One person to call. A small bench of good hands.
Grain Build & Wood is an owner-operated general contracting shop in Minnetonka, Minnesota. I’m Seth Dickenson — the person who answers the phone, walks the site, and signs the contract.
A builder’s shop, not a brokerage.
I started Grain Build & Wood as a one-person general contracting business because I wanted every project to actually be mine — not handed off to a project manager the homeowner had never met. Most of my work is remodeling: kitchens, baths, primary-suite additions, basement finishes, and whole-home renovations across the Twin Cities west metro. For the right project I’ll also build new homes.
Every job runs through me. I do the walkthrough, I put together the scope and the range, I pull the permits, and I’m on-site every day there’s work happening. I run a small, trusted group of subcontractors I’ve worked with for years — plumbers, electricians, cabinet makers, tile setters, finish carpenters — and on bigger projects I partner with an architect I’ve built with before. One contract. One point of contact. One person accountable.
The word “design-build” gets thrown around a lot. For me it means something practical: when you hire me, the person designing the project and the person building it are the same person. That removes the friction between a set of drawings and what actually gets framed up on site. It doesn’t mean I pretend to be a firm with in-house architects and interior designers I don’t have.
Four things I care about more than anything else.
Every project tests these in some form. I do my best to hold them.
Honest numbers.
I’ll give you a real cost range on day one — not after months of sunk design fees. If a budget doesn’t work for what you want, I’d rather say so early.
Basic to custom.
Not every project needs to be a custom kitchen with inset cabinetry and stone slabs. Sometimes the smart move is a cosmetic refresh that lasts ten years. I’m happy to run either kind of project.
The same person, start to finish.
You’ll see me at the first meeting, during demo, and at the final walk-through. No handoffs to a project manager you’ve never met.
Local by design.
I only take on what I can personally run. That’s usually about a twenty-mile radius from my shop in Minnetonka — the west metro and into Minneapolis.
Licensed, insured, and accountable.
Happy to share any of this documentation at our first meeting.
MN Lic. BC-123456
Minnesota Residential Building Contractor license, held in continuous good standing.
General Liability & Workers’ Comp
Full commercial general liability insurance and Minnesota workers’ compensation on every project.
Two-Year Workmanship Warranty
I stand behind the work for two years from substantial completion — longer on items covered by manufacturer warranty.