Finishing a Basement in Minnesota: Water, Egress and Insulation
A basement finish comes down to three things decided in order — water, egress and the walls — and what an inspector checks along the way.
Notes from the field
Building in Minnesota: Permits, Costs and Materials
What we get asked on site visits, written out in full — how permits work, what decides a price, and how materials hold up in a Minnesota winter.
Topics All Basements Decks & Outdoor Living Driveways & Walkways Gutters & Exteriors
Ice Dams in Minnesota: What Gutters Can and Cannot Do
Ice dams start with heat escaping into the attic, so the fix is up there, and gutters have a different job: keeping water away from the foundation.
How Heated Driveways Work in Minnesota Winters
How a heated driveway works, what decides the running cost, what it does not solve, and why the decision has to be made before the surface goes down.
Composite vs Cedar in a Minnesota Freeze-Thaw Climate
Composite and cedar fail differently in roughly a hundred freeze-thaw cycles a season. Movement, fasteners, maintenance and ten-year cost, compared.
What Decides What a Deck Costs in Minnesota
Why we do not publish deck price ranges, and what actually moves the number — size, height above grade, footings, decking, railing and stairs.
Deck Permit Requirements in Woodbury: What the City Actually Wants
What a deck permit in Woodbury involves: the drawings the city needs, how fees are calculated, frost depth, when engineering is required, and the inspection stages.
Free Estimate
Planning something in the Twin Cities?
Most of what is written here came out of site visits. Booking one costs nothing: measurements, photographs and a written scope, and the scope is yours whatever you decide.