In the News
Builder of the Year Awards
‘Builder of the Year’ is the most coveted distinction a member of Housing First MN can receive. This honor recognizes trust, communication, ethics, and customer satisfaction. John Kraemer & Sons is the only four-time winner of this award. We were named Builder of the Year in 2017, 2013, 2009 and 1999, and runner-up in 2008 and 1997.
In 2021, Housing First MN named Gary Kraemer its 2021 Housing Industry Leader of the Year.
John Kraemer & Sons has been named Edina’s Best Builder by Edina Magazine for 12 years in a row (2012-2023). We have also won multiple Best Builder and Best Remodeler awards from Southwest Metro Magazine and Lake Minnetonka Magazine.
NARI MN CoTY Awards
In addition to our dozens of regional Contractor of the Year (CoTY) awards, John Kraemer & Sons has also earned National CoTY awards.
Region 3 North Central, Entire House over $1,000,000 – 2022- MN Gold, Entire House over $1,000,000 – 2021
- MN Silver, Residential Detached Structure – 2021
- Regional Residential Addition Over $250,000 – 2019.
See before/after photos here. - National Best in Show, Residential Interior – 2018
- MN Best in Show, Residential Interior – 2018
- Best Residential Detached Structure – 2018
- Best Historic Renovation – 2017
- Best Historic Renovation – 2016
- MN Best of Show, Historic Renovation – 2016
- Regional Best of Show, Historic Renovation – 2016
- National Best of Show, Historic Renovation – 2016
Region 3 North Central, Entire House over $1,000,000 – 2022
Best Historic Renovation – 2017ROMA Awards
Remodeler of Merit Awards (ROMA) are sponsored by Housing First Minnesota. John Kraemer & Son’s recent ROMA awards include:
- Best Secondary Structure – 2021
- Best Kitchen over $115,000 – 2019
- Best Lower Level over $125,000 – 2019
- Total House over $800,000 – 2019
- Best Kitchen over $100,000 – 2015
- Best Bathroom under $50,000 – 2015
Best Secondary Structure – 2021
Gary, John, and Jeff Kraemer with their 2017 Builder of the Year Award from Housing First MN
In the Press
July 2023: We are thrilled to announce we were named both “best builder” and “best remodeler” in the Edina Magazine poll. Readers of Lake Minnetonka Magazine also voted John Kraemer & Sons “best builder” and we tied for “best remodeler” in their annual poll. We are humbled by the vast network of friends and clients who continue to vote for and support us, year after year. Thank you!
May 2023: So amazing to have a John Kraemer & Sons home featured in Architectural Digest as Bringing Healthy Living Home.
May 2023: Artful Living magazine profiled a gorgeous house that we had the honor of constructing. Tour a Lake Minnetonka Legacy Home by John Kraemer & Sons.
April 2023: Midest Home magazine featured this stunning Wayzata Bay new home.
December 2022: Mpls. St. Paul Magazine featured John Kraemer & Sons as “The face of luxury home building” for the sixth consecutive year.
December 2022: Our Wayzata Bay Coastal project won the top award “Best in Show” at this year’s Midwest Home & Design Awards for the architects at the Alexander Design Group, Inc.
July 2022: John Kraemer & Sons was the builder for the team that re-imagined this young family’s gorgeous new home in MSP Home & Design’s “A Canvas for Living”.
September 2021: Our method for fulfilling a client’s wishes was beautifully laid out in Artful Living’s article “John Kraemer and Sons Creates a Modern Artisan Rambler”.
Summer 2021: A John Kraemer & Sons project was featured in one of our favorite magazines, and even made the cover! Check out this edition of MSP Home & Design.
June 2021: The StarTribune newspaper’s Sunday Homes section profiled “Modern whimsy on Lake Minnetonka” about a home on this month’s Artisan Home Tour that was built by John Kraemer & Sons. Read the full story.
October 2020: Minnesota Monthly listed John Kraemer & Sons as one of their “Best of Minnesota 2020: Readers Choice” winners.
July 2020: Lake Minnetonka Magazine explains “How Lake Minnetonka’s Best Builder is Keeping Up with Sustainable Home Trends.” Read the story.
June 2019: KARE 11’s Pat Evans visits Home #2 on the 2019 Artisan Home Tour built by John Kraemer & Sons and interviews John Kraemer. Watch the interview.
March 2019: Artful Living Magazine profiles “John Kraemer & Sons Crafts a Modern French-Inspired Abode.” Read the story here.
June 2018: KARE11 TV’s Lee Valsvik visits Home #19 on the 2018 Artisan Home Tour built by John Kraemer & Sons and interviews John and Gary Kraemer. Watch it here.
November 2016: The StarTribune’s Sunday Homes featured a home John Kraemer & Sons built on “the most complicated lot in Minneapolis.” Read the full story.
June 2016: WCCO 4’s Natalie Nyhaus visits a 2016 Artisan Home Tour solar-powered home that John Kraemer & Sons built along Lake Calhoun. Watch it here.
Online…
February 2023: Marvin Windows profiled a John Kraemer & Sons project in “A GLASS HOUSE ON THE WATER: How architects and builders solved the challenge of crafting a structurally sound glass house.
June 2020: The award-winning home and garden blog Home Stratosphere profiled a “Sumptuous Northern Wisconsin ‘Cabin’ by John Kraemer and Sons.” Find out more.
November 2019: Manomin Resawn Timbers profiles John Kraemer & Sons as a Minnesota Builder to Know. Read more.
June 2018: Home Builder Digest posts a list of the best luxury home builders in all 50 states. We are proud to represent Minnesota. See the list here.
December 2016: “Welcome Home: The Most Popular Exteriors on Houzz in 2016” Houzz.com features over 12.5 million photos, and we are thrilled to announce that we had “far and away” the #1 most popular exterior photo on all of Houzz this year!!! Check it out here.
February 2016: “Behind the awards and the amazing custom homes, there is a fantastic story about John Kraemer & Sons.” Architectural Filmmaker Ryan Siemers releases a gorgeous online video called “John Kraemer & Sons: A Story Behind Every Home.” Watch it here.
December 2017: This video about the construction of the 2017 ASID Showcase Home shows the close collaboration required between John Kraemer & Sons, the architect, and the homeowners when creating a dream home.
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