Minnesota Exteriors Inc

Avoid. Poor communication, damage to shrubbery, prolonged start dates, didn't start on the stated date, etc. I had Minnesota Exteriors replace the shingles on my home 10/18/23 because of previous hail damage. My down payment of almost 70% of the job cost cleared on 08/30/23. It took 7 weeks before work was started. I requested to view more options of available singles rather than the limited selection brought to my home. I was suggested to drive 60 miles to their warehouse to see the full assortment of availability. I was told I would have to wait for the material to get in because of delays. I contacted the office on 09/29/23 and was informed material had been in a week prior. I received a call from Scott Marcks (sales rep/adjuster) on 010/06/23 stating material was still delayed thus putting my job start date farther out. I told him I contacted the office and that the material was in and had been sitting in their office/warehouse for the prior week. Scott stated he was unaware the material was in and available. I was told the job would be started/completed 10/16/23. I took the day off from work so I could be home but no one showed up other than to put the license on the front door. I contacted the office and they stated someone should have contacted/informed me of the delay. The crew did show up and completed the next day 10/17/23. I was not available to be home that day. From my ring camera, I could see ladders were set up, material was being brought up in a location near landscaping/shrubbery. I sent Scott a pic/video of this and asked them to please be cautious to not damage shrubbery or gutters. He replied that they would let the crew know. The trees ended up being damaged. I informed Scott of this issue/sent him pictures and it was addressed by a text stating he "hopes they will be ok". I requested to speak with someone about the issues. I was contacted by Dan Hobbs, Chief Revenue Officer at Minnesota Exteriors. I explained to him the issues I had and he repeatedly told me that there is nothing he can do about it. I asked for an invoice of charges/work done/materials used. He told me that their accounting system is "archaic" and a breakdown of that information wasn't available. I sent the final payment enclosed in their business address stamped envelope so I could receive a receipt showing full payment along with invoice/job numbers to keep on record in case of future warranty claims. I would have paid electronically but I did not trust their online payment system after being told by Dan Hobbs their Chief Revenue Officer that their accounting system is "archaic". Weeks later I still received invoices with added late charges. I contacted the office and was informed that they hadn't received my payment and that they would look for it. The check was processed within a week and still had to get in contact 30 days later to again request a receipt for final payment.

Save yourself the hassle and call Minnesota exteriors Inc. Great job Highly recommend

MEI was amazing! Siding. Doors and windows were all replaced. We interviewed NINE companies in depth before choosing, and our sales person Troy won us over! Great pricing, fantastic service, professional crew, good communication. Highly recommend

Part 1: The installers were nice, but there were many problems with their product, pre-installation information and post-installation care, and the salesman’s patronising and dismissive response to my wife when she called and complained. Let’s start with the product - and there are several concerns: To start, a couple of windows have mismatched sides - the lines do not match up. It is NOT an optical illusion. The measurements of each side are different. Next, one of the windows has a piece of insulation that is already coming out. Next, and this may be better placed in the “post-installation” complaints, is the fact that there a plastic film and smudges on several of the windows, including those that require ladders on the outside to reach, clean, and scrape. On asking, we were told they do not clean the windows, and a supervisor added “we are not Merry Maids” (regarding cleaning the windows and cleaning the black smudges left on our walls and extensive dust left on our belongings. More on that later, but for sake of completeness, the black smudges were eventually cleaned). Part 2: In Part 1, Inoted that the installers were nice, but that their product wasproblematic. In this part, I willelaborate on the pre- and post-installation experience. My wife, whom I did not yet know, contactedMEI last year and made arrangements for the door and widow replacements. These were delayed until this year because ofsupply issues due to Covid. There wereseveral important pieces of information that were not mentioned when theappointment for this year was confirmed. Some of these were the following: 1) that we needed to purchase somehardware for the new door. We ended updoing this the first day the workers came out – but it would have been nice ifwe had been reminded in the many weeks between appointment confirmation and thefirst day of service; 2) we were told to remove potentially breakable items,but we were not told that we needed to put drop cloths over our floors,furniture, and personal items. Even theworkers who came out did not tell us this. As a result, there is a layer of plaster dust over everything (seephotos for examples). The workersvacuumed some of the larger mess, but much remained and still remains despiteour cleaning for hours. When my wifecalled and complained to the salesman (Dan), he responded in a patronizing anddismissive tone. We were further toldthat we should have known this is “construction work” and therefore dust wouldsettle over everything. We were againtold that MEI does not consider it their responsibility to fully clean afterthemselves. Not the plaster dust, notthe black smudges on the walls, and not the many smudges, dirty areas, andfilms left on the windows. I pointed outthat people may not automatically think of this type of work as causingexcessive mess, or that their company performs only very limited cleanup. A supervisor did concede that it MIGHT be agood idea to remind their customers of this issue. Next, MEI had a painter come the day after the windowinstallation. After he left, we noticedthat there is still broken and gouged out areas around several of the newwindows. I will try to attach photos andvideo showing these problems around three of the windows. Also, one entire side of the new door frame was not painted. In sum, I have not seen MEI act in a competent orprofessional manner. I hope the companyaddresses these problems. If they do, Iwill consider revising my reviews, but at this time I cannot recommend theirservices to anyone.

After only a few months we had 1 window crack during the middle of winter which was promptly fixed, but later that Spring we had 2 more windows break: 1 had a latch that broke and the other had an internal strip of aluminum that broke causing the window not to open and close properly. We have been in touch with MN Ext. multiple times through email and phone calls and every time I talk to someone they are very apologetic and tell me that someone will get ahold of me asap to set up a time to fix the windows. Months have past and finally during our last conversation the person at MN Ext. told me that the person that was in their service department that was in charge of our fix was no longer working there and that he had dropped the ball and that everything would be taken care of right away. That was a month ago now and I have still received no call, email, or service person at my door to fix these windows. This is borderline ridiculous. How difficult should this be to send a service person to my house to fix the windows? They are 1 year old and still under warranty! There is no excuse for this type of customer service. I would not recommend Minnesota Exteriors for any type of job due to this culture of not taking responsibility for providing the level of service that is expected when you pay $24,000+ for "quality" windows.

They were prompt to give us a quote, this said this was the only part of the process that they were responsive with. We paid the deposit, and got on their schedule to get the new roof installed. After the roof was installed all communication stopped. They did not even try to clean up any of the nails/debris that they left across our yard. I have picked up hundreds of nails with a rolling magnet since they left. Additionally, they left their dumpster in the front of our drive way, blocking the entrance for 11 days after the roof was put on. When we called and asked them about this the day after the roof was put on they assured us that it would be the following day. This is the reply that we got every day for 10 days. While this is going on we asked for the final bill, but they said they would not give it to us until the city inspector inspected the roof. This is understandable, but what is not is that they continually said that the city was backed up and could not schedule an appointment. After getting this answer for 5 days I called the city and they stated that they were not backed up, and could come out the following morning to perform the inspection. The city also stated that they had not been contacted by MN exteriors at all regarding this situation. Another time that they bold faced lied to us. The inspection occurred, and after several other days of back and forth communications we were able to finally get our final bill (Which we promptly paid) and lien waver. This said we have yet to get any information from them regarding the shingle warranty, and at this point it is well past 30 days since the roof was put on. I cannot urge you enough to stay away from this contractor. They are very unpleasant to work with.

The work was done well

We had a great experience with Derek from Minnesota Exteriors. We were in dire need to replace our 60 year old windows. Derek made the process easy and enjoyable by showing us all the options within our budget and made us feel comfortable that we were getting the best for our money. The installation process was a breeze, they installed the windows within hours and had our exterior doors installed the next day. They even arranged for someone to paint the trim to match the door, how convenient! When we need windows and doors in our next home, we will be placing a call to Minnesota Exteriors first.

We chose Minnesota Exteriors, Inc for replacement windows because we liked the Marvin Infinity windows they sell. We wanted something that would match our original 1920's woodwork and last forever. The windows themselves are great but the installers and the the follow-up from MEI was very disappointing and frustrating. The caulk around the windows is sloppy, they left lead paint chipped all over our house and yard (we found even found some IN our 3 year old's bed), and they forgot to replace a gutter downspout, which resulted in water in our basement. We had to spend days collecting lead chips from our yard so our toddlers didn't eat them, and there's surely lead paint dust in the yard where my kids play that we can't do anything about. Though I understand that the installers are contractors, MEI refused to take responsibility, or even apologize for the errors and lack of diligence despite multiple complaints. They also left the window stops with significant chips. I don't know if this is normal but we have quite a bit of work to get things put back together and finished. It's not what I would have expected from a completed job.

Fantastic. We were very appreciative of Doug Cousins. He is fantastic to work with. Always quick to respond, coordinates communication in house, easy to meet with, always gives you the best recommendation on the products they sell and what he has seen work better for them and customers over time. Because of his great work with siding and dependability, we are going to work with MEI on gutters as well. Ben is one of their crewmen for siding and he does an excellent job. We are very appreciative of him as well. We would recommend MEI to any friends and our church family.

We replaced all our windows with Pinnacle Lindsay replacement windows through Minnesota Exteriors. This was a large investment to do all the windows but it came out much better compared to other companies and installers out there. The two installers arrived on-time each day and completed the work quickly and professionally. They were VERY experienced and cleaned up after themselves as well. I would highly recommend this company to anyone. If you are looking at some of those large companies out there selling their own windows, take a look at Minnesota Exteriors. They have a large selection of windows of better quality and at a lower price. You will get an unbiased opinion, not sold on a single brand of windows. For us we went with the Pinnacle Lindsay Windows which are made here in Minnesota. I would highly recommend Minnesota Exteriors for your replacement windows - they know their stuff!

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MEI did windows for our entire house plus a patio door. We were satisfied with the work and the costumer service was great. Cindy was our sales rep. and she was great to work with and always got back to us in a timely manner with answers to our questions. I would recommend MEI to anyone looking to replace windows in their home.

Everything went very smoothly.  They have a big showroom and that was very nice because it allowed us to see all of the different window options side by side.  We decided to go with Lindsay/Pinnacle windows and also one Weathershield window.  We probably would have done all Lindsay windows, but Weathershield had a finish that was a better match for the trim in our basement.  We decided to go with Lindsay mostly because of the lifetime transferable warranty, quality, and also the fact that they are a local company.  We found MEI through Ryan at My 3 Quotes (his service is awesome to help find the lowest cost contractors for window replacement and he manages the project for you from beginning to end; www.getmy3quotes.com) and we were pleased with their responsiveness and professionalism.  They also have a lifetime warranty on their labor!  We plan to use them next year for "phase two" of replacing our additional windows.  Windows are a (shockingly) huge expense and I did a LOT of research to find the best quality for our money and i feel that we got a great value from MEI.

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MEI was great to work with.  They provided a computer rendering of what the end result would look like as well as samples of materials that were to be chosen from and used.  They took an average 1960's era rambler and updated it to the point of where it is the envy of the neighbors.  Both the pricing and installation time were great.  There could have been a little better communication from both the office and the installation crew but other than that everything was above average.  Very satisfied!

The salesman was excellent! I wasn't great at communicating, but he continued to leave messages until I got back with him. Once he was on site he did a relatively quick estimate of the property and everything was well. After this we had a pretty awful experience. The gutter material was on backorder and the project was delayed a few weeks because of that. Then the on-site help was extremely rude and unprofessional. There were some hiccups along the way with a undersized gutter and a few other miscommunications, and the contractor made my wife and I feel like it was our fault. I would highly recommend looking elsewhere for your gutter work if you're looking for a positive experience.

We had a very positive experience with MEI.  We did our research beforehand, and got quotes from 5 places.  We'd been putting off new siding for years because of all the bad experiences you hear about. We chose MEI not only because of the lowest quote, but because of the courtesy we received in the decision process. 
From the initial meeting with the sales rep, John, to the final touches on the house, we have zero complaints. None. And we are very picky people, so that's saying something!
We were really impressed with Jim and his crew. Jim showed up every morning at the same time to meet with us before we left for the day.   Every single morning, he would update us on their progress, do a walk-around, and answer our many questions.  
They stored their equipment in a small trailer in our driveway, and they cleaned up the yard at the end of each day.  Our yard and driveway was kept neat.  We appreciated having access to our garage the entire time.  
From beginning to end, the whole job only took about 10 days.  
This is not a paid endorsement, and we have no connection with MEI.  We are just very pleased customers.  I would recommend MEI, particularly Jim and his crew, to anybody. 

He was a pro--  just took about 3 minutes and he was all done.

It went very well.  The actual installers we contractors than Mn Exteriors employed to do this project (probably because of their own employee shortages).  The Mn Exteriors paint personnel did an excellent job of interacting with us to determine an exact color match (watching them do this seemed like voodoo, but the results were excellent and reproducible!).  The installers were professional and did an excellent job of explaining and installing.  Total cost was more than we'd hoped for but given our requirements and situation, we were very satisfied.  Project estimate was right in line with actual cost.  There was a modest added cost for discovered damage once the old patio doors were removed which we felt was entirely reasonable.

Fast roofing job, fair price. Provider sent a large crew and finished the job in one day. Good inspections and good follow-up. I do recommend this company.

UPDATE (June 20): I discussed the issues documented below with MN Exteriors.  They did get the installer out to take a look very quickly.  He was friendly and took time to explain the reasons for some of the changes from the original order.  

Two changes were for the best, so I do appreciate that he put thought into the install and didn't just blindly follow the order, but the changes should have been approved by me.  Not going across the sidewalk would have been a very bad move had I still intended to remove a fence and add an extension along the patio.  The installer didn't know that, though.

As for the one gutter being moved from side to front, he talked me into that being for the best as well.  However, if they'd asked me regarding that change, I might have opted to move the other one as well so it would symmetrical.  However, once it was done and there were new holes in the house, I didn't want to add more to move it.  

It does overall look very nice and looks to my untrained eye to be well-installed and good quality.  He also came back and put the elbow on the small downspouts out front, so that is also resolved.  He did caulk the holes first time he came back, but it was white caulk just smeared onto the holes without wiping the siding first where the old gutters had been.  I'll take some time to get that looking nicer, but at least the siding is now protected from bugs and the elements.  That shouldn't have been missed since it was specifically called out on the work order. If I hadn't caught that, we could have gotten water into the james hardy siding which would not have been good.  That should be standard practice or the job can not be called complete.

My biggest complaint was the 6 week delay and there is nothing they can do to resolve that.  It turned out okay, but very easily could have caused major headaches and/or money.  I would consider using them again if not for that, but unless I have a job where the schedule doesn't matter at all (which would be unusual), I could never trust that they would come out in a timely manner.  They person I kept talking to on the phone did not seem to think it was a problem at all or anything for me to get upset about.  Therefore, this tells me this isn't unusual.

The guy who first came out to give the estimate and take the order was great.  I would give him an A if I were just rating him.  He followed up with me right after the job was complete and came out when the installer came out to be sure everything was handled.  He made sure that the invoice was reduced as appropriate since there were items from the order that hadn't been installed and also got me a small discount due to the trouble and time I had to waste on this.

ORIGINAL:

I am very unhappy with the service, which was performed today.  I have left a message for the customer representative to call me back.  They will have to fix the installation they did today.
I had a representative come out May 5th, 2015 to give an estimate on replacing gutters and two small downspouts.  (I was very impressed with him at the time.  That was my last good impression.)
I gave a deposit for the downspouts and gutters.  I had told the representative that I was preparing to sell.  Also, one of the downspouts had come off and I couldn't get it on.  Therefore, getting these replaced quickly was important.  He had said something vague about how they would call me to schedule it within a couple of weeks.  I have been terrified of getting water in the basement due to the missing down spout every day since (and it has rained almost every day since).  Luckily I didn't.
The order was not placed with MN Exteriors until May 12th, seven days later, unnecessarily delaying the installation by one week.
They called a couple of times and left a message stating that the material was on order.  Per the second call, the material was going to be in on May 30th (3 weeks and 5 days after I had given my deposit).
May 30th came and went with no word.  I called around June 5th and spoke with a customer respresentative.  I asked what was happening.  She said they were still waiting for the materials.  I told her that I was planning to sell and it had to be done soon or I would cancel my order and request my money back.  (In which case, I'd have to start from scratch, so didn't want to do that.)   She made no apology.  Instead she said I could just make note that I planned to replace the gutters.  That was a ridiculous response.  People decide whether to look at a house based on photos.  If they reject it based on appearance (in my case, missing downspout, rusty gutters, visible leaves), they aren't going to even get to the point of reading notes.
She said that she didn't think it would be a problem to get it done by my then planned listing date of June 25th.  
I called again on June 12 and spoke with the same person.  She said that the supplies had come in the day before and they would be out on June 15th.
They did install it.  This was one day shy of 6 weeks after I gave my deposit!  
And there are many problems:
1.  Two downspouts in front were supposed to angle outside of a bricked in area just in front of the house so as not to trap the water right up against the house.  Instead, they simply deposit the water a foot or two to the right or left of the downspout.  It might as well just come straight down.
2.  One gutter was supposed to come down the side and go across a sidewalk to the dirt.  Instead, it just comes down and goes straight forward, sending the water to the cement patio that is against the house (and angles slightly towards the garage).   I'd probably be better off without a downspout than how they did it.
3.  The downspout from #2 that was supposed to go across the sidewalk was supposed to have a hinge so I could easily lift it when I wanted to get something through.  It does not.  The guy who gave the estimate spent a lot of time with me discussing options, since it's a tricky corner.  
4.  There are two downspouts on each front corner of the front of the house.  One of them goes down the side.  For no reason that I can tell, the other one the put on going down the front (even though the old one went along the side)  My house front is very symmetrical.  For no reason, they did it differently and it looks weird now having one downpout on the front and one on the side.  Even if they come out to switch it to the side, now I'll have holes on the front of the house from where they installed it.
5.  They moved a back downpout (the one from #2 above) around the corner, also.   However, I don't see why they moved these two
6.  They left the old holes in the siding uncaulked.   I found the order and it specifically said, "caulk up old Holes in Siding".
7.  They left materials behind: One downspout extension, a screen, and some broken pieces of wood.  The screen and wood is no big deal.  The order says, "Remove all debris clean up".
Minor: I had cleaned the gutters last fall, but hadn't cleaned the gutters this spring, since I knew they were going to be replaced "soon".  There are many oak trees which make a big mess all spring, so the gutters and top of downspouts were a mess by the time they were actually replaced..  They threw a little of this into the neighbor's yard and some of it directly onto some perennials.  I didn't expect them to clean this up, as cleaning the gutters was not what I hired them for.  However, they could have been a little more careful.  I wouldn't even mention this if not for all the other problems.