Sep. 30—Young Construction bringing years of experience to Albert Lea area
By Kim Gooden for the Tribune
After working in the Albert Lea area for the past four to five years, Dan Young, owner of Young Construction, found a location in Albert Lea that suits the business and plans to open an office there in the spring of 2024.
"We prefer to be on the main drag," explained Young.
So when the building at 801 E. Main Street in Albert Lea became available, they bought it and began fixing it up.
Their goal is to have the outside and parking lot done before winter so they can finish the inside when they can't be working on outside projects this winter.
The new office and showroom will be the third location for Young Construction, with two others in Mason City and Waverly, Iowa.
According to Young, the showroom will provide samples of the products they have for all exterior projects for homes and businesses.
It will be set up with TV monitors to show what a house could look like with different colors.
"We use a program called Hover that takes a picture of your roof and house so you can actually see what it will look like before it [the siding, roofing, doors, windows, gutters, etc.] goes on your house," Young said. "This is actually one of the biggest selling points for siding. It also makes it more accurate for ordering materials."
Videographer and drone specialist Nick Hoppel has a license to fly a drone for taking pictures, which enables them to do bigger projects.
While they are already licensed to do construction work in Minnesota, Young said there is ongoing testing and education that is required to keep their license.
"They're strict here [in Minnesota] with building codes," he said. "You cannot work here without having a license. But I like that. If there's a license in place it helps with integrity."
After the derecho went through Iowa in 2020, Young Construction spent two years in Cedar Rapids repairing homes and buildings. Now they are doing repairs on homes and buildings that were repaired poorly by other contractors.
As a result, he encourages people to hire companies with a license and credentials to ensure that they are getting quality workmanship and materials.
"If asked, a company should always be able to produce their license, especially here [in Minnesota," he said.
Young Construction stays very busy from the time spring begins until November when it becomes too cold to continue installing shingles and siding. Then, during the winter months, they work on marketing, scheduling, training and attend conventions and roofing shows.