Design-build contractorMinneapolis, MNSince 2007

From thefooting up.

Keel draws, prices and builds new homes, additions and whole-house renovations across the Twin Cities, with carpenters on our own payroll. A fixed price before we dig, a schedule you can stick on the fridge, and 94% of jobs handed over on the date in the contract.

Request an estimate See the project index

LayoutWeek 0

  • Surveyed corners, batter boards, string lines. Every dimension after this is measured from here.

01A-101Project index

212 projects since 2007. Here are the last ten.

Every Keel job stays on file: the drawing set, the contract price, the final price and the day we handed over the keys. Hover or tap a row, or just scroll, and its drawing draws itself.

Contract and final prices published with each client's permissionFull list of 212 on request

02A-201Scope of work

Five kinds of work. One crew for all of it.

We don't sub out framing and we don't take a job we can't staff. Design, drawings, permits, the build and the warranty all come from the same office on Kennedy Street.

$90kSmallest project we takeSmaller than that? Call anyway. We'll give you three names we'd hire ourselves.

  1. Scope01

    New homes

    Custom houses on your lot, or on a teardown lot we help you find. We design it in-house, engineer it with a licensed structural partner, and frame it with our own crew.

    Typical budget$360–$520 / ft²
    On site38–48 weeks
    IncludesSurvey, design, permits

  2. Scope02

    Additions

    Second stories on bungalows, rear bump-outs, primary suites over the garage. We tie the new into the old so nobody can find the seam, down to the siding reveal.

    Typical budget$330–$460 / ft²
    On site16–24 weeks
    IncludesMatched trim and rooflines

  3. Scope03

    Whole-house renovations

    Gut renovations of 1900–1950 Minneapolis houses: foursquares, bungalows, Tudors, up-and-down duplexes. New structure and systems, original character kept where it earns its place.

    Typical budget$190–$340 / ft²
    On site20–36 weeks
    IncludesLead and asbestos abatement

  4. Scope04

    Kitchens & baths

    Kitchens with walls moved and beams put in, not just new boxes on old walls. Baths with curbless showers that drain where they should and heated floors that stay on.

    Typical budgetKitchens $95k–$185k
    Baths $42k–$88k
    On site9–14 weeks
    IncludesCabinet and tile drawings

  5. Scope05

    Garages & ADUs

    Backyard cottages and apartments over the garage, permitted under Minneapolis' accessory dwelling rules. Rent it out, or move your parents in twenty steps from the back door.

    Typical budget$210k–$320k
    On site18–24 weeks
    IncludesZoning check, separate meters

03A-301Schedule

The sequence, week by week.

This is the real schedule from our last 60 jobs, averaged. Pick a project type and the bars move. You get your own version, with dates, the day you sign.

64weeks from first visit to keys

Step
  1. 01

    First site visit

    Free, about an hour. Bring the wish list and the budget; we bring a tape and a straight answer.

    1 wk
  2. 02

    Feasibility report

    Zoning, survey, structure and a ballpark. $1,800, credited to your contract if you build with us.

    3 wk
  3. 03

    Design & drawings

    Plans, elevations and a 3D model, three design meetings, then a permit set stamped by our engineer.

    10 wk
  4. 04

    Fixed-price contract

    Every line priced. An 8% contingency held in the open, and whatever you don't use comes back to you.

    2 wk
  5. 05

    Permits

    We file with the city and meet every inspector. Minneapolis residential review runs four to six weeks.

    6 wk
  6. 06

    Build

    One superintendent from footing to keys, a site meeting every Tuesday and a photo report every Friday.

    41 wk
  7. 07

    Handover & warranty

    Walkthrough, punch list closed in ten working days, then two years of workmanship warranty from us.

    2-yr warranty

Change ordersPriced in writing before anyone picks up a tool. Our average is 1.4% of the contract.

WinterFootings go in by mid-November or we wait for April. We tell you which before you sign.

PaymentsSeven draws tied to inspections, never to dates. You pay for work the city has signed off.

04A-401Record

The numbers most builders keep in a drawer.

Counted from our own job files, January 2007 to this October, and checked every spring by the surety company that bonds us. Ask for the spreadsheet and we'll email it.

94 of every 100 jobs

94%

handed over on or before the date written in the contract. The other six were late by an average of four days, and every one came with a written reason the day we knew.

  • 212homes, additions and renovations handed over since 2007
  • 1.4%average change orders against the contract price
  • 41people on our own payroll. We frame every house ourselves.
  • 0liens filed against a client by our subs or suppliers, ever
Client note

“They wrote week 41 in the contract. We moved in on week 41, and the punch list was closed nine days later.”

Siri & Peder Aune · Linden Hills Rambler, A-212

05A-501Signatures

The people who sign the drawings.

Five names go on every Keel drawing set. You'll have all five phone numbers by the time we break ground.

Leif Haugen

Founder · Builder

Built wooden boats in Duluth for nine years before he framed a house. Still walks every site on Friday mornings with a level in his back pocket.

Since
2007
Lic.
MN BC-762418

Mai Vang

Estimating · Contracts

Prices every job line by line, straight from the drawings. If a number is going to move, she calls you before it does.

Since
2012
Cert.
Professional estimator

Abdirahman Farah

General superintendent

Twenty-two years running crews, from Rochester to Bemidji. Owns the schedule on every site, footing to keys.

Since
2014
Cert.
OSHA 30, lead-safe

Kari Brekke

Lead designer

Draws every Keel house and addition, and still sketches the first version by hand at your kitchen table.

Since
2016
Cert.
Building designer

Javier Montoya

Lead carpenter

Runs our framing crew of nine. His walls come in plumb within an eighth of an inch, and he checks every one.

Since
2011
Trade
Journeyman carpenter
LicenseMN Residential BC-762418
Insured$2M general liability
BondedCity of Minneapolis
Warranty2-yr workmanship + MN statutory

06E-001Estimate request

Ballpark it now. Fixed price after drawings.

Move the numbers and see what our last sixty jobs say a project like yours costs. Then send it to us with your details, and we'll call within one working day.

E-001Ballpark estimate · 2026 prices

What are you building?
2,200 ft²
Finish level
Ballpark, all in

$681,000to$832,000

On site 38–48 weeks

  • Design & permits$0
  • Site & foundation$0
  • Framing & shell$0
  • Mechanical, electrical, plumbing$0
  • Interior finishes$0
  • Contingency, 8%$0

A ballpark, not a quote. Your fixed price comes line by line after drawings.Send this to Keel

E-002Request a site visit

Site visits are free · We call back within one working day
Call the office(555) 016-2735
Office & shop2240 Kennedy St NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413
HoursMon–Fri 7:00–4:30
Saturday site visits by appointment