Additions
Garage Door Trim, Minneapolis, MN
We wind up doing a lot of small jobs that are necessary and therefore important just the same.
Egress Window, Bloomington, MN
What a great thing to do on a hot MN summer day! Dig. I've been working with this stucco maestro for over 20 years and it's a joy to help him install this egress window to make a bedroom downstairs for his 16 year old son.
Tudor trim replacement, Minneapolis
No sheathing under the stucco and no drip caps allowed the wood on this amazing tudor to rot over time and leak into the entry. All stucco and trim had to be removed, insulation was put in and new sheathing installed below to new trim and stucco. Doing it right the first time prevents a lot of expense down the road.
Balcony replacement, Minneapolis
Garage front, Golden Valley, MN
Covering some rotted and ugly concrete block with a new stone product and stucco. New driveway and garage doors complete the makeover.
before after 
Small room addition, Mpls, Mn
Again customer of 15 years. Ranks in the top one of all customers. Needed a small room to house new large TV and keep feng shue right in house.
before
after 
during 
Trim replacement, Mpls,
Water damage required that all casing be replaced.
Playground Quito, Ecuador
Working with Global Volunteers and Camp Hope in Quito Ecuador to build a playground that would work with their special needs populations. Challenges included working with tools that should long ago have been retired, or no tools at all, and with volunteers with good hearts but little experience.
It was the best thing I have done in a long time.
Storage shed, Golden Valley, MN
Deluxe accommodations for the bikes, the mower and garden tools.
New french doors and window, Excelsior, MN
Roof tear off, bath and great room addition, Golden Valley, MN
Very close to home this job. Very close. Adding a large room and a bath above the existing living room, kitchen, hallway and bath. I assembled a rabble of great talent and energy. Unfortunately wet and threatening weather made the beginning difficult.
BEFORE
AFTER 
Wood Shed
Golden Valley, MN
Foundation Nightmare, Minneapolis, MN
High on Mt. Curve, overlooking the Walker and all of downtown, is a two story garage perched on a hillside directly above the neighboring art gallery's roof .
A hundred years of seeping water has turned the brick foundation into a crumbling threat.
Trying to rebuild the walls and repair the foundation with new concrete block without stepping on or damaging the roof 22" from the wall is a big challenge.
Porch Remodel, Mpls, MN
Beautiful Cedar paneling and ceiling. New Norco windows as well.
 |
........................ |  |
Porch (yet another) rebuild, St. Paul, MN
We optimistically approached this job hoping it would be just a simple window replacement. Alas! Not so. Upon deeper investigation the only thing holding up
this 24' x 8' roof was the stucco that used to surround wood supports (unfortunately rotted out the way of all organics).We found tweo "C" clamps
inside one of the collumns holding tyhemain 2x4 suppot together. So much for ht eway things used to be built. This was 1920 and it is only amazing that it lasted this long
Before 
After
.
......... 
....
...
Porch Remodel, Edina, MN
Yet another porch remodel. This one turns a rather ugly porch addition into a 4-season room addition.
Porch remodel, St. Paul, MN
A year for porches here at Sawdust Memories. Lucy is arguably my best customer and I feel so lucky to work for her. A new house came with a porch falling down. We've just taken out the walls and ceiling and put everything back together nice and new.
Yet another Porch remodel, Minneapolis
Take 2 parts wonderful repeat customers,, 3 parts well intentioned, careful carpenters, one nasty old porch, some beautiful structural cedar and throw in a bunch of hours, a few trips to Subway, a few good laughs and a new wonderful porch emerges. Customers wanted just a bit extra space for a bench along one wall so we pushed the room out 15" staying within the existing "footprint" of the house. Thanks Michael for the computer magic and Vic for the short but wonderful help.
Michael Victor
Porch Remodel, Edina, Mn
Take an existing porch, leave the roof in place, rebuild the walls for future 4-seasoning, add some nice details and a ceramic floor.
Finish in time for the wedding party. All window openings are sized for future double-hungs.
Front and rear entries, Minneapolis, MN
As you can see the house had a particularly early 60's shed "awning" over the front entry before we pulled it off. The idea was to keep a protected area over the new steps and sidewalk without adding new lines to the front. We simply extended the upper roof 8 feet and will give it a pretty bead board ceiling. The stuccoing will mimic the original. In the rear we added a simple dormer to give the steps protection. Again we kept the same style and look.
Wall, St. Louis Park, MN
A very modern house designed by Ralph Rapson, the same as designed the Guthrie Theatre, originally called for this wall but the original owners ran a bit short of capital. New owner, Scott, fullfills the vision. Siding was no longer available so we had to hand make 280 fence boards, running each through the saw five times!
Install new french doors
Egress Window, Minneapolis, MN
A chance to dig with the big toys.
Pergola, Highland Park, St. Paul, MN
Working with Roxanne and Mike from Hage Concrete again to build a free standing pergola. It has started out pretty rough. Digging the four corner post holes we found precious little dirt, just piles and piles of rock! Unbelievable!
Front entry, steps and Buttresses, Mpls, MN
Old steps were crumbling and glass walls were all out of plumb from the lack of footings and 50 odd years of shifting. Got Peter on the jackhammer and soon had a pile of cement and bricks that dwarfed the area they came from. Hage Concrete works dug and poured new footings and built new buttresses that are similar to what the house originally sported.
Front Entry, Edina, MN
Classing up the entrance to a fine home in a "Sawdust friendly" neighborhood. I've done work on most of the houses within view. Only problem here was the slow schedule of the city. It took 14 days to get a permit and 4 days to wait for the framing inspection!
Back porch, Historic Preservation District, St. Paul, MN
Getting approval from the preservation people, getting permits from the city, arranging eight different subs, working between frost and rain, tying into decades of old remodeling, moving overhead electrical service as well as avoiding buried wires, uncovering many layers of old kitchen flooring, finding hidden concrete steps under newer poured concrete steps, maintaining the integrity of a beautiful master, indeed improving it, that is our undertaking, that is our challenge, that is, in fact, what we do best. Here we go.
Rebuild breezeway as kitchen addition, St. Paul, MN
I lucked into interesting and delightful customers once again. An old and remodeled breezeway is becoming something else entirely. With the installation of headers and new walls and roof it will become a large open addition to the kitchen.
Lots of windows and doors will let in the light and view of the beautiful gardens.
Beginning the tear off
Deck and Porch addition. Minnetonka, MN.
This is my favorite kind of work. Building a deck allows you to dig in the ground, smell the sweet cedar and create a living space out of doors. Vic (with pizza) Michael and Terry all helping out.
Garage. Minneapolis
Garage addition and 4-season porch retro, Minnetonka, MN.
Block and footings are in and walls and roof are framed for garage addition. Brown coat is on and curing ready for dashing. interior of porch is outfitted with new windows and new paneling is on. Vic is busy varnishing. Slab has been poured.
Three season porch, Golden Valley. Working close to home in weather from 42 and sleet to sunny and 95. Nasty mud and clay, and slippery wet clay and mud, did I say mud? A couple of days from finished. Damp air pungent with cedar and lilac and crabapple.
Kitchen addition, south Minneapolis
before
Room Addition, Golden Valley, MN
Setting the wall for a room for anticipated twins, Peter and Greta. 100-degrees that day but I couldn't complain because I wasn't carrying the twins.
Kitchen, garage, deck addition, Kenwood area, Mpls
Garage and sitting room addition with walk out deck on flat roof. Minneapolis, MN
Corey, during construction
Decks and arbor overlooking Mississippi River valley. St. Paul, MN
Kitchen & Garage Addition, Mpls, MN
I had just finished shingling this kitchen addition when the famous Halloween snowstorm dropped 20 some inches of snow! Minneapolis, MN
Four season porch. Delano, MN
Plenty of practice scribing this redwood siding for a fireplace chaise, Delano, MN
Rebuild front portico. This thing had so much rot I could dig it out by the handful. Lake Calhoun, Mpls, MN
Gate, Minneapolis, Mn
Heavy wooden gate with a double action opening to go with the ..what? Tudor style. Tudor / Victorian something. Castle like home in Linden Hills.
