About Todd Nelson

I grew up in Sioux Falls. Graduated from Lincoln High in 1994. My dad and grandfather put tools in my hands early, weekend projects around the house, fixing things, building things. That was just how our family operated.

Junior year I took a building trades course and something clicked. Watching a project go from nothing to finished, that was it for me. I knew what I wanted to do.

After Lincoln I went to Lake Area Technical Institute for the Building Trades Technology program and got my Certificate in Construction Management in 1996, then went straight to work. Two years at Beatch Construction learning residential and commercial finish work from the ground up. Nine years at Van Laar Construction building on that. By the time I landed at Lloyd Construction in 2007 I was running job sites, coordinating crews, managing timelines, making sure everything got done right. That role taught me as much about the business of building as any classroom could.

In 2011 I moved to Hilltop Custom Cabinets Doors and Trim. That is where the design side of the work really opened up for me. Some homeowners would walk me through their kitchen and say, "I want the sink right there, make the rest work around it." Others would say, "I can't move anything, just match what is already here." You figure out fast which problems need creativity and which ones just need precision. Most of the time it is both.

I also had the chance to work on several Parade of Homes builds over the years. Those projects push you. Every detail gets looked at. There is no hiding anything.

I left Hilltop in early 2020 to start Qualified Carpentry. It had been a dream of mine for a long time, to run my own operation, make my own calls, build things the way I believed they should be built. Starting a business right before a pandemic was not the plan. But we figured it out.

One project that still stands out: what started as a master bath renovation turned into a full home remodel before it was done. We rebuilt the master bathroom, added a powder bath, replaced the front windows and siding with new stonework, and built an 8 by 20 foot closet addition off the back of the house. Inside that addition went a three-quarter bath. Underneath it went a wine cellar with a barrel vault ceiling and plans for a thin brick finish to give it a real cellar feel. We also replaced the front entry with a custom eight-foot double-wide arched door. By the time we wrapped up, nearly every part of that house had been touched. That is the kind of project I like. One that requires you to think through how all the pieces connect, not just how each one looks on its own.

Outside of work, I am engaged and between us we have seven kids ranging from 12 to 32 and two grandkids. Life is full. I cook, I smoke meats, I like having people over. Same values my dad and grandfather passed down: take care of the people around you and do the work right.

That is what Qualified Carpentry is. Thirty-two years in the trade, built in Sioux Falls, and I still show up to every job myself.

Todd Nelson

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