Remodeling Professionalism

When we started Integrity Home Projects (IHP), our vision was to build a remodeling business that would stand out in the industry with notable ethics and professionalism. Sharing the same family values, the same work ethic, and the same commitment to quality, excellence and customer satisfaction, only reinforced our dedication to being a top-notch professional company. This includes our family of Subcontractors that hold themselves to the same standards we do.

Our extensive backgrounds in engineering, quality control and process management bring our customers a detailed process-based plan for each and every remodeling project. We continually communicate with our customers so they know what is happening every day on their home. This level of commitment and professionalism is our goal because it is the level of service we want to provide our customers.

We are members of NARI, the National Association of the Remodeling Industry, for professional, ethical and honest remodelers committed to the highest standards. We follow the code of ethics every day.

Holiday Remodeling

If doesn’t seem possible but the Holiday season is just around the corner. Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s – the perfect time for festive gatherings of friends, family and neighbors in your home. But wait, did you think this was the year for a new wet bar in the basement, new kitchen cabinets or maybe a new floor in the bathroom?

You still have time but it’s going quickly, so call us today so we can determine the best solution for your remodeling needs. With our processes, we give you a project guideline, step-by-step communication and help you with the design and selection of all the items to make your remodeling project fit your budget and timeline.

Plus, you’ll have a new gift to yourself for the Holidays.

Act Now to Reduce Ice Dams

We’ve spent a lot of time recently discussing water and the damaging effect it can have on homes. With the damage that water can cause, we feel it’s critical for us to share solutions for common problems. Fall is here which means winter is around the corner along with the potential for ice dams. If you have had ice dam issues in the past, call us to perform a free assessment of your attic ventilation and insulation. Don’t wait until the ice dams are on the roof and water is coming in the ceiling. In most cases there are immediate improvements that can be made to drastically reduce your ice dam problems.

Don’t ignore the signs of water damage!

It’s easy to look past signs of water damage to your home; the ripple in the paint by the window or the rotten siding under your deck because it doesn’t seem to be doing anything. But not taking action can only cause more damage to your home. In a matter of days mold growth can begin. Over a month or two of leakage into your wall, you can have thousands of dollars of repairs to your home.

The photos below show some examples of water intrusion we have found during window, door and siding replacement projects. In every case, there is evidence all around the damage that it has been there for a long time, but did not get the attention it deserved.

Make sure your house is watertight. At IHP, we can test moisture levels for an assessment of potential repairs. The sooner you catch it, the smaller the repair will be. Give us a call.


Complete rot-through framing from improper deck flashing

Rotten Rim Joist from improper door flashing.

Wall structure water damage from improper window flashing

The Attic’s Weather Role

Has the recent heat this summer in Minnesota soaked through your attic into your house? The amount of insulation in your attic can drastically affect the temperature in your house and the amount of energy you use in air conditioning. Proper ventilation in your attic also plays a huge role in keeping your attic cool. Winter will be coming again before you know it. Keep in mind that these two things, poor insulation and ventilation are the leading cause of ice damns in the winter. We live in an area of serious weather extremes and your attic plays a key role in how well your house performs in those extremes.

We can give you the information you need to properly maintain an attic helps monitor the ventilation in your home.

Humidity In Your Home

Whew – this week in Minnesota has been hot and very humid. So it seemed like a good time to remind people about that fact that we do need humidity in our homes, although this week it is has been a little bit too much!

What is Humidity?
Humidity is the amount of moisture or water vapor in the air. A comfortable range of relative humidity is between 40 and 60 percent. If the humidity is too low, people may experience having dry nose, throat, lips and skin. Low humidity may also wreak havoc on your home, causing static electricity, cracks in furniture and paint, and peeling wallpaper. High humidity feels stuffy and creates an environment in which biological contaminants can thrive.

Moisture can be added or removed from indoor air to make a room feel more comfortable. Home humidifiers add moisture and there are several kinds:

• Console humidifiers are in cabinets that stand on the floor, and are usually kept in the same position in a home
• Ultrasonic humidifiers, which create a cool mist using ultrasonic sound vibrations
• Impellers, or cool-mist humidifiers, which create a cool mist using a high-speed rotating disk
• Evaporators, which transmit moisture into the air invisibly using a fan to blow air through a moistened absorbent material, such as a belt, wick, filter, or evaporative cartridge.
• Steam, or "warm mist" vaporizers, which create steam by heating water with an electrical heating element, and allow steam to cool before it is released into the room.
• Central humidifiers are built into heating and air-conditioning systems, and are used to increase the humidity level in an entire home.

As always, IHP is here to help you to determine what is best for your home. Give us a call.

Being Sump Pump Prepared.

We have been helping customers with more Basement finishing and remodeling this past year as the economy recovers in the Minneapolis metro area. One thing to think about when finishing or remodeling a basement is the possibility of water problems. This past wet spring has sump pumps running constantly in many basements. If your pump fails or if the power goes you could have several inches of water on your basement floor very quickly.

We strongly recommend the installation of a back-up sump pump for any basement that has an existing sump. We discourage battery back-up pumps due to constant battery monitoring and maintenance. Plus, if you lose power for more than an hour or two the battery will drain, the back-up pump stops and you still have flooding. Installing a Zoeller® Home Guard Max back up pump that is powered by your city water is a great solution. The motor is turned by water flow that is connected to your city water line, which never loses pressure. The water powered pump keeps water out of your basement until you restore your electric pump. It pumps out two gallons of sump water for each gallon of city water used. This is not intended for use as a primary pump, but is the best back-up pump solution hands down. For more information on the pumping system check out: http://www.zoellerpumps.com/ProductBenefit.aspx?ProductID=65.

For all your basement finishing and remodeling needs, give us a call.