About Cornerstone Design + Build
Founded in 2011, Cornerstone has completed 180+ Twin Cities remodels with MN Residential Building Contractor licensure, EPA Lead-Safe certification, NAHB + NARI membership, and a 2-year craftsmanship warranty on every project.
Sam Reyes started Cornerstone in 2011 after seven years inside a Twin Cities remodeling franchise — watching the same pattern repeat: customers sold designs that exceeded their budget by 40% with no early warning, hand-offs lost between the architect and the GC, pre-1978 homes renovated without EPA RRP certification, and warranty claims fought over instead of honored.
Cornerstone was built around three commitments: design and build under one contract (one point of accountability), budget-realistic 3D renderings before any commitment (no surprises at month four), and EPA Lead-Safe certification on every pre-1978 home. Those commitments have not changed in 15 years, and they are why our average client returns for a second project within 3-5 years.
15 years of growth in Greater Minneapolis, built entirely on referrals and repeat customers.
Sam Reyes launches Cornerstone with a designer, a project manager, and one field carpenter out of an Edina office. Early focus is kitchen and bathroom remodels for Edina + St. Louis Park homeowners. First clients come from neighborhood referral chains in the 50th and France district.
Sam earns Minnesota Residential Building Contractor License #BC742381 from MN Department of Labor and Industry — required for any residential remodeling project over $15,000. Cornerstone completes its first whole-home renovation (a 1953 Wayzata rambler) the same year.
Cornerstone earns EPA Lead-Safe Firm certification (NAT-F093417). Required for any work disturbing more than 6 sq ft of paint in pre-1978 homes. Twin Cities core neighborhoods (Linden Hills, Lowry Hill, Powderhorn) all have significant pre-1978 stock — the credential becomes essential for the core market.
Cornerstone joins the National Association of Home Builders (Remodelers Council) and the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (Minnesota chapter). Sam earns the NAHB CGR (Certified Graduate Remodeler) credential and Chris Tran joins as lead estimator.
Cornerstone completes its first $300,000+ second-story addition — a Minnetonka rambler with a full master suite, two new bedrooms, and a third bathroom added above the existing footprint. The project becomes a portfolio anchor and drives a wave of similar addition inquiries.
Cumulative completed projects cross 150 across Hennepin, Ramsey, Dakota, and Anoka counties. Team grows to 11 full-time staff (designers, project managers, carpenters) plus a network of licensed sub-trades. First Mpls/StPaul Magazine Best Of recognition.
VantaWeb's Anna AI takes over inbound calls 24/7 — booking design consultations on first contact, pre-qualifying budget and timeline, routing lead-safe (RRP) calls correctly, and capturing insurance restoration inquiries. After-hours consult booking goes from 22% to 99%. Average call-to-consultation time drops from 9 days to under 5.
Cornerstone has been on Twin Cities job sites long enough to remember when France Avenue was sleepier and the Pillsbury A-Mill was abandoned. Being local is not a marketing line — it is where Sam coaches youth hockey at the Edina Ice Arena and where Maria runs the Twin Cities Marathon every fall.
Community work is kept practical and repeatable, not performative.
Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity partner — Free design and construction of one ADU per year on a Habitat for Humanity property in the Twin Cities. Materials donated through manufacturer partner programs (Andersen Windows, James Hardie siding, Mohawk flooring).
Second Harvest Heartland annual drive — Company-wide food drive every November. 2024 drive collected 2,100 lbs of non-perishables. Every staff member participates and the company matches contributions.
Domestic Violence Network safe-housing renovation — Free aging-in-place renovations for survivors of domestic violence transitioning into long-term Twin Cities housing through the Domestic Violence Network. 3-4 households served annually.
Dunwoody College apprenticeship program — Three paid apprenticeship slots per year in partnership with the construction sciences program at Dunwoody College of Technology. Four current carpenters came through this pipeline.
The people who set the standards every project manager and carpenter follows on every job.
19 years in residential design-build, the last 15 as founder of Cornerstone. Sam started the company in 2011 after seven years working for a Twin Cities remodeling franchise — watching customers get sold designs that exceeded their budget by 40%, hand-offs lost between architect + GC, and pre-1978 homes renovated without EPA RRP certification. He built Cornerstone around three commitments: design and build under one contract, budget-realistic 3D renderings before any commitment, and EPA Lead-Safe certification on every job in a pre-1978 home. Based in Edina.
13 years in construction operations, joining Cornerstone in 2014 after running project management for a Twin Cities commercial GC. Maria oversees scheduling, sub-trade coordination, Buildertrend integration, and the design-to-build hand-off workflow that has eliminated the most common cause of cost overruns. She introduced the design + estimate package included with consultation. Lives in Eden Prairie.
15 years on Twin Cities remodels, the last 9 with Cornerstone. Chris leads the estimating team and acts as field manager for the largest addition and whole-home projects. He has personally estimated and managed 120+ Twin Cities remodels and is the go-to for complex structural projects (load-bearing wall removal, second-story additions, foundation repairs). Based in Minnetonka.
Every team member is a direct Cornerstone employee — no day-labor, no flip-style outsourcing. MN RBC license numbers are verifiable at the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry website.
Learn more about VantaWeb's AI receptionist platform and how it compares to alternatives.
VantaWeb builds and launches your design-build site in 7 days. Anna captures project scope, qualifies budget and timeline, routes lead-safe (RRP) calls, and books design consultations directly into your calendar — so your team can focus on the design and the build.
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