Carbon Monoxide Detectors

New MN Law goes into affect this week. Last year all new homes had to have carbon monoxide detectors within 10 feet of every bedroom. On August 1 all existing homes are required to have the detectors within 10 feet of every bedroom. Most detectors cost between $10-$30 and you can find them at most hardware stores. I know for sure that the big box stores have them.

Good luck!

The Principles of Green Building

There are 5 principles of green building that we live by in building.

1. Energy Efficiency

2. Water Conservation

3. Resource Efficiency

4. Community and Site Impact

5. Indoor Enviornmental Quality

In order to have a truly green home you need to look at all of these items. The next few days we will be exploring what all of these mean and how you can adapt these principles into your existing home or your a future home.

“Green” Home Products

There are a few things that drive me nuts about “green” building. When I was at the International Builders Show back in February everyone said they were ‘green.’ All the suppliers had the latest and greatest ‘green’ product. Here are just a few things that I look for when I am considering whether a product is green or not.

1. What is the product

2. Where does it come from

3. What is that lifecycle-where does it go when it’s done

4. What is it made of

5. What kind of, if any, chemicals are used

6. What is involved in the installation

That’s just a start. I would beware of products that claim they are green.

A few years ago everyone wanted bamboo flooring because it’s a quickly renewable resource. At the time we weren’t talking about it being shipped from Asia and think about all the fuel that was consumed to get it to MN. Keep in mind where the product is coming from.

New Wellborn Products for 2008

Wellborn Cabinets just updated their website with all of their fun new finishes. They have increased the amount of options by 86%. That makes it a total of 2757 door styles and finishes.

Cannon Falls Minnesota Hail Storm

Cannon Falls was recently struck with a hail storm. Contact Schmidt Homes Remodeling to assist you with re-roofing, siding, windows, decks, painting, soffits, fasica, and gutter replacement. We were able to help 500 of the 5600 structures that needed to be fixed after the storm went through Northfield in 2006.

We can help you understand your insurance claims and read through the scope sheet and determine if what has been allotted to you will really cover the damage that has been done to your home.

John Hogan has worked with Schmidt Homes for over 10 years and is our Cannon Falls resident roofing expert. He was our go to guy when the storm hit Northfield and I know he’ll do a great job in Cannon Falls.

Are you ready for the holidays?

Is it just me or does Christmas come earlier every year? No matter how much time you spend getting your home ready for your entire family they always end up in the kitchen. The real question is, is your kitchen ready for the holiday marathon? Believe it or not, now is the time to think about remodeling for the holidays. Get that outdated room dressed to impress the in-laws.

Here is a great example of a kitchen we just finished on 3rd St. in Northfield.

Before Pictures                                                    After Pictures

Here are more pictures of the finished project

Start dreaming today…

This week-end starts the Luxury Home Tour presented by Midwest Home Magazine and Marvin Windows. You can buy tickets at Caribou Coffee and get a map. It costs $20.00 and the gas to drive to the homes. It’s a fun tour with lots of amazing features. The tour runs June 6-8, 13-15, and 20-22, 2008.

Changes in the mortgage industry

In today’s (Monday June 2) Business section of the Star Tribune the lead article details the changes in the mortgage industry with the on set of the tougher restrictions in the state of Minnesota.

More than 50 Minnesota mortgage brokers have surrendered their state licenses this year — double last year’s rate and not including those who have gone out of business without notifying the Minnesota Department of Commerce.

The state’s 1,319 active originators last week were down from more than 4,000 last year at this time. Many of them surrendered their licenses after new state laws aimed at making it tougher to be in the mortgage business were implemented last year. –Jim Butcha, Star Tribune June 2, 2008

Solar Decathlon

I just saw that the University of Minnesota Twin Cities will have a team at the Solar Decathlon. They will be competing against other universities in the world to build the most energy efficient/ green home.

Here is the link to the Solar Decathlon and check out last years winners!

The Real Deal, with service that is.

Schmidt Homes and Schmidt Homes Remodeling are proud to announce their Real Deal Service Program. If you want to know why we’re different from any other builder in town it’s the service we provide to our customers. View our recently published ad in the Northfield Entertainment Guide, The Real Deal Service Program.

The Real Deal has 3 parts to it, 1. the hands on project manager, 2. customer service care, 3. showroom. Big deal you say, everyone has that.

Well, when you work with Schmidt Homes or Schmidt Homes Remodeling you get to work with the same person all the way through your project. It won’t just be the first meeting and last meeting with the project manager, it will be every meeting. They will be the same person checking your project every 48 hours. You get to talk to the top guy for your project every step of the way.

Let’s say that something doesn’t go very well on your project or there was a minor screw up. When you call our office we will be glad to help you with your concerns and walk you through what happened and fix what needs to be fixed as soon as possible. It’s your home, it should be how you want it. If we don’t have an answer for you we know the right people to talk to. Not only that if your project manager is avaliable you can talk directly with them.

Finally we have a beautiful showroom right here in Northfield! You can make almost all of your selections without leaving town. Plus we have people on staff to help you with your decisions. We can be very involved or not that involved. It really depends on you. We tailor our service to you.

Don’t just take my word on it. Ask anyone of our clients about the process of working with us.