THIS PROGRAMMING MESSAGE is targeted at you, my readers, and also at bloggers I follow.
You’ll see minimal posts and comments from me over the next week. I have family arriving today from Boston and from eastern Wisconsin tomorrow. I intend to spend my time with them, not writing.
Secondly, we are in the midst of a major house re-siding project which I’ve termed “The Nightmare on Willow Street.” What started as seemingly routine work to replace hail-damaged siding turned nightmarish upon the discovery of rotted wood on the driveway side of the house.
This necessitates bringing in specialized professionals to replace rotted wood, including rotted studs. Yes, it’s that bad.
I’m thankful this was found so the structural integrity of that side of our nearly 100-year-old house can be reinstated. But, as you may guess, this will cost mega money. Thankfully homeowner’s insurance has covered the re-siding and re-shingling of our house due to hail damage. We’re uncertain whether the additional work will be covered.
I’ve cried. I’ve lost sleep. I’ve raged. And I’ve tried really hard to feel thankful for this unexpected discovery before the situation got worse. It’s not easy to stay positive. There’s a lot of work ahead. I don’t even want to consider the final cost if more issues are found.
Randy and I are thankful for the team at Bloomington-based Minnesota Precision Construction, our general contractor for our siding and roofing projects. They have been responsive, caring and compassionate through everything. I ask a question, raise a concern and get immediate answers from people I trust. Yes, they are an out-of-town company. But, with all the hail damage caused by a mid-April storm, local contractors can’t possibly handle all the jobs in and around Faribault. We vetted the company before we went with them and have been pleased thus far with their professionalism, workmanship and compassionate response.
So, that, my readers, is what’s happening in my life right now. As I type this Tuesday morning, the construction workers are working to re-side the front of our house. They will have to wait until the framers finish to continue on the north and west sides. Framers arrive Monday. The parts of the house and garage with new siding look stunning.
My adult kids protested initially that we would no longer live in “the green house.” The new siding is gray and will have a black batten board gable accent on the front. They were joking, of course. But when I’ve referred to our house location, I’ve always described it as “the green house on the corner with black shutters” or as “the Swanson house,” referencing the previous owners.
I think now, after 42 years of ownership and a color change from green to gray, we can officially term our home “the Helbling house.”
© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
Wow you have had to deal with a lot of disruptions the past few weeks!!.I really like the new color. Enjoy your company time.
We really like the new color also. Only a few more hours and our son and his girlfriend arrive from Boston. I’m so excited to have all three of our “kids” together tomorrow and Friday. It happens once a year, if that.
It will look beautiful when it’s all done. In a couple of years, you will look back on this summer and it’ll seem like a small bump in the road.
It is already looking beautiful. I know you understand big projects, having undertaken one yourself this summer. It’s the unexpected dry rot and associated expense that changed everything.
What an upheaval, Audrey, but glad the serious problems were found sooner rather than later. Your tradesmen sound like honest and professional workers, which takes a lot of pressure away. Here’s hoping you get several more decades of welcoming your family to Helbling House.
Thank you, Judith. “Honest and professional” are fitting adjectives for our contractor. And, yes, better this issue was found now rather than leading to worse problems. With the high cost of townhomes, renting, etc., we will likely be here for as long as we are physically able to manage a house.
Looking beautiful even though you are dealing with a bit of a hot mess with the project too. I called our house yellow cake with chocolate frosting – yes it was that YELLOW with you know what DARK BROWN trim – what were they thinking! Now it is beautiful shade of green with oyster colored trim and a nice warm red/burgundy front door. Wishing you the best on the house reno and ENJOY your time w/Family 🙂
Oh, boy, a yellow cake with chocolate frosting house! I’m envisioning that and it’s not a pleasant scene. Your new colors with the red front door sound beautiful. The previous homeowners here liked green as both layers of siding were green. That’s my favorite color, but not in the shades they chose.
The back of your house looks so nice…I can’t wait to see it all completed.
Enjoy your company! I know you will… 😉
It will be good when the siding project is completed. I agree that everything looks nice. Thank you for saying that. I most assuredly will enjoy my time with our family. Only a few hours until the plane lands!
May the rest of those repairs arrive soon and with much ease.
Thank you, Michael. Your words are calming.
so happy you’ll be spending time with your family! this may turn out better than you even imagined and while it’s a bit of a nightmare at the present moment, i see it as a blessing in the long run. there are only so many things in our control, (or we think they are), and no matter how much time and emotional energy we invest in these situations we never expected, there is a reason for them.
i’m sorry it will cost a lot of money, i know that’s a burden for most of us, but as you said, good you uncovered the rotting wood before it got worse. like when someone goes to the hospital for a broken toe and the docs discover a serious medical issue that was unknown and discovered during that visit. blessed in an unusual way. and the good things are: you get to spend time with your family, your house will look great, and it can be exclusively ‘the Helbling House’ now. a trifecta of positives ❤
I so appreciate your encouraging, positive perspective. I definitely see the blessing in the situation. Only a few hours and the son and his girlfriend land at MSP. I can’t wait to see my “boy.” I haven’t seen him since Christmas. And the bonus is him bringing Steph to MN to meet his family. I am uber excited.