651-212-4221
Mar 16, 2015
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Don’t Break Ground on a New Home Without Reading This

Every year, Angie’s List awards their coveted Super Service award to the top five percent of businesses that exemplify extraordinary customer service. Here, at Lindus Construction, we are proud to have achieved this recognition for the past seven consecutive years.  From time-to-time, our friends at Angie’s List invite our COO, Andy Lindus, to be a guest on their podcast to discuss where our industry is headed.  Last month’s podcast with Andy discussed the ins and outs of home building and here are some of the highlights.

Remodeling vs. New Home Building: While it may come as a surprise, remodeling actually outranks new construction on the homeowner stress scale.  That’s because homeowners generally live in a construction zone for the duration of the project while those building new homes have the luxury of stopping in at the job site to visit.

Getting Started: When considering potential builders, it’s a good idea to make your selection prior to even purchasing the lot.  That’s because the layout of your house, and your lot, need to complement each other.  Online reviews are a great place to start but it’s also wise to actually speak with a contractor’s previous clients to see if the contractor kept the project on time and within budget.  Don’t just settle for clients that just completed projects, ask to speak with and visit jobs as old as five years to see how the work has withstood the test of time.  Meet with the company’s designers and ask to meet the supervisor that would be in charge of your actual product to make sure they are a good fit.  A picture is worth a thousand words and showing your contractor images from websites such as Houzz and Pinterest allow them to suggest options that will appeal to your tastes.

New Home Trends: As the size of the American family shrinks, so does the square footage of homes.  Gone are the days were the kitchen was a secluded place.  Most homeowners opt for open floor plans that combine the kitchen, dining and living spaces.  This option is conducive to entertaining.

Builder Grade Materials: When building a home, a tempting way to cut costs is opting for builder grade materials.  The name builder grade is a bit misleading since builders are technically using them, but by no means are builder grade materials the crème de la crème.  In most cases, builder grade materials are just of average quality and are pre-built and mass-produced.  Investing money into these types of products can actually leave a homeowner replacing them sooner, costing them more money in the end than if they had just spent a little extra money upfront.

Determining Price: When building a new home, the client and the contractor typically work out a price range that encompasses the work to be done and the materials the homeowners have selected.  This amount can increase if the homeowner makes changes, once the project has commenced, but should be done through change order paperwork that discloses the additional costs involved.  In order to not run over on your construction budget, at least 15% of it should be discretionary that can be spent at any time during the project.  Permits should be pulled by the contractor who will have a working knowledge of which permits need to be pulled and the appropriate timelines associated with them.

Homeowner Visits to the Job site: Homeowner involvement within the project can be instrumental in the end result being exactly what their vision entailed.  However, too frequent of visits to the job site can be a distraction and can actually slow the project down.  A happy medium is usually a weekly visit to the job site by the homeowner.  Bear in mind that most new construction projects have a timeline of six months to a year.

Final Inspection: Hands down, seeing the final product come to fruition is one of the most exciting parts of the home building process.  This is a great opportunity to evaluate every window, door, appliance, light switch, faucet, etc. to make sure they function correctly.  It can be a great idea to have a home inspector in attendance in order to thoroughly assess the property.  A lot of contractors will include a home performance test during the final walk-through to ensure there are no air leaks within the home.  It’s completely normal, and expected, that a contractor may have a small punch list after the final inspection in order to make the property perfect for the homeowner.

Warranties: In most states, laws are in place that protect homeowners with a two-year warranty on a new home.  This is the beginning of the warranties associated with the home.  Be sure to understand the warranties associated with the products installed such as roofing, siding, gutters, windows and major appliances.  It’s also important to understand ahead of time what kind of a workmanship guarantee the contractor provides. A workmanship guarantee lays out the terms of how they will warranty items that malfunction due to improper installation.

Reviews

We Strive for 100% Customer Satisfaction

Delivering exceptional service is our No. 1 priority. Read these happy reviews from homeowners who were blown away by their home improvement experience with Lindus Construction.

"I was very impressed that Lindus sent a safety inspector on day one and a quality inspector at the end. I did not expect this but sincerely appreciate this attention to detail. All of this demonstrates how Lindus stands by its work and differentiates Lindus from other firms. I would definitely consider Lindus for any future exterior needs."

Debbie E.
Plymouth, MN
February 27, 2024

"Over the past 18 years and 4 separate major home improvement projects, Lindus Construction has exceeded every one of our family’s expectations on each of these projects. Whenever anyone invests in home improvement, the homeowner’s concerns ultimately center on several critical factors: the ultimate quality of the final product, ease of working with the firm, honest communication and relationships, craftsmanship of the employees, timeliness, service after the sale, and of course, a manageable investment cost. We are proud to say that the Lindus team has been an outstanding partner in improving our house’s function, appearance, and market value."

Jim G.
Chanhassen, MN
February 8, 2024

"I did two big projects in 2023 with Lindus. First was removing and replacing attic insulation plus creating proper ventilation. Second was replacing roof and adding LeafGuard®. Did everything go perfectly? No but that is where a company shows its merits. All issues were resolved! I even received a check for unused supplies. I highly recommend Lindus. They are not the cheapest. You get what you pay for."

Jill D.
St. Paul, MN
December 14, 2023

"Lindus Construction is a company that provides the best possible workmanship, professionalism and customer service for each and every project. Lindus Construction is a great choice for roofing, siding, windows, doors, decking and LeafGuard® Gutter projects or any combination of those projects. Small jobs such as garden sheds to large homeowner associations with multiple buildings they are able to handle it."

Kelly P.
River Falls, WI
December 4, 2023

"We are quite pleased with the way our project went. The Lindus folks have successfully managed to instill a culture of quality and customer service in throughout the entire business, which is rare these days.  Everyone we worked with carried that same attitude of wanting to do it right and make us happy. The installation went well and we are very satisfied."

Tim M.
Minneapolis, MN
June 20, 2023

"Thorough, timely, efficient, good communicators. Excellent work, cleaned up well and took care of a few extra details without any hassle."

Carla U.
Minneapolis, MN
May 17, 2023

"Your services and products are wonderful!  (And we have used Lindus three times now). The crews were gracious and hard-working."

Alan W.
St. Paul, MN
May 11, 2023

"I would just like to compliment Randahl for excellent work and customer service skills.  Every time he was at our home, he was professional, thorough, extremely pleasant, and explained things well.  You are very lucky to have such an outstanding employee!"

Vicki F.
Blaine, MN
March 25, 2023

"Great job. Workers were friendly and cleaned up everything when they were done. They stopped to tell me they were ready to work and checked in when they were done."

Carolyn I.
Andover, MN
March 16, 2023

"This company has all ways been honest with us, took care of us and their workmanship is second to none."

Michael N.
Rosemount, MN
March 13, 2023

"Very professional, super quality work, everyone was very pleasant, would highly recommend, will continue to use Lindus for all future projects."

Chuck V.
Chaska, MN
February 18, 2023

"Service and work were excellent; thank you!"

Ron B.
Burnsville, MN
January 19, 2023

"The technician worked very efficiently and put in long hours to get the job done. Excellent work and we were very grateful."

Pam L.
Oakdale, MN
January 12, 2023

"I have used Lindus in the past and they once again, gave me excellent service. They stand behind their products and service. I have referred them to many friends."

Susan B.
St. Paul, MN
January 6, 2023

"We have had them do work at our home before and at my parents' house. They did great work!"

Sue R.
St. Croix Falls, WI
January 3, 2023

"The two young men that did the install were great.  They were personal and appeared very conscientious."

Jim H.
St. Anthony, MN
December 30, 2022

"Always polite and considerate. Last inspection was a quality control and I was impressed with him and his thorough inspection. Great job!"

Irene S.
Bloomington, MN
December 20, 2022

"We had a great experience with Lindus. The communication has been great. When I had a question I received a return email or phone call quickly. When Lindus employees were at our home, they explained what they were doing in great detail, my questions were always satisfactory answered. I will gladly continue to refer Lindus to friends and neighbors."

Roger D.
Shoreview, MN
November 29, 2022

"I highly recommend Lindus Construction. I have used them for three projects over the last few years and they are easy to contact, the people are friendly and they do very high quality work. Don’t hesitate to use Lindus for your next project."

Darrell M.
Lino Lakes, MN
June 9, 2022
Contact Us To Schedule A Complimentary Estimate. Receive A Heat Map Analysis With Insulation Estimates Through March 31st.
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