A Legacy Built on Craftsmanship and Family Values

From a one-man shop in a garage to one of the most respected exterior remodeling companies in the Midwest, Custom Installations has been earning homeowner trust since 1969.

Craftsmanship Passed Down Through Generations

Custom Installations began in 1969, when firefighter Leroy “Bud” Woodruff launched a small contracting business from his garage in Wilmette.

He balanced his days at the Winnetka Fire Department with nights and weekends installing gutters, working on slate roofs, and building a reputation for unmatched detail and reliability.

He brought his three sons into the business early — teaching them how to climb ladders, solder copper joints, and serve homeowners with integrity.

Over five decades later, that same family commitment still drives everything we do.

Our History

1964

Bud begins learning the sheet metal trade while working at Sweets Sheet Metal in Wilmette.

Custom Installations is born — Bud starts his own contracting business out of his garage while still working full-time as a firefighter.

1969

1984

The company opens its first dedicated shop in Glenview, IL.

Bud retires from the fire department and begins running the business full time.

1989

1997

Bud officially retires to Florida. His three sons take over operations, expanding into roofing, siding, gutters, and historical restoration.

Today

Custom Installations serves thousands of homeowners across Chicagoland and Metro Milwaukee — known for premium craftsmanship, attention to detail, and a legacy of trust built over 50+ years.

Craftsmanship Starts with the Right People

From our site superintendents to our roofing and siding teams, every person here is trained in the high-performance systems we install — including cedar, slate, standing seam, and advanced synthetics. Every project is led by a superintendent who ensures precision from first nail to final walk-through.

This is what true professionalism looks like.

Bob Pohlman

Site Superintendent

John Robinson

Site Superintendent

Ted Aydt

Wisconsin Project Manager

Brian Demas

Illinois Project Manager

Hear From Homeowners Like You

Discover what real homeowners are saying about their experience with us. From start to finish, our team is committed to delivering quality, reliability, and results you can trust.

Greta Harrris

John Robinson & crew was a pleasure to work with: very professional, respectful & competent. They kept me informed of their work schedule at all times & even went the extra mile to address a vent issue that I did not know I had. I would highly recommend using Custom Installations for their quality of work & making the customer feel at ease answering every question. Very satisfied.

Carol Ann B.

My garage I had vinyl siding was done in one day . They did a great job I am so happy i had it done. the crew were working hard all day and the project manager, John Robinson, came often to check on the work. I will recommend this company to my friends.

Jonathan J.

John Robinson at Custom Installations was a pleasure to work with from beginning to end. He was extremely responsive, collaborative and nice, which is rare these days. His team worked diligently for nearly a month. Overall, it was a great experience to work with John and his team at Custom Installations.

Denali

Had Custom installations redo the entire exterior,(hardie board) roof, and gutters of our home and the results were great! Very professional and organized. Whenever I had a concern or question, my point of contact and project lead, John was an invaluable resource and took care of any issues or questions immediately. I was very impressed with his knowledge and ability to communicate my concerns and wants to whatever crew was working for the entirety of the project. Would definitely recommend and use custom installations on future projects.

Ryan Chitwood

I was in need of a metal crew that could do very high end copper work and was recommended this company by a major national player that owns a company in Denver, Co. The people at Custom Installations were amazing from start to finish, literally. They traveled here during the week for work and were so careful and respectful. Their copper/metal work is as good as I have ever seen. They just completed the most beautiful roof we have ever done for a homeowner. Their communication was fluid and consistent and we had zero issues. For a job with a ticket that size, we needed this to be a smooth process and Custom Installations Inc knocked it out of the park for us. Thank you guys!

Rob

Custom Installation was great to work with through this whole process. From the beginning, Ted Aydt Was very professional and thorough with the bid and immensely helpful with the insurance issues. On the job, the whole crew was great and so respectful. John Robinson was The project manager and always kept us up-to-date as did the office staff. I would definitely recommend them for your roofing job.

Will Lynn

Our old siding and part of our garage where damaged due to a storm which resulted in our house needing to be completely re-sided and part of the garage roof replaced. We chose Custom Installation not only for the quality of their work but their skilled teams knowledge of insurance claims. Bruce truly made this entire process as smooth as possible. We could lot be happier with how our house turned out.

Jacob Rosenfeld

We just hired Custom Installations to re-side & re-roof my home. We chose James Hardie, Board & Baton siding. The Custom Installations team was awesome, from my sales contact, Brad Hironimus, to the installers. Despite the house being originally constructed in the 1960's, it now looks brand new and I expect will further stand the test of time. The foreman assigned to our job, John Robinson, was exceptional. He was extremely responsive and always arrived on site with a great attitude. Whenever I had questions or concerns, he was easy to reach and successfully drove the team into delivering a fantastic result. I would definitely refer the Custom Installations team to anyone looking to improve their home.

Robert Tschurtz

We recently had a new asphalt roof installed on our residence here in Wisconsin. Mr. Pohlman and his crew were professional, timely, and exacting in the quality of their work. The project started and ended on time with no issues. Our property was left in the same condition as when they started. Mr. Pohlman was always available by email and personal cell phone for any questions, and personally on site. Overall, an excellent experience all the way around. Very rare these days.

Brett Paschke

The roof looks great and communication from Kevin and team was excellent throughout. Bob and the onsite team were up on the roof in below zero weather getting the job done.

David Held

Danny was able to arrange for contractor to remove the solar panels. He and his crew did a great job reroofing our home.

Jonathan Jonas

What Homeowners Ask Us Most

How long has Custom Installations been in business?

We’ve been serving homeowners since 1969 — and our roots go even deeper, back to 1964 when our founder began learning the sheet metal trade. That’s over 50 years of hands-on experience passed down through generations.

Is the company still family-operated?

Yes. Custom Installations is a second-generation, family-operated company. Today, the three sons of our founder continue to lead the business with the same principles of craftsmanship, honesty, and customer-first service.

What was the company’s first specialty?

We started with architectural sheet metal and copper gutter installations, primarily on historic homes in Chicago’s North Shore. That attention to precision and detail still defines our work today — across all exterior services.

Have you worked on any notable or historic homes?

Yes. Over the decades, we’ve worked on some of the most well-known and historically significant properties in the North Shore area, as well as churches and public buildings that require expert preservation techniques.

How has the company evolved over time?

What began as a one-man operation has grown into a full-service exterior remodeling company offering roofing, siding, gutters, copper work, and insurance restoration — all while staying rooted in craftsmanship and family values.

Got More Questions?

We’re here to help. Whether you’re unsure about roof types, warranty details, or what to expect during installation—we’ll walk you through it all with zero pressure.

Find Out If We Service Your Area

Custom Installations, Inc. proudly serves homeowners, builders, and property managers across Chicagoland, Metro and Milwaukee.

Primary Service Areas:

Illinois

Wisconsin

Give Us a call.

Want answers fast? Talk directly with our team — no call centers, no runaround. We’re here to help with quotes, questions, and urgent service needs.

We’ll call you.

Prefer we reach out? No problem. Just share your info and we’ll give you a call — usually within the same business day.

Custom Quote

Tell us a bit about your project and we’ll send you a detailed estimate — no pressure, no obligation. Just clear, honest pricing from people who know what they’re doing.