Why Michel Todd Started This Company
Michel Todd started Rainwood Kitchen Craft Co in 2003 after spending the previous decade doing finish carpentry and rough framing for larger general contractors throughout the Portland metro area. He knew the work. He also knew what happened when a project manager with no field experience tried to coordinate a crew they hadn’t built trust with.
The problem he kept seeing wasn’t the physical work. It was the gap between what homeowners were told and what was actually happening inside their houses. A low quote that didn’t include the permit. A change order delivered after demo started, when the homeowner had no leverage. A project manager who hadn’t been to the job site in two weeks telling a homeowner things were on track when they weren’t.
He started this company around a simple idea: the person who quotes the kitchen should be the person who builds it. Twenty-plus years later, that’s still how we operate. When you call us, you’re calling the contractor. When we walk your kitchen, that’s the person holding the tools.
What Makes Us Different From Most Portland Contractors
These aren’t marketing claims. They’re the specific things that have made our projects go well and made other contractors’ projects go badly.
The people who walk your kitchen are the people who build it. We don’t hand off to subcontractors you haven’t met after you sign. We use trusted licensed tradespeople for electrical and plumbing work — people we’ve worked with for years — but project responsibility stays with us throughout.
When we open a wall and find something unexpected — knob-and-tube wiring, dry rot, a structural condition we didn’t know about — we stop. We photograph it, call you, show you what we found, and don’t proceed until you’ve given written approval. Nothing proceeds beyond the original quote without your sign-off.
Every quote breaks down labor, materials, permits, and a contingency range as an actual dollar figure — not buried in a markup, not described as “additional costs may apply.” You know the outer edge of the project before you sign. See our cost guide.
We manage the Portland Bureau of Development Services permit process from application through final inspection. We apply before ordering materials. You don’t deal with BDS directly. See our permits guide.
Knob-and-tube wiring, balloon framing, cast iron drains, dry rot behind the sink — we’ve opened enough Portland walls to know what’s there before demo confirms it. We quote for it before you sign, not after we find it.
Oregon CCB #239013, active and in good standing. Verify at oregon.gov/ccb before signing anything with us or anyone else. We carry general liability and workers’ compensation on every project. See our guide on how to hire a contractor.
Over 20 Years of Building Kitchens Across Portland
We’ve worked in SE Portland bungalows where the original builder hadn’t touched a wall since 1924. We’ve worked in Dunthorpe estates with custom cabinetry and structural engineering. We’ve worked in North Portland brick ranches where the first surprise was a 60-amp panel nobody mentioned. In every case, the approach is the same: assess the actual home, quote what we find, get your sign-off before anything changes, build it to pass inspection. See our case studies and process guide.
Why Local Knowledge Actually Matters
A contractor who learned their trade in Phoenix or Dallas doesn’t know what’s inside a 1922 Irvington Victorian. They don’t know that balloon framing means the kitchen-dining wall is very likely carrying a floor load from above. They don’t know that knob-and-tube behind the sink cabinet is still live and that a Portland BDS kitchen permit that alters wiring brings an electrical inspection of that work.
We’ve been opening Portland kitchen walls since 2003. The conditions we find — dry rot, cast iron drain at end of service life, the load-bearing wall nobody knew was structural — stopped surprising us a long time ago. They surprise the homeowner, and sometimes the other contractor. They don’t surprise us.
Knob-and-tube, cast iron drains, balloon framing, load-bearing kitchen walls. SE and NE Portland homes built before 1940.
60-amp panels, slab-on-grade drains, galvanized supply lines. North Portland Arbor Lodge and Kenton 1950s–60s homes.
Irvington, Ladd’s Addition. Interior kitchen remodels usually don’t trigger historic review — but we know when they do.
About Us — Common Questions
Who owns Rainwood Kitchen Craft Co?
Michel Todd founded and owns Rainwood Kitchen Craft Co. He started the company in 2003 after a decade in field work for larger Portland-area general contractors. He is the person who walks your kitchen, writes the quote, and is accountable for the project from start to finish.
Are you actually licensed in Oregon?
Yes. Oregon CCB license #239013, active and in good standing. Verify directly at the Oregon Construction Contractors Board website (oregon.gov/ccb) before you sign anything. We carry general liability and workers’ compensation insurance on every project. We encourage you to check any contractor you’re considering.
How long has Rainwood Kitchen Craft Co been working in Portland?
Since 2003. Michel Todd had been working in Portland construction since the mid-1990s before founding this company. We’ve worked across all Portland neighborhoods — SE bungalows, NE Craftsmans, North Portland brick ranches, SW hillside homes, and the historic districts. The conditions in Portland homes stopped surprising us a long time ago.
Do you use subcontractors?
We use trusted licensed tradespeople for electrical and plumbing rough-in — people we’ve worked with for years who meet our standards. The project responsibility stays with us throughout. We don’t hand your project to a crew you’ve never met after you sign. Read our process guide.
Why hire you instead of a larger Portland contractor?
The person who walks your kitchen is the person who builds it. Line-item quotes with dollar-figure contingency before you sign. Stop-and-show-you policy when walls open. Every permit pulled. No subcontractor handoff. Read our guide on how to choose a contractor in Portland for what to compare and what to walk away from.
Tell Us About Your Kitchen
We’ve been doing this in Portland since 2003. Most quote requests get a real response within one business day.