SISTER LAKES — James Mummaw grew up working on odd and ends construction jobs during the weekends with his father.

In 2005, he decided to open his own construction company, Mummaw Construction LLC. For the past 14 years, he has worked out of his home and in a barn on his property. Soon, his company will have a permanent home.

In May of this year, Mummaw Construction bought a piece of land and announced it would be creating a permanent home in Sister Lakes at 93561 M-152. Originally from Benton Harbor, Mummaw moved to Stevensville and graduated from Lakeshore High School. Six years ago, he moved permanently to the Sister Lakes area with his wife, Katie.

“We just determined that it was time to buy a building,” Mummaw said. “We are going to stay here.”

As Mummaw Construction began hammering away on its new, 10,000-square-foot building, the foundation already felt like home. Mummaw’s grandparents have lived on Big Crooked Lake since 1954. Mummaw and his parents grew up visiting the Sister Lakes area. His wife also grew up on Magician Lake.

With their feet planted, Mummaw Construction LLC will continue to offer an array of construction and remodeling services.

Currently, Mummaw Construction LLC specializes in everything from kitchen remodels to small bathroom remodels, additions, construction on new homes and complete restoration.

“We like to do stuff that’s not so much plain Jane and stuff that has character,” Mummaw said. “It is not normal, something that’s a little higher end scale or custom job.”

The company’s slogan — “You Imagine. We Create.” — captures how Mummaw Construction LLC operates, Mummaw said.

“When I meet with a customer, they give me a general idea of what they want,” he said.  “They may not see that picture in the end, but my team, we make it happen.”

For Mummaw, his company is about building relationships and making friendships with their customers.

“It’s always nice to see the smile at the end, but it is building that relationship with the customer the whole way,” he said. “It’s not so much of you hired me, but we built a nice relationship through the whole project and became friends in the end.”

Mummaw does not expect the building to be finished until the summer of 2020, but he has plans to host a grand opening when it is completed. So far, the outside is almost 100 percent finished.

With the new shop located an eighth of a mile from Mummaw’s home, he spends morning, nights and holidays in the area, catering to the 75 percent of the company’s business from the Sister Lakes area. The other quarter of Mummaw’s business is from customers on the Lake Michigan shoreline.

“We are always around,” Mummaw said. “It’s nice to build a building like that in the community and have the community support you. We are here. We are not going anywhere.”