Always admirers of the Prairie style of Frank Lloyd Wright designs, this family built their dream house along St. Paul’s bluffs. Various unique design and construction demands were always met by Tim Lemke’s crew, and the entire project (from clearing the lot to moving in) was an amazing 130 days. This view from the street shows the extraordinary cantilever balcony.

“We always loved the Prairie style of Frank Lloyd Wright, and we had learned that John Howe, Wright’s chief draftsman, lived in the Twin Cities. Our narrow lot was a builder’s challenge because two of the four sides were at the top of 30-foot bluffs. One day we made a cold call to Mr. Howe who then became intrigued with the project. He came to our property and within a month, called to say the blueprint was done for our new home.

“We asked an acquaintance connected to the local carpenter’s union for suggestions of a builder with an excellent work history who retained his workers. The man didn’t pause a second before saying, ‘Tim Lemke.’ Tim put a bid together for the cost of building this custom home, and while reasonably priced, we couldn’t afford to build at that time. So we purchased a century-old house located close to our lot and worked toward our dream.

“The home we bought needed work, and knowing Tim and his reputation, we contracted with him to do our home improvements. The work Lemkes did was wonderful, so when we were able to build a new home on St. Paul’s bluffs, we talked to Tim again. It meant a lot to us to have the same crew. Our confidence level going in was terrific.

“Tim Lemke gave us a 120-day timeline, from start to finish, including clearing trees. Through all the special aspects of this unique “Hexagon House,” building during the winter and all, we moved in an amazing 130 days later. Tim kept us informed and updated with an extensive Gantt chart.

“I recommend Tim and his crew to anyone who is building or remodeling. They were able to work with the special demands of a complex custom home design, including a very unique cantilever balcony design and the challenging and difficult angled rooms to construct. The exposed concrete floors in the kitchen, dining room and by the fireplace are specially stained with a beautiful mottled finished. The first floor has radiant heat throughout. We also installed Wilsonart laminate wood floors with radiant heat upstairs.

“When the project was done, we missed having ‘our contractor and crew’ around. Our home was featured in an architectural column by Larry Millet in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, and it was also part of a home tour. The original vellum blueprint is archived at the University of Minnesota. Throughout, this was a wonderful experience.”

– J & G L., St. Paul

"As do-it-yourselfers, my husband and I felt that Tim Lemke offered quality union construction. When we met with different contractors, we discovered that Tim was quite receptive to building our moderate-sized new home. Many of the contractors we met had an attitude.' So I especially pleased when I discovered that Tim would deal with me as the liaison between my husband and his company. He explained everything in a way that was easy-to-understand and I could relate information back to my husband. That was especially important because my husband did all his own heating, venting and air-conditioning as a subcontractor.

"When the project started, we were given a detailed schedule that was adhered to reasonably closely. As the general contractor, Tim and his crew were honest, responsive and respectful with definite pride in their work. We'd work with Tim Lemke Construction again!

– A. L., Mendota Heights