32 vetted builders serving Minneapolis (Hennepin County) · Luxury, Ultra-luxury, Mid-range price tiers · how we vet & rank
Building new in Minneapolis almost always means building on a lot that already has a story. The city is essentially fully developed, so new construction here is dominated by teardown-and-rebuild and infill projects — especially in the established lake neighborhoods around Bde Maka Ska, Lake Harriet, Lake of the Isles, and Cedar Lake, and in sought-after pockets like Linden Hills, Fulton, Tangletown, Kenwood, and Lowry Hill. Lots are scarce, setback and lot-coverage rules matter, and the builders who do well here are the ones who know how to work within an existing block without fighting it.
That same housing stock — much of it built between 1900 and 1960 — also makes Minneapolis one of the strongest remodeling markets in the state. Kitchen and bath renovations, whole-home updates of story-and-a-half homes, and additions that add real square footage without breaking a neighborhood's scale are everyday work for the design-build firms serving the city.
Downtown and the North Loop are the exception to the single-family pattern: there, new construction means converted warehouses, lofts, and high-rise condos, and the builders who work these projects specialize in urban renovation and penthouse-grade finish work rather than ground-up homes.
Expect a more involved approval process than in the growth suburbs: demolition permits, tree preservation, stormwater rules, and neighborhood context all come into play. An experienced Minneapolis builder will have done this many times and can tell you early whether your lot and budget line up with what you want to build.
Historic, tree-lined blocks near Lake Harriet, known for blending old-world elegance with modern luxury.
Affluent streets near Lake of the Isles, famed for grand properties and exclusivity — among the city's most sought-after addresses.
Family-oriented neighborhood near Minnehaha Creek and Lake Harriet, a steady market for custom builds and high-end remodels.
Winding streets and historic homes, where projects tend to preserve period charm while upgrading for modern convenience.
Converted warehouses, boutiques, and a thriving arts scene — the city's marquee urban-living district.
Urban energy steps from Bde Maka Ska (formerly Lake Calhoun) and the rest of the Chain of Lakes.
Sustainable 9 builds third-party-certified, high-performance modern homes — triple-pane glass, low-VOC materials, solar-ready systems — around Minneapolis’ lakes and the west metro.
A women-owned Edina builder named Housing First Minnesota’s 2025 Builder of the Year, City Homes specializes in contemporary luxury customs, aging-in-place design, and remodels in Edina and Minneapolis.
Husband-and-wife team Jesse and Katie run Jkath, a boutique design-build with its own cabinetry shop, reinventing older Twin Cities homes and building new ones to eighth-of-an-inch standards.
Minnesota’s only five-time Builder of the Year, third-generation John Kraemer & Sons has built and renovated luxury residences since 1978 with its own superintendents on-site daily and fully open-book budgets.
A woman-owned design-build remodeler since 1975, Crystal Kitchen + Bath specializes in kitchens, baths, and whole-home renovations across Minneapolis, St. Paul, and the first-ring suburbs, with a sustained green-building focus.
Husband-and-wife team Jamie and Morgan Molitor run construction2style, a contractor-led design-build firm handling whole-home renovations, additions, and custom projects across the northwest metro.
From a converted Hopkins warehouse studio, Kuhl Design + Build has specialized in large remodels and whole-house renovations for two decades.
An architect-led design-build firm founded in 2015, Locale pairs a long-standing architectural team with in-house construction for medium-to-large remodels and new homes in Minneapolis’ established neighborhoods.
Building since 1978 from offices in Wayzata and Baxter, Nor-Son Custom Builders delivers luxury homes, lake estates, and whole-house remodels across the Twin Cities and the lakes country.
A women-owned design and construction firm led by architect-trained Samantha Grose, Oak & Arrow specializes in intentionally designed whole-home remodels and new-construction rebuilds across the west and south metro.
Founded above a garage in 2005 by Jeff and Leslie Nicholson, Quartersawn now fields 25-plus craftspeople who run three-person dedicated teams on bespoke remodels of the cities’ older homes.
REFINED has built and remodeled more than 100 custom homes in Edina, Lake Minnetonka, and other established Twin Cities neighborhoods since 2008, guiding owners from lot sourcing through construction.
A NARI-member design-build remodeler with 15+ years serving Hennepin, Ramsey, and Carver counties, Scala Design & Construction covers the full remodeling range — kitchens, baths, basements, additions, and whole-home projects — in the mid price tier.
Andrew Schrader’s Edina and Eden Prairie studios build and remodel homes of all sizes across the southwest metro, from historic conservation to new customs.
Adam Koch’s TRIO Design and Build handles custom homes, remodels, and ADUs in the Minneapolis area as a true design-build shop with a real-estate consulting side.
One of the most-awarded remodelers in the Twin Cities, McDonald Remodeling has run full design-build renovations — kitchens, lower levels, additions, whole homes — from Inver Grove Heights since 2000.
Designing and building high-end kitchens since 1971, Sawhill Custom Kitchens & Design brings a high-touch design-build process to kitchen, bath, and whole-home projects — with particular strength in Minneapolis and St. Paul's historic homes.
A family design-build remodeler since 1996, AMEK keeps architects, designers, and construction crews under one roof for whole-home renovations, kitchens, baths, basements, and additions across the south metro.
Hanson Design Build Remodel focuses on bathroom, kitchen, and whole-home design-build projects in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Edina, with particular expertise in the cities' historic housing stock.
An architect-led design-build cooperative since 1982, TreHus staffs AIA architects, ASID interior designers, and master carpenters for historic renovations, remodels, and custom homes.
An Edina institution of 40-plus years, MA Peterson pairs designers, illustrators, and carpenters under one roof for award-winning remodels, additions, and custom homes.
With a builder and a designer at the helm, Edina’s GreenWood Design Build handles remodels from kitchens to whole houses plus custom new homes.
A 43-year, second-generation design-build remodeler with offices in Blaine and Chanhassen, Murphy Bros. runs a deep design process across kitchens, baths, additions, and lower levels — twice honored with the BBB Torch Award for ethics.
A full-service design-build remodeler serving the Twin Cities since 1970, Plekkenpol’s range runs from whole-house remodels and additions to wine rooms and a Japanese tea house.
A woman-owned design-build remodeler whose architect-trained owner keeps the craftsmen in-house, Prima focuses on kitchens and baths in the Twin Cities’ older housing stock — a four-time Guildmaster Award winner.
A second-generation design-build remodeler founded in 1977, Castle specializes in older urban homes — kitchens, baths, attics, and additions — with over 4,000 Twin Cities clients and four neighborhood design studios.
A St. Louis Park design-build remodeler since 2000, Bluestem has earned NARI regional and national Contractor of the Year awards for kitchens, additions, and whole-house work.
Founded by Robert Hagstrom in 1962, Hagstrom Builder crafts architecturally designed customs and renovations from downtown Lake Elmo, with work spanning the Twin Cities, Wisconsin, and Florida.
Since Ron Clark’s first Edina twinhome in 1975, the firm has built more than 800 homes — villas, twinhomes, condominiums, and customs — in the metro’s most established neighborhoods, earning Housing First Minnesota’s 2022 Lifetime Achievement award.
A boutique builder-remodeler based in Mendota Heights, SD Custom Homes has designed and built luxury customs across the east and south metro for 16 years.
A residential-only design and remodeling contractor, Urban Remodeling specializes in structural modifications and design challenges in the Twin Cities’ century-old housing stock.
Building since 1978 and under Dave Remick’s ownership since 2021, McDonald Construction Partners builds custom and semi-custom homes across the metro — in established neighborhoods, on owners’ lots, and as teardown-rebuilds.
Narrow the field to the builders doing the kind of work you want in Minneapolis — each page below is a filtered directory with type-specific cost guidance.
See the full breakdown — price per square foot by build type, what drives Minnesota budgets, and city comparisons — in our cost to build in Minneapolis guide and the statewide cost to build in Minnesota study.
Our directory currently lists 32 vetted builders serving Minneapolis, spanning mid-range, luxury and ultra-luxury price tiers. We're expanding coverage continuously as we verify licensing and service areas — see our methodology on the How We Vet & Rank page.
Minneapolis is largely built out, so most projects are teardown-rebuilds — meaning budgets carry land/acquisition on top of construction. Construction alone typically starts around $250–$350 per square foot for custom work, and all-in project budgets in Minneapolis commonly reach seven figures. See our cost-to-build guide for the full breakdown.
Yes — teardown-and-rebuild is the dominant form of new construction in Minneapolis. Expect a demolition permit, tree-preservation and stormwater requirements, and design review in any protected districts. Builders who work in Minneapolis regularly will walk the lot with you and flag constraints before you commit.
Several do. Sustainable 9 Design + Build, City Homes, Jkath Design Build + Reinvent and others take on custom projects in Minneapolis, and build-on-your-lot arrangements are common. Bring your lot details (or the listing) to your first conversation — siting, utilities, and soils drive early feasibility.
Yes — 29 design-build remodelers in our directory serve Minneapolis, covering kitchens, bathrooms, basements, additions, and whole-home projects. See the Minneapolis remodeling pages for the filtered lists.
Yes. Minnesota requires residential building contractors to hold a state license (BC number) issued by the Department of Labor & Industry, and Minneapolis (Hennepin County) also requires local permits and inspections for new construction and major remodels. We display verified license numbers on builder profiles as we confirm them — always verify a contractor's license status at the DLI website before signing.
Tell us about your project and we'll shortlist up to 3 vetted builders serving Minneapolis that fit your budget and timeline.