Jennifer and Todd Williams wanted to keep Todd's grandparents' 1940s rambler in the family. But they weren't too keen about the pumpkin-orange carpeting, dark paneled walls and boxy, chopped-up rooms.
"You could put your arms out and touch the walls in the kitchen, it was so small," said Todd.
Still, the couple bought the 1,100-square-foot rambler, in part for its great location -- St. Paul's Highland Park neighborhood. They intended to add more space for a mudroom and an owners' suite and, because the home was on a small city lot, they decided to build up instead of out.
"Going up was the best bet," said Andrew Sonnen, co-owner of Bluejack Builders in Woodbury. "We saved money by using the existing foundation and most of the exterior walls."
With its new second story and the studs-to-ceiling renovated main floor, the Williamses' home is one of 86 residences on the Remodelers Showcase tour next weekend.
The tour, which allows homeowners to study recent remodeling jobs, ask contractors questions and see new products, includes kitchen updates, home office additions, finished lower levels and whole-house makeovers by professional remodeling companies.
While new construction and existing housing sales are down, the Twin Cities is one of the top 10 markets for remodeling spending, according to the Minnesota chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry.
"Remodelers aren't doing as extensive projects as in the past," said Wendy Danks, marketing director for the Builders Association of the Twin Cities, which sponsors the showcase. "But people are choosing to invest what they can in a house to make it more livable."
