History
Building with love since 1994
Ekastra Oy – 30 Years
Ekastra Oy was founded in 1994 and is now celebrating its 30th anniversary! In honor of this anniversary year, we’ve compiled a history of the past decades and are eagerly looking forward to the next — our fourth decade.
How It All Began
1960 – 1979
Ekastra’s story actually begins much earlier than 1994. The father of the current entrepreneur siblings, Pauliina and Antti – Matti Kolehmainen – left for vocational school in Hämeenlinna in 1962 to study carpentry, and that’s where the idea first took root. After school, Matti worked in Hauho and its surrounding areas, building detached houses and summer cottages, as well as continuing construction at the Lammi Biological Station used by the University of Helsinki. One of his most memorable work assignments was the construction of the Viru Hotel in Tallinn in 1969.
After moving to the Helsinki metropolitan area, the summer of 1976 was a good time to build a house for his mother-in-law in Hauho. If you ask Eija or the children, many of their summer holidays were mostly spent building. A few years ago, Matti and Eija renovated that same house into their own home and returned to their roots to enjoy retirement. When you build something properly the first time, it can go nearly 50 years without needing a renovation. Several other houses built for relatives in the 1970s can also be found in the same area.
Ekastra is Born
1980 - 1999
The decision to start a business took shape in the early 1980s. The company at that time focused on subcontracting and foundation contracting for small houses. The business grew, and at times there were around ten employees. As is common in family businesses, Matti worked full-time as an entrepreneur, while Eija managed bookkeeping alongside her own job and handled planning and sales for their own projects. The recession of the 1990s hit Finnish society hard — and affected us as well. Out of that period of hardship, Ekastra Oy was founded in 1994. Despite the economic pressure, construction work continued, and Ekastra secured subcontracting work from major construction companies in the Helsinki region — thanks to the trust earned through professional skill.
During this time, we worked extensively on wooden structures for public buildings — for example, the timber construction for the Kolsa school in Tuusula. We also carried out demanding renovation projects in public facilities.
Ekastra is Born
1980 - 1999
The decision to start a business took shape in the early 1980s. The company at that time focused on subcontracting and foundation contracting for small houses. The business grew, and at times there were around ten employees. As is common in family businesses, Matti worked full-time as an entrepreneur, while Eija managed bookkeeping alongside her own job and handled planning and sales for their own projects. The recession of the 1990s hit Finnish society hard — and affected us as well. Out of that period of hardship, Ekastra Oy was founded in 1994. Despite the economic pressure, construction work continued, and Ekastra secured subcontracting work from major construction companies in the Helsinki region — thanks to the trust earned through professional skill.
During this time, we worked extensively on wooden structures for public buildings — for example, the timber construction for the Kolsa school in Tuusula. We also carried out demanding renovation projects in public facilities.
Engineers and Home Builders
2000-2009
As we entered the 2000s, we were, for example, involved in building the wooden structures of the new swimming hall in Hyrylä. On that site, Antti completed his first work placement at age 15, working on the roof structures while still in school! Around the same time, Jari Heino joined the team and was studying to become a construction engineer at a university of applied sciences. Jari and Matti carried out warranty repair work as subcontractors for a larger construction company for a while, until the call of small-scale residential building grew too strong to resist.
At that time, the detached house market was not yet very concentrated, and house suppliers weren’t offering fully turnkey homes. For Antti, the career choice was clear — he studied for a vocational qualification in residential construction at a trade school. With this dream team, several houses were built and renovations carried out whenever time allowed.
The Era of a New Generation
By the mid-2010s, house factories had increasingly begun selling turnkey homes, with contracts outsourced through competitive bidding.
Tough foreign price competition, especially in the capital region, drove prices so low that we withdrew from that market and shifted our focus to demanding renovation and repair construction. After 50 years of building, Matti was finally ready to fully retire — especially as the younger generation had become well trained for their roles. Today, Ekastra’s operations continue to embody the traditional craftsmanship of carpentry, now valued by customers as versatile expertise.
At this point, completing the generational transition became timely, and Pauliina took over as CEO in 2017. Our service focus is clearly on private customers and demanding full-home renovations. A broad network of partners helps us offer just the right service for each client. In our third decade, from 2014 to 2024, we have once again grown our business deliberately and earned a strong reputation within our target market. Today, the company is run by the founders’ well-trained successors — Pauliina, Antti, and Jari — under the guidance of Matti and Eija.
This is a strong foundation for Ekastra as we head into our fourth decade!
The Era of a New Generation
By the mid-2010s, house factories had increasingly begun selling turnkey homes, with contracts outsourced through competitive bidding.
Tough foreign price competition, especially in the capital region, drove prices so low that we withdrew from that market and shifted our focus to demanding renovation and repair construction. After 50 years of building, Matti was finally ready to fully retire — especially as the younger generation had become well trained for their roles. Today, Ekastra’s operations continue to embody the traditional craftsmanship of carpentry, now valued by customers as versatile expertise.
At this point, completing the generational transition became timely, and Pauliina took over as CEO in 2017. Our service focus is clearly on private customers and demanding full-home renovations. A broad network of partners helps us offer just the right service for each client. In our third decade, from 2014 to 2024, we have once again grown our business deliberately and earned a strong reputation within our target market. Today, the company is run by the founders’ well-trained successors — Pauliina, Antti, and Jari — under the guidance of Matti and Eija.
This is a strong foundation for Ekastra as we head into our fourth decade!
Contact Us!
Are you starting a construction or renovation project? We are here to help you from planning to execution. Contact us and let's discuss how we can assist you in building the space of your dreams.
- 010 508 2430
- info@ekastra.fi.testwww.yritysweb.fi
- Tilkanpolku 9, Klaukkala
