Common Questions Answered.

Yes. We provide free, no-obligation estimates for all services — roofing, siding, windows, insulation, gutters, and more. Contact us by phone or through our online form and we'll schedule a convenient time to inspect your home.

Yes. Total Home Exteriors is fully licensed and insured to operate in Minnesota. We carry general liability insurance and workers' compensation coverage on all projects. We're happy to provide proof of insurance upon request.

We serve the Twin Cities metro and surrounding communities including Andover, Blaine, Anoka, Coon Rapids, Champlin, Ham Lake, East Bethel, Ramsey, Lino Lakes, Brooklyn Park, and many more. Call us to confirm service in your area.

Total Home Exteriors has been serving Minnesota homeowners for 20+ years. We're a locally owned contractor — not a national franchise — with deep roots in the Twin Cities community.

Yes. We stand behind our workmanship. Specific warranty terms vary by project type and materials used. Many of the manufacturers we work with also offer their own product warranties. We'll walk you through all warranty coverage before starting your project.

Most residential roof replacements in the Twin Cities take 1–2 days for standard-sized homes. Larger homes or complex roof lines may take 2–3 days. We handle everything from tear-off to cleanup.

Yes. We have extensive experience working with homeowners insurance claims for storm, hail, and wind damage. We document the damage, meet your adjuster on site, and stay involved through final inspection.

Architectural asphalt shingles typically last 20–25 years in Minnesota's climate. Freeze-thaw cycling and ice dams shorten that when attic ventilation is inadequate, which is why we inspect ventilation as part of every roof evaluation.

Yes. Roof inspections and written estimates are free with no obligation. We tell you whether you need a repair, a replacement, or nothing at all right now.

Roof size, pitch, the number of existing layers to tear off, decking condition, the number of valleys and penetrations, and any ventilation work needed. A phone quote cannot know most of those, which is why we inspect first.

It can be. Shingle manufacturers require adequate intake and exhaust ventilation, and inadequate ventilation is a common reason a warranty claim is declined. We check it as part of every roof evaluation.

We show you, and we replace it. How decking repair is priced is stated in the written estimate before we start, so a genuine find is never an invented charge.

We install vinyl, fiber cement (James Hardie), engineered wood, and steel siding. We recommend fiber cement for Minnesota homes due to its resistance to freeze-thaw damage and low maintenance requirements.

Signs you need full replacement include widespread warping, rot, fading, or repeated water intrusion. Isolated damage to a few panels can often be repaired. We offer free inspections to assess your specific situation.

Fiber cement is documented to last several decades and resists the freeze-thaw cracking that shortens the life of lesser materials. Its main maintenance need is repainting, and it holds paint far longer than wood.

Vinyl becomes brittle in deep cold and is best installed in milder weather. Fiber cement and steel can be installed across a wider temperature range. We schedule around the material and the forecast, and we will tell you if waiting is the better call.

Yes. We inspect the sheathing and house wrap once the old cladding is off, and we show you anything we find before we cover it back up. Hidden moisture damage is the most common surprise on a re-side.

It depends on wall area, storeys, how much trim detail the house has, access, and the material. Fiber cement costs more than vinyl both to buy and to install. We quote after inspecting, not from a per-square-foot table.

Usually flashing or expansion. Water getting in behind badly flashed windows and roof-to-wall intersections is the most common cause, and vinyl nailed without expansion gaps buckles within a few Minnesota seasons.

If it is damaged, degraded, or was never installed properly, yes. Putting new siding over a failed weather barrier hides the problem rather than fixing it.

We work with several reputable manufacturers and help you select the right product based on your budget, energy goals, and home style. We prioritize windows with strong Energy Star ratings suitable for Minnesota's climate zone.

Fog or haze between the panes means the insulated glass seal has failed and the insulating gas has escaped. The unit cannot be resealed or restored — it needs to be replaced. The rest of the frame is often still sound.

Triple glazing improves comfort on north-facing and exposed elevations and reduces noise, but it costs and weighs more. For many Twin Cities homes, double glazing with a low-E coating and argon fill is the better value. We recommend per elevation rather than per house.

Yes. Windows are replaced one opening at a time so the house is never broadly open to the cold, and winter installation is routine in Minnesota. Extreme cold days may shift the schedule.

Yes. Every opening is measured on site by our crew before anything is ordered. Replacement windows are made to the opening, and a bad measurement is an expensive mistake.

It depends on size, frame material, glazing, and whether it is an insert or a full-frame replacement. Full-frame costs more because it includes trim, flashing and interior finishing. We measure and quote per opening.

An insert fits inside your existing frame — faster, cheaper, less disruption, and right when the frame is sound. Full-frame goes back to the rough opening and is needed when the frame or sill has rotted, or the opening needs re-flashing.

For most Minnesota homes, insulate the attic first. It usually returns more per dollar on heating costs. Windows are worth replacing when seals have failed, frames have rotted, or rooms are genuinely uncomfortable.

The U.S. Department of Energy recommends roughly R-49 to R-60 for attics in Minnesota's cold climate zone. If your insulation is level with or below the ceiling joists, you are almost certainly below that.

Usually, yes — combined with air sealing and proper attic ventilation. Ice dams are caused by heat escaping into the attic and melting snow that refreezes at the cold eaves. Removing that heat loss addresses the cause rather than the symptom.

In most attics, yes. Blown fiberglass or cellulose can be added on top of existing material as long as it is dry and uncontaminated. Wet, mouldy, or pest-damaged insulation needs to come out first.

For most older Twin Cities homes it is attic air sealing and insulation, followed by rim joist insulation in the basement. Both typically return more per dollar than window replacement.

Usually not. Dry, uncontaminated insulation can be topped up. It has to come out if it is wet, mouldy, pest-damaged, or if it is hiding penetrations we need to air seal properly.

No. Air sealing the ceiling plane stops warm air leaking into the attic; it does not seal the living space. Attic ventilation is kept working — that is the point of the baffles.

It is the band of framing around the floor structure, sitting on the foundation. In most older Minnesota homes it is barely insulated and leaks air continuously all winter. It is small, cheap to address, and one of the best returns available.

Yes, generally. It means heat is escaping into your attic and warming the roof deck — the same mechanism that produces ice dams.

Yes. We meet your adjuster on site, walk the damage with them, and provide our own documentation and measurements so nothing is missed during the inspection.

Denials are often a documentation problem, especially with hail. We re-inspect, document the damage properly with dated photographs, and submit for reinspection. We have had denied claims reopened this way.

Not always. If the damage is cosmetic or falls below your deductible, filing has no benefit. Our inspection is free so you can find out before you file.

You have the right to choose your own contractor in Minnesota. Your carrier may suggest a preferred vendor, but the choice of who does the work is yours.

No. In Minnesota the choice of contractor is yours. Carriers may suggest a preferred vendor, but you are not obliged to use them and declining does not affect your coverage.

That is a question for your insurance agent, not for us — we are a roofing contractor and will not guess at your carrier's decisions. Weather claims are generally treated differently from at-fault claims. Ask your agent before you file; it costs nothing.

It happens, usually because damage was missed rather than disputed. We re-document what was not included and submit it for reinspection with dated photographs.

Inspections are free. We are paid for the repair work if you have a claim and choose us to do it.

Chipping with an axe, hammer, or pick cracks shingles, which are brittle in the cold. Low-pressure steam melts the ice without contacting or damaging the roof surface. It is the only method we will use.

No. A pressure washer strips granules from the shingles and forces water up under the courses, which creates exactly the leak you were trying to prevent.

They damage shingles, corrode gutters, and harm the landscaping below. They are also slow and only clear a narrow channel. We do not recommend them.

Air seal the attic floor, insulate to the R-49 to R-60 range recommended for Minnesota, and make sure soffit-to-ridge ventilation is working. A cold roof deck does not melt snow, and snow that does not melt cannot form a dam.

If water is already coming inside — ceiling stains, damp walls, icicles inside a soffit — yes, treat it as urgent. An ice ridge with no interior signs needs attention soon but not tonight.

You can safely pull snow off the lower roof with a roof rake from the ground, which removes the meltwater feeding the dam. Do not get on the roof, do not chip at the ice, and do not put a ladder on an icy eave.

They melt a drainage channel but do not stop the dam forming, and they run on your electricity all winter. They have a place on problem geometry, but they are not a substitute for fixing attic heat loss.

No. Low-pressure steam melts the ice without contacting or striking the roof surface. It is the only method we use, precisely because the alternatives cause damage.

Stop further water entry and document the damage. Photograph what you can see safely from the ground, note the storm date, and call for an emergency tarp if the roof is open. Do not climb onto a storm-damaged roof.

Yes. Tarping the roof stops secondary water damage to ceilings, insulation, and framing, which frequently costs more than the original storm damage.

Be cautious. Large storms draw out-of-state crews who leave once the work is done, taking the warranty with them. Ask where a contractor is based and how long they have worked in Minnesota.

No. Some wind damage is a repair. We inspect and tell you which it is, in writing, before you file anything.

No. Read it first, away from the doorstep. Some 'inspection authorisation' forms are contracts that assign your insurance claim. A legitimate contractor will not pressure you to sign on the day.

Everything the water does after the storm — soaked decking and insulation, stained ceilings, wet framing. It frequently costs more than the original storm damage, which is why tarping immediately matters.

The opposite. Policies generally require you to take reasonable steps to prevent further loss, so emergency tarping is expected of you.

Tarping is immediate. Most of the elapsed time is the insurance claim — filing, adjuster visit, scope agreement and approval. The physical work on a typical house is days, not weeks.

Check soft metal from the ground first — dents in gutters, downspouts, window wraps, and vents. On the roof, hail shows as bruising: circular granule loss where the mat underneath feels soft. It is very hard to see without a close inspection.

Hail damage is covered under most Minnesota homeowners policies, subject to your deductible and policy terms. Check your specific policy — coverage and deductibles for wind and hail are sometimes separate from the main deductible.

No. Isolated damage on a single slope can sometimes be repaired. Widespread bruising across elevations usually warrants replacement, because the shingles have all had their life shortened at once.

Yes. Hail bruising is not visible from the ground and often not visible from a photograph. If your neighbourhood took hail, get the roof inspected — the inspection is free.

Roughly one-inch hail is where functional damage to asphalt shingles becomes likely, but an older roof that has already lost granules can be damaged by smaller stones. Wind direction matters as much as stone size.

Functional damage fractures the shingle mat and shortens the roof's life. Cosmetic damage looks bad but has not compromised performance. Some Minnesota policies now exclude cosmetic damage, so it is worth checking yours.

Yes, and it is routinely missed. Dented gutters, dimpled window wraps and cracked vinyl on the storm-facing wall are all common and all claimable. We document the whole envelope, not just the roof.

With test squares — documenting hits per square, the same measure the adjuster uses — plus dated photographs. That way the two assessments can be compared directly rather than argued about.

Seamless gutters are far superior for Minnesota's climate. Sectional gutters have seams that can leak and separate under the stress of ice and heavy snow. Seamless gutters are custom-fabricated on-site and have fewer failure points.

Some gutter guard products work well; others trap debris or ice. We install systems we've tested in Minnesota winters and can recommend the right product for your roof pitch, tree coverage, and snowfall patterns.

No. Ice dams are caused by heat escaping into the attic and melting snow on the roof deck. A gutter full of ice gives the dam something to build on, but fixing insulation and ventilation is what actually stops it.

Seamless gutters can be fabricated and hung in cold weather, though heavy snow and ice on the roof edge may delay the work. We will tell you if waiting is the safer call.

Five-inch K-style suits most Twin Cities homes. Six-inch with larger downspouts is worth it on large roof areas, steep pitches that shed water fast, and long runs with few outlets.

Ice weight on inadequate fastening. Old spike-and-ferrule fixings and hangers spaced too far apart pull out under load. Hidden hangers screwed into the fascia at proper spacing hold far better.

Far enough that water is not soaking the foundation — several feet clear, via extensions, splash blocks or a buried line. A downspout emptying at the wall is a common cause of a damp basement.

Yes. They are separate jobs. If the roof is close to end of life it is usually more economical to do both together, but there is no requirement to.