Kuhl's Contracting

CANDOR ALERT: One of my favorite privileges as the owner of this company is that I get to speak in my own voice about how we do business. As a result this site is a direct expression how we roll as professional contractors. I am sort of a big deal. Since 1987 Kuhl's Contracting has been serving the Minneapolis and St. Paul areas with quality in roofing, siding, masonry, chimney repairs, gutters and more. Something you can expect in a job done by us is our respect. We respect the fact that we are working on one of the more important investments in your world.

Guess why many people consider gutters to be ugly? Because it's true. Most gutters are ugly. But it's not entirely their fault. After all, gutters tend to be a second thought for many builders and home owners alike. When your home was built the gutter spec probably read something like "White gutters on back", or something as equally vague. We believe gutter systems deserve a little more thought because if done correctly they can enhance the character of a home while keeping water away from your foundation.

We are admitted cedar snobs. Wood shakes and shingles are a fantastic compromise between cost and performance when compared to other roofing materials. To learn more about cedar roof replacement, important roof design considerations or the aesthetic and performance characteristics of cedar shakes and shingles visit our Case Studies. Or, for a quick comparison among your different roof replacement material options, check out our cheat sheet. Other than the material selection, the biggest cost drivers in the repair or replacement of cedar shake or shingle roofs in Minneapolis is the roof size, complexity, roof slope and height.

There is a reason why asphalt shingle roofing is the most popular roofing material in the State of Minnesota, and indeed around the country. Asphalt shingles offer many years of performance at a lower initial cost than other materials and are a solid choice for any homeowner on a budget. Plus, in the past fifteen year manufactures have made great strides in developing products with more depth and character than your grandma's asphalt had. Other than the material selection, the biggest cost drivers in the repair or replacement of asphalt shingle roofs in Minneapolis are the roof size, complexity, roof slope and height.

We fabricate and install flat seam and standing seam metal roofs on both residential and commercial properties in the Minneapolis - St. Paul areas. Metal roofing is truly a specialty craft, employing some basic technologies that have hundreds of years of proven history. Think hot irons, sticks of solder and dirty fingers. Aside from being both a beautiful and durable material, metal roofing is unique in its ability to blend appropriately with any other roofing material. You will often see sections of metal roof blended into asphalt, cedar, tile and slate roofs and it feels right.

Flat roofs get a bad wrap in Minnesota. But let's be fair, they have a hard job. We use a few different flat roof systems depending on the application. Sometimes it's rubber, vinyl, metal or a combination thereof. The flat roof you chose will depend on a few variables including your budget, the style of your architecture and the visibility of the area in question. The term flat roof actually applies to a class of roofs that have either slight or no slope. Minnesota building code prohibits the use of certain materials below a certain slope.

Tile roofing can be an attractive option that suits the architectural detail of many homes in Minnesota, even though it is not used that often. The longevity of tile, as well as the classic look, are good reasons to choose this route for your roofing material. Tile roofing is very durable, though it does have a few caveats. You should never walk on a tile roof, so as to prevent damage. A typical thunderstorm should not damage your tile roof, but severe weather with large hail and significant wind might damage some tiles.

There is perhaps no 'greener' a roofing material on the market than natural slate when you factor in the methods of production, environmental impact and overall expected lifespan. No doubt, slate is spendy stuff and it usually lasts a long, long time. Slate is perhaps best known as being gray in color, although it naturally occurs in a number of hues, including gray, green, blue, black, purple, red, and mottled. For a quick comparison among your different roof replacement material options, check out our material cheat sheet.

While Minnesota might not be in the infamous "Tornado Alley", we do experience severe storms with some regularity. Most Minnesota summers (and even early spring and late fall) bring a handful of storms strong enough to produce significant damage to your house. The Twin Cities area is often affected by strong storm damage. When and where a storm may hit, and how severe the storm damage might be, no one can predict. What we do know is this, if you or someone you know is unfortunate enough to experience storm damage, Kuhl can help you repair it.

Kuhl's Contracting provides professional masonry services for both residential and commercial projects around the Minneapolis and St. Paul area. Our experience in both design and construction of quality masonry sets us apart from our competitors. Whether your project is indoors or outdoors, our masons can install a variety of projects including stone walls, fireplaces, patios and decorative stone accents. We can work from your plans or help you determine the best design to fit your budget. In terms of masonry projects, the difference between something stunning and something so-s0 isn't usually about money.

When glancing at a home from the exterior, the home's siding or exterior cladding, is one of the first things you will notice. Your eye is drawn to the color, the texture, the profile, the architectural lines, and the installation of the siding. Along with the roof, the siding essentially defines your house, and gives it its character. There are many types of siding. There are different material types, different styles, different installation techniques, different price points, etc. Each type of siding has pros and cons.

The people of Kuhl have been repairing roofs in Minneapolis and surrounding areas for over twenty years. We routinely repair cedar, asphalt, slate, tile and a variety of flat roof systems for both residential and commercial clients. Using the right materials and repair methods is essential but we often find proper inspection and diagnosis is the step frequently overlooked by others. Kuhl Case Study #17 looks at a basic mistake made by a local high-end builder that cost a Minneapolis homeowner time and money.

Do you have high energy bills? Do you experience decreased comfort in certain areas of your home? Do you have frost in your attic space or notice increased moisture levels in your attic space? Do you have ice dams on your home, or perhaps have had damage caused by ice dams? You may not know it, but most of those situations are caused by inefficiencies or defects in your insulation and ventilation systems. Kuhl can help with these problems. Here is a common list of problems that are experienced in a home by not having proper insulation and ventilation system.

The same forces that create potholes are hard at work at the upper reaches of your home. Minnesota winters create intense freeze-thaw cycles that are detrimental to chimney brick and stone mortar work. With each rain or snowfall chimneys are exposed to water which works into hairline cracks in the surface. When that water freezes it expands, creating a slightly larger place for water to find during the next precipitation event. And so the process goes, day after day, year after year. Eventually, the crack works all the way through the concrete cap and from there it goes to work on the body of the chimney.

Few things are more important to your sense of well-being than a cozy, dry home. Essential to that goal is a watertight roof system. Functional considerations aside, when you visualize how your home looks from the street guess who stars in a major role? Yep, your roof. Choosing the right material can be the difference between charm and oops. Kuhl has people on staff with good taste and many years of experience. We also have people with terrible taste, but they are not allowed to participate in material selections.

This may seem obvious, but the first step in successful roof leak repair is successfully determining what is causing roof leak and/or where the roof leak is coming from. Sometimes determining the source of the leak is quite easy. See photo here (LINK to picture of tree through Roof). Other times it can be quite difficult to determine exactly where the water is coming from. Water is tricky in that you may see water damage on a ceiling, 10-20 feet away from where the water is actually leaking into the roof.

If you are like most homeowners you could benefit from some window and door attention (See Kuhl Case Study #17 about a simple roofing mistake that ended up causing window damage). Window replacement is a great option if you have the money, otherwise some strategic maintenance can help quite a bit. Either way we are your team. We perform everything from basic window and door repairs to full replacements to the alteration of opening size and location in load bearing walls. We are a lot more than a replacement company if you need us to be because we have the built-in horsepower to handle anything we come across.