In 1969, Chuy Valencia began his construction career during his summer breaks at age 15 as an apprentice, assisting a Historical Society approved craftsman and Master woodworker, Rudy Castillo. Under the master mentoring of Mr. Castillo, Chuy learned hands-on the highly specific and necessary skills involved in the proper maintenance of one of our cities most note-worthy historical sites, The Heritage Society. Chuy has taken this invaluable skill set and turned it into 40+ years of comprehensive experience in the reconstruction and revitalization of many historic housing types in various historical societies including the Historic Heights, one of Houston’s most selective and protective historic preservation societies.
In addition to possessing the necessary skill-sets involved in historical society projects, navigating the “red tape” that constantly befalls such projects is another process that ROC handles with grace. This process entails, but is not limited to, obtaining a COA (Certificate Of Appropriateness) at start of a project, accommodating appropriate changes that maintain the viability of historic places, preserving the key character-defining features of historic properties and districts, and acquiring a CO (Certificate Of Occupancy) at the completion of a project.
Preservation of historic sites and houses can sometimes feel too daunting of a process to deem worthwhile for many people, but ROC firmly believes in the value these sites and houses instill in our city, in our culture. A value that we know needs to be passed down to future generations of Texans.
