Van's Lumber & Custom Builders

This family-owned building company was founded in the early 1950s and has today become a lucrative, well-regarded business with an eye for quality and tradition.

Customers of Van’s Lumber & Custom Builders in Dyckesville, Wis. know they are getting the “whole package,” everything from expert crews and design service to custom building expertise and experience, when they hire the family-owned builder.
Now operated by two generations of the VandenHouten family, Van’s was founded in the early 1950s by Ray VandenHouten Sr. and his brother-in-law Mel Petinoit. VandenHouten, who had been operating a chicken hatchery, and Petinoit, a carpenter, teamed up after VandenHouten’s chickens were wiped out by disease and he was left with empty buildings. The two decided to use the buildings for a small lumberyard.
That small venture has become a lucrative, well-regarded business with an eye toward quality and tradition. Today, Van’s specializes in custom residential and light, commercial construction in northeast Wisconsin. The company still operates from the original location where Craig, Chris, Eric and Kurt VandenHouten’s grandfather started the business. The one-and-a-half acre site has now grown to approximately 15 acres. “This property has a lot of character,” explains Craig VandenHouten. “My office is in my grandfather’s old house.”
The tradition of excellence that Ray VandenHouten began in the 1950s still serves as the foundation of the company. Van’s is known for building some of the most exceptional new homes in Wisconsin’s Door, Kewaunee and Brown Counties.
“In Door County, many of the homes we build are vacation or retirement homes,” VandenHouten said.
Out-of-town customers who hire Van’s expertise benefit from the company’s one-stop-shop approach to building. Van’s has a lumber yard, window and door warehouse and mill shop.
“We have a nice niche for making our own special moldings,” VandenHouten said. “We have the ability to do unique cuts.”
The company also has an on-site building center, which serves as a convenient single source for windows, doors, roofing, siding and floor covering. The 4,000 sq. ft. space gives customers the opportunity to not only see but also touch the options that are available during the building process.
“They can operate a window they are considering or look at the siding,” VandenHouten said. “They can feel the hardware and the quality of the items.”
Van’s employs its own expert crews for framing, finishing, siding, roofing, laying carpet, vinyl, ceramic tile and marble and installing glass block. In addition, the company uses quality lumber from its own lumberyard.
The company also uses the same subcontractors – painters, plumbers and electricians – on each project.
 “We’ve developed strong relationships with the subcontractors we use and we stand behind their work as well as our own,” said VandenHouten. “We use our subcontractors on a daily basis. We feel like they are part of our family.”
The VandenHouten’s hold their vendors and subcontractors to the same quality standards they expect from their own crew.
“Our customers can rest assured that we stand behind our work, the work of our subcontractors and the products supplied by our outside suppliers,” VandenHouten said.
That level of customer service and reliability has given Van’s Lumber & Custom Builders the reputation of providing a superior home construction experience. It doesn’t matter whether Van’s is building a Showcase, Parade or custom home, the building process is always the same: First-rate.
Most of the company’s custom homes range from 1,500 sq. ft. to 8,000 sq. ft..
“We have two full-time designers/draftsmen on staff,” VandenHouten said. “A lot of people will bring in their dream home on a rough sheet of paper or they will take ideas from the Internet and bring them in. Our designers pull it all together to make it the ideal dream home.”
 Van’s sales team guides customers through the entire project and its on-staff interior designer assists with the final touches.
Custom homes represent only one of Van’s specialties. The company also focuses on remodeling and light commercial projects. Recent commercial projects include the Peninsula State Park Golf Course in Door County, Cooper’s Corner Wine Shop and The Cookery, a restaurant and wine bar, in the lakeside town of Fish Creek, Wisconsin.
“The Cookery burned down last year. When it was rebuilt, we added an observation deck and new siding made out of fiberglass which is environmentally friendly,” VandenHouten said. “We are proud that they selected us to be their builder.”
Additionally, Van’s recently completed Harbor Terrace, an eight unit condo project in Door County. The secured building includes indoor garages and picturesque views of Lake Michigan. 
The expert home remodeling arm of Van’s has seen an increase in projects since the federal government instituted tax incentives for energy efficient windows and doors. Many customers who have asked Van’s to build their custom vacation homes are now contacting the company to add a garage or extra space to their home, making the home more functional and better suited to their current needs.
One of the company’s most interesting remodeling projects included turning a round silo into a home.
“It was a challenge,” VandenHouten said. “We had to cut windows into the silo which was 16 inches thick. We also had to make the most use of space in the structure. We have now added onto the silo since the original project.”
The quality craftsmanship on every job Van’s completes helps to build a loyal customer base. The company also offers its customers a five-year warranty.
“We go beyond by adding a lot of custom touches, things that other builders don’t do,” VandenHouten said. For example, Van’s finishes the inside of a closet, an area that many builders leave unfinished.
Part of the company’s success stems from its dedicated employees.
“This is the true sense of a family business,” VandenHouten said. “People enjoy being here and that carries over to the work.”
Van’s is not an ordinary company but rather a one-stop-shop. Its longevity stems from its selection, detailed craftsmanship and top-notch quality.
“A lot of lumberyards have gone by the wayside but we have been able to survive,” observes VandenHouten. “You don’t see many builders who have been around as long we have.” CLT