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Minnesota
Concrete Home >
Local Resources > Minnesota
For more information about concrete homebuilding in Minnesota, call:
Minnesota Concrete Masonry Association at (952) 707-1976
Aggregate Ready-Mix of Minnesota at (952) 707-1250
North Central Cement Council at (952) 492-2701
Andover
Mark Olson built this masonry home for his own family back in 1996. As the story goes, he was reading the newspaper in his chair one evening. He happened to look up and notice the trees outside whipping back and forth. There was a severe storm coming through and he didn't even know it because the house was so quiet. His relatives were so impressed by this that he built a masonry home for his brother. Mark has built quite a few, as he has owned his own business in the Twin Cities area for over 17 years now.
For more information, contact Dan Hatch of Masonry Masterpieces at (763) 323-6211.
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Mankato
There's a new builder in Mankato who's blazing his own trail down the residential construction path, and it's paved with concrete.
Kurt Matson, owner of Matkon Inc., is building ICF homes to differentiate himself from the larger stick builders. He has 6 homes under his belt at the end of 2001, and expects to keep increasing that total in 2002.
Energy efficiency and safety are the two benefits cited most by homebuyers, Kurt says. "They are tired of exorbitant heating and cooling bills" and enjoy the peace of mind a concrete home gives them.
For more information, contact ARM at (952) 707-1250.
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Mendota Heights
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This 5,500 sq. ft. home had a heating bill of $115 in December 2001. |
A Minnesota builder may have figured out the secret to success when selling concrete homes to potential home buyers: Ask what they are looking for in a home.
John Vogstrom of Vogue Homes has been building homes for 30 years, and now his sons are into the business. If their customers are looking for an energy-efficient home while maintaining architectural beauty, Vogue Homes knows the direction to point his clientele. "Concrete homes are the answer," John says. He should know; he lives in one he built for the 2001 fall Minneapolis Parade of Homes.
Using ICFs results in an airtight home that eliminates those annoying drafts during cold Minnesota winters. John has found that most homebuyers are willing to pay a little more for this benefit if it is explained to them. With the energy savings, that money can more than cover the slightly higher mortgage payment, so loan officers tend to approve a higher mortgage.
John has also found that he can keep his costs in the same ballpark as stick frame homes if he educates his electrical and plumbing subs before the job starts.
For more information, contact ARM at (952) 707-1250.
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