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How we work
Our process & ten-year guarantee
A remodel is mostly about trust. Here's exactly how we earn it — the same way on every job, since 1994.
Most remodel horror stories come down to three things: a price that moved, a crew that vanished, and a finish date that never arrived. We built our whole process to make those three things impossible.
Five acts
The same order, every project.
Consult & fixed estimate
We visit your home, measure, and listen to what you actually want to change. Then you get an itemized, written estimate with a real number — not a range that quietly grows. If we're not the right fit, we'll say so.
Design & selections
Drawings, materials, and every finish chosen and priced up front. By the time we start, there's nothing left to "figure out" on the fly — which is exactly why the schedule holds.
Permits & schedule
We pull the permits with your city and hand you a calendar: start date, milestones, inspections, and the day we'll be done. In writing, in the contract.
Build — one crew, one superintendent
The same super runs your job start to finish, with our own carpenters and trade partners we've worked with for years. Tidy site, a Friday update every week, and workmanship you can put a level on.
Walk-through & warranty
We finish the punch list together before we call it done — not "we'll get to it." Then a 10-year workmanship warranty backs everything we built.
The guarantee, in plain terms
Our 10-year workmanship warranty means that if something we built fails because of how we built it, we come back and make it right — no argument, no invoice. Product warranties cover the products themselves; our warranty covers our work. It's written into your contract, not buried in fine print.
How change orders actually work
This is the part most contractors are vague about, so we'll be direct. Nothing gets added to your bill without your signature. If you decide to change the scope, or we open a wall and find old knob-and-tube, asbestos, or un-permitted work that has to be addressed, we stop, show you, price it, and only proceed once you approve in writing. A surprise becomes a decision — never a mystery line item at the end.
Licensed, bonded & insured
Trueline holds Minnesota residential building contractor license #BC-641087. We're fully insured, bonded, and EPA Lead-Safe certified for work on pre-1978 homes — which is most of the beautiful old housing stock in Minneapolis and St. Paul. We'll hand you certificates before you ask.
Financing
We can point you to home-improvement lenders we've seen clients use, and many owners fund a remodel with a HELOC or a renovation loan. But we're builders, not a bank — we'll help you understand the options and never push a financing product.
Who we are
Trueline is a family business, started in 1994 and still run by the family. Over 400 Twin Cities homes later, the model hasn't changed: our own crew, a fixed price, a real finish date, and work we're willing to warranty for a decade. We'd rather do fewer projects well than more projects fast.
Common questions
What does the 10-year workmanship warranty cover?
The quality of our work — framing, finishes, tile, cabinetry installation, and the like — for ten years. If something we built fails because of how we built it, we fix it at no charge. Manufacturer warranties cover the products themselves.
Is the estimate really fixed?
Yes. You approve an itemized, written bid before demo begins. It only changes with a signed change order for something you add, or a genuine hidden condition we price with you before proceeding.
How do change orders work?
Nothing is added to your bill without your signature. If scope changes or we find something behind a wall, we stop, show you, price it, and proceed only once you approve in writing.
Are you licensed and insured?
Yes — MN residential building contractor license #BC-641087, fully insured, bonded, and EPA Lead-Safe certified for pre-1978 homes. Certificates on request.
Do you offer financing?
We can point you to home-improvement lenders and options like a HELOC or renovation loan, but we're builders, not a bank — no pressure, ever.
Who is on site during my project?
One Trueline superintendent runs your job from demo to walk-through, with our own carpenters and the same licensed trade partners we've used for years.
Ready when you are
See the standard for yourself.
Ask us to walk you through a job in progress — clean, organized, plumb and square. That's the best sales pitch we've got.