Stumpfire Construction LLC · McMinnville, OR 97128

Built to last. Designed to free you.

Custom homes and small commercial structures built for longevity, energy independence, and fair value. Executive-managed construction from pre-construction planning through final walkthrough — with personally vetted crews held to an uncompromising standard.

Start Your Project Energy Sovereignty
20+ Years executive experience
100yr Build standard target
6 Counties served
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A home is the largest investment most families will ever make. It deserves to be built like it will outlast the mortgage — and the grid it sits on.
Longevity First
Every material decision, every system specified, every detail executed is evaluated against a 100-year standard. Not code minimum. Not budget-driven. Built to outlast.
Breathable, Responsible Building
We build assemblies that manage moisture passively — vapor-open WRBs, double wall construction, and passive solar orientation — so buildings breathe correctly with the seasons without depending on mechanical systems to stay healthy.
Energy Sovereignty
Grid dependence is a choice, not a necessity. Every home we build reduces energy demand through structural and passive design first — then layers in generation, storage, and backup for complete independence.
Fair Price, No Games
Energy-sovereign homes are for families who value independence — not just those with unlimited budgets. We build at a fair price because that's what the mission requires.

Your home. Your power.

Energy sovereignty means your home generates, stores, and manages its own power — independently of a grid that increasingly cannot be taken for granted. It is not a solar panel bolted on after the fact. It is a system designed from the foundation up, built around structural and passive strategies first, with mechanical and electrical systems sized correctly for what the building actually needs.

Stumpfire specializes in parcels of 2 acres or more — the minimum threshold where full utility independence is genuinely attainable. Well, septic, ground-mount solar, and the structural footprint for our wall systems all require land. If you have the land, we have the system. Remodels incorporating our energy stack are also available for existing homes on qualifying properties.

Passive Solar Orientation
Site and structure positioned to work with seasonal sun angles — reducing heating and cooling loads naturally
Well, Septic & Water Independence
Full utility-free capability — requires 2+ acre parcel for proper system separation and sizing
Double Wall Construction
Dual perimeter stud walls eliminate thermal bridging — high R-value without foam dependency
Structural Sheathing
Structural panel base that ties the wall together and adds a secondary layer of moisture protection
Breathable WRB Assembly
Vapor-open weather resistive barrier — moisture managed passively, no mechanical ventilation dependency
Wood-Burning Boiler System
Outdoor wood boilers (MadHatter and equivalent) — radiant heat, domestic hot water, and in-floor systems powered by locally sourced cord wood
Ground-Mount Solar Array
Independent of the roof — serviceable, expandable, and not tied to a 40-50yr roofing system's lifecycle
Battery Storage
24–72hr capacity to carry the home through outages and low-generation stretches
Backup Generator
Propane, gas, or diesel standby generation — sized to cover critical loads when storage runs low
Why ground-mount solar? Roof-mounted panels have a 20–25 year service life. We put 40–50 year roofing systems on our builds. Installing panels on a new roof means a foreseeable panel replacement — and roof penetrations — before the roof's life is half over. Ground-mount arrays are independent, serviceable, and never compromise the roof.

What Stumpfire Construction builds

Custom Homes

Fully custom residential construction designed around the way you want to live — with energy independence, longevity-first materials, and honest pricing built into the process from the first conversation.

Energy Sovereign · Longevity First
Pre-Construction Planning

Feasibility studies, site evaluation, budgeting, energy system planning, and material strategy — before a single permit is pulled. The decisions made in pre-construction determine whether a project succeeds or struggles.

Foundation
Small Commercial Buildings

Shops, offices, agricultural structures, and small commercial buildings designed for durability, low operating cost, and minimal long-term maintenance. The same longevity-first standard applied to every commercial scope.

Low Overhead · Long Life
Owner-Builder Support

For clients who want executive-level oversight and professional project management without giving up control of their build. We manage the process, the subcontractors, and the quality — you retain ownership of every decision.

Consulting
Remodels & Additions

Structural remodels, additions, and envelope upgrades for existing homes — including energy system retrofits, insulation improvements, and building envelope corrections that improve performance for decades.

Upgrade · Perform
Flagship Build
The Energy-Sovereign Custom Home

Stumpfire's signature offering — a fully custom home on 2+ acres designed for complete utility independence. Double wall perimeter construction, breathable vapor-open WRB assembly, passive solar orientation, ground-mount solar array, battery storage, backup generation, and full water independence through well and septic. Priced fairly for families who are serious about living this way.

What's included
Full custom design coordination · Double wall structural system · Breathable WRB assembly · Ground-mount solar array · Battery and backup generation · Well, septic, and water independence · Executive project management · Personally vetted subcontractor team
Why 2+ acres?
Full utility independence requires space — ground-mount solar arrays, well and septic separation, and the structural footprint to do it correctly. If you have the land, we have the system.

How a Stumpfire home gets built

Custom construction is a relationship, not a transaction. Here is how we manage that process from first conversation to final walkthrough — and beyond.

01
Discovery
First Conversation
We start with a real conversation — not a sales pitch. We want to understand how you want to live, what independence means to you, and whether Stumpfire is genuinely the right fit for your project.
02
Planning
Pre-Construction & Design
Site evaluation, feasibility, energy system planning, material strategy, and budget development — all completed before a permit application is filed. This phase is where cost control is actually possible.
03
Permitting
Permits & Approvals
We manage the permitting process with the jurisdictions across our service area — Yamhill, Washington, Polk, Marion, and surrounding counties. Oregon permitting timelines are real; we plan around them, not around optimistic guesses.
04
Builds
Build Phase
Executive project management throughout — subcontractor coordination, schedule management, quality oversight, and regular client communication. You know where your project stands at every stage.
05
Completion
Final Walkthrough & Handoff
Final inspection, systems commissioning, punch list completion, and a thorough walkthrough of every system in your home — including the energy stack. You leave knowing exactly how everything works.
06
Long Term
Maintenance & Relationship
We don't disappear after the handoff. Maintenance programs, warranty support, and an ongoing relationship that protects your investment — built on trust earned over time.

Twenty years of watching buildings succeed and fail taught me one thing: the decisions made before the first shovel matters more than anything that happens after it.

Stumpfire was founded by a construction executive who has worked at every level of the Pacific Northwest building industry — from crew leadership to company president. Two decades of running multi-million dollar projects, with a hands-on management style: on the jobsite, in the submittals, and personally accountable for the standard every subcontractor is held to.

Among a small number of Oregon contractors who earned the ICC N12 Standard Building Contractor certification in 2014 — a designation that requires demonstrated knowledge across building systems, codes, and construction science that goes well beyond the standard licensing threshold. Every Stumpfire project is managed to that standard.

Oregon CCB Licensed General Contractor — CCB #263177
ICC N12 Standard Building Contractor Certified — Earned 2014
OSHA 30 Certified — Construction Safety & Health
Eagle Scout — Boy Scouts of America
Black Belt — Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
B.S. Finance — Linfield University

Full background and career history on the About page.


Energy sovereignty should be accessible — not reserved for the few who can afford to overpay for it.

The construction industry has a habit of making high-performance building feel like a luxury. Stumpfire was built to change that in our market. Fair pricing means real profit for real work — not the lowest bid that becomes the most expensive project through change orders and corner-cutting.

The Wrong Way
Race to the Bottom
  • Lowball bid to win the job
  • Cut materials to protect margin
  • Change orders after contract
  • Energy systems added last-minute
  • Client surprised at final invoice
The Stumpfire Way
Fair & Transparent
  • Honest scope, honest price upfront
  • Materials specified for longevity
  • No surprises at invoice
  • Energy systems designed in from day one
  • What's in the proposal is what you pay

Rooted in Yamhill County, building across the region

Based in McMinnville, OR 97128 — Stumpfire builds custom homes and commercial structures across the greater Willamette Valley and coast range, within approximately one hour in any direction.

Yamhill County Home Base
Washington County
Polk County
Marion County
Clackamas County
Tillamook County

Bend Area: We selectively accept custom home and energy sovereignty projects in the Bend area when they align with our mission and project criteria. Reach out — we'll have an honest conversation about whether it makes sense.

McMinnville, OR
Willamette Valley & Coast Range

Let's talk about what you're building.

Every Stumpfire project starts with a real conversation. Tell us what you're thinking — we'll tell you honestly whether we're the right fit and what the path looks like from here.

Prompt response — every inquiry acknowledged within one business day
Honest assessment — no pressure, no pitch
Energy sovereignty expertise built in
Oregon CCB Licensed General Contractor
Fair price. Executive oversight. No shortcuts.

Project Inquiry

Your information is never sold or shared. Stumpfire Construction LLC · Oregon CCB #263177 · McMinnville, OR 97128