Part of our Core Values is giving back to our community where we live and work. In addition, our industry is suffering from a lack of young people joining the rewarding and fun careers that we participate in each day.

In an effort to give back to our community and bolster our own industry, we have developed a yearly scholarship for a Simley High School Graduate who plans to attend a post secondary school or apprenticeship program with the intention of learning a trade related to home building or remodeling. In order to qualify, students must maintain a B grade average, participate in community service, and provide letters of recommendation from teachers or community leaders.

Our scholarship is administered by the hard working folks at the Inver Grove Heights BEST Foundation. They work tirelessly to find a student who meets the requirements that we set forth when developing the scholarship.

This year, we were pleased to be able to present our scholarship to a young lady who dreams of being an architect.

If you know a student who will be graduating in the coming years from Simley High School, please encourage him or her to apply for these scholarships.

The Readers Choice Awards have been handed out, and we here at Allrounder Remodeling Inc. are grateful to our clients who voted for us!

Sun Newspapers recently polled their readers, asking for their favorite choices in various categories.  Hundreds of readers took time to vote for their favorite community businesses.  Based on your feedback, Allrounder Remodeling was awarded the following awards:

• Readers Choice Award, Best Remodeling Company, Eagan MN, 2018
• Readers Choice Award, Best Handyman, Eagan MN, 2018

This represents our third consecutive year being awarded Readers Choice.  Thank you for your continued support!  We have the best clients!

If you’d like to learn about other awards that we’ve received, please visit our awards page.

Allrounder Remodeling Inc. provides residential home design and remodeling services in the southeast Twin Cities metro area, including the cities of Apple Valley, Rosemount, Eagan, Mendota Heights, Sunfish Lake, West St. Paul, South St. Paul, Inver Grove Heights, Cottage Grove, Newport, St. Paul Park, Woodbury, Oakdale, and Maplewood.

For more information, please call 651-497-7715 or 651-497-7714; or visit http://www.AllrounderRemodeling.com

I had the opportunity to attend the 2017 U.S. Chamber of Commerce Small Business Summit in beautiful Washington D.C.   It was a great honor to be selected to attend. It was a short visit but very inspirational, not only that I was in our nation’s capital city but the wonderful speakers I heard and to visit with Senator Klobuchar, Senator Franken and Congressman Lewis.

Standing on the roof of the US Chamber of Commerce, with the White House and Washington Monument in the background.

One of Monday’s speakers was Marc Randolph, co-founder of Netflix.  His message was to not give up on thinking up new ideas for the next new thing might be the one that is your best idea ever. If it wasn’t for a daily drive to work for Marc Randolph and his business partner, Reed Hastings, founders Netflix, we may still be going to the video store to pick up videos. They kept thinking of new ideas each day or so to relay back to each other on the ride to a job that they once had together before Netflix. Marc spoke of not all the ideas were worth going forward with and some of them where duds.

                                                                                      Visiting the War Memorials on September 11th was a surreal experience

On Tuesday I had the opportunity to listen to Mike Katz Sr. VP of T-Mobile. The perspective I learned from him was, listen to your customers and what they are dreaming of and try to make them come true. On this day the group I was with also was able to visit with Senator Klobuchar and Senator Franken.  It was a huge honor to be able to chat with our Senators in a small setting.

                                                                      Our group of local business leaders was honored to meet with Senator Franken

Before our flight on Wednesday we had a short visit with Congressman Lewis. We also took the White House tour.

                                The White House is filled with inspirational historical architecture

Although the visits were brief, I was reminded about how important it is to write your Senators and Congressmen regarding issues that are important to you. They are working for us the best that they can.

                                                    Ok, I know it’s cheesy, but I couldn’t help myself!

I hope to visit Washington D.C. again and do even more sightseeing.  If you ever get a chance to visit do not miss the National Mall and the War Monuments. I was very touched by all of them. It is very surreal to see and reflect on what they all mean.

Plan Two ways out of your home in case of a fire

In a fire, seconds count. Seconds can mean the difference between residents of our community escaping safely from a fire or having their lives end in tragedy.

That’s why this year’s Fire Prevention Week theme: “Every Second Counts: Plan 2 Ways Out!” is so important. It reinforces why everyone needs to have an escape plan. Here’s this year’s key campaign messages:

• 
• Draw a map of your home by using our grid in English (PDF) or Spanish (PDF) with all members of your household, marking two exits from each room and a path to the outside from each exit.
• Practice your home fire drill twice a year. Conduct one at night and one during the day with everyone in your home, and practice using different ways out.
• Teach children how to escape on their own in case you can’t help them.
• Make sure the number of your home is clearly marked and easy for the fire department to find.
• Close doors behind you as you leave – this may slow the spread of smoke, heat, and fire.
• Once you get outside, stay outside. Never go back inside a burning building.

If you have questions, please visit www.NFPA.org, or talk with your friends at your local fire department.

Allrounder Remodeling Inc. provides residential home design and remodeling services in the southeast Twin Cities metro area, including the cities of Apple Valley, Rosemount, Eagan, Mendota Heights, Sunfish Lake, West St. Paul, South St. Paul, Inver Grove Heights, Cottage Grove, Newport, St. Paul Park, Woodbury, Oakdale, and Maplewood.

For more information, please call 651-497-7715 or 651-497-7714; or visit http://www.AllrounderRemodeling.com

It’s that time of year when we get folks calling and asking us to complete a kitchen remodel for them before their family arrives for the holidays.

Let’s presume a targeted completion date of December 15^th.  This gives you a little over a week to clean up, decorate, and stock the liquor cabinet for your Christmas party.

Most kitchen projects take about 6-8 weeks of construction time.  This means that we need to get started on construction no later than October 15^th.

Kitchen has been insulated and awaits city inspection.

Backing up further, we have the design process.  After meeting with our kitchen designer for the first time, it typically takes a little back and forth with revisions and perfections to get the design just how you like it.  Then we need to bring in the construction team (plumber, electrician, carpenters, drywallers, etc.) to review the plans at your home, iron out details, and submit bids.  After that, we submit everything to the city for permits.  This process can take another 4-8 weeks, which puts us at August 15^th.  Oops, that was 2 weeks ago!

Kitchen plan shown during the design revision process

Our kitchen remodeling projects are successful because of the high level of thought and planning that goes into them long before the old cabinets start getting torn out.  As our clients can attest, this careful planning and attention to detail ahead of the project results in a finished kitchen that is completed on time, on budget, and will serve your needs beautifully for many years.

If you’d like to get started on your St. Patricks Day kitchen, please give Ruth a call at 651-497-7715.

Allrounder Remodeling Inc. provides residential home design and remodeling services in the southeast Twin Cities metro area, including the cities of Apple Valley, Rosemount, Eagan, Mendota Heights, Sunfish Lake, West St. Paul, South St. Paul, Inver Grove Heights, Cottage Grove, Newport, St. Paul Park, Woodbury, Oakdale, and Maplewood.

For more information, please call 651-497-7715 or 651-497-7714; or visit http://www.AllrounderRemodeling.com

Here is your home maintenance checklist for the month of August!  Keep your Twin Cities home in top shape by performing these simple tasks this month.

• Inspect and clean dryer vents and other exhaust vents
• Clean Garage
• Get carpets professionally cleaned (call us for a referral to a company that we trust!)
• Inspect HVAC filters, replace if necessary
• Inspect fire extinguishers, replace if necessary
• Clean your kitchen food disposer
• Clean your range hood filters

Allrounder Remodeling Inc. provides residential home design and remodeling services in the southeast Twin Cities metro area, including the cities of Apple Valley, Rosemount, Eagan, Mendota Heights, Sunfish Lake, West St. Paul, South St. Paul, Inver Grove Heights, Cottage Grove, Newport, St. Paul Park, Woodbury, Oakdale, and Maplewood.

For more information, please call 651-497-7715 or 651-497-7714; or visit http://www.AllrounderRemodeling.com

Here is your home maintenance checklist for the month of July!  Keep your Twin Cities home in top shape by performing these simple tasks this month.

• Take care of insect problems–call an exterminator if needed
• Clean and repair decks and patios as needed
• Take time to relax and enjoy the MN summer on above mentioned deck or patio!
• Clear window wells of debris
• Inspect HVAC filters, replace if necessary
• Inspect fire extinguishers, replace if necessary
• Clean your kitchen food disposer
• Clean your range hood filters

Allrounder Remodeling Inc. provides residential home design and remodeling services in the southeast Twin Cities metro area, including the cities of Apple Valley, Rosemount, Eagan, Mendota Heights, Sunfish Lake, West St. Paul, South St. Paul, Inver Grove Heights, Cottage Grove, Newport, St. Paul Park, Woodbury, Oakdale, and Maplewood.

For more information, please call 651-497-7715 or 651-497-7714; or visit http://www.AllrounderRemodeling.com

Here is your home maintenance checklist for the month of June!  Keep your Twin Cities home in top shape by performing these simple tasks this month.

• Give your home a deep cleaning
• vacuum refrigerator coils
• check tile grout in the bathroom/kitchen; repair or replace if needed
• inspect plumbing systems for leaks
• clear debris from faucet aerators
• Inspect HVAC filters, replace if necessary
• Inspect fire extinguishers, replace if necessary
• Clean your kitchen food disposer
• Clean your range hood filters

Do you have a suggestion for other tips or maintenance items that should be included here?  Please feel free to leave them in the comments section below.

Allrounder Remodeling Inc. provides residential home design and remodeling services in the southeast Twin Cities metro area, including the cities of Apple Valley, Rosemount, Eagan, Mendota Heights, Sunfish Lake, West St. Paul, South St. Paul, Inver Grove Heights, Cottage Grove, Newport, St. Paul Park, Woodbury, Oakdale, and Maplewood.

For more information, please call 651-497-7715 or 651-497-7714; or visit http://www.AllrounderRemodeling.com

Many home improvement and remodeling companies use questionable tactics to convince you that you are getting a great deal on your project.  Don’t be FOOLED by the false promises, slick sales pitches, and pretend promotions offered by other contractors. Let’s take a look at some of these claims and see how they pass the truth test

–“60% OFF LABOR” Seriously, would YOU work for 60% less?  Of course not, and neither will the workers of this company. The company is either starting off with an inflated price just to apply a pretend discount, or charging extra for materials to make up the difference.

Free installation isn’t really free!

–“FREE INSTALLATION or $29 installation for your entire home” This one is very common with floorcoverings and kitchen countertops.  Really, a 3-man crew will work for 2 days for $29? They must be extremely skilled!  It’s important here to look at the overall bottom line cost for the project.  It’s very common for these sellers to inflate the material cost significantly in order to hide the installation cost, or to charge exorbitant amounts for tearout and disposal to cover the installation cost.

-A “$500 discount for placing an advertising sign in your yard”.  Most contractors are going to put a sign in your yard anyway, and not charge you for the privilege.  A company who employs this tactic is falsely inflating the cost just to apply the discount.

Is your discount really a discount, or just mind games?

-A discount for paying the entire contract up front.  Read your contract very carefully, and then have your attorney read it very carefully.  You’ve probably heard horror stories of contractors taking a down payment and then you never hear from them again.  While this tactic isn’t automatically a red flag, do proceed with caution.

-A discount for allowing before and after photos to be taken of the project.  Again, every contractor is going to take photos.  This tactic again means that they are inflating the initial cost just to provide the pretend discount.

If the price is too good to be true, then it probably is!

-A ridiculously low price with very few details of what is and what is not included. This usually results in a lot of change orders for the items that were not included.  Read your contract carefully and have your attorney read it too.  How specific is the scope of work?  Does it just say “finish basement $20,000” or does it include a line-by-line scope of work specifying exactly what will be done and what materials will be used?  Sadly we hear many stories of clients accepting vague terms, only to be slammed with change orders after the job begins for items that were not included, resulting in significant additional costs.

The list can go on forever, but you get the idea. At Allrounder Remodeling, we promise to be upfront and honest at all times. No high-pressure sales people work here. Instead, you meet with our company owners who listen to what YOU want and provide a proposal that is fair for the level of service that we provide.  The gentleman in this photo was pretty excited to find a low price on his tattoo, and it seems that he’s getting his money’s worth!  As we like to say, “the bitterness of poor quality lingers long after the sweetness of a low price has been forgotten!”

There is always somebody who will do the job for less money!