Oak & Ember Millwork Co. is a seventeen-person workshop on Nash Street building custom kitchens, built-ins and architectural millwork for homes and small commercial spaces across Southeast Michigan. One shop, one crew, one fixed price.
William Nussbaum opened Oak & Ember in a leaking two-bay garage in 2009 with a used table saw and one commission: a set of maple bookcases for a house on Outer Drive. The shop has grown to six thousand square feet, but the operating rule has not changed — the person who measures your room is in the building when it is cut.
We build for homeowners restoring century-old Detroit houses, for designers who need a partner that reads shop drawings properly, and for small commercial clients who cannot afford a fit-out that runs three weeks late. Every quote is fixed in writing. Change orders happen only when you ask for a change.
The number on your proposal is the number on your invoice.
We book fewer jobs than we could, so the calendar stays honest.
We are a millwork shop, not a general contractor. Keeping the list short is why the quality holds and why the schedule is predictable.
Frameless and inset cabinetry cut on our CNC, assembled with dowel and dado joinery, and hand-fitted on site. Soft-close Blum hardware standard.
Bookcases, window seats, mudroom lockers and media walls scribed to the imperfect walls of century-old Detroit homes.
Box newels, over-the-post handrail, mitred returns and closed-string stringers milled in white oak, walnut and poplar.
Shiplap, board-and-batten, raised panel wainscot and acoustic slat systems for offices, clinics and hospitality rooms.
Solid-core interior doors, arched jambs, pocket-door pockets and reception casework built to AWI Custom Grade.
In-house spray booth with low-VOC conversion varnish, plus careful restoration of original 1920s trim and built-ins.
No mystery, no “we’ll figure it out on site.” This is the same sequence for a single bookcase and a thirty-box kitchen.
We talk for twenty minutes — on the phone, or standing in your kitchen. You tell us what bothers you about the room and what you want it to do. No sales script, no financing pitch.
William or a lead carpenter measures with a laser and a story pole, photographs every wall, and notes the out-of-square realities of an older house. Measuring is free within 35 miles of the shop.
You receive elevations, a plan view, a materials schedule and a fixed written price — usually within five business days. Everything included is spelled out in plain English, line by line.
Your job gets a bench, a number and a build folder. Panels are cut, edges banded, doors machined, drawer boxes dovetailed. We send photos at the halfway mark so nothing is a surprise.
Sanded to 180, sealed, sanded again, then two topcoats of low-VOC conversion varnish in our booth. Finishing in the shop means no overspray and no fumes in your house.
Two installers, drop cloths, a dust extractor and shoe covers. Most kitchens are set in two to four days. We scribe, shim, adjust every door and leave the site swept.
We walk the job with you, correct anything on a punch list within ten business days, and hand over a care sheet plus a five-year written workmanship warranty.
“They measured a wall that has not been square since Coolidge and every panel still landed tight. William sent progress photos every Friday without being asked.”
“We fit out a 4,000 sq ft office and Oak & Ember held their date to the day. The reception desk is the first thing every client comments on.”
“Third project with this shop. Fixed price, no change-order games, and they came back six months later to adjust two doors at no charge.”
Quotes are used with permission and shortened for length. Full references available on request.
Free site measures within 35 miles of 2634 Nash Street. Beyond that we quote a travel allowance up front and credit it back if you hire us.
Saturday mornings are for walk-throughs. See the machines, feel the drawer boxes, look at finish samples in daylight before you commit to anything.
Most conversations start with a photo and a rough measurement. Send those over and we’ll come back with a realistic range the same week — before anyone books a site visit.
