Jake grew up in Ballard, Washington and currently lives in Edmonds with his wife and two kids. He started working in the remodeling business with family at the age of 10. Having established construction experience and work ethic from his youth, he went on to University Prep and Montana School of Mines and Technology in Butte, Montana.

After college Jake worked with small general contractors to learn more about general home repair, maintenance, and mechanical systems.  He founded Arnesen and Associates, a general contractor, in 1998, and ran the business for 7 years.  He then partnered in Berger Built Inc., to work on larger remodels and additions.

Following Berger Built Inc., Jake moved on to Irons Brothers Construction as a hands-on Project Manager, where he designed new construction systems for remodeling projects, while keeping budgets in line with project scopes.

Jakes ambition and unique approach to construction systems required him to break out on his own once again. He revitalized  Arnesen and Associates, but then things took a turn in 2015 when he began working with John Turner who had a similar vision and values. Their strong friendship and working relationship led them to found Kraftaverk in 2017.

John is a fourth generation local in Washington State and second generation contractor. He cut his teeth on 2x4s and has been involved in just about every aspect of building and construction in his career, from foundation to roof and everything in between. He has worked on a diverse variety of projects like $20 million dollar log cabins in Jackson Hole, and modern classy kitchens in Beverly Hills.

John has an eye for quality and a passion for delivering the best value possible to create lasting fruitful relationships. Once you hire Kraftaverk, it is John's wish that you never have to call another contractor again.

When Jake and John began working together, it seemed that every job required some sort of miracle to solve the apparent remodeling problems. This  why the Founders agreed that the word, "kraftaverk," (Icelandic for "miracle") was a fitting name for their new company.

For the majority of people, homes tend to be the largest investment in life.  Brutal honesty as to the existing conditions of a home can be the best thing for homeowners to have when making decisions regarding remodeling and repairs.  Homes become case studies and there is a slight amount of detective work that has to be done to figure out how some repairs need to be made.  Bringing a client's dreams to life can be a miracle, and sometimes it is the most important Kraftaverk someone can have.