Sept. 26, 2019

In a year when home remodeling projects have jumped 44 percent citywide, John Haensel is feeling it on the ground.

“We picked up quite a bit this year as opposed to other years,” said Haensel, who has owned Hometown Remodeling for 15 years.

“Typically, the clients I work for plan to stay in the house a long time. They want to do everything the way they want it. They’re not afraid to put money into it to get it the way they want.”

Through August, the permit valuation of residential expansion and remodeling projects totaled $44.4 million, up from $30.8 million for the same time in 2018 and $29.1 million in 2017.

Several of those projects will be on display next week through the annual Showcase of Remodeled Homes and Outdoor Living Showcase. The event, put on by the Home Builders Association of the Sioux Empire Inc., runs from noon to 5 p.m. Oct. 5 and 6.

Haensel will have multiple projects at the event, including this home in northeast Sioux Falls. The 10-week project included almost the entire house, including the kitchen and master bathroom.

“Basically, we took the house from your typical golden oak, 1970s house and updated it with a little more modern and more rustic,” he said. “We added a ton of lights and good finishing.”

He also has been working on this home in south-central Sioux Falls, which was built less than 20 years ago, “but everything was oak,” Haensel said. “The style of it had his-and-her closets, which they used to do back then, and not a very big bathroom for a master bath, so we increased the size of that and did quite a bit of work as far as a large walk-in shower, zero entry, marble floors and a lot of lighting options.”

This also is a renovation of the entire home. The owners are living on one level while the other is redone. The upstairs is on this year’s Showcase, and the main level is scheduled to be on next year.He also has a project on the Outdoor Living Showcase and said there continues to be demand for outdoor improvements.

“We’ve got a three-season porch on there, (and we’re seeing) a lot of decks,” he said. “A lot of people are going to no-maintenance on the decks.”

Swimming pools continue to be a popular upgrade too. Here’s a look at a couple of projects that will be part of the showcase from Weller Brothers Landscaping and Landscape Garden Centers, respectively:

For information on the Showcase of Remodeled Homes and Outdoor Living Showcase, click here.