Posted by Bradley Chazin on Thu, Aug 12, 2010
Let Western Construction Award You $150.
All you have to do is refer a friend, family member,neighbor, or anyone you know to Western Construction, Inc.
The Western Construction, Inc. Referral Program allows you to receive a check for $150* directly from Western Construction, Inc. each and every time you refer Western to somebody you know and they purchase Western Construction, Inc. products.
Garages, Replacement Windows and Doors, Vinyl Siding, James Hardi Siding, LP SmartSide and all Roofing Products.
That’s right, you can refer as many people as you’d like and we'll keep sending you a check for each qualified referral as our way of saying thanks!
Three Ways To Enter
- The easiest way is enter is to fill out our referral contact form CLICK HERE
- Send your referral contacts to Referral@WesternConstructionInc.com
- Tell your referral to call Western Construction, Inc.
- Minneapolis 952-920-8888
- St Paul 651-644-6900
- and make sure they tell us who referred them.
We hope to hear from you soon!
*Qualifications for the $150 reward are as follows: Referred homeowner must purchase a minimum of $5000 in Western Construction, Inc. products. Attached or Detached Garages, Replacement Windows, Vinyl Siding, James Hardi Siding and all Roofing Products. Referred homeowner must be a first time Western Construction, Inc. customer. Referred homeowner must provide the name of the referring person at point of sale.
Posted by Bradley Chazin on Wed, Aug 11, 2010
James Hardie Siding | Laps And Seams
Most of the siding we install on Homes and Garages will have walls longer than 12'. James Hardie Lap Siding comes in 12' lengths therefore, there will be what we call butt joints in just about every row. Butt joints should be staggered to avoid any noticeable patterns.
Western Construction, Inc. will use both random placement of the planks and a progressive stagger pattern for a professional looking installation.
James Hardie Recommends The Progressive Stagger Pattern
With this installation method, the cut off piece for one course becomes the starter piece for a course above, making efficient use of materials and ensuring that all butt joints land on studs. The pattern can be modified for different stud placement.
James Hardie Siding | Joint Treatment
James Hardie Siding Recommends
- As much as possible butt factory-finished ends together
- Use moderate contact
- Use joint flashing behind the butt joint
Installing a piece of flashing behind all butt joints provides a extra level of protection against water getting behind the siding at the joint.
Joint-flashing material must be durable, waterproof materials that do not react with cement products.
Examples of suitable material
- Finished coil stock
- Building code compliant water-resistive barriers
James Hardie Siding | What About Using Caulk?
If your using HardiePlank®Lap Siding Primed, James Hardie recommends the use of joint flashing, however the use of caulk will not void the warranty.
Posted by Bradley Chazin on Sun, Aug 01, 2010
Do I need survey to build a Garage in Minneapolis or St Paul?
The answer is YES.
This is a example of a garage built 30 years ago.
The owners of this NE Minneapolis home thought their fence line was their legal property line. As you can clearly see the fence is almost 10' past the lot line on the city's property and 3' on their neighbor's property . Its pretty easy to move a fence but not so much for a new Garage. In this example the old Garage is in a legal location but the fence needs to be moved if either party complains.
Can My Garage Location Be Grandfathered In?
The answer to this question is NO.
Even if you and your neighbor agree the Garage can stay in the same location as the old Garage the City Building Code of the day will take precedence.
For instance, In St Paul many of the old Garages were built one foot from the side yard lot line. Today all Garages need to be three feet from the lot line.
How Much Does A Survey Cost?
That depends on what city you live in.
- In Minneapolis and St Paul you only need to survey the closest lot line to the Garage.
- In St Louis Park you may need all four line staked regardless on the Garage location.
- In Robbinsdale you need all four lot lines and a scale drawing showing the location of the new Garage and home.
- Edina requires all 4 lines, a scale drawing of the Garage and home, and the property elevations shown on the drawing.
Therefore depending on the city you live in, the cost of a survey could be somewhere between $300 and $1,000.
Your Western Garage Builder representative will be able to explain what type of survey is required for your Garage project.
Posted by Bradley Chazin on Wed, Jul 28, 2010
Western Garage Builders Can Sell Your Old Detached Garage
Can Western Garage Builders really can sell your old Single Car Detached Garage to make way for your new Garage. The answer is Maybe!
Free Old Garage Removal
Most of the time when I'm called out to a Minneapolis or St Paul home to build a new Detached Garage their is a Old Garage Removal involved. Over the last 61 years Western Garage Builders has built relationships with different movers who will haul your old Garage away for Free. Not all Garages can be sold or hauled away for free. Many Garages are just too old to make the move so they need to be torn down.
Minneapolis Garage Construction St Paul Garage Installation
Its a win, win deal.
- The mover gets a Free Garage to sell
- You save hundreds of dollars because you don't have to pay for the cost of the Garage Removal
- I get to recycle your old Garage,
- Even the environment wins because the old Garage stays out of the land fill
Minneapolis Garage Moving Requirements
According to the City of Minneapolis
- Permits and inspections are required to move a garage from outside or within the city from another property address
- Garages to be moved must be in good condition
- Roofing must be serviceable
- Stucco siding must be repaired
- Rotted materials replaced,
- All types of siding and the fascia/soffits to be repainted if paint is flaking and/or peeling.
Posted by Bradley Chazin on Tue, Jul 27, 2010
Minneapolis - St Paul Garages
If you live on a typical 40' Minneapolis or St Paul city lot and you need additional storage then maybe a Room in Attic Truss is the Garage truss for you?
This is an example of a 24' wide 24' deep 10/12 Room in Attic Truss Garage.
24x24 St Paul Attic Truss Garage
This Attic Truss Garage has a ceiling height of 7'6" with room dimensions of 12' wide x 24' deep for a total of 288 square feet. That's the perfect size for a home office or all the storage space you'll ever need.
For this St Paul Garage We installed Two Vinyl Double Hung Windows in each gable end for lot of natural light. For the Garage Attic floor we used 3/4 tongue and grove flooring for superior load bearing structural support.
Posted by Bradley Chazin on Thu, Jul 22, 2010
Are You Looking To Build A New Garage?
If you're looking to build a new One, Two or Three Car Garage look no further. Western Garage Builders has just added several different pages of Garage Styles for you to study.
You'll see what Garage Styles your neighbors are building. The different sidings, roof pitches, window types, garage construction and anything else that has to do with Building A Garage, Garage Construction and Garage Size and Styles
Here are just a few Minneapolis and St Paul Garage examples,
Posted by Bradley Chazin on Sun, Jun 13, 2010
Can I Build A Two Story Garage In St Paul?
A St Paul gable roof Detached Garage shall not exceed the height of the principal structure or fifteen (15) feet, whichever is less. For a gable roof Garage the vertical distance is measured from the established grade to the average height between the eaves and top ridge for gable and hip roofs.
Where a building is located on sloping terrain, the height may be measured from the average ground level of the grade at the building wall. The existing grade of the property may not be raised around a new building or foundation in order to comply with the height requirements of this code. When there is a dormer build into the roof, the height is measured to the midpoint of the dormer roof if the dormer(s) exceeds fifty (50) percent or more of the width of any side of the building.
On this St Paul Garage we used a 10/12 room in attic truss with LP Smartside shingle siding.
For this St Paul Garage and any home improvement, using LP Smartsiding is a excellent choice, not only because its as durable as it is beautiful but its manufactured in right here in Northern Minnesota just outside of Duluth.
Posted by Bradley Chazin on Sun, Jun 13, 2010
Can I build A Two Story Garage in Minneapolis?
In Minneapolis its actually a two part answer.
A Minneapolis Detached Garage shall not exceed the height of the principal structure or twelve (12) feet, whichever is less. For a gable roof Garage the maximum height is measured to the midpoint of the gable. In other words its the average distance between the top ridge and the eave.
The maximum height of the Detached Garage may be increased to sixteen (16) feet or the height of the principal structure, whichever is less, where the primary exterior materials of the accessory structure match the primary exterior materials of the principal structure and the roof pitch matches the primary roof pitch of the principal structure, and provided the wall height shall not exceed ten (10) feet from the floor to the top plate.
To increase the Maximum height of a Detached Garage in Minneapolis a additional permit is required.
On this Mpls Garage we used a 10/12 room in attic truss with LP Smartside shingle siding. The principal structure had cedar siding on it but the City of Minneapolis allowed the LP Smartside because it matched her cedar siding so well.
Using LP Smartsiding siding was a excellent choice, not only because its as durable as it is beautiful but its manufactured in right here in Northern Minnesota just outside of Duluth.
Posted by Bradley Chazin on Wed, Jun 09, 2010
James Hardie Stucco Panel Siding Vertical & Horizontal Joint Treatments.
Western Construction, Inc. takes the proper installation of all home improvement siding products we use seriously.
Here you see Luke Albers from James Hardie Siding reviewing with the team from Western Garage Builders proper installation procedures for installing James Hardie Siding products.
One of the most often asked questions we get when installing James Hardie Stucco Panel Siding is (how do the stucco panels fit together and what do you do with the seams?).
There are four methods for the vertical joint treatment in James Hardie Stucco Panel Siding.
1. Install the panels in moderate contact. This is the option James Hardie recommends the most.
2. Leave an appropriate gap between the James Hardi Stucco panels (1/8" is the most common gap size) and caulk using a high-quality paint able caulk. The caulk joint method is not recommended for the ColorPlus products.
3. Vertical joints may be covered with wood or fiber-cement batten strips. Batten strips should span the vertical joint by at least 3/4" on each side.
4. Metal or PVC "H" moldings can be used to join two sections of James Hardie Stucco Panel Siding.
There are four methods for the horizontal joint treatment in James Hardie Stucco Panel Siding.
In some home improvement applications such as multi story structures or at the gable ends of a Garage, it is necessary to stack Hardie Panel Stucco Siding. The horizontal joints created between panels must be flashed properly to minimize water penetration. Treat horizontal stucco panel joints by using one of following methods.
1. After installing the lower course of James Hardie Stucco Panel siding, install vinyl or coated aluminum "Z" flashing at the top edge of the stucco panel. Make sure the flashing is sloped away from the wall. Install the second level or gable stucco panels leaving a 1/4" minimum gap between the bottom of the stucco panel and the "Z" flashing. This gap should never be caulked.
2. If a horizontal band board is used at the horizontal joint, flashing must extend over the stucco panel edge and trim attachment. Flashing for both treatments must slip behind the water-resistive barrier.
Posted by Bradley Chazin on Thu, May 20, 2010
Western Garage Builders Beats The Other Twin Cities Garage Contractors On Price and Value Once Again
According to Remodeling Magazines Cost V/S Value guide for the years 2009-2010 the average Minneapolis & St Paul Detached Garage Cost was $58,148.
Remodeling Magazine obviously forgot to ask Western Garage Builders how much a Detached Garage Cost. I couldn't believe what I was reading. I hear this from my garage customers all the time. They tell me they've received Garage bids for their Garage project from other Garage Builders and the cost was out of this world. I didn't believe them until I read this article about Twin Cities Detached Garage Cost and Garage Builders MN in this years Remodeling Magazine.
Remodeling Magazine used these Detached Garage Specifications For Their Comparison
- Build a 26x26 detached two-car Garage
- Garage footings with a Garage slab on grade foundation
- 2x4 wood frame Garage wall framing with OSB structural sheathing
- The Garage roof was a 6/12 pitch
- The shingles for this Garage were 25 year asphalt shingles
- The siding for this Garage was vinyl
- The soffit and fascia for this Garage was aluminum
- This garage had 5 30x48 vinyl windows
- One 36" Garage service door with 1/2 glass and lock set
- Two 9x8 Garage Doors with electric Garage Door Openers
- The Garage wiring consisted of 50' of trench buried conduit to feed the new garage sub panel. Complete with wiring for Garage Door openers, wall plugs to code, overhead light over each Garage bay and exterior Garage lights.
- The rest of the garage was unfinished.
Remodeling Magazine also Had A UpScale Detached Garage for $86,965 Using These Additional Specifications.
- Add interior Garage wall finishing using moisture-resistant drywall on the Garage Ceiling and Garage walls
- The rear Garage wall had a modular storage system including Garage wall panels, upper and lower storage cabinets with work surfaces, and task lighting.
- Trim all Garage windows and doors and base molding
- Paint the interior of the Garage walls and ceiling
- Finish the Garage cement slab with color, slip-resistant epoxy sealer.
- Paint all trim, ceiling, and walls. Finish cement floor with color, slip-resistant epoxy sealer.
If your in the market for new Detached or Attached Garage in the Minneapolis and St Paul area, make sure you contact
Western Garage Builders for the best possible Garage pricing the Twin Cities has to offer.