Major remodels
Kitchens, baths and whole-home updates for mountain and red rock homes, planned around the seasons instead of against them.
Service region · Up the hill from Peoria
Remodels & custom builds across Northern Arizona
Flagstaff, Sedona, Prescott and Payson. We are a Peoria shop that takes select projects up north, and we build them for the climate they live in, not the one we drove up from.
Flagstaff · Sedona · Prescott · PaysonLicensed AZ ROC #318269 / #243160Local, family-run in PeoriaFinancing availableFree in-person consultation
Honest framing
A Valley builder, up the hill
Straight talk first: Kelso Custom Builders is based in Peoria and most of our work is in the Valley. We take a limited number of Northern Arizona projects, the ones where the scope, the schedule and the client make the drive worth doing right.
When we do come up, the whole standard comes with us. Mark prices the job, plans it and runs it. One builder accountable from the first walkthrough to the keys, whether the site is in Peoria or under the peaks.
- Select projects, taken for fit, not volume
- Licensed AZ ROC #318269 and #243160
- Owner-run from consultation to walkthrough
- Engineered for snow, frost and monsoon, as the site requires
Built for the climate
What we build up north
Four services, altitude included
The same four service lines we run in the Valley, detailed for the high country. Tap a quote button and the form is already set to Northern Arizona.
Home additions
More room at the family place: great rooms, bunk space and suites tied properly into the existing structure and roofline.
ADUs & guest homes
Guest cabins and casitas with their own entry, built tight enough to sit empty through a hard winter without complaint.
Custom homes
Ground-up builds in the pines or against the rock, engineered for the climate they live in from the footings up.
Signature guide
The town & season guide
Four towns, four different builds, one honest calendar. Pick a town to see what building there actually involves and how the year shapes the schedule.
Flagstaff & Coconino County
Flagstaff is a different build from the Valley, and it should be. Snow loads and frost depth drive different structural detailing: roofs framed for snow that sits, foundations carried below the frost line, and an envelope built to hold heat through real winters.
- Roof structure sized for snow country, not borrowed from the Valley
- Footings set below frost depth, per the engineering
- Insulation and air sealing treated as structure, not trim
- A schedule written around winter, not surprised by it
The build year in FlagstaffMonsoon runs roughly mid-June to September
WinterSnow can idle exterior work, so interior phases carry the season.
SpringPrime time to break ground once the freeze lets go of the soil.
MonsoonAfternoon storms. Pours and dry-in happen early in the day.
FallThe push: dried in and weather-tight before the first real snow.
Sedona & the red rock
Sedona work is about restraint. The landscape is the show, so colors, rooflines and materials need to sit quietly against the rock. Add sloped view lots and tight site access, and planning earns its keep before the first wall moves.
- Palettes and materials chosen to sit with the red rock, not against it
- View lots planned around terraces, decks and window placement
- Site access and staging worked out before demo day
- Outdoor rooms placed for shade and the long views
The build year in SedonaMonsoon runs roughly mid-June to September
WinterCool and mostly workable. A strong season for interior phases.
SpringThe best building weather of the year. Book it early.
MonsoonStorms run off the rock fast. Drainage detailing earns its keep.
FallPrime season again, and the busiest. Plan ahead.
Prescott & the pines
Prescott mixes pine country with a genuine historic core, which means two kinds of care: older homes remodeled with respect for how they were built, and newer work detailed for four real seasons.
- Older-home remodels that respect the original structure
- Four-season detailing: real heat, real cold, real rain
- Additions tied cleanly into established rooflines
- Concrete and exterior work planned around cold snaps
The build year in PrescottMonsoon runs roughly mid-June to September
WinterCold snaps and occasional snow. Concrete waits for the right window.
SpringFraming season in the pines. Exterior work opens back up.
MonsoonAfternoon rain means morning work. The sequence flips, not stops.
FallCrisp and productive. The finish push happens here.
Payson & the Rim
Payson sits under the Mogollon Rim, and Rim country weather calls the shots. The build year runs on windows: when the weather opens, site work and structure move fast, and the house is buttoned up before it closes again.
- Schedules built around Rim country weather windows
- Cabins and family places built to be left alone between visits
- Roofs and flashing detailed for heavy afternoon rain
- Structure first, fast, while the weather holds
The build year in PaysonMonsoon runs roughly mid-June to September
WinterThe Rim calls the shots. Interior phases carry the season.
SpringThe window opens. Site work and foundations go first.
MonsoonHeavy afternoon rain on the Rim. Roofs and flashing come first.
FallDry, cool, ideal. We schedule hard into it.
Honest footnote: we are based in Peoria and take select projects up north. If yours is one of them, Mark will tell you straight at the free consultation. If it is not, we will say that too.
Up north, weather sets the schedule. We plan for it.
Monsoon season runs roughly mid-June to September, and winter closes the high country early. We sequence pours, framing and dry-in around both, so the weather costs days, not months.
Snow country detailing
Framed for snow, founded below frost
In Flagstaff and across Coconino County, snow loads and frost depth drive structural detailing you simply do not need in the Valley. Roofs carry snow that sits for weeks. Footings go below the frost line so the ground cannot move them. The envelope has to hold heat when the job of the house is to be warm.
None of that is exotic. It is engineering, done in the drawings before it is done in lumber, and then built by a crew that does not cut the cold-weather corners.
- Roof framing engineered for the snow it will carry
- Foundations set below frost depth
- Envelope, insulation and flashing detailed for freeze and thaw
- Materials staged so weather windows are not wasted
Snow country
FAQ
Northern Arizona questions, answered
Do you really take jobs in Flagstaff or Sedona?＋
Yes, select ones. We are based in Peoria and most of our work is in the Valley, so we only take Northern Arizona projects we can run properly: the right scope, a realistic schedule, and a client who wants one accountable builder. When it fits, Mark runs it himself, same as any Valley job.
What changes about a build in snow country?＋
The structural math. In Flagstaff and Coconino County, snow loads and frost depth drive different detailing than the Valley: roof framing sized for snow that sits, foundations set below the frost line, and a tighter building envelope. We design and build to what the mountain actually requires, not to Valley habits.
When is the best time to start a project up north?＋
Earlier than you think. Winter is the right season for design, drawings and permits, so dirt can turn as soon as the weather opens. Monsoon season, roughly mid-June into September, brings afternoon storms that we schedule around rather than fight.
Which Northern Arizona towns do you cover?＋
Flagstaff, Sedona, Prescott and Payson are the core of it. If your project is near one of those, call and we will give you a straight answer on whether it is a fit.
Service areas
We build in the Valley, first
Based in Peoria, building across the Valley and up north.
Have a project up north worth doing right?
Book a free consultation. Mark will give you a straight answer on whether your Northern Arizona project is a fit, and what the mountain will ask of it.