Where It Began
I've always liked making things.
Some of my earliest memories are of tagging along with my dad to job sites on the weekends. I was probably ten or twelve, and I loved being around the work.
By high school, I was taking every shop class I could and spending my evenings and weekends working in a custom cabinet shop.
Our school had a building trades program where students built an actual house each year. During my junior year, I helped build the cabinets as part of our cabinetmaking class.
The following year, my instructor came to me with a problem. Nobody had signed up for cabinetmaking, but the new house still needed cabinets. I'd already taken the class, so technically I couldn't take it again.
He found a way around that.
I spent the semester working on the cabinets by myself. I'm still not sure he was supposed to do that, but I'm glad he did.
How It Became Acacia
From building cabinets to building kitchens.
That love of making things never really went away.
There's something incredibly satisfying about walking into an old, tired room and imagining what it could become. And there's even more satisfaction in seeing that transformation happen.
Over the years, I realized I didn't want to be responsible for just the cabinetry. I wanted to be involved in the whole project, from the first ideas to the finishing details.
So I became a licensed general contractor and began taking on complete renovations.
Today, Acacia focuses on the work I know and enjoy most: kitchens, cabinetry, and the details that make a room come together.
The people around me.
Sara has a natural eye for how materials and finishes work together. When a project needs additional design guidance, she helps bring cabinetry finishes, countertops, colors, and hardware into a cohesive direction. She also lends a hand wherever she's needed.
And while Acacia began with my love of building things, the work today involves a team of people. Our team members coordinate projects and work alongside skilled trade partners to bring each renovation together.
Why It Matters
The part that matters most.
I still love seeing a finished kitchen. But what gives me the greatest satisfaction is seeing how happy someone is with what we've created together.
I love knowing they're proud of their home. That they'll invite family and friends over, gather around the island, and enjoy the space we've helped create.
I think about Sunday dinners, Christmas baking, quiet conversations over morning coffee, and desserts that turn into conversations lasting late into the evening.
We're not there for those moments. But knowing that something we built will become part of them means more to me than I can really explain.
The best part of what we build is what happens after we're gone.
You don't need the whole story figured out.
How we work together