The Stafford team descended on Desonyer this week like an parachute brigade. A particularly effective and talented brigade at that. The week started with George from Stafford HVAC laying out the ducts and discussing placement of ducts as well as the placement of the new furnace and AC unit. He was very patient and helpful, offering many options and their benefits. These guys don’t just know how to do things one way, they are full of ideas and are flexible as heck. That’s a good thing in my book. [Read more →]

The guys from Stinson Builders did wonders again today. They took out the last vestiges of the old walls, on either side of the kitchen, and inserted headers to support the load of the roof on one side and the ceiling on the other. They did this by sawing into the ceiling, taking out a slot and placing LIM headers.

The work looks amazing.

OK, so I recently bought this house. It’s a small 1955 rambler on the border of St. Paul and Minneapolis, in Desnoyer Park (a very unknown gem in the Twin Cities.) I purchased it with some significant renovation work in mind. I have a limited budget and I would like to go “Green” as well. Through this renovation blog you can learn the process I went through, learn from my mistakes and successes (mistakes can be successes too!) and hopefully have a good time doing it. Wish me luck.

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When I began the process of finding a new home I was fortunate enough to start on the right track by using Charlie Neimeyer as my Realtor. “Start things on the right foot” they say, and I certainly did. Charlie not only helped me find a great house but also a great contractor. Jason Stinson, of Minneapolis-based Stinson Builders Inc., built Charlie’s house from the ground up, so he was certainly familiar with Jason’s formidable talents. [Read more →]