Homes by Tradition

What Homes by Tradition does

Homes by Tradition is a privately held boutique custom home builder founded in 2004 and headquartered in Lakeville, Minnesota, serving high-net-worth homeowners across the southern Twin Cities metro (Lakeville, Prior Lake, Edina, Minnetonka, Rosemount, Chaska, Inver Grove Heights, Mendota Heights, and Dakota County). The firm operates under legal entity Homes by Tradition LLC and holds Minnesota Residential Builder License #BC556362, with a stated headcount of 1-10 employees led by President/Owner Dean Nelson. Its core product is full-service custom home construction delivered through a documented seven-stage Design-Build Process that integrates architectural design, site analysis, budgeting, trade coordination, construction management, and post-close warranty support under one coordinated firm.

The company's product surface centers on three lines: Custom Home Building Services (one-off design and construction), the Build On Your Lot program (site-specific evaluation and construction on privately owned land including soil, drainage, utilities, zoning, and municipal compliance), and exclusive-builder status in the Reverence private acreage community (23 estate-sized lots near Lakeville/Prior Lake, with home packages starting at $1.4M+). The broader TRADITION network layers in-house mortgage, banking, title, and development services around the build, and the firm participates in Minnesota Green Path energy-efficiency certification. There is no software product, API, app, or proprietary technology platform; service delivery rests on in-house designers, project managers, and trade-partner coordination.

Revenue is generated entirely through one-time, project-priced custom home construction contracts with individual homeowners, with no recurring fees, subscription tiers, or third-party distribution. Pricing is quote-based and individually scoped per project, anchored by Reverence starting at $1.4M and typical south-metro custom builds running materially higher given allowances and acreage complexity. The go-to-market is consultative and sales-led, beginning with a design consultation and supported by digital content marketing (blog, Facebook, Instagram, Houzz, Pinterest, X), local SEO, earned media, and referral relationships; revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Homes by Tradition

Legal name

Homes by Tradition

Website

https://homesbytradition.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Homes by Tradition is a boutique custom home builder founded in 2004 in Lakeville, Minnesota, delivering integrated design-build services to high-net-worth homeowners across the southern Twin Cities metro and as exclusive builder in the Reverence private acreage community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Home Building Services

NAICS

New Single-Family Housing Construction (except For-Sale Builders) (236115)

akta.pro primary industry

Residential Luxury / High-End Home Construction (IMAFABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Custom Home Building (IMAFABAC)

Keywords

• Custom home building
• Design-build services
• Luxury home construction
• Residential construction
• Acreage home builder

Headquarters

HQ city

Lakeville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Custom Home Building & Construction: Full-service custom home building from initial consultation through design, construction, and post-close warranty. Revenue is generated through one-time custom home construction contracts with pricing based on scope, specifications, allowances, and site conditions. Homes are priced individually based on size, complexity, lot conditions, and material selections. The company also offers exclusive builder services in the Reverence private acreage community, with homes starting at $1,400,000.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Homes by Tradition is a boutique custom home builder that designs and constructs fully customized luxury homes for affluent homeowners in the southern Twin Cities metro area. Its core offering is an integrated seven-stage design-build service covering consultation, site analysis, architecture, budgeting, material selection, construction management, and post-close warranty support. The company also builds on privately owned lots and serves as the exclusive builder in the Reverence acreage community near Lakeville and Prior Lake.

Product overview

Homes by Tradition is a boutique custom home builder offering a unified design-build service for luxury homes in Minnesota. The core offering consists of Custom Home Building Services, the Build On Your Lot program for privately owned land, and the Reverence acreage community (where they serve as exclusive builder). All services are delivered through the company's structured seven-stage Design-Build Process, which integrates architectural design, site planning, budgeting, construction management, and post-close warranty support into a single coordinated experience.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Reverence: An acreage-living community where Homes by Tradition serves as the exclusive custom home builder. Located near Lakeville and Prior Lake in New Market Township, featuring estate-sized homesites.

Products and services

• Custom Home Building Services Full-service custom home building for affluent homeowners in the southern Twin Cities metro, covering design consultation, site analysis, architectural design, budgeting, construction management, and post-close warranty support through a structured seven-stage design-build process. Homes are individually scoped and priced based on size, complexity, lot conditions, and material selections.
• Build On Your Lot Custom home construction on privately owned land, including site evaluation for soil conditions, drainage, utilities, zoning compliance, and municipality requirements before design begins. Targeted at homeowners who already own a lot or acreage homesite in the southern Twin Cities metro.
• Reverence Community Custom Home Building Exclusive custom home building within the Reverence private acreage community, featuring 23 estate-sized lots with lake, wooded, wetland, and golf course views, HOA-maintained common areas, and individual well and septic. Home packages start at $1,400,000 and include site-specific architectural design and construction.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5.0-star Google rating and 4.9/5 Houzz rating based on 29 reviews
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TRADITION Network (In-House Services)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThrough the TRADITION network, Homes by Tradition offers a seamless, integrated book of services including in-house mortgage, banking, title, and development services. This integrated network differentiates the company from independent custom builders by providing coordinated services under the same organization.
• Minnesota Green PathcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHomes by Tradition participates in Minnesota Green Path, a program promoting energy-efficient home construction and transparent performance standards. Homes in the program are independently tested and rated to provide homeowners with verified information about energy performance, indoor air quality, and overall efficiency.
• Housing First MinnesotaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHomes by Tradition is affiliated with Housing First Minnesota, a professional organization representing residential builders and remodelers across the state. The organization promotes industry standards, education, and responsible building practices throughout Minnesota.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Toll Brothers: National luxury home builder with an active Minneapolis division. While much larger and operating across a broader portfolio, the Minneapolis operations overlap with Homes by Tradition's luxury custom segment.

Direct peers

• Highmark Builders: Minnesota-based custom home builder serving the Twin Cities with a design-build approach, on-your-lot construction, and luxury customization. Directly comparable in scope, geography, and target customer.
• ICG Homes: Twin Cities design-build custom home builder focused on luxury and architect-driven homes. Comparable in design-build methodology, target customer, and regional footprint.
• Wooddale Builders: Twin Cities luxury custom home builder with a long-standing reputation and similar design-build methodology. Competes for the same high-net-worth homeowners building on private lots in the south and west metro.
• Robert Boyd Homes: Minnesota luxury custom home builder emphasizing personalized service and high-end craftsmanship in the Twin Cities. Comparable boutique scale, custom build focus, and luxury clientele.
• Hartman Homes: Minnesota-based custom home builder serving the Twin Cities area with on-your-lot luxury construction. Comparable in geography, scale, and luxury custom positioning.
• Mueller Homes: Minnesota luxury custom home builder operating in the Twin Cities with a focus on design-driven, on-your-lot homes. Comparable boutique scale and luxury positioning.
• John Kraemer & Sons: Minnesota-based luxury custom home builder serving the Twin Cities metro with a similar high-end clientele and on-your-lot custom building model. Direct competitor in the same luxury segment and geography, both emphasizing craftsmanship and personalized design-build.

Emerging players

• Great Neighborhood Homes: Twin Cities area custom and semi-custom home builder. Comparable in regional focus but tends to operate at a slightly lower price point than Homes by Tradition's luxury segment.
• Shelter Architecture: Twin Cities architecture and design-build firm serving a similar high-end residential clientele with integrated design and construction services. Comparable in design-build integration, but smaller and more architect-led.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HomebyTradition
• Facebookfacebook.com/homesbytradition
• Instagraminstagram.com/homesbytradition
• Pinterestpinterest.com/homebytradition

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Homes by Tradition