Custom Homes in white bear lake
Our Process,
Made Personal
Build Your Dream Homes Without Feeling Overwhelmed
Our clients love that they work directly with us on everything from design to construction, for a truly personal building experience. Skip the production line and create a home that reflects and serves you!
Handcrafted & Thoughtfully Designed
We're a hands-on, boutique custom builder creating thoughtfully designed, handcrafted homes in the Twin Cities’ northeast metro. We treat every home like it's our own — perfecting the floor plan, obsessing over tiny details, and doubling down on quality standards. By taking on a smaller number of projects each year, we can give each home the attention it deserves.
Our clients love that they work directly with us on everything from design to construction, for a truly personal building experience. Skip the production line and create a home that reflects and serves you!
What Our Clients Have to Say
Testimonials
Adam & Anne
Zgia & Dave
Ben & Emily
Dave & Sue
“Working with Prairie Homes was a wonderful experience from start to finish—Nick and Cait listened to our vision, guided us through design decisions with expert advice on budget and value, and made the process genuinely enjoyable. They completed our remodel on time and on budget, transforming our late-1990s home beyond what we even imagined. If we were to do it all over again, we wouldn't change a thing!”
Jack and Traci Sundstrom
Our Process
We keep things simple, organized, and enjoyable.
01. Connect
Submit an inquiry form on our website. We'll reach out to discuss your timeline, project overview and budget. We'll discuss rough numbers of what we predict it might cost, and setup a time to meet in person and tour our model home.
02. Sign Design Agreement
Sign the Design Agreement and submit the design deposit. This gets you a full set of plans and reserves a spot on our build calendar.
03. Floor Plan Design
This is where we get into the details and create the perfect plan for your lot, lifestyle and budget. When the plan is complete, we'll get bids and provide you with a more exact total.
04. selections
Time for the fun details — selections! This is where we'll help you pick out tile, flooring, paint, etc. We'll keep your allowances in mind and guide you along the way.
05. Begin Construction
Depending on the floorplan this can take 5-7 months. You'll have weekly updates from Nick and scheduled walk-throughs during the build.
06. Move-In Day
Welcome home! We'll do a thorough orientation and punch-list before we hand over the keys.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here’s what you can expect when working with a small, hands-on custom builder like us.
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As a custom builder, our homes vary in price based on land prep, layout, finishes, etc. In general, our homes start around 550K for the build only, which reflects the base cost to build a high-quality, custom home that meets our standards for craftsmanship.
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We generally stick within 30 minutes of Hugo, with a focus on the Northeast Metro.
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Our clients typically take out a construction loan or pay cash for their new home. We have a list of lenders we recommend if you need suggestions.
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We like to plan for 2-3 months for designing the floor plan, making selections and getting permits, and 5-6 months for construction.
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We have a variety of floorplans you can use for inspiration or a starting point, but we always customize based on your lot requirements, budget/lifestyle needs and personal style. Or, our drafter can start your plan from scratch!