Meet the Kuntzs
The story of Custom by Kuntz begins far before the first home project—because the business has been brewing since Matt and Juli met in 2010. After becoming high school sweethearts at Simley High School, Matt headed to UW-Madison to study Mechanical Engineering and Juli pursued a degree in English Education at the University of Minnesota. While both of these professions sound universes away from home renovation, design, and property management, Matt’s technical mind and Juli’s passion for helping and guiding others have always been core to their identities.
Both Matt and Juli began working in their degree-earning fields. Needing an extra challenge, they also began purchasing duplexes to flip, live in, and rent out. What started as a hobby for Matt to release his passion for construction and building (in a way he couldn’t as an engineer) began to build (literally!) as Matt and Juli realized the synergy between Matt’s natural construction prowess and Juli’s vision for home design.
Custom by Kuntz officially launched in 2018 as a business focused on custom woodworking, operating out of a shed in Matt and Juli’s backyard, heated only by a 1800’s wood burning stove and lit by a single exposed light bulb hanging from the ceiling.
With local success, Matt and Juli continued to renovate their own properties. Friends and family began to take notice of their remodels, including hand-stained floor-to-ceiling wood walls, bathroom vanities made by restoring old dressers, and quirky office nooks built into the tiniest spaces of their 1800’s St Paul homes.
After helping loved ones with small design projects and remodeling, Matt and Juli discovered that this work brought out each of their best strengths and qualities: Matt’s spatial talents, natural technical inclinations, and unstoppable work ethic, and Juli’s eye for design and love for organization.
With the birth of their first child, Sadie Lee, Matt took the leap of leaving his 9-5 engineering career to pursue his general contractor’s license in 2021 and do “small home renovations” for clients while watching baby Sadie. Small home renovations snowballed into full kitchen, bathroom, and basement renovations, and the part-time work expanded into full-time before Sadie could even walk—daycare for Sadie quickly followed :)
From there, the business continues to expand. With numerous flips, built-ins, and home renovations, Custom by Kuntz has grown beyond the shed in the backyard. It has developed into a family business, with Matt and Juli at the helm and their two children, Sadie and Elijah, growing up alongside, and within, each of these properties. Beyond biological family, Custom by Kuntz has grown to include an incredible “family” network of subcontractors to support each step in the home renovation project: from professional framers to quartz countertop specialists.
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Matt Kuntz
CEO / FOUNDER
Matt is a General Contractor and Real Estate Redevelopment Expert, but he began his career as an engineer. With a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from UW-Madison, Matt worked as a Project Manager and Operations Engineer in energy refining for 6 years before obtaining his General Contractor’s license. Matt brings exceptional spatial reasoning and structural design prowess which he developed during his time as an Engineer. His ability to anticipate potential roadblocks throughout a renovation project and brainstorm creative solutions sets him apart in the construction management world, and he always does so with an aesthetic eye rooted in…math! Most importantly, Matt brings a genuine appreciation for detailed design and planning, and a passion for listening to and working with his clients.
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Juli Kuntz
COO / FOUNDER
At Custom by Kuntz, Juli is a Design Consultant and RealtorⓇ, but her experience and credentials extend beyond real estate! With a M.Ed in Education from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and a background as a Language Arts Teacher, Juli brings a unique fusion of skills to the business. As a former educator, she is passionate about guiding clients step-by-step throughout the home process, whether they are buying, selling, renovating, or all three!
Juli has an eye for design and is able to perfectly visualize a space before breaking ground. She loves working with clients to refine their vision and turn their goals into a reality through collaborative decision-making.
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Sadie Kuntz
CCO (Chief Cuteness Officer)
Sadie is an original Custom by Kuntz team member!
Early clients recall baby Sadie on the job-site, Matt carrying her around in her infant seat while giving quotes or looking at potential projects (and although not explicitly proven, her cuteness helped Matt win the bid more than once!)
From holding a hammer, sitting patiently in the workshop, or riding along for material pick ups, Sadie has assisted on many renovation projects!
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Eli Kuntz
Assistant to the CCO
Eli is the newest member of the Custom by Kuntz crew!
He is less than a year old, but he has already lived through a home addition—-with minimal crying!
His infectious smile and fascination with power tools make him an MVP, and he keeps morale high even when making Matt and Juli a little sleep deprived!