If you know Bryce and Kelsey Hotchkiss, you know that they are wise, super generous, and strive to be great stewards of all that God has given them. For years, they have saved and saved to find a place to raise their boys on land near their ministry. In October of 2024, they finally saved enough to begin remodeling an old, neglected home -- without taking on additional debt. After closing on the “fixer-upper,” unfortunately their current home was hit by Hurricane Milton at the same time causing damage to their roof. Frustratingly, that is a situation that has still yet to be resolved with their insurance company after more than a year.

In December, after completing only partial demolition and not a single bit of any reconstruction, Denease Construction walked away with their renovation budget of $65,000 and left the Hotchkiss family in a financial hardship with no path forward. On the very day they deposited their check to order all materials, they walked off the job and did not return, keeping all of the money the Hotchkiss family had given them. The house remains in disrepair. They have spent the entire past year in litigation. Although the Lake County Board of Examiners has revoked the crooked contractor’s licensing and permitting privileges after this blatant fraud and has stated that they will pursue felony charges for the obvious theft, this does not offer the Hotchkiss family any recourse to get out of the situation they’re currently in financially.

While they had originally prepared to pay two mortgages for “2-3 months” during the remodel’s proposed timeline, this has turned into over 13 months (with no end in sight) of both mortgages. The renovated house was supposed to be completed months before their youngest baby was born, and now he is almost 5 months old. The dishonesty of the contractor has cost them so much in every regard, and yet they have worked hard to handle this situation in a way that honors God. The place they hope to call home someday is not yet livable at all in a gutted state, and the other house they currently live in is not yet able to be sold because it does not have a roof.

While getting robbed of years and years of savings is unfair and disheartening, the Hotchkiss family knows God has a plan to redeem this situation! Though they would NEVER ask for it, with a very stressful time of year upon us, I wanted to put together something for Bryce and Kelsey that they would gladly do for anyone else in a similar situation. My hope is to help them recuperate some of their stolen renovation money so they can finally move into their renovated house. If you are local and possess any skills or talents that can help Kelsey and Bryce with their gutted house, those abilities would be greatly appreciated.