We're Not Just Contractors. We're Your Protectors.
Founded on a simple belief: homeowners deserve better than what this industry gives them.
Your home should be a sanctuary, not a source of stress. Yet the very process meant to improve your home often becomes a nightmare of broken promises, budget overruns, and corner-cutting contractors. We built Thornapple differently — where unreasonable service is our reasonable standard. Because protecting your dreams matters more than protecting our margins.
Why We Exist
We started Thornapple because we saw homeowners being taken advantage of. Budgets that ballooned. Timelines that doubled. Contractors who disappeared between milestones. We knew there had to be a better way — one built around protection, transparency, and unreasonable attention to detail.
Founded in 2018 by Nate Fugitt and Austin Galloway in West Michigan, Thornapple Construction began with a clear mission: to shield homeowners from the dysfunction that plagues the remodeling industry. In 2023, we repositioned and relaunched with an even sharper focus on what we call protective service — anticipating problems before they happen, communicating before you have to ask, and delivering exactly what we promise.
Today, every decision we make runs through a single filter: does this protect the homeowner? If the answer is yes, we do it. If not, we don't. It's that simple.
Our Brand Experience Principles
Anticipation Over Reaction
We solve problems before they become problems.
Transparency Over Mystery
We show our work, explain our thinking, reveal our pricing.
Protection Over Exploitation
We shield you from industry nonsense.
Collaboration Over Prescription
We extract your vision, not impose ours.
Certainty Over Surprises
We deliver exactly what we promise.
Meet the Founders
Nate Fugitt
President · 14+ Years Experience
Nate didn't start Thornapple to build things — he started it to protect people. After 14 years in the construction industry, he'd seen too many homeowners get burned by contractors who overpromised and underdelivered. That's what drives him every day: making sure no family has to endure the stress, the budget surprises, or the broken timelines that give this industry a bad name. He lives in Grandville, MI with his wife and three children, and brings the same care to every client's home that he'd want for his own.
Austin Galloway
Principal · 10+ Years Experience
Austin learned the craft from his father — a carpenter and entrepreneur who taught him that quality work and honest dealing aren't optional. With over 10 years of hands-on remodeling experience, Austin brings a builder's eye and a protector's heart to every project. He moved to Grand Rapids in 2018 to partner with Nate because he believed homeowners deserved a different kind of contractor — one who treats your home like it matters, because it does. His connection with clients and deep craftsmanship expertise are at the core of the Thornapple experience.
What if Remodeling Didn't Require Suffering?
It starts with a free discovery call — a quick phone conversation to discuss your project, get honest answers, and see if we're the right fit. No commitment. No pressure. Just clarity.
Book Your Free Discovery CallOr call us at (616) 404-3400
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