Saturday, August 22nd, 2015
Minneapolis area home owners are often surprised at how quickly storm chasers arrive at their door steps after the storm itself has subsided. It’s a safe assumption that strangers will be knocking at your door within an hour after a hail storm passes through your neighborhood. We have to admire the efficiency with which these […]
Wednesday, March 11th, 2015
Ice dam removal in the Twin Cities has been all but non-existent this season. That’s good news for most homeowners! Ice removal on the commercial side of the universe seems to be a more consistent problem year to year and this season was no exception. The calls we typically get involve removing ice from around […]
Tuesday, January 13th, 2015
What causes ice dams? Google that question and you will get a lot of answers, the most common of which will be something about heat escaping into the attic, which in turn causes snow to melt on the roof and refreeze on a lower area. Standard stuff. In a broader sense, ice dams are caused […]
Monday, January 12th, 2015
I’ve been asked many times over the years about how to deal with water leaking into a home. It’s obviously a super stressful situation, so having a few pointers can help. Here is a PDF that shows one technique for managing water leaks into your home (Ice Dam Leaks Minneapoils Water leaking down walls Minnesota […]
Monday, December 22nd, 2014
Ice dam prevention is a bit of a misnomer. Technically, it’s almost impossible to fully prevent ice dams if the conditions are right. Those conditions are: lots of snow, temperatures fluctuating between 10-20 degrees, inadequate insulation and ventilation and air leaks. Let’s not forget about air leaks. We are in fact the only company in […]
Thursday, December 18th, 2014
The best solution to ice dams in Minnesota is holistic. Because ice dams in Minneapolis are the result of a complex interaction among many variables, including insulation, ventilation, roofing, home architecture, climate and homeowner lifestyle, the answer to each ice dam problem is always unique to the case. Some ice dam prevention is as simple […]
Thursday, December 18th, 2014
Chimney leaks in Minneapolis are very, very common. Unlike many areas of the country we deal with the affects of ice and snow, in addition to the normal forces that affect chimney performance such as wind, rain and the sun. I will be writing a few posts about common chimney damage in the coming weeks. […]
Friday, December 12th, 2014
In the past twenty five years I have inspected over 9000 cedar roofs in the Minneapolis-St.Paul area. That’s a lot of climbing. In that time I’ve seen just about every type of cedar roof imaginable as well as all manor of defect and curiosity imaginable. That timeframe has allowed me to observe a number of […]
Tuesday, October 1st, 2013
The primary challenge in working with insurance companies in terms of the replacement of roofs damaged by the August 6th hail storm isn’t so much in defining an accurate scope for the work but in getting paid fairly for that work. Insurance companies have an immense apparatus in place to depress pricing. It’s based on […]
Sunday, August 25th, 2013
Okay, I should be moving on to part 2 of my last post “How to Fight Your Insurance Company” but this info just came in and I couldn’t resist. Something that civilians don’t see in the midst of all of this hail storm madness is that the quality of the work that will be performed […]
Sunday, August 25th, 2013
The recent storms that passed through the southwest communities of Minneapolis left a trail of damage and confusion (as well as an incredible bloom of storm chasers). Not surprisingly, the aftermath of that storm has been interesting for a veteran of the industry to observe. From the almost comical circus of door-knocking contractors to the […]
Wednesday, August 14th, 2013
What is it with squirrels and roofs? They can’t seem to keep their teeth off them. We inspect hundreds of cedar roofs in the Twin Cities area each year. Time after time we find the same types of damage. Lead cap plumbing vent flashings such as the one here (A) are common targets of the […]
Wednesday, February 20th, 2013
Kuhl’s Contracting specializes in the installation of cedar roofs and cedar roof restoration, so we know a lot of folks who own cedar roofs. When it comes time to replace the roof, it seems like we always get asked the following question: “Should I switch to an asphalt roof?? They are definitely less expensive. What […]
Friday, February 15th, 2013
If you haven’t taken a look in your attic space lately, it might be a good idea to take a quick glance around this winter. Who goes in their attic space in the winter? Come to think of it, who ever goes in their attic space? It’s not usually the most comfortable atmosphere which explains why […]
Thursday, January 31st, 2013
Yesterday I was in a client’s home doing a routine thermal inspection when I started to notice wet spots all over the basement floor. I immediately thought they were leaks coming from plumbing in the ceiling. A quick thermal image of the ceiling ruled that out. After scratching my head for a bit I walked […]
Tuesday, December 18th, 2012
Ice dams cause leaks in Minneapolis homes but not usually until later in the ice dam season. I received a call earlier today from a client in Edina with water pouring through her ceiling. The water was coming through a smoke detector (B) and soaking her floor. One interesting but not entirely surprising thing was […]
Thursday, October 25th, 2012
Understanding how long a cedar roof will last is one of the most important considerations in deciding which material to choose. Here is the skinny on the most common wood roof materials, their basic characteristics and expected lifespans in the Minneapolis area: 16” Machine Sawn Shingles (Life Span 17-21 Years) Cedar shingles are used for […]
Sunday, September 16th, 2012
News flash. Your insurance company is not always looking out for your better interest. In fact, in the past 30 years they have developed sophisticated internal systems for limiting, delaying or denying claims altogether. Here is one such story. I just inspected a cedar roof on Prairie Lakes Drive in Eden Prairie and was shocked […]
Monday, July 2nd, 2012
As I love to say, after a hail storm ends it often starts raining losers. And by losers I mean to say contractors who rely on the general anxiety, hysteria and misinformation that dominates the hail battered suburban landscape immediately after the storm passes through.
Friday, March 2nd, 2012
I get asked all the time how much roofs cost to replace here in the Twin Cities. That’s sort of like asking how much a car costs. It depends on many variables. But for the sake of trying to be as helpful as I can in answering that question…
Friday, November 4th, 2011
Minneapolis Wood Roof Owners FAQ’s 1. If our wood roof is washed, how well with the new shake repairs blend in? 2. If we choose not to clean our cedar roof, how long with the new cedar shake repairs be obvious? 3. What can we do to get the new cedar roof repairs to match […]
Sunday, October 2nd, 2011
Having washed somewhere north of 2000 cedar shake and shingle roofs since the inception of our company in 1988, we have developed some strong opinions on the topic of whether or not it’s a good idea. Here is the definitive answer…
Saturday, April 30th, 2011
Birds and Ice Dams Birds might be the last thing you think about when you see ice dams forming on the edge of your roof this January. Yet birds can play a role in how they affect the ventilation of your roof. And as we all know, ventilation and insulation are two of the three […]
Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011
As industry pioneers in ice dam removal and ice dam prevention, we have been asked many times about the best method to use for ice dam removal in Minneapolis. The answer is without question true steam. The ‘true’ in that answer is intentional because there are many ice dam removal companies in Minnesota who are […]
Wednesday, September 15th, 2010
We are proud to announce that we have been selected as a winner for the 2010 Blend Awards.
Steve Kuhl has owned and operated Kuhl's Contracting for over 20 years. He prides himself on building strong relationships with customers, and backing it up with superior craftsmanship and job integrity.
Kuhl's Contracting is a leading Twin Cities exterior-remodeling company that focuses on superior quality and customer satisfaction. We're located and operates out of Hopkins, MN.
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1515 5th Street South
Hopkins, MN 55343
Suite K
(952) 935-9469
Our first unfortunate taste of winter in Minneapolis came a couple weeks ago with the unexpected (and unwanted) snowflakes on October 11th. It was a good reminder that you know what is coming. Soon. A little effort invested before the landscape turns white will yield worthwhile benefits in energy costs, comfort and peace of mind. […]
In the Early morning hours of Thursday July 18th, a Hail Storm quickly swept through the souther metro causing Damage to cars, homes and businesses. Several of the Local Twin Cities News Outlets were quick to report on the Hail Damage: 5 EyeWitness News – Hail damages cars at Burnsville hotel Bring Me The News – Large […]
After being brutalized by this winter, many of our clients are considering a permanent move to a warmer place to avoid the headaches associated with ice dams in the future. It’s true that Florida has certain advantages, but we may have a cheaper solution. Heat cables and Heat Tape. In combination with our sister company […]
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