Custom Built-Ins in Zimmerman, MN
The garage entry is a pile of boots and backpacks, the basement is finished but bare, and the wall beside the fireplace has been waiting for shelves since you moved in.
Reply within one business day. Or call / text 763-204-2099.
Custom built-ins in Zimmerman, MN are built on site by JMB Builders, a licensed contractor based in Zimmerman: lockers and a bench at the garage entry, bookshelves beside a fireplace, window seats, and storage or a bar in a finished basement. Plywood boxes are screwed to the studs, scribed to the walls and floor, and finished with a face frame, base and crown that match your trim. Priced per project, quoted from photos.
- Priced per project
- Built on site, scribed to your walls
- Base and crown matched to your trim
Most Zimmerman homes from the 1990s and 2000s came with a garage entry and a coat closet rather than a mudroom, and a basement that was finished later or not at all. Those are where built-ins earn their keep. A row of lockers with a bench and a hook rail turns the landing inside the garage door into a drop zone. Shelves and base cabinets turn a bare basement wall into a family room.
We build in place. Plywood boxes go on a level toe kick, screwed to the studs and to each other. A face frame ties the boxes together, and the sides are scribed to walls that are never quite flat. Shelves get a hardwood nosing so they stay straight under books. Base and crown are run in the room's profile so the piece looks like it came with the house.
Basement built-ins often come up during a basement finish, sometimes alongside an egress window for a new bedroom. If the built-in needs lights or an outlet inside, the wiring is done by a licensed electrician, and we plan the chase before the boxes are built.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough: a reply within one business day, or ask for a free in-home estimate. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
What you supply
- A photo of the wall straight on with a tape across it, and the ceiling height
- Where outlets, registers, windows and doors sit on that wall
- Paint-grade or stain-grade, and open shelves or doors
- Hooks, pulls and any lights you have picked out
What JMB supplies
- A sketch to your wall with sizes, shelf spacing and doors
- Plywood boxes on a toe kick, screwed to studs and scribed to the walls
- Poplar or hardwood face frames, and shelves with a hardwood nosing
- Doors on concealed hinges and drawers where you want them
- Base and crown matched to the room's trim
- Openings cut for outlets and registers
- Painting is quoted as a separate line — or leave it primed and caulked and paint it yourself
- Photos of the finished built-in in your job folder
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos, with a reply within one business day. What moves the number:
- Wall width and the number of bays or lockers
- Open shelves vs. doors and drawers
- Paint-grade poplar and MDF vs. stain-grade hardwood plywood
- A bench with storage under it, or cubbies and a hook rail above
- Lights or outlets inside, wired by a licensed electrician
- Basement walls and floors out of plumb that need heavy scribing
A straight-on photo with a tape across the wall, the ceiling height and paint or stain is enough to sketch it.
How long it takes
A three- or four-locker bench at the garage entry: two to three days. A bookshelf wall with base cabinets: three to five days. Stain-grade adds time.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized reply within one business day. Prefer a look in person? A free in-home estimate is always an option.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Garage-entry lockers
Lockers with a bench and cubbies above, built where the garage door opens into the house. Hooks set between the dividers and room for a boot tray at the floor.
Fireplace bookshelves
Base cabinets with doors on each side of the fireplace and open shelves above, the heights tied to the mantel so the wall reads as one piece.
Basement wall storage or bar
Cabinets and shelves along a finished basement wall, or a bar back with a counter and open shelving above it.
Window seat
A bench under a window with a lift top or drawers, cased into the window trim so the seat and the window look built together.
Custom Built-Ins in Zimmerman, MN: questions, answered
Can you build a mudroom bench in a house that has no mudroom?
Usually. Most garage entries have a wall or a coat closet we can use. A closet can lose its doors, get its opening cased, and have lockers built inside it. Send a photo of the entry from the garage door and from the kitchen side.
Are basement built-ins built differently?
Basement floors are often out of level, and the walls may be furred out over the foundation. We set the boxes on a shimmed, leveled toe kick and screw into the framing, not the concrete. If the basement takes on water now and then, the bottom is raised off the floor or the kick is made of PVC.
Do I need a permit for built-ins in Zimmerman?
Cabinets and shelves on their own are not usually a permit item. Most cities require a permit for a basement finish and for new wiring. We check with the City of Zimmerman building department and pull the permit when the job needs one.
Can a built-in match the oak trim I already have?
Yes, in stain-grade. We build in oak plywood with solid oak face frames and edges, and stain to match a sample of your trim. Oak darkens and ambers with age, so the stain is tested on scrap next to the old trim before the built-in is finished. Staining is quoted as its own line.
How much do custom built-ins cost?
They are priced per project from the width of the wall, the number of bays, doors and drawers vs. open shelves, and paint-grade or stain-grade. There are no prices on this site. Send a photo with a tape measure across the wall and the ceiling height and we reply within one business day.
Do you build built-ins outside Zimmerman?
Yes. We are based in Zimmerman and build in Princeton, Otsego and the rest of the north metro and Twin Cities. Send a straight-on photo of the wall for a reply within one business day, or book a free in-home estimate.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners and the builders we work with. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
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Read morePage reviewed October 9, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All carpentry by city pages
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