TWO WEEKS HAVE PASSED since my first post about a re-siding project underway at our house due to damage from a mid-April hailstorm.
We halted the project for five days when my son and his girlfriend (whom we met for the first time and absolutely love) flew in from Boston. The second daughter and her 19-month-old son were also here from Madison, Wisconsin. And the other daughter and her family, who live a half hour away, were with us at her house and ours. I absolutely did not want any pounding, dust flying or other construction activity happening while my family was in town.
Those days with my family were glorious. It meant the world to me for all of us to be together. That usually happens only once annually, if that. For several days, I mostly forgot that the exterior north and west sides of our house looked stripped and exposed. No one cared. We were together.
And then reality set in once everyone left and work on the house resumed.
Our general contractor, Minnesota Precision Construction of Bloomington, called in Roselynn Builders of Blaine to ferret out and replace rotted wood. They found rotted studs, rotted sheeting, rotted window frames. So much rot. We had no idea this was hiding under two layers of siding. The condition was such that the west side of our house was somewhat structurally compromised.
I was upset. Stressed. Emotional. None of this rot had anything to do with how we’ve maintained our 100-year-old house for the past 42 years. Rather, it can be attributed to age, past poor workmanship under previous ownership (who installs siding over siding?) resulting in moisture infiltration and more. I cried. Vented. And, yes, even used a few bad words on days when I was particularly upset.
We also needed five new windows due to rotted frames. We went with builder grade rather than wait six to eight weeks for the much better quality Marvin or Anderson windows we prefer. We replaced these same windows 30 years ago with Marvin brand.
The rot specialists initially planned to be here 1 ½ days. That turned into 4 ½ days. By the time the crew left at 11 a.m. last Friday, I knew them well. Justin, Devin, Jeremiah and owner Jeremiah. I have only positive comments about these guys. They arrived, jumped right in and got to work, working at a fast pace. When I had questions, they explained. I appreciate their professionalism, skills, knowledge and craftsmanship. And bonus, they were kind, compassionate and caring. Just like our general contractor.
And so here we are on Tuesday. The siding team has returned. Julio and Alejandro are hard at work as I write. When they showed up unexpectedly, I was so happy. I just want this project done. I recognize, though, that the rotted wood discoveries under two layers of old siding led to the delays. These problems needed to be fixed.
If not for the hail damage and the need to replace our roof and siding, we would have been totally unaware of the rotting wood until something worse happened. Like a partial wall collapse. I’m not construction savvy enough to understand all the possible outcomes. But I do know that it wouldn’t have been good.
Once exterior work is completed, we will have work to do inside. Taping and mudding of sheetrock in the upstairs bedrooms is needed due to screws popping, seams cracking and other minor construction damage. This is an old house; things shift. Then it’s trimming the windows and painting.
It’s been a bit of a domino effect with one thing leading to another. We are now thinking of updating the kitchen before the new window above the sink is trimmed. Paint the cupboards. Replace the countertop, backsplash, sink and floor. Do something with the plaster ceiling and walls. My kitchen is outdated 1970s vintage—brown sink, leaky faucet, Formica countertop, yellowed cupboards.. I’ve disliked it for years.
I’d love to have an all-new kitchen, including new cupboards. But that is not in the budget. We need to come up with an affordable plan, roll up our sleeves and get to work, doing what we can, hiring out what we can’t.
I can dream. I need the distraction. But then, realistically, I wonder if I can handle the stress and expense of another house project…
THOUGHTS ON ANY OF THIS?
© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
We’ve owned 7 houses over the years – none of them new and all with “something” that needed fixing. Someone makes a bad building decision (e.g., double siding, incorrectly channeled water, goofy wiring, too small pipes, etc., etc.) 30+ years ago and it’s your problem today. The only thing worse than the rot you had would be to have had it invaded by carpenter ants, termites, or mold (which can kill a house). I can appreciate all this has been traumatic for you but these issues really needed to be fixed so you can feel safe & comfortable in your house in the years ahead.
Seven houses is six more than we’ve owned. And, yes, most houses (if not new) come with issues. We’ve done so much work on this house, mostly inside. Removed all the paneling and carpet. Installed sheetrock and new carpet and flooring. Many new windows. But this exterior work tops all of those. This has truly been a costly nightmare. And, yes, we fully understand that this HAD to be done.
I failed to include that we had some carpenter ant damage near an upstairs bedroom window. You can see that in one of my photos. Thankfully the damage was confined to that area. When we saw the ants many decades ago, we eradicated them. But they’d already worked their destruction apparently.
You got lucky with the ants – it’s the ones you don’t see that do the damage. Maybe the MN cold held them back?
Who knows? Maybe the cold had something to do with the death of the ants. Plus whatever we sprayed to get rid of them. That happened many decades ago.
Whew…what a project. Unexpected expenses are hard to swallow…
Yes, they are, especially ones of this costly magnitude.
wow, what an undertaking. as you said, you were ‘lucky’ to have discovered the issues underneath the siding before something worse would happen in the future. i’m happy to hear that you have nice and reliable people working on the house, that makes all the difference. i know what you mean about one thing leading to another when redoing something on your home. you begin to consider the possibilities, if this, then that…. i know it’s a challenge in many ways right now, but will be worth it all in the end. the main thing is that everyone was safe after what happened and no matter what, you were able to have your visit with all of your family! you have gumption! p.s. Everett’s picture is so cute and funny at the same time! and glad you enjoyed your son’t new girlfriend. what a wonderful get together –
We had a wonderful visit. Everett is a busy and determined little boy. Well, not exactly little at 32 pounds. So happy to have my family together.
The house is looking better every day!
So familiar! May peace return soon!
Thank you. I appreciate your blessing of peace.