Modular Construction in Minneapolis

In the Linden Hills neighborhood of Minneapolis, a community filled with historic homes and bungalows built in the 1920s, stands a recently constructed "modern" home. To say it sticks out like a sore thumb is pointless, but it is not so obnoxious that I hate it. In fact, the warm colors and use of wood

The Failure of Home Builders in the Twin Cities

For the last few months, it seems every week I hear of another local builder closing its door, or filing for bankruptcy. The first big one to go down this year was MW Johnson, the 11th largest builder in the state, who filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June of this year. Even though their

After New Construction – Part 1

Many of you might have followed my series, Confessions of New Construction, which focused on my experiences while building our new home this last year. Now that we are moved in, the new phase of owning a home is beginning. My new series, while short, will highlight some of the things many people don't think

Confessions of New Construction, Part 9

Closing DayThe morning of closing, I walked through our soon to be home to make sure the last items that needed to be repaired were finished. Every thing looked good so we headed on over to the title company to sign the final documents. Most of the time, you will have two days before closing

Confessions of New Construction, Part 8

Putting on the Finishing TouchesYour new house really starts to feel like a home when the walls are finished. The only things left to do are install all cabinets, appliances, flooring, lighting, and plumbing fixtures. These tend to go in fairly quickly, meaning you are at most one month away from closing.At this time, or

Confessions of New Construction, Part 7

Framing the House and adding the GutsOnce you see framing going up on your new home, you get even more excited for completion day. At this point you are able to walk the floor plan and get a better idea of how the space fits together. **first piece of advice - the foundation footprint always

Builders See Worst Year in a Decade

Twin Cities home construction fell for a fourth consecutive year.(By JIM BUCHTA, Star Tribune)Dogged by a stagnant housing market and an overhang of unsold inventory, 2007 was the worst year in more than a decade for Twin Cities-area home builders, according to year-end data released Tuesday by the Builders Association of the Twin Cities (BATC).In

Builders Pulling Back

During the boom, business was booming for builders. It seemed I would wake up in the morning, drive to the office, and see a new development going up on the way. I wondered, "Geez, where are all these buyers coming from". After a while, I started to figure it out.One weekend, a few years back,