Van’s– A Proud History of Custom Home Building in Wisconsin.

A custom home contractor with deep roots in Door, Kewaunee and Brown Counties.

In the early 1950s, Ray VandenHouten Sr. and his brother-in-law Mel Petinoit founded Van’s Lumber. Although they knew that other small-town lumberyards were barely able to compete with their big-city counterparts, and despite the risk involved, the partnership between the two men seemed a natural choice. VandenHouten had been operating a chicken hatchery, and when his chickens were wiped out by disease, he was left wondering what he might do with his empty buildings. Petinoit was a carpenter by trade, and knew he could make good use of those empty buildings. Over the years, it became clear that the small lumberyard could compete, and even expand to a degree that the founders couldn’t imagine.

Today, Van’s Lumber & Custom Builders is owned and operated by two generations of the VandenHouten family –Ray VandenHouten Jr., and his sons: Eric, Craig, Kurt and Chris. Not just an ordinary lumberyard, Van's specializes in custom residential and light commercial construction, and still operates from the same property in Dyckesville. Ray Jr. is proud to continue the tradition of craftsmanship that sets Van's apart from other builders. “We are a pretty rare example in the construction industry. You just don’t see many builders who’ve been around as long as we have. Not only do we have years of experience under our tool belts, but we offer our customers the extra reassurance that we’ll be here to help them add to and improve their homes in the future.” Ray Jr. sums up the longevity and growth of the business simply, “When we build a home, we sell the whole package and we can offer a better price because we’re selling the whole package. With our own carpenters, the product we sell is the product we install.”

The “whole package” is available at Van’s. We put careful thought into the products we offer and we help you make your selections. We use our own expert crews for framing, finishing, siding, roofing, laying carpet, vinyl, ceramic tile and marble and installing glass block. We've developed strong relationships with the subcontractors we use and we stand behind their work as well as our own. We also offer expert design services to help you make choices for all aspects of your home, and a one-stop Design Center where you can conveniently browse all your options.

Start building your own custom tradition with Van's!