A family history of home building excellence

TDavis Homes began with a simple concept – Jim Davis wanted to build his own home. He had been working for Weirton Steel for 7 years, doing home improvement work on the side with his father-in-law, Dallas “Tex” Perkins and helping his father, Sam Davis, at the Davis Tavern on Pleasant Heights in Steubenville. After much research, Jim settled on the idea of building a few homes to eventually help pay for the construction of his own. 

Along with his wife Judi, who worked at Bank One in downtown Steubenville, they began to save money to work towards the goal of building a model home. With the help of their fathers, the Steubenville natives established what was then known as Davis Cedar Homes in 1977. Jim then spent the next 2 years working night-turn at Weirton Steel, and working day-light at Davis Cedar Homes.

They soon transitioned to building both log and stick-built homes. Log homes were becoming increasingly expensive and travel to locations as far away as Wisconsin and North Carolina to build them became difficult. Jim traveled to multiple areas around the country and decided to add systems-built homes to the Davis Cedar Homes lineup. It was then that the company name transitioned to Davis Homes, Inc. with the primary focus being on systems-built homes.

Jim still serves as president of Davis Homes, Inc. and oversees every home built by the company. Both of Jim and Judi’s sons, Matt and Chad, worked for their father as youngsters, doing various jobs as laborers. Today, both act as part-owners along with their parents. Chad joined the company full-time in 2000, with Matt following a few years behind in 2003, essentially taking over his mother’s position, allowing her to semi-retire after 25 years. Chad is now the company foreman, and handles all of the excavation on every home built by Davis Homes. Matt is the head of sales and handles the designs of every project the company takes on throughout OH, WV and PA.

Davis Homes, Inc. is actively involved in supporting many local organizations throughout the Ohio Valley, including Make-A-Wish Foundation, Easter Seals, The United Way, multiple Fraternal Order of Police and county Sherriff departments, various animal shelters and Steubenville City Schools.