Sept. 30, 2021

The house a block off McKennan Park was not unlike others of its era.

Built in the early 1900s, the homeowners had lived there for years and “like any old house, things start to kind of deteriorate,” said Joe Quinn, owner of Quinn Home Improvement.

His company spent several months beginning in early 2020 remodeling part of the home, starting with a creative approach to designing the project.

“They wanted to … feel like they had more of a master suite,” he said of the owners, who didn’t have a master bath at the time.

“Like many old homes, there was a single bathroom upstairs, and that was the only bathroom in the house,” he said. “Which was very dated and kind of scary, and now it’s awesome.”

Post-renovation photos by Cipher Imaging

The project involved taking a small closet and a tiny sitting space upstairs, moving the bedroom doorway and taking space from the existing bathroom to create a master suite.

Quinn’s team also removed a fireplace that used to be required for heating, “and only reduced their bedroom size by 15 inches,” he explained. “We reorganized their bedroom to shift the bed and move electrical, and we were able to create a pretty cool walk-in closet, so we gave them a new master suite.”

And on the main level, dated dining and living space was completely transformed.

The property is one of 15 projects participating in this weekend’s annual Showcase of Remodeled Homes and Outdoor Living Showcase, put on by the Home Builders Association of the Sioux Empire.

It runs from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Get the details here. 

Quinn’s other project on the Showcase is just off Tomar Road in southeast Sioux Falls and involved a total home renovation.

The owners of the 1980s-era home updated everything but the basement.

“Everything was golden oak,” Quinn said, adding it took more than nine months to complete. The owners lived there throughout the work.

“We tore out the walls and did a complete reframe of the upstairs. We took a Jack-and-Jill kids’ bathroom and converted it and also created a second-floor laundry space.”

The kitchen “was completely gutted and started over,” he said. “It basically is new construction.”

The main floor work included opening up the living room to the kitchen.

“They said you have no idea how much we use our living room and how much we didn’t use it before,” he said.

And behind a fireplace, Quinn created a hidden space that serves as a craft room.

“You can shut that cabinet, and unless you really pay attention, you’d never know there’s a room behind there.”

Other updates include the master bedroom and bathroom.

Dated looks in both were replaced with modern finishes.

“They did it right,” Quinn said.

The two projects are part of a long list of work for his company, which has stayed busy throughout the past year as many builders also have reported.

“We have about 20 projects in our hopper,” he said. “Since we just do remodeling, some are two-day deals, and some I told customers to plan for eight months. Maybe we can do it in six, but honestly right now if it was a bigger project, I probably wouldn’t be taking it until June or July or even longer.”

That’s common in the industry, with many builders reporting they’re booked for months if not a year, said Jon Beatch, who owners Beatch Construction and is co-chairing this year’s Showcase.

“The referrals and the waitlist is much larger than it ever was before the pandemic,” he said, adding that those who relocated from out of state also are beginning to remodel.

“We’ve definitely heard from Colorado and California,” he said “In general, people need to be patient with both contractors and suppliers.”

Along with the demand, securing supplies has been challenging.

“I just ordered a door yesterday, and it was into January,” Beatch said.

“Lumber, we haven’t had as many problems recently, but I can’t just run to the lumberyard and grab two extra boards. You have to plan ahead and be on top of your schedule and get stuff ordered ahead of time.”

Both builders say home offices have been a focus in total-home renovations and that painted cabinetry and woodwork continues to be a trend.

As far outdoor living, swimming pools continue to be in high demand, Beatch said. There are multiple projects on the Showcase.

“I do know talking to them they are overwhelmed just like us home–builders and remodelers, so there’s big demand for outdoor swimming pools,” he said.

“Everyone is hanging out at home wanting to do stuff.”