WSTribune Oct. 17, 2015...

Page 7

Fall Projects
And Home Improvement

Lots of new building code changes this year

needs to have some type of
fall protection if the bottom
of the window is below 36
inches off the floor.
Until this year, R-5 insulation was the requirement
on basement walls. Thats
been increased to R-15,
with at least R-10 of that on
the outside of the walls.
The R-value requirement
has also been increased on
ceilings from R-38 to R-49,
and from R-19 to R-20 on
wood frame walls.
To prevent air filtration,
solid metal duct returns are
required in heating and
cooling systems.
As far as the fresh air intake, we used to be able to
use the stud cavity, says
Hackenmueller. Now it
needs to be enclosed and
sealed.
And all heating ductwork
must be sealed to control
the efficiency of the system.
The required minimum
compressive strength of
concrete footings has been
increased from 2,500 to

L ic .#BC0 01464

5,000.
Its not about the size of
the house. It has to do with
moisture control, says
Hackenmueller.
They
found at that compressive
strength, it controls the
of
moisture
wicking
through the footings and
into the house. It keep the
basement drier.
For fire safety, drywall is
now required on basement
ceilings that use a floor truss
system or wooden I-joist
engineered framing.
They tend to burn a lot
quicker than standard 2x10
construction, says Hackenmueller. And 90% of
houses are built with
trusses.
Now, hot water pipes
need to be insulated with R3 insulation. That wasnt a
requirement before.
Under the new code,
houses bigger than 4,500
square feet were required to
have automatic sprinkler
systems installed.
But that requirement was
overturned by the Minnesota Court of Appeals this
week after a challenge by
the Builders Association of
the Twin Cities.
That rule would have
added about $9,000 to the
cost of a new home.
All radon pipes in unconditioned space must now be
insulated with R-4 insulation. There was no requirements before.
Wireless smoke alarms
are now allowed. Before, all
smoke detectors had to be
hard-wired into the electrical system.
Now they feel comfortable with them, says Hackenmueller. Theyre more
reliable now.
On foundations, complete
waterproofing is now required.
You used to be able to
damp-proof, depending on
the soil. says Hackenmueller. Thats a lighter
product, like Duraseal,
thats painted on.
Hackenmueller, who has
been a building inspector
for almost 10 years, says

A WORKER installs sheathing on a roof on a new home on January

Street. (Photo by Ken Francis.)

this number of changes in

one year is pretty unusual.
almost 10 years.
Before, there were modifications of different materials you could use. But this
is probably the most intense

energy code change since

2000, he says. The energy
code is the driving force.
He says hes spoken with
contractors. Many werent
in favor of all the changes.
Its been somewhat of a

struggle. Nobody likes

change. It adds cost. But
after sifting though all the
codes, its a good thing for
energy savings, he says,
and thats the goal.

Building On Or Improving Your Property?

Let regional experts Bogart, Pederson & Associates help!
Were your local, full-service

LAND SURVEYING, CIVIL ENGINEERING & MAPPING FIRM

$!-2

Becker, MN
763-262-8822
or 888-210-8301
Maple Lake, MN
320-963-6900

www.bogart-pederson.com

A Cut Above Excellent Since 1989

New Home Construction - On your property
or wooded acreage homesites available

Remodeling & Renovation - Our success in

remodeling comes from viewing the project from our
clients perspective.

Design - Proper planning and design are the

foundation of a successful project.
/nA :A enb
enb
[b 2Qnb 0n
-An -AnA:AA

0ee0nneenne
2nn0Q-nnA
A[ Ae
0[n !AAnn
nn[An[An[

n[An /[ I ![n
-|nA n
/nenA I
n[A

Ae[An 

0n AA
-e:An|AA
nn An
$e  0A[n[nnA[n

Commercial Construction - Buildout services,

structural renovation, complete design and new
construction.

763-263-6878
BIG LAKE, MINNESOTA

www.KGCCorp.com
Lic. #BC002757

Chamber of
Commerce Member

HOME EQUITY LINE OF CREDIT

FRAME UPP
your

FALL

Now
Now is a great
great time tto
o take adv
advantage
antage of the equit
equityy in yyour
our home
home..
Call
Call me ttoday
oday if yyoure
oure rready
eady tto
o make home impr
improvements,
ovements, buy a
new vvehicle,
ehicle, or planning a win
winter
ter vvacation.
acation.

Call me today!

Donna Clarksean
763-235-2727
NMLS ID # 649575

19943 C
Co
oR
Rd
d 43
Big Lake
Lake

888-KLEIN-4U
kleinbank.com
kleinbank.com
Member FDIC

Fall Projects and Home Improvement

By Ken Francis
Staff Writer
This year has seen a big
change in the way many
homes are built in Minnesota.
Jan. 24, the state adopted
the 2012 International Residential Code (IRC), which
brought quite a few changes
to the existing building
code that was last updated
in 2007 when Minnesota
adopted the 2006 IRC.
Many of the new regulations were implemented to
save energy, says Sherburne
County Building Official
Ron Hackenmueller. Other
changes are for safety reasons.
One of the new requirements is a blower door test,
which checks air leakage in
the house. The test wasnt
required before, but now air
leakage in the house must
be below three cubic feet
per hour. Its a way to reduce energy consumption.
For safety, now any window six feet above grade

Fall Projects and Home Improvement

Fall Projects

WSTribune Oct. 17, 2015...Page 8

And Home Improvement

New flooring
makes a
big difference
Jennifer Edwards
Staff Writer
Besides a coat of paint,
nothing can make an impact
when changing a homes interior like replacing the
flooring.
There are many good options available close to
home, beginning with Rays
Abbey Carpet, located on
205th Street in Big Lake
Township.
Ray Sundstrom has been
in the business of selling
carpet and flooring since
1967. One of the things he
says he loves is pets.
Owning an animal can
be hard on a home, he said.
But we do love our pets.
One recent innovation is
pet-proof carpeting. It has a
special backing so nothing
liquid can get through it.
Another thing Ray recommends to homeowners
who have dogs is to choose
laminate wood flooring instead of hardwood floors.
Laminates dwindled in
popularity for a while but
they are making a comeback now, he said. They
are better for dogs because
a dogs claws cant scratch
into laminate as easily as
they can hardwoods.
Another thing many people are looking for when it
comes to choosing carpet is
something that is very soft
to touch.
Most people want something that is quite plush,
Sundstrom said. We also
sell a lot of luxury vinyl tile.
They are 16 inch squares
that can be grouted or not.
They are very popular.
Vinyl planking that looks
like real wood is very popular too.
The old style vinyl flooring which has to be glued
down is being used less and
less all the time, Ray said.
Its being replaced with
a fiber-backed cushioned
vinyl that is softer to walk
on and more comfortable on

the feet and knees, he said.

You can feel the cushion. It
also helps reduce noise.
While Sundstrom sells a
lot of wood flooring, carpet
is the bread and butter of his
business and one of the
things he enjoys the most is
helping people find what
they are looking for while
staying within their budget.
People can buy whatever they like, he said.
But if you can stay within
their budget, they feel better. Money is hard to come
by.
Sundstrom encourages
his customers to take a few
samples home to look at.
Things look different in
your own home, he said.
You can get more of a feel
for the color and the texture
of a piece when it is in your
own house. Its important.
Even though he has been
in the carpet business for
nearly 50 years, Sundstrom
says he still enjoys it.
Every home and every
person is different, he said.
Its fun to talk to people
and figure out what they
like.
Rays store is open from
9:30-5:50 p.m. unless he is
out measuring a house. He
recommends people call
(763) 263-2058 before driving out there to make sure
someone is around. They
are also open evenings and
weekends by appointment.
Its an interesting business, he said. I still like
it.
Tile and Ceramics
While Rays Abbey Carpet sells some ceramics and
Ray is without a doubt the
carpet king, when it comes
to tile the experts are Mark
and Colleen Sickmann of
Big Lake.
The Sickmanns own the
Tile Outlet Etc. in Rogers,
next to Cabelas. Initially
they only sold wholesale,
but since moving to their
new location, their show-

TiLEOUTLETETC. iNROGERS near Cabelas, is owned by Mark and Colleen Sickmann of Big
Lake (far left), who work with family and five other employees. Also pictured is their son, Micah, and
employees Julie Herrmann and Joe Monahan. (Photo by Jennifer Edwards).

rooms are now open to the

public.
Whether you want two
feet of tile or 2,000 feet,
you will get the same service here, said Mark, who
has brought his son Micah
into the business with him.
Between my parents and
my uncle, we have over 100
years of experience in ceramics right here, said
Micah.
Colleen Sickmann has an
artists flair and relishes
helping customers create
designs they wont find in
any big box store. They also
have a huge selection of
product.
We carry everything except carpet and granite,
Micah said. Soon we will
have a glass tile with a
wood grain.
All the glass tile products
are heavy duty, and can be
used for floors or walls.
They are made from 99.9%
recycled glass material.
They also carry natural
stone tiles, some of which
are imported from all
around the world, like natural stone from the beaches
of Indonesia.
We are not selling seconds or close out products,
said Mark. Things we sell
can be reordered. We import tile and stone from all
over the world. We can help
you solve problems you
may be having or find that
special stone you are looking for. We work with designers and builders from
all over.

Knowing the energy use

and when to replace them
By StatePoint Media
Determining how much
electricity your appliances
and home electronics use
can help you understand
how much money you are
spending to use them. It can
also help you decide
whether to invest in a more
energy-efficient appliance

or electronic device.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE),
there are several ways you
can estimate how much
electricity your appliances
and home electronics use:
Review the EnergyGuide
label. The label provides an
estimate of the average en-

Stop in today about YOUR home financing options!

ergy consumption and cost

to operate the specific
model of the appliance you
are using. Note that not all
appliances or home electronics are required to have
an EnergyGuide label.
Use an electricity usage
monitor to get readings of
Energy Cont. On Page 11

Examples of their work

can be seen locally in several places, including Riverside Church at the
intersection of Co. Rd. 14
and Hwy. 25, and at the
Rogers Food Shelf, known
as The Cross. The Sickmanns donated the tile and
labor there and they are always looking for opportunities to help others locally.
We have exceptional talent for ideas, said Mark.
And personalized help so
you can do what it is you
want to do in your home.
We also have very competitive pricing.

This week Tile Outlet

Etc. is having an outdoor
tent sale, although there is
much to choose from inside
their showroom, including
glow in the dark tile, pebble
tile, cut stone and ceramics.
They also stock wood and
vinyl flooring.
Customers get good advice, such as clean tile with
a pH neutral solution.
People want to clean
their tile with vinegar and
water, said Mark. It does
a great job but it cleans by
destruction. Every time you
use it you wipe off a layer
of grout. Over time, the

grout gets destroyed.

People get so stressed
out shopping, trying to find
stuff, he said. Here you
can get the help you want
and find the product you
want for the right price. We
want our customers to be
excited about putting our
products in their homes.
The Tile Outlet Etc. is
open from 8:30 a.m. to 8
p.m. seven days per week.
They plan to offer mosaic
classes in about six weeks.
We also welcome local
mosaic artists to display
their work and maybe teach
a class, said Mark.

SAMPLES OF TiLE and what can be done with them can be found at
Tile Outlet Etc.

For All Your Building Needs...

Big Lake

Lumber

Your window of opportunity.

H Mortgage Loans
O Equity Loans
M Refinance Loans
E Construction Loans

Annandale 320-274-8216 Clearwater 320-558-2271

TELEPHONE BANKING: Annandale 320-274-8200
Clearwater 320-558-4600 Internet Banking:

www.annabank.com

MMLS #500057

Replace your windows and doors with

energy efficient Marvin Windows and doors.
Visit marvin.com for more details.

Our professional salesmen can help you with your next project.

Roll-off Dumpsters: 6, 10, 20, 30, 40 cu. yd. Serving Residential & Commercial
(763) 422-3867
VeitUSA.com

Remodeling Garages Doors Shingles

Pole Barns Decks Windows Siding
Just off Hwy 10, Big Lake 763-263-3400
Hours: Mon - Fri 7:30 to 5:00, Sat 8:00 to Noon, Sun Closed

www.biglakelumber.doitbest.com

Fall Projects

WSTribune Oct. 10, 2015...Page 9

And Home Improvement

Trees Continued From Page 4___________________________________

coast and it is a place I had

visited several times as a
child with my father. On
that trip, I took my son
there.
The castle fell into ruin
long ago and the enterprising people of the town
clearly took advantage of
the tumble down ruins as a
source of material to build
their homes and businesses.
On this particular day, a
volunteer was busy hard at
work among the stones of
the old castle, attempting to
restore it, not to its former
grandeur, but to a ruin. It
just seemed like a waste of
time to me.
Pine trees are very nostalgic for most people. There
is their association with
Christmas and the scent of
them. Nor are pine trees are
not the only trees the
foresters plan to do away
with in their effort to turn
back the clock.
The truth is that what was
is in the past. Things
change with time. It is as
pointless and impossible to

area created.
Perhaps they are right.
But they are wrong to
think they can turn back the
clock. The great herds of
buffalo and the elk, which
would have had their place
in the eco-system, are gone.
That ship has already
sailed. The castle has collapsed. Things will never be
the way they were before, if
we even knew for sure what
that was. And even if we
did, things would have
changed over time since
then.
Nothing on this earth
stays the same forever.

try to restore the area to a

pre-European settlement
state as it is to try to restore
a ruin to a ruin.
The likelihood is that the
area would have changed
over time. Mother Nature
herself would have introduced new species in the
ways she always does,
through wind and water dispersal of seeds, animals and
bird droppings and natural
changes in the conditions of
the land.
The foresters are hard-set
on their course to destroy
the pine forests the human
animals who inhabit the

Fall Car Care Special

39

95

Oil Change, Tire Rotation, Brake

inspection, FREE Wiper Blades
& Complete Vehicle inspection

Up to 5 qts. oil. Includes filter. Most

vehicles apply. Not valid with other
offers. Plus tax & environmental fees.
Expires 11/28/15

763-263-0909

FREE

FREE

Tire Rotation

Tire Repair

Most vehicles apply. Not valid with

other offers. Expires 11/28/15

Most vehicles apply. Not valid with

other offers. Expires 11/28/15

FREE

FREE

763-263-0909

763-263-0909

Battery Check

Brake Inspection

Most vehicles apply. Not valid with

other offers. Expires 11/28/15

Most vehicles apply. Not valid with

other offers. Expires 11/28/15

763-263-0909

763-263-0909

19868 172 St., Big Lake

763-263-0909

Carpet & Vinyl

Installation
& Repairs
Commercial, residential,
& multi-family. Locally
Owned & operated since 2004,
incorporated since 2009.

Century
Tools

Morton
Solar Salt

Westinghouse
Light Bulbs

LLC

We take pride in our work &

value our customers satisfaction.

Call for free estimates! 612-314-3381

or email to rjscarpet@aol.com
www.rjscarpetandvinyl.com

(&7 0,/<
7
2
35
)$
$1'


20(
+

5
<28

PROTECT
AGAINST:

BIG LAKE
& RENTAL
621 Rose Drive
Big Lake, MN 55309
Lake Shopping Center

(763) 263-2019

M-F, 8-8; Sat., 7-6, Sun., 9 am to 5 pm

FISHING? Live Bait, Tackle & Licenses

TOOL RENTAL:
Painting Equipment
Power Tools
Plumbing & More!
Rent by the Day or Week.
Call for Your Rental Needs.
Home Repairs, Doors,
Windows, Screens

Burglary/intrusion
Smoke and fire
Carbon monoxide
Medical emergencies
Environmental damage

Monthly
Monthly
monitoring
monitoring
starts
starts a
att $22.95
per
per month.
month.

A wholly owned
owned subsidiar
subsidiary
y of W
Wright-Hennepin
right-Hennepin C
Cooper
Cooperative
ooperative Elec
Electric
tric A
Association
ssociation

V
View
iew mon
monthly
thly specials
specials online!

w w w.w h- se c u ri t y. co m
7 63-4 77- 3664 1 -800 -94 3-2 667

Fall Projects

WSTribune Oct. 17, 2015...Page 10

And Home Improvement

Shirlee Heitz
ABR, CRS, GRI

Serving Big Lake &

surrounding communities
for 29 years.

www.ShirleeHeitz.com

FULL
FU
LL SERVICE
SERVICE T
TITLE,
ITLE, ABSTRACT
ABSTR ACT
ESCROW
CROW S
SERVICES
AND ES
ERVICES

763-262-0123
Chuck Heitz

690 Humboldt Drive

Realtor

BIG LAKE

www.ChuckHeitz.com

Custom Built Homes

Remodeling & Additions

(320) 743-3062
Fall Carpet
Cleaning Special
Clean the biggest filter in your house!

612.701.3140
763.441.2418

113 W
es t B
roadway
113
West
Broadway
Mont icello, M
N
Monticello,
MN

7
763-295-6140
63 -295 - 6140

CARPET CLEANING

CARPET UPHOLSTERY AREA RUGS

CVT CLEANING & FINISHING

Family owned & operated

for over 40 years!
Clear Lake, MN
MN Lic. #BC009240

www.HausConstructionInc.com

w
www.preferredtitle.biz
w w.preferredt it le.bi z

WIRELESS SECURITY SYSTEM

WE ARE
PLEASED
TO ALSO
OFFER:
Totally Green &
Hypo-Allergenic
Cleaning Products
& Processes
For Your Carpets
& Upholstery

6 ROOMS

189

399
installed

Save even more with Geo-Thermal!

Call & ask us how!
A new heating & cooling
system could
be the best home
www.preferredtitle.biz
improvement youll ever make!
Residential & Commercial

M - F, 9:30 - 5:30pm; Sat. 9:30 - Noon, & All Eves. by Appt.

Abbey Carpet
Serving the area since 1967

263-2058 17000 205th Ave. BIG LAKE

paid
annually

ging & Wiring Cell Boosters Home & Vehicle Trailer Towing
& Hitches Cell Phone Accessories
CB Radios 2 Way Radio
Marine Band Radios O Air Antennas
Home Surround Sound Wiring

Celebrating
43 years in
e!
k
a
L
ig
B
FU
LL SERVICE
SERVICE T
FULL
TITLE,
ABSTRACT
ITLE, A
BSTR ACT
AND

Thru May 31, 2015

25% OFF All Marine Radios

ESCROW
ES
CRO
SERVICES
ERVICES

763-295-6140
763 -295 - 6140

113
1
13 West
West B
Broadway
roadway Mo
Monticello,
nticello, MN
MN
L
PROMOTIONA
T AT
PRICES STAR

199m9o

S
FOR 15 MONTH
NTH
WITH 24-MONT
AGREEME

Call 320.253.4859
www.MechEnergy.com

19

WE OFFER RV, Vehicle & Marine Rig-

Up to 650 sq. ft.

Attention LP Customers

Monthly
Monitoring Panel / Keypad / Key Fob
2 Door - 1 Motion Sensor
$
95

19912 Industrial Drive

Big Lake, MN 55309
763-263-3582
877-509-6920

www.audiocombiglake.com

WSTribune Oct. 17, 2015...Page 11

Fall Projects
And Home Improvement

Energy Continued From Page 8________________________________

how much electricity an appliance is using. Monitors can
be purchased for $25-$50 at
most hardware stores.
Calculate annual energy
consumption and costs using
specific formulas.
Install a whole house energy
monitoring system.
Read more from DOE on
how to apply these ways to
estimate energy consumption.

Older, less-efficient appliances may require three to

four times more energy to run
than the high-efficient ENERGY STAR appliances.
For instance, a 20-year-old
refrigerator could be using
1,700 kWh of electricity
every yearcompared with
about 450 kWh for a similarly
sized newer ENERGY STAR
model. At an electrical cost of

11 cents per kWh, it costs

about $187 per year to run the
older refrigerator vs. $50 per
year for the ENERGY STAR
model. That represents a potential savings of $137 per
year, meaning you could pay
for a new ENERGY STAR
fridge with energy savings in
about 7-9 years.

02
"4- $
t9/<

2!z

>F
> (

( H  h
? I _

ss

!n Ab [
!nA

Pumpkin Continued From Page 2_____________________________

ing and asked to be put to

work.
The day started off with a
5K pumpkin run in the
morning. Among the vendors at the park at noon
were the Gideons, giving
away pocket sized New Testaments to anyone who
wanted one.
Rocket
Concessions,
owned by Joe and Terrie
Engel, is a new business in
Big Lake. They hope to be
at the Farmers Market next
year. Their wares included
mini donuts and pretzels.
Retired tool and die
maker Neal E. James lives
in Meadowvale. Living Waters Church is built on the
site of his old home place.
James worked for Hoffman
Engineering for 30 years.
Now he is retired and builds
small engines to scale in his
home work shop.
I even have to make my
own spark plugs, He said.

Solid Waste Disposal Services Including:

Industrial Waste
Foundry & General Manufacturing Wastes
Construction & Demolition Waste
Sludges & Ash

a green paving contractor

Visa and MasterCard accepted Free Estimate
www.c-sblacktopping.com

OPEN T
TO
O THE PUBLIC

763-262-8662 VONCOUSA.COM | 15301 140th Avenue SE, Becker, MN 55308

ss

763.428.2225 320.253.5795 612.328-5534

0

/
2

4- 2$ kb

0 /
2
/nn n AA
n|nne nn
An }A[ AAAQn
A| [n
n

Newly renovated!
Heat, water/sewer and
trash all included
Convenient location
Pets allowed

Must be 62+ and/or

disabled to qualify

Tel: 763-228-2562

Bitzer
Garage Doors,

/ n
An

LLC

Garage Doors
Electric Openers
Sales Service Repairs
Installation

s /n /Ae "
Anb !" ~~
nAnA[





 
 
 
   
 

 

Now Leasing!

2 bedroom apt. available

Equal Housing Community

4Aen I
/nA[nn












Autumn Winds Apartments

121Euclid Ave
Big Lake, MN 55309

0n[n A
!An I !en






his favorite engine for 18

months now and says it is
still not complete.
It needs a radiator, he
said.
Pumpkin carving drew
many and everyone who
bought a $10 ticket was
guaranteed a pumpkin to
take home.
There were pony rides
and a petting zoo, a train to
ride and pumpkins to roll.
A bigger, better trebuchet
hurled pumpkins through
the air like basketballs and
an old car was the target for
pumpkins aimed by catapults.
Other events included the
traditional pumpkin pie eating contest, the chili cookoff
and
toasting
marshmallows over a bonfire.
The annual event raises
funds for the Big Lake
Food Shelf.

Serving the Metro &

Surrounding Areas Since 1967

SERVING MANUFACTURING, INDUSTRIAL & COMMERCIAL CLIENTS

Neal said he had always

been interested in machinery and started by working
with his dad, who was a
blacksmith. He built his
first small engine in 1983
and won a blue ribbon with
it at the state fair.
Now 86 years old, he has
worked on one or two engines each year. He has
been offered money for
them but wont part with
them.
I am kind of proud of
them, he said. I wont sell
them. They are a part of me.
They will be keepsakes for
the kids.
Models are what he really
likes, James says.
Guys like the big engines until they get older
and then they sell them because they are heavy and
they move to the small
stuff, he said. Even then,
they are heavy.
He has been working on

















 


 
 
  






  


 

$

33

   GVSOBDF 

     

  
   


763-295-5366
Call Dan Bitzer: 763-286-0128
Call Scott Bitzer: 763-286-0136
e-mail: BitzerGarageDoors@tds.net
30+ Years of Experience FREE ESTIMATES

www.bitzergaragedoors.com