Minneapolis/St Paul Garage Construction/Builders

We had gotten a couple other quotes and decided to go with Minneapolis Garage Builders to build a 24' x 24' two stall garage. Other competitor didn't even return my phone calls which wasn't surprising. The quote wasn't the lowest but wasn't the highest. Also, we had added on several changes like an upgrade to the garage door from the standard one and storage spread web trusses with flooring and a pull down ladder. In short, we are happy we picked Minneapolis Garage Builders to do our project. Joe did a good job of explaining the process during the quote and worked with me to make several updates to the bid as we added / changed things. We had a couple delays in the process -- none of which were Minneapolis Garage Builders fault. Our home equity loan was totally messed up by our bank and Joe patiently waited while we ensured our financing was in place. We had a week of a lot of rain in June which hit shortly after the slab was poured that delayed the framing crew. It's unreasonable to expect a crew to be hoisting roof trusses in a down pour -- it wouldn't be safe. I am surprised about some of the other reviews on Angie's List being upset about timeline getting off and having unrealistic expectations on timeline. There are so many elements like weather, city inspectors (we all know they aren't fast), delay in getting special order materials, vacations, home owner schedule / vacation, and dealing with subcontractors that are delayed by the same things I just listed. Everybody came when they said they would and if they had to miss a time, they let me know my phone or text message. The building season is short here in Minnesota and I know I'm not the only garage being built at the same time. I only expected to be given equal priority with the other clients with projects on going -- I never got anything less than being treated fairly by Joe, Rich and the crews. Overall, there were 7 trades involved with our garage: 1) Demo crew, 2) Concrete, 3) Framing, 4) Electrical, 5) Roofing, 6) Garage Door Installer, 7) Construction Waste Hauler. I would say all of them did a great job and any mistakes were quickly corrected (all of which were small). Everybody was friendly and answered my questions. A few random thoughts: I had some few contractor bags of construction waste left over from a small house project (plaster repair) and Joe said to just leave them in the garage and the demo crew took those away with no additional cost. It was nice that there wasn't a big dumpster on our small Minneapolis property. Joe use's Bagster which is about 4' x 10' bag and sits on your lot next to the construction area instead of a metal dumpster in front of your house. I liked that my wife and I got to pick out the light fixtures we wanted. Also, Tom the Electrician made a nice suggestion to wire in a switch and light for the storage area up in the trusses (it was only $100 extra). I never would have thought about that until after the project was finished and now I'm glad when I go up the ladder that I don't have to bring a flashlight with me. Everybody did a great job of cleaning up after themselves. Of course there is an errant nail here and there that you find in random places, but the job site was left tidy at the end of each day. I felt all the subcontractors were respectful of my property. If I had to redo the whole project again, I'd use Minneapolis Garage Builders again. Even my Father remarked on the quality and he's pretty persnickety.

I'd like this review to be a "B- or a C+" This review is 2 years late, but the review still stands! The owner, Joe Slavec, couldn't be a nicer guy. He's personable and knowledgeable about building garages. There were a few bumps in the process, so I will outline my issues and "watch-outs." PROFESSIONALISM: I gave him a "C" due to sloppy paperwork, problems with the Mpls building code and quality issues with the concrete. ? We had multiple rounds of estimates and they all had the same date on them and none of them were identified as "Version 1", "Version 2", etc. This made it difficult to keep track of which one was the most recent. I'm a project manager in an ad agency and we deal with revised estimates for our clients every day. Paperwork should be accurate. Recommend: ask for updated estimates with new dates / versions. ? His final invoice was not accurate to the final estimate. I was charged for several things that I eliminated. Again, accurate paperwork is important. He did resolve the discrepancy, after I reminded him. Recommend: compare estimate to invoice -- assuming both are accurate. I think his lack of attention to detail is a problem. ? With the name "MINNEAPOLIS" Garage Construction, I expected him to know the building codes. When he applied for the building permit, he discovered that we needed to be 6 feet from the neighbor's property line instead of the usual 1 foot. (Neighbor had an attached garage that is considered part of their house.) We would have had to go through a costly and cumbersome variance process with the City of Minneapolis to position the garage 1 foot from property line. We did decide to go ahead with the garage anyway. This resulted in an extremely short driveway which makes it very difficult to get into the garage -- as well as 6 feet of dead space at the back of the garage. Fortunately, we have a neighbor who doesn't mind if we drive on his driveway. Joe also didn't have any suggestions for how to cope with this -- for example, putting the garage at a slight angle would have been an easy solution to help us get into the garage easier. ? I asked for a slight curve to the driveway and I got what I asked for. HOWEVER, it wasn't wide enough for me to easily get into the garage. (We have two single doors instead of 1 wide door.) Again, as the expert, I expected that he would have questioned the width of the driveway and made a recommendation. I ended up having his concrete contractor come back and add 3 feet to the width of the driveway--at my expense! ? I wanted a small trellis added to the side of the garage. I had a photo for reference and Joe said, "My carpenters LOVE to do this sort of thing!" I was expecting that the carpenter would bring something to the party, but instead he kept asking me, "is this the size board you want?" Carpenter seemed unsure of how to build it. It ended up being just OK. I'm disappointed in it. QUALITY: Overall, it's a solid garage. The Smart Siding is a quality product. Garage doors are good. Only "issue" is that the service door swings into the overhead door so we have to be careful when opening and closing doors. Door stop would have been good or maybe having the door swing the other way to avoid this problem. The concrete work is another problem area. I noticed some minor spalling last spring and this spring it is even worse! I called Joe in early April and have not received any resolution on this--as of May 29. This is unacceptable. Again, not great communication.

The work was done to a high standard. Great communication, good workmanship and punctuality. We are satisfied customers. I would recommend this firm to anyone wishing to build a new garage.

This was not your common, backyard garage. The structure sits exposed on a major street for the entire neighborhood to see and criticize. It was a complex floor plan on an irregular lot that required three, city zoning variances, fire code walls, a five-sloped hip roof, and matching shingles and stucco to a 1926-era dwelling. Tough assignment; but, in short, this project exceeded expectations from start to finish. The builder was there from first inquiry to last item on the punch list with quick and complete communication. This is a contractor who not only returns your calls, texts or emails (rare enough) but generally does so within 24 hours. Highlights: ·Helped with detailed design suggestions to maximize space on a difficult site. No charge. ·Provided a quick and detailed bid at reasonable prices. (We?re *still* waiting on bids from a couple of other guys) ·Deployed a small army of sub contractors who choreographed construction from concrete pad to frame to stucco with care and speed that was impressive. ·Provided quick, good-natured attention to resolving problems and changes that are bound to arise on a project of this size. This company has solved the general contractor riddle by finding a special construction niche, communicating effectively, and recruiting subcontractors who know ? and appreciate ? that the secret to a steady job is quick work, pleasant customer relations and craftsmanship. Almost every time I?m outside in the driveway now, people I don?t even know compliment me on the garage as they pass by. Don?t kid yourself; any building project is going to have its highs and lows. Delays occur. Problems arise. The test is how those things get resolved. That said; I don't think this experience could have gone much better.

Joe and his team were totally upfront throughout the process as they tore down my old garage and constructed a new one: concrete slab, framing, roofing, electrical, stucco, and finishing. Any hitch in the process, such as having to wait for the ground to warm from an exceptionally cold winter, was explained thoroughly. The price he quoted was honored. The garage is solid and well built--I love the new space! I'd recommend Minneapolis Garage Construction without hesitation.

Working with Joe and his team was amazing. The communication was incredible. We have had other projects in the past and often felt out of the loop. This was never the case working with Joe. We had a clear plan with great follow-through. There were very few bumps during the project, but if we expressed any concerns Joe was all over it. We were impressed with the quality of the work as well as the smooth process. I would highly recommend Minneapolis Garage.

From the first contact with Joe, I was overall pleased with his company. Joe showed up on time for the estimate, walked me through the process, explained options, etc. Having a garage torn down and replaced isn't something people do on a regular basis, so this was all pretty new to me. And, honestly, only my second time dealing with a contractor (first time was painful) so I was a bit apprehensive about doing this work. Joe and his team were really great to work with. After scheduling the job, it began on time. When the cement sub-contractors told me that they'd be there at 6:45 in the morning to pour the driveway cement, they were there at that time. When the electrician told me that he could be at the garage the next morning at 9AM, he was there the next morning at 9AM. When they tore the old garage down, I was concerned about what would be left behind, and I was very pleased with the cleanup. And, the new garage went up pretty quickly. The only thing that needs some work on is the communication with the team. The new garage sat for about two weeks with no activity. I had been talking with the project manager, and then that stopped. It wasn't until I reached out to Joe directly that I saw activity pick up again. I understand that the window of opportunity to build garages in Minnesota is very small and that they're very busy. But, communication is key with all clients. And, I would have been fine with delays, had someone reached out to me, instead of me having to ask on the different phases when the next phase would begin (I did that for electrical, driveway cement, trash, and leftover supplies removal). That is really my only not completely positive interaction with Minneapolis Garage: "Better communication once the job begins." Other than that, I'm completely thrilled with the garage. I have tons of storage now. And, the electrician did call me when he was there, and made a small suggestion that was a great idea. He asked me if I'd like a light added to the overhead storage area. I never would have thought about it until I was up there in the dark. So, I really appreciated that call from Tom. If I moved and needed a new garage, I would definitely use Minneapolis Garage again. Thanks Joe and team!

They were very professional before, during and after the completion of the project. They gave us very detailed information on the pros and cons of what we wanted, honest insights and good suggestions for improvements without messing up our budget. Their documents and work was precise, they managed their time, materials and deadlines really well, and followed up promptly on any questions and concerns we had. The garage they built for us was very good quality and just according to our needs and instructions. They were thorough and professional.

They were very good to deal with. They did everything they said they were going to do. Scheduling was a slight problem since there was weather related issues but everything turned out fine.

Joe Slavec the owner came out to bid the job. Said he would get back to me right away, and I was SHOCKED when I got the bid the next morning, less than 24 hours later! Usually this is a good sign, but I decided to get 2 other bids. One company that rhymes with hustle, gave me a bid over 10% higher, and took 8 days to get me the bid. Another company came out on a Saturday,which was impressive, but then never sent me a bid at all. Even after I called THEM 3 times!! Needless to say I should have went with my gut and hired Joe right away. I built a unique garage that was tandem and had an overhang, bumpout, and I also had a tree to try and work around. I went back and forth and changed my plan about 10 times, and Joe patiently worked with me to make sure I got the exact garage I wanted. The concrete guys came out to do a final look before coming to pour the next day. They did some final measurements, and I ended up having to chop down the tree I was trying to work around. Joe was able to keep me on the schedule while I found someone to chop and grind down the stump of my tree. Once that was done it was a host of contractors that came and worked their a**** off. The concrete guys were amazing. Ive poured lots of slabs in HS and college and these guys were good. Before I knew it the framing went up, siding, and shingles. Given the size of the garage I thought for sure the city of SLP would have told me at the end it was too big, but the final inspection went great. I paid Joe in full sometime around Thanksgiving, but what really impressed me was when I called him back a month later. I called Joe in January, and said there was this chipped hole in the concrete(prob from this horrible cold). He said, "no problem, call me when the snow melts and I'll get the guys to come out and fix it". To me thats the mark of a true professional. Someone who stands behind their work after its all said and done. All the workers that came were nice, courteous, professional, and cleaned up after themselves before leaving at the end of the day. The final bid Joe gave me before we started the garage was the same amount I ended up paying him in the end, which after talking to some friends of mine is not always the case. I was very impressed and would HIGHLY recommend Minneapolis Garage.

I contacted Minneapolis Garage to discuss a garage bid with my clients. Joe Slavec followed up with me the next day to set up an appointment immediately. He was thankfully able to meet the next day as we were on a bit of time crunch to make a decision. Fortunately I didn't even need to bring that up as Joe's prompt service allowed us to make a decision quickly. Joe arrived to the appointment on time, was extremely professional and had "thinking outside the box" ideas right off the bat. Preliminary numbers were discussed that sounded on par so we will be following up with Minneapolis Garage further to obtain a formal bid.

I was pleased with the overall quality of the work and the methodical nature of the staff. The cost of the job, which was one of the two pricier of the three estimates I received, was also very close to the estimate I was given and the staff was responsive when I reached out to them through most of the project. But there were some glitches. I had been told that the job would take about three weeks to complete. In fact it took about twice that time, with many days when no work was going on. After the job was finished there was some work that was left undone, including cleaning out the garage, which was caked with dirt from the work and repairing the asphalt driveway that had been damaged during construction of the garage. The repair of the driveway was imperfectly and unevenly done, even after I alerted the company to the problem. The concrete apron they poured leading to the garage is not quite level and so there are spots where water collects. The patching of the asphalt does not look at all harmonious. Rebuilding this garage has been the biggest single project I have undertaken in my home so maybe I should have expected such problems, but they left me without a completely positive view of this contractor. --- Update 5/5/2014: I am surprised to read the harshness of the company's public response to my review. After the construction was complete, in response to a nice note from the company owner, I had emailed to him to let him know I would be unable to give his company a completely positive review and included the text of the review, largely as it appears above. I did not get any response to that email. Meanwhile, the concrete apron and small spots on the garage floor began to show some damage this spring, with bits crumbling off. The company arranged for their concrete contractor to return to my home and fix these problems, which he said were likely caused by road salt during the nasty winter, with no fee to me. I appreciated that.

Overall we are very satisfied. They know their craft and seem to have developed relationships with subcontractors they trust. Everyone involved was professional. The garage is well-built. They were responsive to concerns and questions we had along the way. The project took a little longer than we had hoped, but that's partly due to our own delay in getting the financing arranged so that we ended up later on their build schedule. When the garage door needed an adjustment after the first few months, they responded quickly and arranged for a "final adjustment."

The project was interrupted and delayed by street repairs in the neighborhood, but in the end, they adapted well and built a very nice garage.

It took some time since it was a small Job.

Joe, Rich and their team were all fantastic, and I would hire them again in a heartbeat. Everything went so smoothly and the final garage is absolutely beautiful. Our neighbors have all commented on how especially nice our garage looks (tip: those little details don't cost very much extra--like windows, nice siding and LED lights--and make a big difference in the end.) I've done a fair number of remodeling projects and these guys were some of the nicest contractors I've ever worked with. The only very minor feedback I would give them is that there could have been a little more communication about what was happening next and when. It would have avoided some extra work, like when the electrician had to come back a second time because we hadn't purchased the lights yet--if we had had a few days notice we would have had them ready when he got here. But that's really a very minor thing, and the positive side was that I never, ever felt like they were rushing through the project in order to get paid. Don't hesitate to hire these guys, I promise you won't regret it!

We solicited quotes in March of 2012 from three different 'A' rated garage builders on Angie's List. All bids came in between $21k and $24k. We waited a year, saved some money, then contacted Minneapolis Garage in March of 2013 because we liked Joe, the owner, much better than the other people who came out to provide bids. Their bid was the middle of the three quotes we received. We paid a $450 deposit in March to get on the "buildlist", with a tentative start-date for our project slated for mid-May, 2013 (dependent on weather cooperating, and the frost restrictions being lifted from city roads). The site plan was completed by mid-April, and permits/survey secured by them well in advance of the scheduled start time. Unfortunately, due the snowfall in May, the project was not started until June. And, due in part to the heavy rain in June, was not completed until July 27. The quality of their work is excellent. Many neighbors have commented already "what a great job those guys did on your garage and driveway". The price was fair, and in line with other reputable garage builders in the area. Joe and his team promptly responded to any questions or concerns I had. I would use them again without hesitation. One nitpick I do have is that I wish they had been more proactive in their communications. I knew the project would be delayed several times due to things beyond anyone's control (e.g. weather), but I feel that it should have been them contacting me (not the other way around, with me having to ask them) to provide an updated timeline for when various aspects of the project would be completed.

Fantastic. Joe and his crew were great to work with. I would highly recommend them.

The price was reasonable. They were very easy to work with. There were a few problems along the way but that was primarily weather. The day they were supposed to pour concrete we were having thunderstorms so they couldn't lay the concrete. We had to reschedule things a couple of different times because of weather. It was not their fault that the weather interfered with part of the construction so it ended up taking longer than we thought it would.

We contracted with Minneapolis Garage on a $60,000+ project to build a 22x36? garage with a finished second level and heat throughout. The final product is a good garage that meets our expectations, but we would not hire Minneapolis Garage again. We first contacted Mpls Garage in mid-May 2013, just before closing on the purchase of a new (to us) house. We placed a $1500 deposit (triple the normal amount) on May 20 and made it clear that we needed the project started ASAP and complete by mid-August, 2013. Joe quoted 5-6 week lead time to get the project started and another 5-6 weeks for completion. He committed to starting by late June and finishing early to mid-August. We tried to stay on top of things to make sure the project got moving but ?weather? delayed the start until late July. From there, the project progressed in spurts. During the sales process, Joe said ?Once we start we will be doing some sort of work on your garage every day except when we?re waiting for inspections.? That statement turned-out to be an exaggeration. Crews were pulled at least twice from our project to work on something else and they split time between projects near the end of our project when the siding work was in process. Over the 10 weeks it took from start to finish, it became clear that Mpls Garage has many projects in flight simultaneously and they subcontract all aspects of construction, so they are at the mercy of their subs for scheduling. The framing and siding crews are exceptions ? they?re still subcontractors, but they do enough work for Joe that he seems to have some control. Perhaps if you?re building a cookie-cutter garage with no special features you would not experience the same sort of delays that we did. Another frustration we had in dealing with Mpls Garage throughout the process is that Joe took no accountability for delays, it was always the sub-contractor?s issue: - There were delays in getting the old garage removed because the ?spotter? had a conflict. - There were delays in receiving trusses because the manufacturer was too busy. - The framing crew was pulled to work on another project because they needed to get ready to install trusses there. - The drywall installation was delayed because the electrical inspector had a question on rough-in and so the crew moved to a different project. - The siding crew split time between projects because the ?Minnetonka project? had to host a wedding party in their unfinished garage and they had another project in process in Winona. Over time, it became really frustrating that no steps seemed to be planned in advance and our complaints were addressed with argumentative responses implying that our expectations were out-of-line. Early in the process when we were frustrated about the 5 week delay in getting started, we posted a negative review on Angie?s List. Joe responded aggressively: ?One word, WEATHER!!!!! ? Some people just don?t get it?? Once the project had started he asked us to modify our review because he was getting questions about it. If you look at Joe?s other responses to negative comments on Angie?s list, you?ll see that there is a subtle pattern of aggression and blame. It?s likely we?ll be characterized as difficult customers with unrealistic expectations, but the fact is that the project started a month late and took twice as long as Joe said it would. (finally complete on October 7) In summary, we are satisfied with the final product, but the process was painful and our expectations were not managed well.

They were excellent. The process went very well, no issues. I think the price was good. They were very professional to me, went by their bid and came in and did what they said they would do.

Over-all, I had a very positive experience working with Joe. The quality of the finished product was the most important variable to me. I was in home construction (a big part of my responsibility was fixing other people's mistakes), so I knew what to look for in a well built garage. Minneapolis Garage is one of three general contractors in the twin cities that I could locate that met my criteria. My expectations are high, but not unrealistic. Because our proposed project was more advanced, I spent more time assessing who was capable of doing it well. Among the 10 to 15 contractors whose work I looked at, such things as improper installment of flashing or no flashing was very common (think future water damage), detached lap siding and trim, not allowing for expansion and contracting of materials (this is Minnesota... our temps vary widely), materials not installed and/or aligned properly (this is more aesthetics, but still reflects poorly on the contractor), significant cracking of concrete and use of poorly sourced materials (some retailers sell lumber that you would want on your garage). As a person with significant construction experience, I had spent much time planning out the details of the build. Even so, Joe had a few/several suggestions that told me that he both had the knowledge to build a good garage and was interested in my having one. No construction firm is perfect because no people are perfect. Minneapolis Garage is no exception. So both Minneapolis Garage and I introduced our human characteristics into our significant amount of communications. But, if you use a high quality contractor for your garage, I think that you are far more likely to both have a smoother construction process and, even more importantly, a well built end product with a reduced number of future problems. Why didn't we choose Minneapolis Garage? After receiving 2 or 3 very competitive bids from Joe (multiple bids were obtained over time in an attempt to reduce the cost of project... I was over our budget), their last bid was significantly higher than other options that we had. I'm not sure why this is. But, because their previous bids were competitive, I choose not to downgrade their Angie's List price rating. Let's be honest though, like everything, it does cost more to build something well using good materials. I only got bids from quality garage builders. I have to believe that using a quality builder is worth a little bit more money. In the long term, having a well built garage will cost you less money and time to maintain and be worth more money (it will continue to look and hold up better for a longer period of time). My experience with Minneapolis Garage is significant and based on my professional experience in construction. Minneapolis Garage is a quality builder. I recommend them. If quality is important to you, you should include them as one of your bids on your new garage.

See above. It went very well.

Minneapolis Garage was easy to work with. Things were done in a timely manner. The entry and exit doors close soooo beautifully. The electric garage door opener is the smoothest and best functioning one I have had. The crew was easy to talk to, and I am very happy with the finished garage.

Joe Slavec is the owner. They were great actually. Joe himself was very responsive. He was very pleasant and personable when he came out to the site to discuss what we wanted to do. He gave us many options and he gave us a lot of good feedback about which siding might be appropriate for our purposes. He made sure we got it done before the year end, which was very important for us. The price was appropriate for what was done and what we got done with it.