“We want to thank you for the fantastic work you did remodeling our kitchen. Our experience through the whole process was extraordinary. It all started with your walking through your proposal with us to assure that we understood what we would be getting. It continued with changes made during the project with ideas from you that ended up saving us money. Your crew was very professional and diligent in completing the work being done. Their skills became very evident in the final product that they produced.
We appreciated your communications in keeping us abreast of the schedule and what was being done. Bottom line, we remodel was on-time, under budget and produced a remodeled kitchen that we are proud to call ours. As you know, we have referred you to friends and will be happy to serve as reference for your work.
Tom and Sue Sohrweide (Katie Lane Kitchen)”
“To Mark (the artisan) and Andrea (The artist)- Mary, and I are very happy that we chose Applewood Builders for Phase I of our remodeling efforts. The collaborative effort exceeded our expectations. We appreciate the hard-work from Adam, Andrew and Marvin – they truly make a wonderful team. The Phase I remodel of the second floor (2 baths, laundry room, study, master bedroom and 2 bedrooms) turned out wonderful. The tile work and the wood work is precise (improving the fit and finish was one of our design goals). The only down-side is that we now need Mark and the crew to work on Phase II / III on bringing up the rest of the house up to Applewood’s high quality standards. The energy (Insulation) and HVAC improvements (warm-board) are making a dent into the monthly energy bill. The house is more comfortable and the drafts have been eliminated. Great Job!
Bill and Mary Hullsiek (Birchwood Renovation Project) ”
“It was a tall task to choose a remodeler we felt could fit our style, understand our budget, be trusted, and was easy to work with. I am so happy we chose Applewood Builders for our full exterior remodel of our White Bear Lake home! From the first day of the consultation to the last day of finish work, Mark and the team were always responsive, respectful, and highly professional. Mark and Andrea personally put up with my meticulous review of window choices to ensure we got the exact look we wanted while still being highly functional. With Mark and Andrea, we always felt like we had a trusted partner in the process even when unexpected discoveries were made (as they always are in an old home remodel).
Lastly, we truly enjoyed the entire crew. Mark hires not only skilled craftsman, but good people. The same small crew was at our home everyday during the project which is a reassuring feeling while living through the remodel with children. When the project was nearly complete, we enjoyed a boat ride together to help celebrate!
When we do our next big project, we’re excited to work with Applewood again.
Nicole & Ben Netland (Modern Farmhouse Project) ”
“Mark, we owe you a big thank you for the excellent work remodeling our kitchen. It exceeded our expectations.
Working with you, Adam and Andrew was really a pleasure. The workmanship that you and your team showed was impressive. It took hardly any time for us to see that you would make sure everything would be done ‘right’. That gave us the confidence to be able to go on vacation during the remodel knowing the project was in very good hands.
The sub-contractors you employed were also impressive. Whether electrical, plumbing or HVAC they were all very thorough and did excellent work. Talking to them we also were impressed at how many years they have worked with you. It makes for a really good ‘team’.
Also impressive was just how easy you were to work with. Talking to you continually gave us reassurance that we had picked the right company for the job.
Pass our thanks on to Adam and Andrew. The work they did and the care they took were equally impressive.
Thanks are also due to Andrea. Her help on tile and paint selection was invaluable.
Steve & Lori Olinger (Deerhills Kitchen Renovation Project)”
“We’re delighted with our kitchen remodel! Mark made the cabinet doors and closet door with bead board inserts and backsplash and new drawers for the lower cabinets. Our “floating” hickory floor with wide planks turned out beautifully. I especially like the finishing touches of crown molding.
It was a pleasure to deal with Applewood Builders! Very satisfied customers.
Al & Marilyn Hubin (Midland Cape Project)”
“We bought property and built our own cabin in Northern Minnesota. Like a lot of rookies, we decided to change our plans midway through the build and added a loft to the original plan. When we brought in the stair stringers we suddenly realized we had space issues. Now what?! We called in Applewood builders and they created a solution that not only gave us access to the upper level of our cabin, but is one of the showcase features of our cabin. Literally everyone that walks into our cabin comments on the beauty of our hickory hand-crafted ships ladder that Mark created. We not only gained another 400 square feet of living space, but have a beautiful focal point as well. Mark and his whole team were a joy to work with and I would highly recommend them!
Weslie Gray (McGregor Ship’s Ladder Project)”
“Every year for the past fifteen years I have been asking my husband if we could add a three-season porch on our upstairs deck. His comment was always, “why, when we have a screened porch downstairs.”. I was totally surprised two summers ago when he said “we could check on it!”. I immediately pulled out the clipping from a newspaper I had been saving on Applewood Builders. I didn’t waste any time in calling Mark!
Mark met with us and we signed the paperwork for him to begin work on an addition instead of a three-season porch! Work began, and we now have a beautiful fully enclosed four season addition where we spend much of our free time reading, looking out our windows, watching movies, etc. We no longer need our porch downstairs.
Mark gave us wonderful suggestions helping me visualize how everything would go together. When completed, Andrea stopped by with decorating ideas. Everything turned out way better than I ever expected, we love our new room!
Roxy & Steve Ripken (The Cobbler Project)”
“Applewood’s Mark Olson did a complete remodel of our bathroom. The bathroom floor was concrete with a crawl space to get to the bathtub plumbing. The crawl space had no retaining wall where it met the bathroom. It was such a complicated and difficult project with so many unknowns that most of the contractors that looked at it did not want to attempt the remodeling project. Mark on the other hand said that he enjoyed a challenge and that we would figure out how to handle any unknowns that came up.
This was a long and difficult bathroom remodel, all new electrical wiring and plumbing (concrete had to be removed in order to replace the plumbing). Mark had to build a retaining wall and backfill and then pour new concrete.
Mark and his lead carpenter Adam did all the work except for electrical and plumbing. The sub- contractors were good and the work was done on time. The work site was kept clean and they tried to minimize the mess to the rest of our home. Mark also advised us on other remodeling projects we were planning.
I would highly recommend Mark and Adam to anyone who has a complicated and difficult remodeling project.
Juel & Gail Johnson (The Sunset Project)”
“We fell in love at first sight with our Applewood home… The location, landscaping and exterior was exactly what we wanted in our first family home. Inside, the high-end finishes complemented the warm, traditional feel of the house. Prior to moving in, Mark and his team quickly turned around the basement finishing, using their craftsmanship and high quality work to add some quiet space for a home office and have since added a beautiful deck and fence in our yard. We moved in when our baby was just two months old. Now he is two and a half and I can’t imagine our family calling anywhere else “home.
Mary Duncan (The Blue House Project)”
“Applewood Builders recently finished our kitchen remodel which involved building a large two story addition (which gave us a new bedroom and future bath), new deck as well as a complete remodeling of our laundry room and half bath to our 1950’s home. Mark and Adam were hard working, professional, honest, payed attention to details, and did not take any short cuts. Mark was able solve any “surprises” that one finds when working on an older home, and met with city inspectors to resolve issues as they occurred. His subcontractors were all most professional, courteous, and great to work with. Andrea helped us with color selections, and picking out the stone for our new gas fireplace. In short, Applewood Builders has made our house into our dream home, and we look forward to working with them again in the future as we continue to “evolve” our home. They really do make you “Love the place where you live.”
Dave & Julie Jungkunz (North St Paul Craftsman Project)”
“Applewood Builders remodeled our kitchen and we could not be more pleased with the experience… Mark’s attention to detail and craftsmanship showed through in every aspect of our project. We have an older home that had undergone many previous remodels, and he was able to deal with the many challenges and surprises that he faced during our project. His sub-contractors were all good at what they did and showed up when they said they would. The work site was clean and organized, and he took care to minimize mess and disruption to us and the rest of our home. This was our second experience with Applewood Builders, and we will use them again.
Carol Durtschi & David Schad (Johnson Bungalow Project)”
“I wanted to let you know how satisfied we are with the completion of six building/remodeling projects you have done for us: a second-floor bathroom remodel, detached garage design/build, main garage addition, master bedroom suite (including master bath and separate laundry room), complete exterior design/remodel including new siding, lights and front-entry porch, first floor ¾ bath, dining room edition, and completion of basement. We started in 2008 with the second-floor bathroom remodel and finished the sixth project– a dining room addition, in May of 2012.
We worked together on our first project and I soon recognized the quality of workmanship and fair cost, and the relationship grew into trust and respect for Mark as a contractor who could do the projects I could dream up.
Andrea Olson provided interior/exterior design assistance— paint, tile, lighting, hardware as well as décor placement— which resulted in a beautiful home. We have received compliments from many friends and neighbors. Our next-door neighbor was so impressed she hired Mark to do her extensive home remodel.
Mark, feel free to use us for a reference and you can show our home to any potential customer you may have that want to see the quality of your workmanship. Thanks for a good relationship.
Ray & Marlene Richardson (Bald Eagle Craftsman Project)”
“We used Applewood Builders (Mark Olson) to do all the finish carpentry in our homes for several years… Mark is a first-class carpenter and great to work with. He always got the job done on time and the workmanship was top quality. I would highly recommend Applewood Builders for any of your carpentry/cabinet needs.
Dan Goff (Goff Builders)”
“Applewood’s Mark Olson helped us convert our 1961 dusty-pink-and-white bathroom into a modern, much more functional and attractive feature for our in-laws’ quarters. We removed a tub, and in its space we installed a European washer and dryer, updated electrical wiring, expanded our shower, retiled the floor and installed new custom cabinets, sinks and countertops. The results were so good that the following winter we asked Mark to come back and update our kitchen, living room, bedroom and eating area. We took out the old carpet, and Mark was able to patch and refurbish our hardwood floors. It’s so good that you can’t tell the new wood from the old. We also installed all-new custom kitchen cabinets, countertops and ceiling lights, resurfaced the ceiling, increased and updated electrical wiring and outlets, installed new oak doors and repainted the entire space. All this work was done while we were away, and the results were excellent. Mark followed through on the plans we made during the fall, and when we returned in the spring the work had been completed. It was done exactly as we had planned, and the results met or exceeded our hopes. We’re very pleased with Mark’s professionalism and are happy to recommend him to anyone seeking remodeling
Doug & Deb Johnson (The Stillwater In-Laws Project)”
