The Heart of Your Home Starts With the Right Kitchen
Kitchen Remodeling in Minnesota & Western Wisconsin | Designed Around How You Cook, Gather, and Entertain
The Kitchen You Have Always Wanted Is Closer Than You Think.
There is a reason the kitchen is the heart of the home. It is where coffee gets made before anyone else is awake, where homework happens at the counter, where the best conversations happen over something on the stove. The kitchen is where your family lands, and when it works the way you live, everything about being home feels different.
The problem is that most kitchens were not designed around the people using them. They were designed around a floor plan. And over time, the small frustrations add up: not enough storage, counters you can never keep clear, a layout that keeps you stuck in a corner while everyone else is in the next room.
That is exactly what we set out to fix.
Kitchen Remodels We Are Proud Of
What a kitchen remodel looks like at Knollwood Builders.
A Knollwood kitchen remodel starts with questions most contractors never think to ask. How do you actually use this space? Do you entertain, or do you cook for your family every night, or both? Do you bake? Do you spend summer evenings moving in and out to the grill? We spend real time understanding how you use your kitchen before a single cabinet is specified, because no two families cook, organize, or gather the same way.
That is where most conversations stop. Ours is just getting started. We think through what will live in each cabinet and where it belongs. We design around the zones that matter to your household, whether that is a dedicated entertaining area that keeps guests out of the prep space, a baker's stretch of open countertop close to a double oven, or a clear and intentional flow to the outdoors for the family that spends every warm day outside. We design kitchens that eliminate the daily frustrations you have learned to live with and replace them with a space that genuinely makes life easier.
Why Families Choose Us for Their Kitchen Remodel
Promises from Our Family to Yours
Every kitchen we design is built around a different family. Here is what you can count on every time:
One Team From the First Sketch to Moving Day
Most remodeling conversations start with cabinets and countertops. Ours starts with how you live. We take time upfront to understand how your household uses the kitchen every single day, what frustrates you about the current layout, what you wish you had more of, and how you want to feel in the space when it is finished. Everything that gets designed comes from those answers. The result is a kitchen that works brilliantly because it was built around you from the start.
Design and Construction Knowledge in the Same Conversation
With Knollwood, your designer and your builder are the same team. We work together from the very beginning, which means the kitchen we design with you is the kitchen that gets built, without anything getting lost between a designer and a separate contractor. Structural decisions, layout possibilities, and material selections are all evaluated together, so you get honest answers early and a finished kitchen that looks exactly like the vision we created.
Zones That Make Your Kitchen Function Like It Never Has Before
The difference between a kitchen that looks good and a kitchen that works is intentional design. We have seen what happens when an entertainer finally has a beverage refrigerator near the dining room that keeps guests out of the prep space. When a baker gets a double oven and the countertop to match. When a family that grills every weekend has a kitchen that flows naturally to the outdoors. These are not small changes. They are the ones that make people say they never want to leave their kitchen.
Selections Made Simple
We do the homework upfront so the process feels manageable, not overwhelming. Rather than handing you a catalog and sending you off to figure it out, we narrow the options based on what we have learned about your style, your household, and your priorities. We guide you through every selection at our design studio in the White Bear Lake community, where you can see real materials installed and in use before anything is committed to your home. Clients tell us consistently: this was easier than I thought it was going to be.
Materials and Finishes That Last
Every material we recommend is one we would put in our own home. We guide you toward finishes and surfaces that hold up beautifully over time and away from choices that look good in photos but create problems down the road. Timeless design, quality materials, and a kitchen that will still feel like the right decision ten years from now.
Hands-On Management From Start to Finish
We are on-site regularly throughout your kitchen remodel, managing our long-standing team of trusted subcontractors who handle specialty trades. From the first day of demo through the final professional cleaning, you will always know what is happening in your home and what comes next. We stay in close contact throughout construction, and if anything unexpected comes up, you hear about it from us directly and right away, along with a clear plan for how we will handle it.
Trusted Brands & Associations
How Your Kitchen Remodel Comes Together
Our Proven Design-Build Process
A kitchen remodel deserves a process as thoughtful as the space itself. Our process is built to make the experience calm and organized from the first conversation through the final walkthrough, with no surprises along the way.
Discovery Call
The first step is a conversation. Before we ever set foot in your kitchen, we want to understand how your household uses it, what stopped working, and what you are hoping this remodel will make possible. We ask questions that go beyond aesthetics, because the best kitchen remodels are built on a clear picture of how a family actually lives. This is also a chance for both of us to make sure we are the right fit for each other.
On-Site Meeting
We meet in your home to walk through the existing space together. We are listening to your goals and frustrations while taking in the structural realities: the plumbing locations, the load-bearing elements, the layout possibilities, and where the real opportunities are. Design and construction are in the same conversation from the beginning, so we leave with everything we need to put honest numbers together.
Preliminary Budget
After the on-site visit, we put together a preliminary budget built from your vision and what we found in your kitchen. Real numbers, based on real project knowledge, are delivered before any commitment is made. We give you space to sit with it, ask questions, and decide whether you are ready to move forward. There is no pressure from us at any point in this process.
Design
Once you decide to move forward, the design work begins. We translate everything we have learned about your household into a kitchen layout, cabinet plan, and the full set of material selections tailored specifically to you. We guide you through every choice, breaking the process into manageable segments so it never feels like too much at once. We accompany you through selections or bring options directly to you. You are never sent off to figure it out alone.
Project Schedule and Procurement
With design complete and selections finalized, we lock in a final contract price based on actual materials and confirmed labor. Everything is ordered before work begins, and a detailed construction schedule is placed in your hands. From this point forward, you will always know exactly what is happening in your home and when. No vague timelines and no wondering what comes next.
Production and Construction
This is where your kitchen goes from plans to reality. We set up dust containment and protection from day one to minimize the impact on the rest of your home while we work. Our crew cleans up at the end of every workday, and we stay in close contact throughout construction with regular updates. We are on-site regularly, managing our trusted subcontractor team, who handle specialty trades. If something unexpected comes up, you hear about it from us, directly and right away, along with a clear plan for how we will address it.
Project Completion
We finish your project the same way we started it: with care and attention to every detail. The final step is a walkthrough of your completed kitchen together, a chance to celebrate everything we built as a team. Every project ends with a professional construction cleaning, so your kitchen is move-in ready from day one. We stand behind our work with a warranty on craftsmanship, and our door stays open long after the project is done.
Preferred Installer Partnerships
Frequently Asked Questions About Kitchen Remodeling
How long will I be without a kitchen?
Most kitchen remodels take approximately 12 weeks from the first day of construction through project completion. That timeline holds fairly consistently across most projects, though scope can affect it. We build a detailed schedule before work begins so you know exactly what to expect, and we talk through how to manage your household during construction well before demo day. Many families set up a temporary kitchen in the laundry room, plan to grill through the warmer months, or time the most disruptive phase around a vacation. We help you think through all of it upfront.
Can we use the kitchen during the remodel?
No, and that is one of the first things we address together. Once construction begins, the kitchen is fully closed, but you will never arrive at demo day feeling unprepared. We help you think through how to set up a temporary kitchen somewhere in your home, whether grilling through the warmer months makes sense for your family, and whether there is a phase of the project worth planning a vacation around. We have helped a lot of families navigate this, and we will make sure you feel ready before it begins.
How do you keep the rest of our home clean during construction?
We take dust and disruption seriously. From day one we seal off the work area and set up containment to keep the rest of your home as protected as possible. The crew cleans up at the end of every work day, and every project concludes with a professional construction cleaning so your kitchen and home are ready to enjoy the moment we hand it back to you.
What does a kitchen remodel typically include?
The scope is entirely shaped by your household and your goals. A kitchen remodel can include a full layout reconfiguration, cabinet replacement, countertops, appliances, lighting, flooring, plumbing fixture updates, and changes to how the kitchen connects to the spaces around it. We work through every detail together during the design phase so there are no surprises about what is included before construction begins.
Do you work on kitchens as part of a larger whole-home remodel?
Often, yes. Kitchens are frequently the starting point for a larger vision, and many of our projects expand naturally into adjacent areas, whether that is updating the adjoining living space, refinishing flooring throughout the main level, or opening the kitchen into a previously separate room. If your wishlist goes beyond the kitchen, we love that conversation.
Will we work directly with the owners throughout the process?
Yes, always. We are present from the first conversation through the final walkthrough, with design and construction expertise working together on your project every step of the way. When you reach out, you reach us.
Do you handle permitting and contractor coordination?
Yes. We manage all permitting required for your kitchen remodel and coordinate directly with inspectors and our specialty trade subcontractors throughout construction. You do not need to manage any of that. We handle it so you can focus on the good parts of this process.
What if I want to make a change once construction has started?
We put significant work into the design phase specifically to minimize surprises and changes during construction, and it works. Most projects move through construction very close to the original plan and contract price. If a change does come up, we handle it through a straightforward change order process without making it a bigger deal than it needs to be.
What Our Clients Say
We couldn’t be happier with our experience working with Knollwood Builders! They recently completed a porch build-out and deck for our home, and the results exceeded our expectations in every way.
From the start, their communication was outstanding—they took the time to walk us through the plan, timeline, and what to expect throughout the project. Once things got underway, we were kept informed every step of the way, which gave us great peace of mind.
The craftsmanship is top-notch. Every detail, from the structure to the finishing touches, reflects a level of care and quality that’s hard to find. It’s clear they take great pride in their work.
Pricing was also more than fair for the level of professionalism and quality delivered. There were no surprises, and we truly feel we received excellent value.
Highly recommend to anyone looking for reliable, skilled, and communicative builders. We’re thrilled with the finished product! We will reach out to them when we have our next project (master bathroom).
We cannot say enough great things about Knollwood Builders! From the very first consultation to the final touches, they transformed our outdated kitchen into an absolute dream space. The design process was smooth and collaborative, with Sara and Josh taking the time to listen to our needs and preferences. The attention to detail and quality of craftsmanship is unmatched. Every part of the project was handled with professionalism, meticulous details, and they kept us informed every step of the way.
What really stood out was their commitment to delivering exactly what we wanted while staying within our budget and timeline. Our kitchen (main living area) is stunning – it’s stylish, functional, and now the heart of our home. The whole team worked efficiently, and they left the space spotless once everything was finished (and during the process). If you're looking for the best remodeler and designer around, we highly recommend Knollwood Builders!
Knollwood Builders constructed a new garage for us a year ago. We highly recommend them!! Do yourself a favor and reach out to Josh and Sara for your next project. We contacted a couple of other construction companies on the project, those companies were medium-sized. There is an obvious advantage to working with a small, family-owned business like Knollwood Builders. The planning, communication, and execution aspects were absolutely seamless. Pride in a job well done, as promised and on time is obviously very important to them.
Thank you for the great experience!!
Knollwood Builders just completed a master bath remodel for us. We could not be more impressed with Sarah and Josh. From the introductory meeting through the design, planning, and work stages the project was as stress-free as could be. Their professionalism, knowledge, experience, quality work and attention to detail, care for and cleanliness to our home, responsiveness to questions, and the daily progress updates by Sarah, Josh and/or their excellent subcontractors created an atmosphere of total confidence in our decision to contract with them. As important, Sarah and Josh were personally courteous, genuine friendly people, as were their subs, which created a comfortable atmosphere of familiarity for a first-time partnership. All of this was seamless even when we had to be out of town for two and a half weeks in the middle of the project. We are very pleased with our beautiful new bathroom and highly recommend Sarah and Josh for your design/build dreams.
Knollwood Builders was nothing short of amazing from the first telephone call to the final inspection. They were professional, timely and did an amazing job. Not only did Josh listen to my ideas, but he gave me a couple of ideas that we brought into the final project and I couldn't be happier. The only downside is we are coming up on cold weather and I won't be able to use it again until spring!
I highly recommend Knollwood Builders and suggest that if you have a project in mind to reach out to them and get on their schedule. You won't be disappointed!
We connected with Knollwood Builders, LLC (Josh Chouinard) last October to provide us with a quote for a remodeling project. From the start my wife and I were impressed. Josh provided us with an initial timely estimate. He mentioned that his wife Sara and he partner on certain projects- he handles construction and she works on providing decorative design choices... paint color/tile, solid-surface style/fixtures. For us, their combination was very effective. We also liked the communication we received. Josh and Sara were both very responsive to our questions returning emails and voice mails. Once we had our selections made Knollwood provided us with a project plan and milestone/payment schedule that was easy to understand. House cleanliness during the project was important. Also we had previous plans to be away during part of the project. Both concerns were shared with Josh and he assured us that they spend time prepping the house before his team goes on site. They also cleaned up daily after project work before they left and did a full detailed cleanup at end of project. We had a very positive experience with Knollwood Builders, LLC. In fact, we already have started to discuss further projects in our home.
We would highly recommend giving them a call if you are considering projects in your home.
From the first meeting, we knew we had the contractor dream team with Josh and Sara. They did an amazing job of taking our basement finishing vision and marrying it with their own experience and creativity. Here are some of things we appreciated most.
📱 Excellent communication and updates throughout the project.
🕐 The construction process ran like clock-work and stayed on time.
🧹 A well organized and clean job-site.
💡 Josh & Sara had brilliant ideas on how we could make the space feel unique while also working towards our goals.
🌌 Sara understood our desired design aesthetic and offered amazing suggestions.
😌 When there was problem-solving required, Josh brought a sense of calm and understanding to those situations.
To sum up working with Knollwood, the process and the product were both top notch. We are planning on working with them again and highly recommend them to others.
We had Knollwood put in a new bay window and replace our old oak railing into updated, beautiful railings! We couldn’t be happier with the work. There was a bit of a delay with the leadtime on the windows, but we are extremely happy with the finished product! You can’t see a nail hole and everything was impeccably done!
We’ve had projects done by other contractors, and although we were also happy with them, Knollwood Builders went above and beyond, and The completed project was better than we ever expected! Josh and Sara clearly pay attention to every detail and it was great working with them!
Sara and Josh were great to work with. Great communication before and during the project. Our deck looks amazing! Great quality materials and craftsmanship. Thank you!
The bathroom remodel, replacement of outdated interior doors and replacement of the deck flooring and railings for my home turned out beautifully. Josh and Sarah were wonderful to work with. They provided helpful guidance with the details of the projects, stayed on schedule, and got everything completed to my satisfaction. I appreciated their attention to detail and care taken while working in my home.
Wow! It is extremely rare to find a company like Knollwood Builders who treat their clients like family.
Over the last 20 years, many of my clients come to me and ask for referrals to builders. I am so glad to have met Josh and Sara and to have a builder whom I can recommend with confidence.
When I think of Josh, Sara, and the team at Knollwood Builders, I see a team who can turn home dreams into reality. If you are looking for a company who treats their clients like family and who values integrity and hard work, feel confident that you will find that in Knollwood Builders.
Sara and Josh have creative ideas and provide lots of options for making a project work well for the needs of the clients. They both have easy to understand processes that complement one another when planning and implementing the project. Style, enthusiasm and commitment are the words that come to mind when I reflect on my experience with Knollwood Builders.
Unbelievable service and quality of work. Always extremely responsive with calls or texts, extremely professional, kind and very reasonable on all prices. Will trust them for all my home improvement needs and projects. Josh and his crew are so good. Have had several home improvement contractors and they are far and away the best. Very glad we found them!
Knollwood Builder is an amazing company. They work and help you design an amazing space. They listen to your ideas and what you want and give wonderful suggestions to make your project your vision. They are always on time and very honest! They are wonderful people and it shows in their dedication to your project. We highly recommend them to anyone that needs a contractor. We will be using them again for other project.
Let's Start Your Kitchen Remodel Together
Your kitchen should feel like the heart of your home. Let us help you build one that does.