About Us

Lumber One is built to serve you

Lumber One began in 1962, when Terry Schmid purchased a small lumber yard in Avon, Minnesota. From these modest beginnings, Terry quickly grew the company through honesty, integrity and dedication, and purchased the Cold Spring Lumber Yard in 1967. Twenty years later, the businesses rebranded as Lumber One, and our services now extend far beyond the lumber yard.

Under Terry’s leadership and, more recently, the leadership of his children, Barb and Ted, Lumber One has earned its reputation as one of the premier custom home builders in Minnesota. We offer comprehensive building, contracting and design services to help bring your vision to life.

A strong foundation

Now under the leadership of Terry’s children, Barb Brandes and Ted Schmid, Lumber One is known for expertise as leading Minnesota home builders for:

New Home Construction

Let Lumber One use our decades of experience to make your dream home a reality with our new home construction services.

Energy Efficient Construction

We’re proud to build with energy efficient materials to help minimize your carbon footprint and your energy bill.

Apartment Contractors

We have 40 years of experience in apartment, townhome and other residential complex construction.

Small/Large Scale Remodeling

From the early drafting stages to last-minute touch-ups and additions, Lumber One is with you every step of the way through your home remodeling project.

Commercial Construction

Building a bespoke business headquarters or expanding your current property? Let Lumber One handle all the details.

Move-in
Ready Homes

Whether you need a new home fast or simply recognize the convenience and benefits of a move-in-ready home, Lumber One has you covered.

Lumber One provides full-service building and contractor materials and services, including our lumber yard, interior design services, drafting, retail store with showroom and mortgage services.

Here at every step

Our hands-on leadership team is always ready and excited to hear about your project. CEO Barb Brandes and owner Ted Schmid have followed in the footsteps of their father, founder Terry Schmid, and are passionate about providing every client with the straightforward, high-quality service they deserve.

Barb Brandes

CEO

Barb started working part time at Lumber One – Avon in 1979 while still in high school. She joined the company full time in 1985 after graduating with a Business Management – Accounting degree from the University of St Thomas. Barb held various titles in the company before being named CEO in 2001. Today, Barb and her brother, Ted Schmid, run Lumber One and various associated businesses. Barb is actively involved in multifamily development and has coordinated the construction of over 5,000 housing units.

“At Lumber One, a family-run business, we strive to bring honesty and integrity to all our interactions with co-workers, customers and suppliers. It is simply expected that everyone conduct business with an open and honest manner. Your word or handshake to a customer represents the commitment and integrity at Lumber One, and the company will honor that commitment.”

Ted Schmid

Owner

Ted has over twenty years of experience in new single-family custom homes, production homes, and multifamily housing construction in the Midwest. Ted has helped develop and rezone agricultural property to single-family, multi-family and PUD properties, including the negotiation of tax increment financing. When not working, Ted can be found at the velodrome on his bicycle, hunting birds with his friends and son, and hanging out at the lake.

Our commitment to you

While our high standards and quality services speak for themselves, Lumber One’s dedication to honesty, integrity and neighborly customer service has people talking.

“We are building a home and have had a fantastic experience from start to finish. We are working with Jack Brandes and he makes us feel very comfortable with all our questions and we love his suggestions as he has an understanding of our modern likes. Thank you for the amazing work! Highly Recommended.”

Vienna Hansen

“Very friendly and knowledgeable people. All employees that weren’t busy with other customers greeted me. Were able to give quote that was understandable and broken down to price for each type of material needed including hardware. They offered to drive out to my place to get accurate measurements to help with planning my project.”

Tara Kardong

“We recently needed to replace our roof and decided to use Lumber One. From the minute we walked in the door, we knew this was who we would work with. The personal attention and professional advice was exactly what we were looking for. The project finished ahead of schedule, efficiently, and tidy the way I like it. Thank you Chuck and Jack for all your help.”

John Stuck

INTERESTED IN WORKING AT LUMBER ONE?