Dream Homes Exteriors: Minnesota Exteriors Company, Twin Cities Exteriors, Twin Cities Roofing, Twin Cities Siding, Minnesota Roofing, Minnesota Siding, Minneapolis Roofing, Minneapolis Siding, Minneapolis Exteriors

Earn Cash for Twin Cities Roofing and Siding Referrals

DreamHomes — Mon, 14 May 2012 18:05:35 +0000

Did you know that Dream Homes has a REFERRAL program? That’s right – we give you a hundred bucks every time one of your referrals leads to an exteriors project for Dream Homes Exteriors. To earn free cash for simply referring your friends to use Dream Homes as their Twin Cities exteriors contractor, just let us know who we should contact and what kind of a project they’re looking to complete. Or you can have them contact us and use your name as a referral. Either way, if it turns into a contract for Dream Homes we’ll get you a hundred bucks. It’s that simple! To contact us, call our main office at 651-689-3028 OR email us at sales@dreamhomesexteriors.com. It’s a simple way to support a local business and earn a quick hundred bucks for yourself at the same time!

And if YOU have an exteriors project that you’ve been looking to get started on this year, just mention this blog post and we’ll immediately knock a hundred bucks off the cost of your project. As the homeowner, we want YOU to benefit from this promotion, too!

Going Green: Why Fiber Cement Siding Is A Good Choice

DreamHomes — Tue, 08 May 2012 21:32:33 +0000

The Green Movement has been sweeping the nation. And if you’re a homeowner that is looking to make your home a more green place to live, then fiber cement siding is a great option for you. Here are several reasons why choosing fiber cement siding makes your home more friendly to the environment:

1. Fiber cement siding is made from environmentally friendly materials: cement, sand, wood and water. Some synthetic siding materials are made with many chemicals that are released during the manufacturing of the synthetic product. This is not the case with fiber cement siding. Compared to the competition, it is much less harsh on the Earth.

2. Fiber cement siding is longer lasting than other siding materials. It can last for decades, meaning not only do you save money in the long run by not having to replace your siding as often, there are also fewer resources and energy needed over the lifespan of this product that would have gone into replacing another type of siding as it aged.

3. Because fiber cement siding is not made with the amount of chemicals that other synthetic types of siding are made with, it does not release toxic chemicals over time. Additionally, fiber cement siding will not release toxic chemicals into the earth after it has been discarded from your home.

4. Fiber cement siding is made partially with recycled materials, which decreases the amount of energy (and resources) needed to produce this type of siding material.

5. The fact that you don’t have to paint fiber cement siding is not just a low maintenance benefit, it is also an environmentally friendly one. Toxic paint won’t chip off of your house and seep into the ground and you’ll save money/materials on future paint purchases, since won’t be needed on your home.

6. Since fiber cement siding is insect proof, you will never need to worry about hiring a company to come and use chemicals to kill burrowing insects and bugs on your home. This saves quite a bit of chemicals from being released into the environment.

If you’re interested in hearing more about fiber cement siding or any other kind of siding materials we have to offer, give us a call at 651-689-3028 or shoot us an email today. We’d love to get you more information and help you out with your next exteriors project!

Minnesota Storm Damage: Storm Season Begins

DreamHomes — Tue, 01 May 2012 20:25:57 +0000

According to the latest weather reports, severe storms are on the schedule for tonight in the Twin Cities. What does this mean for Twin Cities homeowners? Well, for one it’s the start of another Minnesota storm season. We’ve had some thunderstorms this spring but nothing serious. With the start of storm season, you should turn your thoughts to what your plan is in the event that your home or business suffers storm damage in the Twin Cities. Hopefully, nothing serious affects your home. But with the crazy weather we’ve had this year so far it’s clear that Minnesota home owners need to be prepared for anything. If your home DOES incur storm damage, here are the best steps to take:

1. Assess your home. If you walk around your house or business and notice lots of denting in the siding, you probably have siding storm damage. If there’s siding damage, there’s probably some roof storm damage as well. The best way to tell if you have roof damage from the ground is to look for sections of your roof that are dismantled, if you notice any leaking in your home or attic that was not previously an issue or if you notice shingles that are visibly missing from the ground.

2. DO NOT GET UP ON YOUR ROOF. Instead, locate your homeowners insurance policy and call your insurance agent to schedule an inspection of your property for storm damage. As soon as you get off the phone with your insurance agent, call us at 651-689-3028. We will come out for a free inspection at the same time as your insurance agent. This will ensure that areas of damage do not go “overlooked” by your insurance company and that you receive a fair payout for the storm damage to your home.

3. Dream Homes can handle the rest of the process. We know that this can be a stressful experience for even the most experienced Minnesotan. Dream Homes is here to help- we can handle working with your insurance company to make sure that your roofing project and/or siding project are handled professionally and efficiently, leaving you to just enjoy the finished product and not have to fight with your insurance company to get this project done.

For more information on our services or to have Dream Homes come out to your home for a FREE storm damage inspection, email us or give us a call at 651-689-3028 today. We’d love to help you out!

Cedar Shake Siding in the Twin Cities

DreamHomes — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 19:10:19 +0000

Over the past decade or so, cedar shake siding has made a comeback. What many homeowners did not realize is that just like any other cedar product, cedar shakes look nice but require a ton of maintenance. They’re more likely to need replacement sooner than other siding options out there. If you’re looking to get the cedar shake siding look on your house, let us give you another option: Cedar Impressions. It’s a product that is made by CertainTeed, a leader in siding production in the US. This product looks just like cedar shake siding, but requires significantly less upkeep than traditional cedar shake siding. Here’s what you can expect by installing this cedar shake alternative on your home:

Precise installation of this product from CertainTeed’s special installation panel thermometer.

A finish that feels and looks just like traditional cedar shake shingles.

A super strong product that can weather Minnesota winters and severe summer storms: this product was created to withstand hurricane force winds.

A seamless finished product due to this product’s unique installation process

Unless you want to change the color of your home, you will never have to paint this product making it nearly maintenance free

This product comes with a lifetime limited warranty

There are a ton of reasons why choosing a product like Cedar Impressions. After installing this product on your home, you’ll be so impressed with the results (and the low maintenance!) that you’ll never go back to traditional cedar shake siding. If you’re interested in seeing how this product or any other siding material could change the look of your home, email us or give us a call at 651-689-3028 today for your FREE consultation. We’d love to help you out!

Why You Need A Roof Inspector For Your New Home

DreamHomes — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 18:59:38 +0000

If you’re in the market to buy a new home, or if you recently purchased a new home, here’s a little food for thought: most city inspectors will NOT actually get up on the roof of your potential home to inspect it. You might be wondering: how the heck can an inspector actually claim to have LOOKED at my roof without getting up there?

Here’s the thing: in some cities, inspectors aren’t even ALLOWED to get up on a roof – it’s an insurance liability for the company. Which is why you should bring out a separate roof inspector to check out any potential home you’re looking to buy. The problem with not getting the roof of a new home you’re looking to purchase is this: the roof is one of the most expensive pieces of a home to replace. If there are roofing problems, you won’t be able to ignore them, you will have to get the roof repaired, if not fully replaced, immediately. Just to ensure that you’re not going to incur a huge expense as soon as you move into a new home (when you’re already spending a huge chunk of your savings on the down payment of your new property), bring a separate roof inspector that will actually get up on a roof.

Your best bet is to just hire a completely separate inspector for the entire home – someone that you’re sure is on your side for the inspection (if you’re paying the bill, not the realtor or family that currently owns the home you’re looking to purchase, they’ll be on your side). It’s a small expense to pay if you want to make sure you don’t have any hidden home issues to deal with the second you move into a new house!

Roof Care Tips to Increase the Longevity of your Roof Life

DreamHomes — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 21:40:49 +0000

With Spring here and Summer quickly approaching, it’s time to start looking at the small, yearly maintenance you should be performing on your home. Performing these tasks every Spring will not only make your home look more presentable, they will help to increase the longevity of that roof – a very expensive piece of your home. You’ll save yourself time and money down the road by making sure that your roof is in tip-top shape before storm season even arrives!

1. Clean out your gutters and downspouts from fall leaves and winter snow and ice to ensure that water during rainstorms can flow freely off of your roof.
2. Sweep the leaf buildup, flower blossoms (from early Spring blooming trees) and any pine needles that have collected out of your roof drains.
3. Inspect the outer layers of shingles on your home (the ones closest to the ground) to ensure that they are not easily liftable – if they are, they will be easily liftable during a storm!
4. Remove any moss that has built up over the year from your shingles.

We advise all of our customers to inspect their roof at least once a year and perform simple Spring and Fall maintenance tasks to ensure that small problems don’t lead to much larger problems down the road. With the extreme weather differences we see in Minnesota from Summer to Winter, this will help extend the life of your roof – one of the most costly investments a homeowner can make on his or her home. If you notice small issues today, it’s important to fix them right away. Left untreated many of the small issues can become much larger very quickly, and could ultimately force you to replace your entire roof much earlier than expected. To have a Dream Homes professional come out for a free consultation on the small OR large exteriors projects at your home, give us a call at 651-689-3028 or email us today. We’d love to help you out!

Spring Roof Inspection: Checking for Leaks

DreamHomes — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 20:38:31 +0000

Springtime is a great time to check your house out for any maintenance issues that may have arisen over the summer. Since there’s not as much yard work to be done in early Spring, you might have an hour to spare to check your house for things that need to be fixed now instead of leaving them to become a big problem that needs to be fixed later on down the road. There are a few important places to check around your home to ensure that you didn’t get some leaks in your roof over the winter.
On the exterior of your home:

Check your vents and chimney: look in these areas (and smell them!) for any signs of mold or mildew. If you smell or see anything that you think could be mold or mildew, you might have a leak in your roof that allowed moisture to become trapped in/around your chimney or vents.
Check for shingles that have fallen off or look like they’re curling: this can be another sign that moisture got underneath your shingles throughout the winter.

Check your flashing (binoculars may be helpful here). If you see any holes in your flashing or if it looks like the flashing is separating from your home, moisture may have seeped into your roofing system over the winter. Left untreated, this could cause serious rotting in your roof/flashing/fascia.

Check for branches rubbing against your roof. This can cause holes in your roof, which can lead to leaks down the road.

In the attic in your home:

Check for stains on the ceiling. This can mean you’ve had a leak for quite a while – this needs to be addressed immediately.

Check the floor for signs of water droppage. This can let you know if you have a small (or large, depending on the amount of water) leak in your roof.

Check for damp or wet insulation. This will tell you if water has been seeping into your attic all winter.

If you notice any signs of a leaky roof, it’s important to address this right away. If the leak is small, the repairs will be simple and you will save yourself a huge headache down the line. If you notice a larger leak that may have been there for a long time, it’s important to address it immediately to ensure that no further damage is caused to your home, or potentially to the health of your family if mold and mildew have started to present themselves.

Dream Homes Exteriors has the experience and qualifications to help you out with any leaky roof, be it a small or large leak. For a free consultation, give us a call at 651-689-3028 or shoot us an email today. We would love to help you out with securing the roof on your home!

What To Do After A Storm Hits Your House

DreamHomes — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 19:56:45 +0000

The first thing to do after a severe storm hits your home is to check the exterior of your home for storm damage. The most common signs of storm damage are dents in your siding from heavy hail, siding pieces that look like they are not secure to the house or are twisted and noticeable roof damage – like missing shingles. It is important to note that if there is storm damage on your roof, it will be difficult to determine from the ground. However, if you notice damage to your siding, you more than likely have roof damage as well. If you suspect that you do have storm damage, don’t get up on a ladder to inspect your roof on your own, call a licensed professional to take a look at your roof – they know the safest ways to approach and look for damage after a storm hits. If you DO have storm damage, you may be wondering what steps you should take to fix your home so that it is as safe and secure as it was prior to the storm. Here is the best series of steps that you should take:

1. Locate your Homeowners Insurance Policy. You will specifically need the name and phone number of your insurance company, the name of your insurance sales person and your policy number.

2. File a claim: call your insurance agency to let them know exactly what the details of your claim are, the coverage of your insurance policy and the correct filing procedure for your claim. Make sure you write down your claim number and keep it in a safe place.

3. Meet with the insurance agency AND a representative from Dream Homes Exteriors. This is a free consultation, it’s not going to cost you anything. But having a professional roofing contractor at the site to meet with your insurance agent is important to make sure that none of the signs of damage are overlooked, ensures that your agent takes your claim more seriously (and files it quicker) and that the insurance company gives you a full and fair payout for the storm damage on your house.

4. You’ll then receive paperwork from your insurance agency relating to your claim. If you are working with a Dream Homes representative, we can take care of this paperwork for you. We will make sure that it takes care of all of the damage on your home and that all of the details are accurate.

5. Your insurance check will be issued, and the project can begin work.

It’s a fairly simple process, and when you work with Dream Homes Exteriors, we take care of all of the hard work – getting up on your roof to inspect the damage with your insurance agency, working with your insurance agency to ensure that you’re not taken advantage of and filing all of the necessary paperwork with the agency – to save you a big headache. If you are looking for a Twin Cities storm damage consultation, please email us or give us a call at 651-689-3028 today. We can professionally and efficently help you out with the storm damage project at your home.

Twin Cities Emergency Roofing and Siding Repairs

DreamHomes — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 18:55:41 +0000

Summertime storms can do more than just wake you up in the middle of the night: if the storm is strong enough, it can wreak havoc on your home. If a storm blows through and your home incurs more than just hail damage to your roof or siding, to the point where the safety or water resistence of your house has been compromised, it’s time to call in a local Twin Cities roofing contractor that can help you with an emergency job.

At Dream Homes Exteriors, we realize that anything classified as “emergency” repair is serious – and we will take your call very seriously. In emergency situations, it’s incredibly important to secure your the damaged area as soon as possible. We will help you secure the area and repair the damage to your home as quickly as possible. If necessary or applicable, we will work with your insurance company to ensure you receive a fair payout for the damage on your home.

The one thing you have to be careful about with emergency storm damage are the fly-by-night roofers that will come trolling your neighborhood to “help you out”. They might say that they’ll get the job done immediately, but it’s definitely possible that they will leave you hanging. They will either significantly overcharge you for the work, perform sub-par work to what you were expecting or not show up at all once they receive your deposit. The best ways to ensure that you’re not working with a fly-by-night roofer are:

Work with a local company that has a local phone number.

Make sure you get their general contractors license to verify that they are registered within the state of Minnesota

Verify the information that is listed on the contract they give you: is the address local? Is the information the same as their business card/website?

Trust your gut. If you have a bad feeling about working with a specific contractor, you probably shouldn’t work with them.

At Dream Homes, we’re here to help you with any and all of your emergency roofing and siding needs. Call us at 651-689-3028, we have the expertise and experience necessary to help you out of this traumatic situation.

When To Remove Snow From Your Roof

DreamHomes — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 19:06:21 +0000

After last year’s winter, you probably were constantly asking yourself if you needed to remove the snow from your roof. In fact, many of our customers have asked us that very question this year: when do I know if I should remove the snow from my roof? The answer to that questions doesn’t lie in the amount of snow that’s sitting on your roof, you’ll find it in the weight of the snow that is sitting on your roof. Let me explain.

If we have a Twin Cities snow storm that produces six inches of light, fluffy snow, it is:

not very heavy

will melt easily

isn’t likely to cause severe roof damage

Conversely, if that same six inches is dense, heavy snow, you’re in for more problems because:

heavy snow can create ice dams on your roof – the snow directly against your roof can melt due to the heat escaping your home, but then re-freeze from the pressure of the cold, heavy snow on top of it. Big problem.

This kind of snow can take a long time to melt, keeping that heaviness on your roof for an extended period of time.

If it continues to snow on top of that six inches of heavy snow, you’re going to have increased pressure on your home

So: when do you know when you should have someone remove the snow from your roof? When the snow build up on your home starts to get overwhelming for your roof, you’ll notice that the interior doors on your hom – the doors on your second floor bedrooms and closets – start to stick. This means that the weight on your roof is severe enough to distort your door frames on the second story of your house.

It is rare to have to remove the snow from your roof – generally it’s only an issue when we have winters like the 2010-11 winter where the snow just keeps on coming (unless you live in northern Minnesota, in which case you have those kind of winters every year!). If you do need to have snow removed from your home, make sure to hire a professional. It takes special equipment to ensure that you 1. don’t damage your home in the process of removing the snow and 2. don’t hurt yourself by falling through the roof, getting stuck in a snow drift or slipping on ice build up underneath the ice.

For more information on protecting your roof from the snow or hiring a snow removal contractor, shoot us an email or give us a call at 651-689-3028. We would be happy to recommend you to a qualified, professional Twin Cities snow removal company.