Our Story

At the age of 13, Jay Litman, our founder, had his first job — painting the exterior of his parents’ home. By age 16, he was managing a painting crew that painted the exteriors of homes and cabins around the Duluth area — which he managed through college. During that time, Jay would often receive requests to replace damaged/rotting siding and trim on homes, and eventually roofing, decks, porches, and more. Before long, he had gained quite the experience updating homes and aiding with a wide-range of handyman projects. In 1975, Jay completed his bachelor’s degree in teaching at UMD and accepted a position in Meadowlands as a Shop and Chemistry teacher. However, after just one year, he was laid off due to school board cuts, and it was then that he decided to turn his passion for updating homes into his own business — and Jay Litman Construction was born.

For the next 38 years, Jay owned and operated the company, providing home remodeling and handyman services, and eventually commercial services, for residents and businesses throughout the Twin Ports area. In 2005, upon graduating from the University of Minnesota Duluth, Sam Litman, Jay’s son, joined our team full time. For the next 10 years, Sam worked under Jay, learning the ins-and-outs of the business and how to do the job right, while providing top-notch service. In 2014, Jay decided it was time to retire and officially turned the company over to Sam.

Since then, Sam has continued to grow the business and expand our services. The team at Litman Construction takes pride in the same core values developed by Jay more than 40 years ago: dependability, high-quality workmanship, and customer service that exceeds expectations — from the initial consultation until your project is complete.