Home Remodeling Blogs in the Twin Cities

Renovating or just making repairs to a house in the Twin Cities?  This is the post for you.

The last two blog posts here were about the Minneapolis and Saint Paul real estate markets in December.  Though more homes have been selling, the prices they’ve been selling for has been dropping.  That is due to a variety of reasons.  One of them is that many of the houses in Minneapolis and St. Paul are old and in need of renovations.  This often drops the price a bit, as the new owners will ultimately spend some time and money fixing them up. 

If you’re renovating or remodeling a home in the Twin Cities, you’re not alone.  Lots of houses in the area, because of their age, are in need of at least a little fixing-up.  Some more than others.  This Star Tribune article about 2 Victorian homes in Minneapolis that had been given make-overs couldn’t possibly really describe all the work that goes into renovating a house or the time it takes.  What better way to share stories about making home improvements than in blog form? 

There are several blogs being written by locals about their adventures in home ownership.  Reading about the work that they have done and are doing is fascinating.  It takes a special person to put in the time, money and energy into fixing a home.  It takes a lot of patience.  Read on to find out what improvements some Twin Cities residents are making to their houses. 

American Four-Square Renewal:  Nadja and Sean jumped into the deep end with both feet when they bought an old house in Saint Paul that needed a little work.  Okay, it needed a little work up-front (new paint and roof) and since then, it has been a lot of work.  Nadja, Sean, and their two dogs are up for the task, though.  They’ve been steadily spending 90% of their free time making improvements to the home, like finishing the basement, building a fence, and ripping out some trees.  And that’s just the major accomplishments for last year! 

He’s not a professional handyman, he just plays one on the internet.  At Bungalow Twenty Three, Josh tells of his “euphoric victories, maddening miscalculations, and inevitable surprises of maintaining and restoring” a 1923 Craftsman bungalow in Minneapolis.  Josh will regale you with entertaining stories about pests, plumbing, painting, and power tools.  His blog was even mentioned in an article by the Wall Street Journal about houseblogs. This blog has been up and running since 2005 and has plenty of updates to keep you entertained.

StuccoHouse is a blog about the ups and downs of restoring a 1924 vintage bungalow in Minneapolis. This house needed work from the very day its owner spent the first night in 2002 and woke up with a reaction to the years of dust and allergens spackled inside the vents.  This home is obviously an on-going project, as the StuccoHouse blog has over 4 years worth of updates.

Our Home in the Cities is a relatively recently started blog about the renovation of a private home.  Join Jen, Jason, and their dog, Barley, as they explore the joys of owning and updating a Twin Cities house built in the 1920s.  The newly-weds had a wedding to plan, so they were working on other things for a while, but now they have turned their attention to giving their home a serious make-over.  Their current project?  Re-doing the study!

1928 Northrop Bungalow was a blog started by Will Peterson about the renovating projects he performs on his South Minneapolis home.  After finding other home improvement blogs to be useful, he started his own so that others may read about his successes and shortcomings.  Though the blog listed above has been running since October 2008, the “archives” of this blog begin elsewhere at www.laughingwatertile.com, where the blog originally began.  While you’re there, take a look at the handcrafted tiles Will makes!  You won’t find tiles that look like these at Home Depot.

If you renovating, remodeling, repairing, updating, or just fixing up a house for fun, these blogs are worth checking out.  Knowing that other people have gone through trouble with contractors, burst pipes, and “maddening miscalculations” can be very reassuring.  Who knows, you may be inspired to start your own home renovation blog!

Have you started a blog and I didn’t mention it here?  Post your link in the comments section!