When general contractor Kenny Turnage says he built his business from the ground up, he means it.

Almost three years ago, the city of Antioch hired Turnage’s business – K2GC – to demolish a dilapidated East 18th Street building that had become a magnet for graffiti, vagrants and feral animals. Turnage, who had been operating out of a smaller office in Brentwood, saw potential in the place and worked with the city to purchase the land.

Turnage and his workers tore down the structure and built their offices in about six months. The company has become known throughout the Bay Area for its work in rebuilding and remodeling homes, and even earned camera time on HGTV.

“They actually contacted us,” Turnage said. “The first time I got a phone call from them, I thought it was a joke. … They called back, and actually it’s been a very good working relationship.”

K2GC (which stands for Kenny Turnage II, General Contractor) has made two appearances on the HGTV show “Curb Appeal.” A TV crew followed workers as they renovated a drab house in Richmond. Later, K2GC transformed a boring domicile in Alameda into a lively home, right in front of HGTV’s cameras.

Though the first runs of these episodes have already been aired, they’ll be replayed on Thursday, May 3 at 3:30 and 5:30 p.m.

“(HGTV) puts out that they’re going to be in an area, and people nominate the ugliest house on the block,” Turnage said. “If they get picked, then they get a $20,000 makeover on the front portion of their home.”

While the beautification process is what makes for entertaining viewing, K2GC handles everything from full-scale renovation to smaller jobs such as kitchen and bathroom remodels. The Diamond Certified company, founded roughly nine years ago, also deals heavily with extreme cases, such as houses suffering from flood or fire damage. K2GC earned notice from the KRON 4 TV show “Best of the Bay” for repairing and modernizing an Antioch home after it was ravaged by fire.

Construction has been a lifelong labor of love for Turnage, who started working in the family business when he was 12. “They did fire and water damage repair, and basically my uncle and my father had an old-school farmer mentality where you had children for labor,” Turnage said. “Within about the first year, I really enjoyed what I was doing and had my mind made up that this is what I wanted to do.”

About nine years ago, Turnage started K2GC out of his home office. Now he leads a staff of 21 employees, taking on jobs all over the Bay Area.

Though the company has grown, Turnage still maintains a passion for his East County roots. The Antioch High School alumnus is active in several community efforts, such as sponsoring and coaching youth sports teams. Turnage sponsored former Liberty High wrestler David Klingsheim when the grappler earned a trip to take on the best in the nation in North Carolina.

After Turnage heard that a Hannah Montana concert in Oakland four years ago was sold out – mainly to scalpers – he bought a luxury box and gave away tickets to local kids. “We try to help out in any way we can,” he said.

Find out more about K2GC’s appearances on HGTV at:

• http://www.hgtv.com/curb-appeal-the-block/a-young-familys-boring-blank-facade-is-reinvented-into-a-charming-cottage/index.html.
• www.hgtv.com/curb-appeal-the-block/a-boring-beige-bungalow-is-given-new-life-with-a-spanish-eclectic-transformation/index.html.