Stonewood, LLC

Having been in our home for roughly 9 months, I can say we’re incredibly pleased with the quality of the home that Stonewood builds. It’s easy to see how they have a reputation for being a premier custom home builder in the Twin Cities. With years of experience behind them, the Stonewood team works hard to ensure that your home fits your lifestyle and budget. Their attention to detail is unmatched in the industry, which is what initially led us to consider them. We enjoyed the building process from start to finish, and we appreciate the honest, ethical company that they are. We’d build again with them in a heartbeat, if the need arose.

First, Sven has a real vision of what it takes to build a lake from home. He is very involved up front to help develop the vision for the project and is available for questions once the project begins. Once the build starts though he's on to the next project. Reviews tend to be on the negative side but I do want to list out why I did not give 5 stars: First: We have had a punch list a mile long and even 15 months in we're struggling to make progress. I feel like the attention to detail happens more on parade homes. It is a little frustrating to have moved into this wonderful home and still have things unfinished. It will be 1.5 years before we have the construction dust washed off some of our windows. Second: Their budgeting and financial process was frustrating. I will admit that some of this is to be expected when you build a custom home, but from the day we received our budget to when we closed there were numerous costs uncovered that were either not clear to us, or a complete surprise. When it came to making changes, the costs were not fully estimated and we found ourselves with thousands in unexpected bills. We uncovered cost increases that were discussed among the trades and builder but not communicated to us until it was too late to make new selections. We were not happy to be surprised by a $50k bill upon closing that, despite every effort to stay on top of things, was completely unexpected. Even today, 15 months after closing, we are receiving random invoices for things that should have been resolved long ago. It's frustrating and creates mistrust with the builder. At this level of home you expect more from a builder. Maybe you have to spend over 5 million to get treated properly? I have been told Stonewood sticks with you years past closing and is happy to help with repairs or even refreshing your home. I will update the review over time as this is a big thing that sets them apart from most other builders. I will say they are finally making some progress on our year end punch list. They have painters come back in and touch everything up so that it looks like new. It feels like we have had painters in our house every day for the last 3 weeks, but I do admit the house looks better now than when we moved in. We do love our home. I do think Stonewood builds a good home and they have some really good people, but the lack of finishing detail combined with the financial confusions left us a bit frustrated and ignored. Perhaps this review can help you avoid some of the pitfalls we have experienced as we would still recommend them as a builder.

We've been working with Stonewood to provide home elevators for over 15 years. Sven and his team are great to work with and they do fantastic work!

Stonewood is an excellent builder who pays close attention to detail and works to ensure every client is happy with the results.

Stonewood is an outstanding builder with wonderful finishes. They are very committed to the client and it shows in every project.

My wife and I have had several houses built in the past and nothing compares with our experience at Stonewood. Sven and his team are a pleasure to work with. Their ultimate goal is that the home owner is completely satisfied with the end product. I would highly recommend Stonewood.

Stonewood, LLC was our builder of choice in the design and construction of a new custom built home on Lake Minnetonka, MN. Character, Quality, and Design were the main determining factors in our choice. They have an excellent reputation and VERY beautiful homes!

We have had the pleasure of partnering on many projects with the team at Stonewood. They have a wonderful web-based management system that allows subcontractors to always be updated on the latest selections, changes and progress of a job. It is a well oiled wheel that keeps everyone informed, including the client. If you are looking for a builder that builds beautiful homes with wonderful attention to detail, we would recommend Stonewood, LLC.

We have been designing homes for Stonewood and their clients for 9 years now and they have to be the most organized, technology forward, quality builder I have seen in 20 years of being in business. They personalize the process and are open to new creative, custom ideas. They are well respected within our industry. I love working with them!

After interviewing a number of builders we hired Stonewood to tear down our existing cabin/home and build on the site. We wanted a downsized home but with the luxury fit and finish found in much larger homes. We had a bit of a limited lot which was tricky. Our experience with Stonewood was OUTSTANDING! Their "standard" is higher than most giving us the ability to make a budget. Their process of making materials and design selections prior to starting insured that we had almost no overruns from our original budget. We were extremely happy with the end product and all of the people we worked with at Stonewood. We would build with them again in a heartbeat!

Stonewood helped design and they built our dream home on Lake Minnetonka. We tore down a 1940's home and built a 5,000 sq. ft. European Cottage. The craftsman Stonewood brought to the project created a home that to this day we could not be happier with. The design and quality were to a level that our home was voted the Dream Home for the Spring Parade of Homes in 2005. Working with Sven and his team made a complicated and emotional process seamless. The project came in on time and on budget. We have stayed in contact with Sven over the years and if I were to build another new home, I would not consider any other builder. Charlie and Roseanne Simpson

I hired Sven to build my "Dream Home" on Lake Minnetonka. He was honest, delivered as promised and produced a high quality product. He and his team were also very supportive after we closed taking care of the little adjustments you would expect with any new home. If I built another home, Sven would be at the top of my list for quality builders. DC