John Valdes first began restoring historic buildings shortly after arriving in St. Augustine in 1987. Since that first home John Valdes and Associates has either restored or created nine of St Augustine’s finest Bed-and-Breakfast Inns, several restaurants and shops in the downtown historic area as well as numerous homes located throughout our old neighborhoods. John and John Valdes Associates is best known in St. Johns county and St. Augustine for their historic restoration work and for many years has been a sought after contractor doing that type of work downtown.

The most prominent and well-known residential restoration project undertaken by John Valdes and Associates to date is the “Lions View Estate” located at the south end of Washington Street. The beautiful marsh front three acre property consist of two historic homes, one built in 1890, originally known as “Three Oaks”, the second being built in 1895 and named “Villa Rosa”. Both homes and grounds have now been completely restored by John Valdes and Associates over the past several years and are part of a privately owned Estate.

Of the bed-and-breakfast restorations The St. Francis Inn was the oldest building which dates to 1791. The work consisted of shutting the Inn down for 90 days. John Valdes and Associates crews worked seven days a week, around-the-clock, to totally refurbish the coquina stone and heart pine framed structure.

John Valdes, as a gift to the city of St. Augustine, was instrumental in the restoration of two original Henry Flagler fountains (1895) located behind Government House and also behind the Lightner Museum. John Valdes and Associates has also assisted in the restoration of two Henry Flagler fountains that are located on the Flagler College campus one on Cordova Street and the other in the main entry courtyard to the college.

John Valdes and Associates, in 2013, restored and converted a Second Spanish Period Style home and gardens located on Hypolita St, in the center of the historic area, into the city’s newest Mexican restaurant, the “Casa Maya”. Located in the busiest of the historic area and in a very restricted access environment the project typifies the type of work that John Valdes and Associates has been doing for years in downtown St. Augustine.

With nearly 28 years of experience restoring buildings in downtown neighborhoods and in the very confined, heavily populated historic areas of St Augustine John Valdes and Associates has the knowledge, the understanding and the resources to complete beautiful restorations expeditiously while being cost-conscious. There is hardly a street in the St. Augustine’s old neighborhoods that has not been touched by John Valdes and Associates work and we look forward to an opportunity to work with you in restoring the old home or building of your dreams.

Restoration is part of the magic of building, by restoring an old building you are reaching back to touch the work of people that are lost in time and long forgotten. If you do your job well you will breathe new life into a building that could very well last hundreds of years reaching into the future to touch lives not yet dreamed of. That’s magic, that’s why we do restoration work.