Frels/American Pacific Mortgage, Cody Grizzoffi/NRL Mortgage, Cari Middaugh/AmCap Home Loans, Robert Spiegel/The Spiegel Group

BEST TITLE COMPANY
Alamo Title Company (tie)
Chicago Title (tie)
Finalists: Fidelity National Title, Patriot Title, Texas American Title

BEST HOME BUILDER
Sandcastle Homes
Finalists: Heels 2 Hammers Construction, ROC Homes, Loyd Russel Homes, Sabo Custom Builders

BEST HOME REMODELING COMPANY
Noble Contractor Solutions
Finalists: J. Charles, Inc., Heels 2 Hammers Construction, Crystal Idika/Affordable 1 Home Services, Juancho Jimenez, Luria Construction, Venus Construction

FAVORITE RENTAL COMMUNITY
Elan Memorial Park
Finalists: CityView Lofts, Pradera Oaks

For a full list of winners, go here.

This article appears in the October 2022 edition of OutSmart magazine. 

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