A small woodshop. Eighteen years in.
Southside Woodshop is a small, family-owned business in Portsmouth, Virginia — fueled by dedicated craft-people, building one-piece-at-a-time custom hardwood since 2008.
In the shop, Portsmouth VAIt started in a one-car garage.
Jud Dinsmore was building custom homes in the early 2000s, doing his own cabinetry on the side. His wife had an idea: take the leftover hardwood scraps from the cabinet shop and turn them into cutting boards for Christmas gifts. They worked. People asked for more.
The first real countertop — a cherry and maple checkerboard — went into a home Jud finished in late 2007. Southside Woodshop was formally established in 2008. Eighteen years and thousands of countertops later, the shop is still small enough that Jud personally answers the phone.
From one bench to 10,000 square feet.
Southside Woodshop opens in Portsmouth, focused on custom hardwood countertops for kitchen and bath professionals.
After ten years of "do you make stools?" from clients, we start designing them. Four years of CAD, metalwork, and powder coating later, Chesapeake Bay Stool Co launches.
A 10,000 sq ft shop in Portsmouth, two product lines (countertops and stools), custom work for clients in 30+ states.
10,000 square feet in Portsmouth, Virginia.
The shop sits on Rodman Avenue, two miles from the Elizabeth River. It holds racks of fifteen-plus species of hardwood, the saws and presses we use to join them, and the spray booth where finishes go on.
Custom cabinetry
Finished pieces
Shop floorPhotos from the existing Southside Woodshop site. Jud's newer shop and portrait photography will replace these as it comes in.
Three things we won't compromise on.
One craftsman, one piece.
Your top is built by a single qualified craftsman from rough lumber to finished install. Not a production line. Not a handoff at every step. One person owns it.
Lifetime warranty, standard.
Every countertop and butcher block is covered against manufacturing defects for as long as you own it. Never an upcharge. Because building it right means standing behind it forever.
2-4 weeks. Honest.
The fastest lead time in the industry — and we don't blow past it. If we can't hit it, we tell you up front, before the deposit.
Want to see what we'd build for you?
Eighteen years of sketches, boards, and shop notes — at your service. Send what you have.