Today we’d like to introduce you to Juli + Matt Kuntz.
Hi Juli + Matt, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Custom by Kuntz started long before our first official project. We met back in 2010 at Simley High School, eventually pursuing careers in engineering and education. While working corporate 9-to-5s, we began flipping duplexes as a “hobby”—a way for Matt to channel his passion for building and for us to tackle big projects together.
In 2018, we officially launched our woodworking business out of a tiny backyard shed, heated by a 19th-century wood stove and lit by a single bulb. Friends and family soon took notice of our work—everything from hand-stained wood walls to creative office nooks tucked into old Saint Paul homes. We realized we were the perfect pair for this: Matt bringing the technical engineering and work ethic, and Juli providing the design eye and organization.
The real turning point came in 2021 with the birth of our daughter, Sadie. Matt left his engineering career to pursue his contractor’s license, balancing “small renovations” with childcare. But those small jobs quickly snowballed into full-scale additions and remodels before Sadie could even walk!
Today, we’ve outgrown the shed and evolved into a full-service family business. With our two kids, Sadie and Elijah, growing up alongside our projects, and an incredible “family” of skilled carpenters by our side, we treat every client’s renovation with the same love and care as our own home.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Life is currently a bit of a balancing act! We are raising our two kids alongside our business—which we lovingly refer to as our “third child” (and the one that never sleeps…).
It’s been a surreal experience watching this business grow from word-of-mouth referrals to a full-blown network across the Twin Cities. Our biggest challenge has been making sure we never lose that “local family business” feel, so we’ve worked really hard to make sure our growth doesn’t outpace our quality. Whether it’s a tiny built-in or a massive renovation, we give it the same level of heart, but we are constantly navigating how to make sure we maintain consistency every step of the way.
One of our greatest lessons has been the need to invite the right people into the room with us. We trust and lean on our designers, lead carpenters, and project managers to help us turn our growing pains into a solid process that can scale up while still allowing us to maintain the same hands-on high-quality that we are proud to build for our clients.
We’ve been impressed with Custom by Kuntz, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Custom by Kuntz is a Saint Paul-based remodeling company with a bit of a twist: we have our own in-house woodworking shop. This allows us to build custom cabinetry and furniture specifically for the homes we renovate, which is a huge plus when we’re working on the historic houses we love so much.
We are incredibly proud of our portfolio, but we are even prouder of our team of people. We’ve assembled a team of top-notch carpenters who bring a level of kindness and craftsmanship that’s hard to find. We aren’t just renovating houses; we’re honoring their history with a team that truly cares.
What does success mean to you?
For us, success is two-fold: we want to be the remodeler homeowners trust most in the Twin Cities, and the employer of choice for craftsmen in the field. We’ve found that these two goals go hand-in-hand: when we invest in a positive, family-oriented culture for our staff, that energy naturally flows into the work they do for our clients (also, it makes work a fun place to be!). We measure our success by the quality of the projects we’ve completed and the caliber of the team we’ve built along the way.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://custombykuntz.com
- Instagram: CustombyKuntz
- Facebook: CustombyKuntz
Image Credits
Laura Ann Photography
