The three Northeast-area couples with homes on the Minneapolis & Saint Paul Home Tour represent new trends in the 33-year-old tour. By popular demand, suburban rambler adaptations and new energy-efficient homes are well-represented on the April 30-May 1 tour. The tour is free, self-guided and open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.
At 3429 Croft Drive in St. Anthony Village, Kristen and Tim Noll wanted to make their cramped 1969 kitchen more functional for a family of five by taking down walls, yet keeping the coziness of the fireplace that separates it from the front of the house. “That old pass-through where the cook would peek out and say “dinner’s ready” is just not us!” they said. Now the kitchen “sparkles, it’s beautifully open and bright.” Stoltz Installation and Carpentry did the work, “within our budget, helping us save enough to have them replace first-floor windows, doors, flooring, millwork and lighting which tie the kitchen in to the rest of the house. Plus, we replaced our roof and updated the exterior.”
A video talking about their experience is linked at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkHBeG8ahlw&t=2s
Other ramblers on tour include two in Golden Valley; one is an example of Universal Design. At 6415 Logan Ave. S. in Richfield, see also a tandem garage that creates shelter for back yard living.
Amy and Tim Eian’s former home on Benjamin Street NE was already well known in the Waite Park neighborhood for interesting materials and energy efficiencies. In early 2020 they were almost done with their new home at 3406 Benjamin St. NE, the first new-construction Passive House home in Minneapolis. It became their cocoon in the last two years, working from home to where architectural engineer Tim (TE Studio) could give up his office building at 23rd and Jackson.
Tim Eian writes, in the Home Tour Guide, “The Good Energy Haus serves as a demonstration project for climate neutrality. Modern design is paired with accessibility, sustainability, earth- and people-friendly materials, and stormwater management on site. It represents the holistic approach and leading-edge TE Studio Passive House Design is known for. Light-filled rooms and a compact yet extremely functional layout offer practicality, enjoyment and great design in an easy-to-own home that is also geared for aging in place. The passive solar design allows for heating with the equivalent of two hair dryers on the coldest Minnesota winter days. No gas hookup required and everything is powered by on-site solar and wind-generated electricity.”
At 823 18th Ave. NE, Neha and Scott Bressers’ Net Zero Energy (NZE) affordable and flexible home currently makes the homeowners an average $75 a month on excess solar power. “We wanted to spend minimal time taking care of the home, and other than the obvious low-maintenance surfaces, discovered ways to make the home do work for us. Unused space is offered for short-term rental or houses parents who visit from a long distance. It was designed to offer separate entry without going through the living space, and can be ours when we need it.”
Visit to learn about site-specific passive strategies of sun, wind, and light, super energy efficiency design at the first concept stages, the recommended windows, ventilation system, R52 triple insulated wall construction and the solar benefit of slab-on-grade.
Many homes on the Minneapolis & Saint Paul Home Tour represent other aspects of the energy-saving equation. Those who say “the greenest house is the one you don’t throw away” will appreciate the “tweaks that make older homes more livable,” the recurring theme of the 33-year-old traditional tour and represented in a vast majority of the 25 homes.
Assuming small spaces reduce a carbon footprint, two Accessory Dwelling Units in Saint Paul are on tour.
Visitors will see, in other homes, adaptations which helped the homeowners weather the realities of COVID restrictions, including a three-season porch at 3300 47th Ave. S. and basement re-do at 5100 Garfield Ave. in Minneapolis.
Gardeners will appreciate the grounds at 112 Leech St. in Saint Paul as much as the Asian-inspired renovation of the home. And for those who have more creativity than cash, Sid Korpi’s home at 1234 West Seventh St. in Saint Paul is filled with ideas.
The tour is a project of National Association of the Remodeling Industry of Minnesota and managed by Margo Ashmore of the Northeaster newspaper. Copies of the Guide are available at the Northeaster office and at most libraries throughout the metro, and in flipbook format as well as individual listings at www.msphometour.com.
Below: Tim and Kristen Noll. Amy and Tim Eian. Scott Bressers. (Photos by Scott Amundson for the Minneapolis & Saint Paul Home Tour)