# ProCon LLC — Full Site Content (llms-full.txt) > ProCon LLC is a family-owned custom home builder and remodeling contractor in Duluth, Minnesota, owner-led by Dan Bruckelmyer with nearly three decades of hands-on experience building and renovating homes across Northern Minnesota. Contact: (218) 348-2076 · info@proconmn.com · 2989 Roberg Rd, Duluth, MN 55804 Hours: Mon–Fri 7:00am–4:30pm · License: MN #QB807406 · Insured · Workmanship guarantee Free estimates and your request goes straight to the owner: https://www.proconmn.com/contact --- ## / — Custom Home Builder in Duluth, MN | ProCon LLC ProCon is a family-owned custom home builder & remodeler in Duluth, MN — owner-led by Dan Bruckelmyer, building across Northern Minnesota since 1997. Free estimates. H1: Built for the North. - ProCon is a family-owned custom home builder and remodeler in Duluth — owner-led by Dan Bruckelmyer, on the tools since 1997 and on site for every build. - ProCon is built around one idea: the person who quotes your project is the person on site while it's built. Dan Bruckelmyer started in construction in 1997, and nearly three decades later he still runs every ProCon build himself — new homes, additions, remodels, decks, and garages, from Duluth out to Two Harbors, Cloquet, Hermantown, and the Iron Range. - That focus is the difference. A national builder doesn't know how a Lakeside roofline takes the wind off Superior, or why a Northern Minnesota wall should beat the code minimum instead of just meeting it. We do — because we've spent a career building here, and we back every project with a workmanship guarantee. - Framed for the wind off Superior, insulated past code, and lit like it means it. Footings to final walkthrough in ten months. - One crew, start to finish — cabinetry, counters, lighting, and the layout the family actually cooks in. - Arbor Wood Co. thermally modified decking — real wood that holds its color and its shape through freeze-thaw. - Built to be left alone all winter and warm within an hour of arriving — the cabin standard, done properly. - Dan walks the estimate, Dan runs the build. You aren't handed to a rotating crew of subs you never met — the person who quoted your project is the one making the calls on site, every day it's being built. ### FAQ Q: How long does it take to build a custom home in Duluth? A: Most single-family custom homes take eight to twelve months from footings to final walkthrough; duplex builds usually run ten to fourteen months. ProCon insulates above Minnesota code minimums, which matters for a Northern Minnesota winter. Q: What areas do you build in? A: We build across Northern Minnesota — Duluth, Hermantown, Cloquet, Two Harbors, Proctor, Esko, Carlton, Hibbing, Grand Rapids, Virginia and surrounding communities. We're based in Duluth, MN 55804. Q: Are you licensed and insured? A: Yes. ProCon LLC is a licensed Minnesota contractor (license #QB807406), is insured, and backs its work with a workmanship guarantee. Q: How long does it take to build a deck? A: Most decks take one to three weeks. We build in Arbor Wood Co. thermally modified wood — a USA-sourced decking made with a three-phase thermal modification process that resists moisture and movement. Q: Do you build detached garages? A: Yes. Most detached garages take four to eight weeks. A standard two-car garage is typically twenty-four feet wide by twenty-four feet deep, and we also build larger garages and outbuildings. Q: Can you add on to my existing home? A: Yes. We build additions worked into your existing home — extra bedrooms, bathrooms, even a sauna. One recent Duluth project added a bedroom and a bathroom/sauna into an existing space. --- ## /services — Construction & Remodeling Services in Duluth, MN | ProCon LLC Custom home construction, additions, remodeling, decks, and garages across Northern Minnesota. See all 10 of ProCon's services — owner-led, licensed, free estimates . H1: Everything we build,from the footings up. - ProCon handles custom home construction and remodeling across Northern Minnesota — ten distinct trades, one owner on site for all of them. Here's the full lineup. - Whatever the project, the arrangement is the same: Dan Bruckelmyer quotes it, plans it, and is on site while it's built. No handoff to a crew you never met, no project manager between you and the person making decisions. It's how ProCon has worked since 1997. - And it's all backed the same way too — licensed in Minnesota under #QB807406, insured, and finished with a workmanship guarantee, whether it's an 8-month custom home or a 2-week deck. - We look at the project in person and get you a written estimate. - Tell us about the project and we'll point you to the right place. Free estimates, straight to the owner. --- ## /services/custom-home-construction — Custom Home Construction in Duluth, MN | ProCon LLC Custom home construction in Duluth, MN — owner-led by Dan Bruckelmyer, built footings-up in 8–12 months and insulated past code. Free written estimate. H1: Custom homes for the North, built to last. - Owner-led custom home construction in Duluth and across Northern Minnesota — built from the footings up, insulated past code, and run start to finish by the man holding the hammer. - A custom home is the largest thing most people ever build, and the worries are always the same: the builder who goes quiet once the contract's signed, the budget that drifts, the crew that's different every week. ProCon is built to remove exactly those worries. - Dan Bruckelmyer quotes your home, plans it, and is on the site while it goes up — footings, framing, systems, and finish. You deal with the person making the decisions, not a manager relaying them. Here's what a ProCon home includes: - Every custom home is priced to its own plans — size, site, and finishes drive the number. We give you a written estimate, no charge. - Typical for a single-family home, footings to final walkthrough. You get a real schedule before the first shovel goes in. - Most single-family custom homes take eight to twelve months from footings to final walkthrough. Timing depends on size, site, and how quickly selections are made — but you get a real schedule before the first shovel. - We build from your plans if you have them, or help you get them drawn if you don't, and we handle the permitting. One point of contact for the whole process — Dan. - The owner is on site every day, not a rotating crew of subs you never met. And the house is insulated past Minnesota code minimums — which shows up on your heating bill every Duluth winter. ### FAQ Q: How long does it take to build a custom home in Duluth? A: Most single-family custom homes take eight to twelve months from footings to final walkthrough. Timing depends on size, site, and how quickly selections are made — but you get a real schedule before the first shovel. Q: Do you handle permits and plans, or do I need an architect first? A: We build from your plans if you have them, or help you get them drawn if you don't, and we handle the permitting. One point of contact for the whole process — Dan. Q: How is a ProCon home different from a production builder's? A: The owner is on site every day, not a rotating crew of subs you never met. And the house is insulated past Minnesota code minimums — which shows up on your heating bill every Duluth winter. Q: What does a custom home cost? A: Every custom home is priced to its own plans — size, site, and finishes drive the number, so there's no honest flat rate. We give you a free written estimate after seeing the project. Q: Can you build on my lot anywhere in Northern Minnesota? A: Yes. We build across Northern Minnesota — Duluth, Hermantown, Two Harbors, Cloquet, and surrounding communities. If you're not sure you're in our area, just ask. --- ## /services/home-additions — Home Additions in Duluth, MN | ProCon LLC Home additions in Duluth, MN — bedrooms, baths, and saunas tied into your existing home so they don't look bolted-on. Owner on site. Free written estimate, scoped up front. H1: More house. Same address. - Bedrooms, baths, and saunas added to the Duluth home you already love — tied into your existing structure and matched to its roofline and siding, so it reads as one house, not an afterthought. - You've outgrown the house but not the location — the lot, the street, the view off Superior. Moving means losing all of that and paying a realtor to do it. The reason most people hesitate to add on instead is the same fear: that the new wing will read as a box someone stuck on the side of the house. - That match is the part we obsess over. A recent Duluth addition for Mark H. worked a bedroom and a bathroom-and-sauna into existing space — new rooms that belong to the house, not bolted to it. Here's what an addition with ProCon includes: - We walk the existing house with you, talk through the rooms you want, and put a free written estimate in your hands. - We design the addition to your roofline, siding, and floor plan so the new space ties in instead of standing out. - Foundation, framing, the weather-tight connection, and plumbing and electrical into the new rooms — Dan on site. - We match the interior finish to the rest of the house, then walk the completed addition together. - Square footage, foundation work, and how far the plumbing and electrical have to run all drive the number, so there's no flat rate. We give you a written estimate at no charge. ### FAQ Q: How do you keep an addition from looking bolted-on? A: We design to what's already there — the existing roofline, siding profile, window style, and interior trim. From the street in Duluth and from inside, the goal is that you can't tell where the original house stops and the addition starts. That match is the whole job for us, not an afterthought. Q: Can you add a sauna or a bathroom as part of an addition? A: Yes. A recent Duluth project for Mark H. added a bedroom and a bathroom and sauna into existing space. We extend the plumbing and electrical into the new rooms ourselves, so the wet work and the framing are handled as one job. Q: Will the new addition be as warm as the rest of my house? A: Warmer, usually. We insulate the addition to meet or beat the existing walls, which on an older Duluth or Cloquet home often means the new room is the most comfortable space in the house through a Northern Minnesota winter. Q: How much does a home addition cost, and how long does it take? A: Additions are scoped and priced to the project — square footage, foundation work, and how far the plumbing and electrical have to run all change the number, so we don't quote a flat rate. You get a free written estimate and a real schedule before any work starts. Q: Do you handle the foundation and structural tie-in to the existing house? A: Yes — that's the part that has to be right. We handle the foundation or structural tie-in to your existing home and the weather-tight connection where old meets new. ProCon is licensed in Minnesota under #QB807406 and insured, and the addition is backed by a workmanship guarantee. --- ## /services/deck-construction — Deck Builder in Duluth, MN | Arbor Wood Decks | ProCon LLC Deck builder in Duluth, MN building in Arbor Wood thermally modified wood — USA-sourced, frost-depth footings, most decks built in 1–3 weeks. Free written estimate. H1: The deck that skips themaintenance treadmill. - We build in Arbor Wood Co. thermally modified wood — real, USA-sourced lumber with the moisture and sugars cooked out, set on frost-depth footings. The decking that doesn't cup, rot, or beg for a stain can every spring. - A standard treated deck greys, cups, and starts to rot after a handful of Northern Minnesota seasons. The reason is in the board itself: ordinary lumber holds moisture and sugars, and freeze-thaw works them like a lever until the wood moves. So you spend every spring sanding, staining, and sealing just to slow it down. - We solve that at the material. Arbor Wood Co. runs real, USA-sourced wood through a three-phase thermal modification process that removes the moisture and sugars driving the rot and the warp — so the board stays flatter, longer, with far less fuss. Here's what goes into a ProCon deck: - Every deck is priced to its own size, footing dig, and railing — there's no honest flat rate. We measure at your home and put the number in writing, no charge. - Most decks are built in one to three weeks, footings to final railing. You get a real schedule before the first hole is dug. - Arbor Wood Co. is real wood, USA-sourced, run through a three-phase thermal modification process that drives out the moisture and sugars ordinary lumber holds onto. Those are exactly what make a board cup, swell, and grey out — so on a Duluth deck that sees freeze-thaw and lake-effect damp, it stays flatter and more stable for far longer than standard treated lumber. - We set footings to frost depth, which in the Duluth area means roughly five feet down. A deck on shallow footings heaves every winter as the ground freezes and lifts; footings poured below the frost line stay put, so your deck stays level for the life of the structure. - Most decks are built in one to three weeks. The span depends on size, the footing dig, stairs, and railing, but we give you a real schedule with the written estimate before any digging starts. ### FAQ Q: What is Arbor Wood thermally modified wood, and why use it on a Duluth deck? A: Arbor Wood Co. is real wood, USA-sourced, run through a three-phase thermal modification process that drives out the moisture and sugars ordinary lumber holds onto. Those are exactly what make a board cup, swell, and grey out — so on a Duluth deck that sees freeze-thaw and lake-effect damp, it stays flatter and more stable for far longer than standard treated lumber. Q: How deep do deck footings need to go in Northern Minnesota? A: We set footings to frost depth, which in the Duluth area means roughly five feet down. A deck on shallow footings heaves every winter as the ground freezes and lifts; footings poured below the frost line stay put, so your deck stays level for the life of the structure. Q: How long does it take to build a deck? A: Most decks are built in one to three weeks. The span depends on size, the footing dig, stairs, and railing, but we give you a real schedule with the written estimate before any digging starts. Q: Will a thermally modified deck need staining and sealing every year? A: No. Because the moisture and sugars are already cooked out of Arbor Wood, it isn't on the annual stain-and-seal treadmill that ordinary lumber demands. Left alone it weathers to a soft silver-grey; if you want to hold the warmer tone, an occasional oil finish does it — your choice, not a yearly chore. Q: Do you build in Two Harbors and along the North Shore, not just Duluth? A: Yes. We build decks across Northern Minnesota — Duluth, Two Harbors, Hermantown, Cloquet, and the surrounding communities. ProCon is licensed in Minnesota under #QB807406 and insured, and every deck carries a workmanship guarantee. --- ## /services/kitchen-remodeling — Kitchen Remodeling in Duluth, MN | ProCon LLC Kitchen remodeling in Duluth, MN — one crew handles demo, cabinets, counters, and tile, with the owner on site. Free written estimate and a schedule before demo day. H1: A kitchen built around how you actually cook. - Kitchen remodeling in Duluth and across Northern Minnesota — demo, layout changes, cabinets, counters, and tile, run by one crew with the owner on site. You get a schedule before demo day, not after. - The cooking is only half of it. The kitchen is where homework gets done, where everyone crowds in during a party, where the morning starts. When it's dated or too tight to move in, the whole house feels it — and the thing that stops most people from fixing it is the fear of a remodel that drags on with nobody clearly in charge. - ProCon runs the kitchen with one crew and the owner on site, so there's one person accountable from demo to the final fixture. Dan Bruckelmyer quotes it, plans the layout with you, and is there while it's built. Here's what a ProCon kitchen covers: - We measure the kitchen and talk through how you cook and gather, then get you a free written estimate. - Layout and selections settled — cabinets, counters, tile, and finishes — so the scope is locked before demo. - The old kitchen comes out and the debris is hauled away, with the rest of the house kept clean. - Plumbing and electrical first, then cabinets, counters, and tile go in — in order, with Dan on site. - Cabinetry, counter material, tile, and whether walls move all drive the number — so the kitchen is priced to your selections, not a generic per-foot rate. The written estimate is free. ### FAQ Q: Can I use my kitchen while it's being remodeled? A: For most of the project, no — once demo starts, the sink, range, and counters are out. We give you the schedule before demo day so you can set up a temporary kitchen, and because one ProCon crew runs the whole job, the down stretch isn't dragged out waiting on outside subs. Q: Do you move walls and change the layout, or just swap the finishes? A: Both. We do layout changes — taking out a wall, adding an island, reworking the work triangle — not just a cabinet-and-counter facelift. Dan has been building in Duluth since 1997, so structural changes are handled in-house rather than handed to a separate contractor. Q: Who handles the plumbing and electrical when the layout changes? A: We do, as part of the same job. Moving a sink, adding outlets for an island, or wiring new lighting are all included in the scope and coordinated by the same crew — so there's no gap where the kitchen sits waiting for a plumber or electrician to show up. Q: How much does a kitchen remodel cost in Duluth? A: There's no flat rate — cabinetry, counter material, tile, and whether walls move all drive the number, so a galley refresh in Proctor and a gutted open-concept in Duluth aren't priced the same. We give you a free written estimate for your kitchen and the selections you choose. Q: Will one crew handle the whole kitchen, or do I coordinate trades? A: One crew, start to finish — you don't line up a demo crew, a cabinet installer, a tile setter, and an electrician yourself. Dan is on site through it, so there's one person accountable for the whole kitchen, in Duluth, Hermantown, Cloquet, or Proctor. --- ## /services/garages-outbuildings — Garage Builder in Duluth, MN | Garages & Outbuildings | ProCon LLC Detached garage builder in Duluth, MN — a standard two-car runs 24×24, most built in 4–8 weeks, roofing and siding matched to your home. Free written estimate from ProCon. H1: A 24×24 two-car, sized for real life. - A standard two-car garage runs 24 feet by 24 feet — but the cars are only half of it. We build detached garages and outbuildings in Duluth with the depth for a shop, a loft, or a third bay, and we match the roof and siding to the house you already own. - It usually starts the same way: there's no room for the shop, the second vehicle lives under a foot of January snow, and whatever garage exists looks nothing like the house. A real detached garage fixes all three at once — and it's permanent square footage you own, not a tent or a rented bay across town. - We start at the standard 24-by-24 two-car and size up from there: extra depth for a workbench wall, a heated shop, a third bay, or a loft over the cars for the things you only need half the year. Here's what a ProCon garage build includes: - We walk your lot, talk through vehicles and shop space, and get you a free written estimate. - We settle the footprint, door layout, and rooflines so it fits the lot and matches the house. - A garage is priced to its size, doors, and whether you add shop space or a loft. We walk the property and give you a written estimate, no charge. - Most detached garages are built in four to eight weeks. A straightforward 24×24 lands at the short end; a larger building with a finished loft runs longer. - A standard two-car garage is typically 24 feet wide by 24 feet deep — two vehicles with a little room around them. In Duluth we build that size most often, but we also build larger garages and outbuildings when you want a third bay, a workshop, or a loft. ### FAQ Q: How big is a standard two-car garage? A: A standard two-car garage is typically 24 feet wide by 24 feet deep — two vehicles with a little room around them. In Duluth we build that size most often, but we also build larger garages and outbuildings when you want a third bay, a workshop, or a loft. Q: How long does it take to build a detached garage? A: Most detached garages are built in four to eight weeks once the slab is in. The range depends on size, the door and window layout, and weather — a straightforward 24×24 in Hermantown goes faster than a larger building with a finished loft. Q: Will the new garage match my house? A: Yes — that's the point of building it rather than ordering a kit. We match the roofing and siding to your existing home so the garage reads as part of the property, not a metal box dropped beside it. We work with your current materials wherever they can still be sourced. Q: Can you add a shop or a loft to the garage? A: Yes. Plenty of ProCon garages in Cloquet and Proctor include extra depth for a workbench wall, a heated shop area, or a loft over the bays for seasonal storage. We size those into the design up front so the slab, framing, and stairs are right from the start. Q: Do you handle the slab and the permit? A: Yes. ProCon pours the slab or sets the foundation and pulls the permit — it's one job with one contractor, licensed in Minnesota under #QB807406 and insured. You're not coordinating a concrete crew, a framer, and a door company yourself. --- ## /services/bathroom-remodeling — Bathroom Remodeling in Duluth, MN | ProCon LLC Bathroom remodeling in Duluth, MN — waterproofing, tile, plumbing, and finishes done right behind the wall, with sauna spaces built in. Owner on site. Free written estimate. H1: Bathrooms that hold up behind the tile — sauna and all. - Bathroom remodeling in Duluth and across Northern Minnesota, waterproofed before a single tile goes up. From a layout fix to a full gut with a sauna built in, the owner is on site for the work. - A leak, dated tile, or a layout that never worked is the reason most people call. But the real problem with bathrooms is the one you don't notice: the remodel that looks finished and fails behind the wall, quietly soaking the framing until the floor tells on it. A bathroom is mostly waterproofing wearing tile. - ProCon builds the part you can't see first. Dan Bruckelmyer quotes the room, settles the layout, and is on the job through demo, waterproofing, and finish — and yes, ProCon builds bathrooms around saunas, too. One recent project worked a bathroom and sauna into an existing space. Here's what a ProCon bathroom includes: - Tile set, fixtures and vanity in, ventilation vented — and a sauna wired if it's in the plan. - Every bathroom is quoted to its own scope — a layout fix and a full gut with a sauna are different jobs. We look at the room and give you a written estimate, no charge. - Quoted to the scope, with the schedule set before demo. You know the plan and the timeline before the first wall comes down. - Because the waterproofing under the tile was skipped or rushed. A bathroom can look finished and still be wicking water into the framing. We build a waterproof shower and wet-wall base before any tile is set, so the part you can't see is the part we get right first. - Yes — we build bathrooms around saunas. On one recent Duluth-area project we worked a bathroom and sauna into an existing space. If you want a sauna as part of the remodel, we plan the framing, ventilation, and finishes for it from the start rather than tacking it on at the end. ### FAQ Q: Why do so many remodeled bathrooms fail behind the wall? A: Because the waterproofing under the tile was skipped or rushed. A bathroom can look finished and still be wicking water into the framing. We build a waterproof shower and wet-wall base before any tile is set, so the part you can't see is the part we get right first. Q: Can you build a sauna into our bathroom? A: Yes — we build bathrooms around saunas. On one recent Duluth-area project we worked a bathroom and sauna into an existing space. If you want a sauna as part of the remodel, we plan the framing, ventilation, and finishes for it from the start rather than tacking it on at the end. Q: Will you fix a bad layout, or just replace what's there? A: We'll rework the layout. Moving the vanity, resizing the shower, or relocating plumbing is part of the design step before demo. We settle the new layout with you up front so the plumbing and tile are set to the plan, not to wherever the old fixtures happened to sit. Q: What does a bathroom remodel cost in Duluth? A: It's quoted to the scope — a tub-to-shower conversion in Hermantown and a full gut with a sauna in Two Harbors are not the same job. We give you a free written estimate after seeing the room, and the schedule is set before demo so you know what you're signing up for. Q: Is the owner actually on the job? A: Yes. Dan is on site for the work, not relaying it through a crew you never met. ProCon is licensed in Minnesota under #QB807406 and insured, and every remodel is backed by a workmanship guarantee. --- ## /services/duplex-construction — Duplex & Multi-Family Construction in Duluth, MN | ProCon LLC Duplex and multi-family construction in Duluth, MN — two of every system, party-wall fire separation, and insulation past code. Owner-led, free written estimate . H1: Two homes, one roof — built to rent or to share. - Owner-led duplex and multi-family construction in Duluth and across Northern Minnesota. Two of every system, a code-rated party wall between them, and Dan on site for the whole build — whether the second unit is an income stream or your parents next door. - A duplex isn't a house with a wall down the middle. It's two of nearly everything — two plumbing systems, two electrical services, two HVAC setups — separated by a wall that has to carry a fire rating and hold back sound. That doubling, and the multi-family code that comes with it, is exactly where a duplex goes wrong with a builder who hasn't run one. - Dan Bruckelmyer quotes the project, details the party wall, and is on the site while both units go up. You get one person answering for the whole structure instead of trades pointing at each other across the shared wall. Here's what a ProCon duplex includes: - We meet on your lot or over your plans, talk through both units, and get you a written estimate. - Layout, party-wall detailing, selections, and budget for both units — the number you sign is the number you build to. - We pull the multi-family permits and prep the site; the foundation goes in first, sized for the full structure. - Framing, party wall, two of every system, then finish on both sides — Dan on site through every stage. - A duplex is priced to its own plans — two units, the party-wall detailing, and your finishes drive the number. We give you a written estimate, no charge. ### FAQ Q: How long does it take to build a duplex in Duluth? A: A duplex typically takes 10 to 14 months from foundation to final walkthrough — longer than a single-family home because you're building two of every system behind one roof. You get a real schedule for both units before the first pour. Q: What's different about building a duplex versus a single-family home? A: Two of nearly everything: two plumbing systems, two electrical services, two HVAC setups, and a code-rated party wall between them for fire separation and sound. That added code and coordination is the whole reason a duplex needs a builder who has run them — in Duluth, that's ProCon, licensed under #QB807406. Q: Can you build a multi-generational home where two units share a roof? A: Yes. A shared multi-generational build is one of the most common reasons people in Hermantown and Cloquet call us — separate living space for parents or adult kids, with the party wall handling sound and fire separation. Both units get finished to the same standard. Q: Is the party wall really that important? A: It's the part of a duplex most likely to be done wrong. The party wall carries the fire-separation rating between units and most of the sound control, so we detail and build it to code rather than treating it like an interior partition. It's also where insulation past the Minnesota minimum pays off — quieter units and lower heating bills on both sides through a Duluth winter. Q: Do you build rentals as well as owner-occupied duplexes? A: Both. Whether you're building to rent both sides, live in one and rent the other, or house family, the construction is the same and so is the guarantee. We build duplex and multi-family projects across Duluth, Hermantown, Cloquet, and Proctor. --- ## /services/vacation-homes — Vacation Home Construction on the North Shore, MN | ProCon LLC Vacation and lake home construction on Minnesota's North Shore — owner-led by Dan Bruckelmyer, built in 8–12 months and insulated past code to survive winters off Superior. Free written estimate. H1: A place on the lake, built for the long winter off Superior. - Owner-led vacation and lake home construction along the North Shore — sited on slope and shoreline, insulated past code for the months it sits empty, and run start to finish by the man holding the hammer, so you can trust it from a distance. - A seasonal or lake place has a harder job than a primary house. It sits empty through the deepest part of a North Shore winter, often on a remote or steeply sloped lot, and you're trusting the whole thing to a builder you may be hiring from hours away. Get the site work or the envelope wrong and you find out the hard way in April. - Dan Bruckelmyer walks the lot with you, quotes it, plans it, and is on the site while it goes up — so the person you talked to on the shore is the person building it. Here's what a ProCon vacation home includes: - We meet you at the lot — lakeside, sloped, or remote — and get you a written estimate. - Plans, selections, and budget locked — the number you sign is the number you build to, even from out of town. - We pull permits and prep the site — managing access and slope before the foundation goes in. - Shell, then systems, then finish — Dan on site, with updates you can follow from a distance. - We walk it together, show you how to close it for winter, and stand behind the workmanship. ### FAQ Q: Can you build a vacation home on a steep or shoreline lot near Two Harbors? A: Yes. Sloped and lakeside lots on the North Shore are most of what vacation home buyers bring us. We handle the site work — access, grading, and a foundation that fits the slope — before framing starts, so the build sits right on the ground you bought near Two Harbors or anywhere along the shore. Q: How do you build a place that survives being closed all winter? A: We insulate past Minnesota code minimums, not just to them, and build a weather-tight shell that handles the freeze-thaw and wind off Lake Superior. A vacation home sits empty through the coldest months, so the envelope has to protect itself — and at the final walkthrough we show you exactly how to close it down for the season. Q: How can I trust the build if I live out of town? A: You deal with Dan Bruckelmyer directly, not a rotating crew. He's on site through the whole build and sends updates you can follow from the Cities or out of state — so you're not driving up to Duluth every week to check on a job you can't see. Q: How long does a vacation home take to build? A: Most vacation homes run eight to twelve months from footings to final walkthrough. A remote or steep site adds time at the front for access and site prep, but you get a real schedule before the first shovel — not a guess. Q: What does it cost to build a vacation home on the North Shore? A: Every vacation home is priced to its own lot and plans — slope, access, and finishes drive the number, so there's no honest flat rate. ProCon is licensed in Minnesota under #QB807406, and we give you a free written estimate after seeing the site. --- ## /services/exterior-upgrades — Siding & Exterior Contractor in Duluth, MN | ProCon LLC Siding and exterior upgrades in Duluth, MN — failing material torn off, weather barrier and flashing done right, then new siding and trim. Owner on site. Free written estimate. H1: Exteriors built to hold off a North Shore winter. - When the siding is tired and water is finding its way in, the fix is in the layers you can't see — the weather barrier and flashing under the cladding. We tear off, do those layers right, then re-side, with the owner on the job the whole time. - Tired or failing siding, water finding its way in, and curb appeal that has quietly slipped — those usually show up together, and they rarely start where you can see them. By the time a board is cupping or a stain is bleeding through, the trouble has already been at the weather barrier behind it for a while. - So we don't just cover the old exterior with a new one. We strip it back, fix what the last installer hid, and rebuild the wall's defense layer by layer. Here's what an exterior upgrade with ProCon includes: - We walk the exterior, find where water is getting in, and put it in a free written estimate. - Every exterior is priced to the house — how much comes off, what we find underneath, and the siding you choose all drive the number. We put it in writing, no charge. - Quoted to the project; the schedule is set before tear-off, so you know the start and end dates before the first board comes down. - It's scoped to your house, not a fixed number — a single elevation goes faster than a full re-side, and what we find under the old siding can add time. We set the schedule with you before tear-off, so you know the start and end dates, not just a vague window. - We repair it before the new siding goes on — that's why tear-off and inspection come before the weather barrier in our process. Damaged sheathing is the most common thing we find on older Duluth and Two Harbors homes near the lake, and covering it up only buys you a worse problem later. ### FAQ Q: How long does a siding job in Duluth take? A: It's scoped to your house, not a fixed number — a single elevation goes faster than a full re-side, and what we find under the old siding can add time. We set the schedule with you before tear-off, so you know the start and end dates, not just a vague window. Q: What happens if you find rot or water damage under the old siding? A: We repair it before the new siding goes on — that's why tear-off and inspection come before the weather barrier in our process. Damaged sheathing is the most common thing we find on older Duluth and Two Harbors homes near the lake, and covering it up only buys you a worse problem later. Q: Why does the weather barrier and flashing matter so much? A: Because most water that gets into a wall in Northern Minnesota gets in around the barrier and flashing, not through the siding itself. Done right, those layers shed wind-driven rain and snowmelt off Lake Superior; done as an afterthought, they're where the next leak starts. Q: Can you replace just part of my siding instead of the whole house? A: Yes — we'll re-side a single weather-beaten elevation or repair a damaged section if that's what the house needs, and the free written estimate will tell you honestly whether a partial fix or a full re-side is the better call for Hermantown or Cloquet weather. Q: Is ProCon licensed and insured for exterior work? A: Yes. ProCon is licensed in Minnesota under #QB807406 and insured, Dan Bruckelmyer is on site during the work, and the exterior is backed by a workmanship guarantee that doesn't end at the final walkthrough. --- ## /services/window-door-installation — Window & Door Installation in Duluth, MN | ProCon LLC Window and door installation in Duluth, MN — old units pulled, openings flashed and air-sealed right, trimmed to match the house. Free written estimate. H1: Set tight, flashed right,warmer all winter. - Replacement windows and exterior doors in Duluth and across Northern Minnesota — old units pulled, every opening flashed and air-sealed in the right order, then trimmed to match the house. The way a window stops leaking heat is the install, not the sticker. - Drafty old windows and doors bleed heat all winter, and the cause is usually hiding behind the trim: an opening that was never flashed right the first time. A new unit set into a bad opening leaks just as much as the old one — the gap behind the trim is where the cold comes in. - So we open it up and fix the part you can't see. We pull the old units, get the rough opening flashed and air-sealed correctly, set each window and door plumb, and trim it back in to match. Here's what's in the job: - We look at the openings and get you a written estimate, quoted to the count and type. - Out come the old windows and doors, and we open the rough opening to check what's underneath. - Each unit set plumb, flashed in the right order, and air-sealed so the draft is gone for good. - Quoted to the exact count and type of unit — three windows or a whole house, you get an honest written number, no charge. - Set to the count and type, and to how long the order takes to come in. We pin down real dates with you before the first old unit comes out. ### FAQ Q: Why are my new windows still drafty after a recent install? A: Almost always the flashing and air-sealing, not the window. A unit can be a good window and still leak heat if the rough opening was never flashed in the right order or the gap behind the trim was left unsealed. When we pull old units in Duluth and Hermantown, that's the most common thing we find and fix. Q: Do I have to replace every window at once, or can I do a few at a time? A: You can do as few or as many as you want — we quote to the exact count and type of unit, so a three-window job and a whole-house job are both priced honestly. Many homeowners start with the worst north- and west-facing openings that take the brunt of the wind off Superior. Q: Will the new windows and doors match the rest of my house? A: Yes. Matching the existing home is part of the job — we trim inside and out to fit the original style and finish so the new units don't read as add-ons. If you're swapping a few openings, they'll sit alongside the old ones without looking like patches. Q: Do you supply the windows and doors, or do I buy them? A: We handle it. We measure every opening ourselves and order units sized to what's actually there, which is the part that goes wrong when windows are bought to a guess. You're welcome to tell us a brand or look you want, and we'll quote to it. Q: How long does a window and door job take? A: It's scoped up front — the schedule depends on the count and type of unit and how long the order takes to come in, so we set real dates with you before we start rather than quote a generic week. ProCon is licensed in Minnesota under #QB807406 and insured. --- ## /areas — Areas We Serve — Duluth & Northern Minnesota | ProCon LLC ProCon builds across Duluth and Northern Minnesota — Hermantown, Cloquet, Two Harbors, Proctor, Esko and beyond. See the communities our owner-led crew serves. H1: From the Hillsideto the North Shore. - ProCon works a tight radius on purpose — Duluth and the communities around it. It's home, and knowing the ground, the weather, and the building stock is half the job. - Beyond the towns with their own page, we build for customers across the region. If you're within reach of Duluth, there's a good chance we're already working near you. - We also serve Rice Lake, Lakewood Township, Arnold, Carlton, Fredenberg Township, and Grand Lake Township. - We stay close to home for a reason. A builder who works one region knows things a regional outfit can't — how the frost line dictates a footing here, which assemblies actually hold heat through a Northern Minnesota January, how a hillside lot drains, how the wind comes off Superior in one neighborhood and not the next. - That knowledge is the difference between a house that fits its site and one that fights it. It only comes from building the same ground, season after season — which is exactly what we've done since 1997. --- ## /areas/duluth-mn — Custom Homes & Remodeling in Duluth, MN | ProCon LLC Custom home construction, additions, and remodeling in Duluth, MN — owner-led by Dan Bruckelmyer. We build for Duluth's hillside grades and lake wind. Free written estimates. H1: Built for Duluth —hills, wind, and old bones. - Custom home construction, additions, and remodeling across Duluth — from the Hillside down to Lakeside and the East End, by a builder who reads the grade before the framing starts. - Duluth doesn't build like flat country. Half the city is pitched down a hillside toward Superior, so retaining, drainage, and how a foundation steps down the grade are decisions you make before a single wall goes up. Get them wrong and the lot fights the house for the next forty years. - Then there's the wind that comes straight off the lake through Lakeside and the East End, and the older housing stock up on the Hillside and through Congdon that hides its share of surprises behind the plaster. These are conditions a contractor down from the Cities simply doesn't see. We've spent a career on this ground — we plan for it instead of discovering it. - North-facing roofs on the Duluth hillside ice-dam hard — winter sun never reaches them, so snow melts off the warm part of the roof, runs down to the cold eave, and freezes into a dam that pushes water back up under the shingles. It's one of the most common ways an older Duluth home starts leaking. - The fix isn't a heat cable bandaid — it's air-sealing and insulation that keep the roof deck cold, plus eave detailing built for it. On a remodel or addition, we handle it as part of the work, not an upsell after the fact. - Yes. Building on Duluth's grade means planning retaining, drainage, and how the foundation steps down the slope before framing starts — we design for the hillside instead of fighting it. - Yes. We remodel and add onto Duluth's older housing stock — common up on the Hillside and through the East End and Congdon — matching the original detailing while bringing insulation and systems up to date. - All of it — the Hillside, Lakeside, Lester Park, Congdon, Woodland, Duluth Heights, and the East and West ends. We're based right here in Duluth, 55804. ### FAQ Q: Do you build on Duluth's hillside lots? A: Yes. Building on Duluth's grade means planning retaining, drainage, and how the foundation steps down the slope before framing starts — we design for the hillside instead of fighting it. Q: Can you work on older Duluth homes? A: Yes. We remodel and add onto Duluth's older housing stock — common up on the Hillside and through the East End and Congdon — matching the original detailing while bringing insulation and systems up to date. Q: What parts of Duluth do you serve? A: All of it — the Hillside, Lakeside, Lester Park, Congdon, Woodland, Duluth Heights, and the East and West ends. We're based right here in Duluth, 55804. Q: How fast can you get to a project in Duluth? A: We're a Duluth company, so we're local to every Duluth project. Estimates are free, in writing, and go straight to the owner. --- ## /areas/hermantown-mn — Custom Homes & Remodeling in Hermantown, MN | ProCon LLC Custom home construction, additions, and remodeling in Hermantown, MN — owner-led by Dan Bruckelmyer. We build for the heavier snow load at elevation and the room a bigger lot gives you. Free written estimates. H1: Higher ground,deeper snow, room to build. - Custom home construction, additions, and remodeling up the hill in Hermantown — where the lots are bigger, the snow piles deeper, and a builder who knows the elevation sizes the roof for what actually lands here. - Hermantown sits northwest of Duluth and uphill from the lakeshore, and that extra elevation changes the job. The town pulls down notably more snow than downtown Duluth does, so roof load and drifting stop being a footnote and become a number you design around — pitch, framing, and bracing all sized for the weight that piles up at this height. - The flip side of being newer and more suburban is space. Lots here run larger than the tight parcels down in the city, which leaves real room to build — the oversized garage, the shop, the detached outbuilding that simply won't fit on a Duluth hillside lot. And because parts of Hermantown run on well and septic instead of city utilities, we work the well, the field, and the setbacks into the site plan from day one instead of discovering them later. - The same height that gives Hermantown bigger lots and a view also dumps more snow on your roof than the lakeshore ever sees, and the wind up here drifts it into deep, uneven loads on one side of the ridge. A roof framed to a generic spec carries that off-center weight all winter, season after season, and you don't find out it was undersized until something sags. - We design for the real load up front — steeper pitch where it sheds, framing and bracing sized for the drift, and detailing at the eaves and valleys built to take it. On a new build, an addition, or a big garage, that's part of the structure from the start, not a repair you pay for later. - Hermantown sits uphill and northwest of Duluth at a higher elevation than the lakeshore, and that extra height pulls down notably more snow than downtown sees. We design roofs around the real snow load and drifting — pitch, framing, and bracing sized for the weight that actually lands up here, not a generic lakeside number. - That's one of the best parts of building in Hermantown. The development is newer and more suburban than Duluth, with larger lots and more room to work — so the oversized garage, the shop, or the detached outbuilding you couldn't fit on a tight city parcel is on the table here. We plan the site so the main house and the outbuilding sit right together. - Yes. Parts of Hermantown are on well and septic rather than city utilities, so we factor the well location, septic field, and setbacks into the site plan from the start. Getting the system placed and sized right up front keeps it from boxing in your driveway, garage, or future additions later. ### FAQ Q: Why does Hermantown get more snow than Duluth, and how do you build for it? A: Hermantown sits uphill and northwest of Duluth at a higher elevation than the lakeshore, and that extra height pulls down notably more snow than downtown sees. We design roofs around the real snow load and drifting — pitch, framing, and bracing sized for the weight that actually lands up here, not a generic lakeside number. Q: Can you take advantage of a larger Hermantown lot for a big garage or outbuilding? A: That's one of the best parts of building in Hermantown. The development is newer and more suburban than Duluth, with larger lots and more room to work — so the oversized garage, the shop, or the detached outbuilding you couldn't fit on a tight city parcel is on the table here. We plan the site so the main house and the outbuilding sit right together. Q: Do you build on well and septic in Hermantown? A: Yes. Parts of Hermantown are on well and septic rather than city utilities, so we factor the well location, septic field, and setbacks into the site plan from the start. Getting the system placed and sized right up front keeps it from boxing in your driveway, garage, or future additions later. Q: How quickly can you get to a Hermantown project from Duluth? A: Fast — Hermantown is right next door to our Duluth base, just up the hill, so we're effectively local to every project here. Estimates are free, in writing, and go straight to the owner. --- ## /areas/cloquet-mn — Custom Homes & Remodeling in Cloquet, MN | ProCon LLC Custom home construction, additions, and remodeling in Cloquet, MN — owner-led by Dan Bruckelmyer. We update the 1920s-rebuild housing stock and build across Carlton County. Free written estimates. H1: A river town thatrebuilt itself once. - Custom home construction, additions, and remodeling in Cloquet and across Carlton County — updating the 1920s-rebuild housing stock and building new on the St. Louis River, by a contractor a short run down Highway 33. - The 1918 fire took nearly all of Cloquet, and the town that came back was built fast in the 1920s. A century on, that shows up under the siding: the framing is honest and the floor plans are square, but the insulation, wiring, and heating are the originals, and they're long overdue. Most of the work we do here starts by opening those walls and bringing them into the present without losing what makes the house worth saving. - Cloquet is a mill town on the St. Louis River — the Sappi paper mill still anchors the place — and it sits about twenty minutes southwest of our Duluth base. A riverside lot and Carlton County permitting both want a builder who has done it before, not one learning on your dime. We've worked this ground long enough to plan for it from the start. - The 1920s-rebuild homes that fill Cloquet are a remodeler's dream and a homeowner's headache at the same time. The structure was built to last and usually has — but you're heating a house wrapped in nine decades of settled, thin, or missing insulation, with wiring and a heating system that were never meant to run this long. The comfort and the energy bill both pay for it. - An addition or a remodel is the moment to fix that for good. While the walls are open we dense-pack and air-seal, update wiring and mechanicals to code, and tie the new work into the old so the whole house performs — not just the room you added. That's the difference between a cosmetic redo and a house that's actually ready for the next forty years. - Yes — that's a lot of what we do here. After the 1918 fire, most of Cloquet was rebuilt in the 1920s, so the homes have solid bones but original insulation, wiring, and heating that are well past their service life. We open the walls, bring insulation and systems up to current code, and keep the character that makes those houses worth keeping. - Yes. A Cloquet project answers to the City of Cloquet inside the limits and to Carlton County for parcels outside it, and the two don't always run the same playbook. We pull the permits, schedule the inspections, and keep your build on the right side of the rules so you're not the one chasing the county. - No. Cloquet sits roughly 20 minutes southwest of Duluth down Highway 33 and I-35, so it's a short run for our crews and well inside the area we work every week. You get the same crew and the same response time as a job in town. ### FAQ Q: Can you remodel an older 1920s-rebuild house in Cloquet? A: Yes — that's a lot of what we do here. After the 1918 fire, most of Cloquet was rebuilt in the 1920s, so the homes have solid bones but original insulation, wiring, and heating that are well past their service life. We open the walls, bring insulation and systems up to current code, and keep the character that makes those houses worth keeping. Q: Do you handle permits for a build in Carlton County? A: Yes. A Cloquet project answers to the City of Cloquet inside the limits and to Carlton County for parcels outside it, and the two don't always run the same playbook. We pull the permits, schedule the inspections, and keep your build on the right side of the rules so you're not the one chasing the county. Q: Cloquet is about 20 minutes from your Duluth base — is that a problem? A: No. Cloquet sits roughly 20 minutes southwest of Duluth down Highway 33 and I-35, so it's a short run for our crews and well inside the area we work every week. You get the same crew and the same response time as a job in town. Q: Can you build near the St. Louis River? A: Yes. Cloquet sits on the St. Louis River, and a riverside lot means paying attention to setbacks, drainage, and how the foundation and grading handle water before anything gets framed. We plan the site for the water it sees instead of finding out the hard way after a wet spring. --- ## /areas/two-harbors-mn — Custom & Vacation Homes in Two Harbors, MN | ProCon LLC Custom home construction, lake homes, and remodeling in Two Harbors, MN — owner-led by Dan Bruckelmyer. We engineer foundations to North Shore bedrock and build for Lake Superior exposure. Free written estimates. H1: On the North Shore,you build to the rock. - Custom homes, lake homes, and remodeling in Two Harbors and up the Shore — where the foundation gets engineered to bedrock and the envelope gets built for whatever Lake Superior sends off the water. - Two Harbors sits about thirty minutes northeast of Duluth up Highway 61, right on the lake at Agate Bay — the ore docks, the lighthouse, deep water within sight of most of town. The thing that decides a build here isn't soil type the way it is inland. Many lots sit on or near exposed bedrock, so you don't always dig a standard frost footing — you engineer the foundation to the rock and figure out how the house bears on the ledge. - Then there's the exposure. Out here a lot can catch raw, direct wind and weather off Lake Superior, and that drives the envelope and siding decisions far more than it would on a sheltered town lot. Add in all the lake homes, cabins, and seasonal builds scattered up the Shore — many of them sitting empty through a North Shore winter — and you're building for conditions a contractor unfamiliar with the lake doesn't think to plan for. We do. - A bedrock lot changes the whole front end of a build. You can't assume a clean dig and a poured frost footing — the rock dictates where the house can sit, how it anchors, and how water moves around it, so that engineering happens before anything else. And a seasonal lake home is the inverse problem: left through a North Shore winter with no one in it, an envelope and a plumbing layout that weren't built to be shut down will find their weak point. - We work both ends of that. On a rock lot we engineer the foundation to the ledge instead of fighting it; on a seasonal place we winterize the build so it survives being left cold and empty. Either way it's planned in from the start, not patched on after the first hard winter. - Yes. A lot of North Shore lots sit on or near exposed bedrock, so you don't always dig a standard frost footing — you engineer the foundation to the rock instead. We figure out how the house anchors and bears on the ledge before we frame, rather than assuming a soil dig. - Yes. Two Harbors and the Shore above it are full of lake homes, cabins, and seasonal builds, and that's a big part of what we do here. We build new lake homes and cabins, and we also winterize and update seasonal places so they hold up when they're left through a North Shore winter. - On the Shore the lot can take raw, direct wind and weather off Lake Superior, so the envelope and siding decisions matter more than they do inland. We detail the wall assembly, flashing, and cladding for that exposure instead of building it like a sheltered town lot. ### FAQ Q: Can you build on a bedrock lot in Two Harbors? A: Yes. A lot of North Shore lots sit on or near exposed bedrock, so you don't always dig a standard frost footing — you engineer the foundation to the rock instead. We figure out how the house anchors and bears on the ledge before we frame, rather than assuming a soil dig. Q: Do you build lake homes and seasonal cabins up the Shore? A: Yes. Two Harbors and the Shore above it are full of lake homes, cabins, and seasonal builds, and that's a big part of what we do here. We build new lake homes and cabins, and we also winterize and update seasonal places so they hold up when they're left through a North Shore winter. Q: How do you build for Lake Superior's exposure? A: On the Shore the lot can take raw, direct wind and weather off Lake Superior, so the envelope and siding decisions matter more than they do inland. We detail the wall assembly, flashing, and cladding for that exposure instead of building it like a sheltered town lot. Q: How far up Highway 61 do you travel? A: Two Harbors is about thirty minutes northeast of our Duluth base up Highway 61, and we work the Shore regularly — Agate Bay, the lighthouse end of town, and the lake lots above it. Tell us where the lot is and we'll confirm we cover it. Estimates are free and in writing. --- ## /areas/proctor-mn — Custom Homes & Remodeling in Proctor, MN | ProCon LLC Additions, garages, and remodeling on Proctor, MN's older rail-era homes — owner-led by Dan Bruckelmyer, minutes from our Duluth base. Free written estimates. H1: A rail townworth building on. - Additions, garages, and remodeling for Proctor's modest hilltop homes — the kind of older houses that reward a builder who works with their bones instead of papering over them. - Proctor grew up around the rail yards — the big ore-rail hump yard that sorted Iron Range cars before they rolled down to the docks. That history left the city with tight-knit, modest older housing: solid little homes on established lots, built for railroad families rather than for resale. They've got good bones and almost always room to grow. - That's exactly the kind of house we like to work on. A second-story finish, a kitchen bump-out, or a real garage can transform one of these homes — but only if the work respects the original scale instead of overpowering it. And because Proctor sits on the hilltop right next to Duluth, it's a quick run from our base, so we're on site fast and not charging you for the drive. - Updating Proctor's older rail-era homes with additions or a proper garage is mostly an exercise in restraint. These houses have a modest scale and a consistent roofline, and the fastest way to wreck one is to hang a wide, tall addition off the back that fights everything in front of it. The eye catches the seam immediately. - We match the existing pitch, eave depth, and siding reveal, carry the window proportions across, and tie new framing into the old structure so the addition reads as part of the house. Done right, a new wing or garage looks like it was always meant to be there — not like something the last owner tacked on. - Yes — that's most of the work up here. Proctor's housing stock leans toward smaller homes from the railroad era, and we add bedrooms, bump out kitchens, and finish second stories while keeping the original roofline and trim reading as one house. - Yes. Many older Proctor lots were platted before two-car garages were standard, so we site a new detached or attached garage around mature trees, setbacks, and the existing driveway grade — and confirm Proctor's permit and setback rules before we pour. - Proctor sits on the hilltop just southwest of Duluth, so it's a short, fast trip for our crew. Being close means tighter scheduling, fewer trip-charge surprises, and a builder who can swing by mid-project without it being a day's drive. ### FAQ Q: Can you remodel or add onto an older Proctor home? A: Yes — that's most of the work up here. Proctor's housing stock leans toward smaller homes from the railroad era, and we add bedrooms, bump out kitchens, and finish second stories while keeping the original roofline and trim reading as one house. Q: Can you build a garage on an established Proctor lot? A: Yes. Many older Proctor lots were platted before two-car garages were standard, so we site a new detached or attached garage around mature trees, setbacks, and the existing driveway grade — and confirm Proctor's permit and setback rules before we pour. Q: How far is Proctor from your Duluth base? A: Proctor sits on the hilltop just southwest of Duluth, so it's a short, fast trip for our crew. Being close means tighter scheduling, fewer trip-charge surprises, and a builder who can swing by mid-project without it being a day's drive. Q: How do you keep an addition from looking bolted onto an older Proctor house? A: We match the existing pitch, eave depth, siding reveal, and window proportions, and we tie the new framing into the old structure rather than parking a box beside it. On a modest rail-era home that detail is the difference between an addition that belongs and one that looks added. --- ## /areas/esko-mn — Custom Homes, Saunas & Remodeling in Esko, MN | ProCon LLC Custom home construction, additions with real saunas, and remodeling in Esko, MN — owner-led by Dan Bruckelmyer. Built for larger Thomson Township lots, 15 minutes from our Duluth base. Free written estimates. H1: Sauna country,room to build. - In a Finnish-heritage community where the sauna has always been part of the house and the lots run wide and rural, we build custom homes, additions, and remodels with the heat room done right — not dropped in as an afterthought. - Esko grew up as a Finnish farming community in Thomson Township, and that heritage still shows up in how people here think about a home. The sauna isn't a spa upgrade — it's expected, the way a mudroom is expected. When a family in Esko adds on or builds new, the heat room is usually in the plan from the first sketch, and it has to be built like one: real framing, vapor barrier, ventilation, and a heater wired for it. - The other thing Esko gives you is room. Lots out here run larger and more rural than a Duluth city parcel, which changes the whole job — well and septic instead of city hookups, a real driveway and utility run, and a house you can actually site on the land instead of squeezing onto a narrow lot. We plan for the acreage, the Carlton County permitting, and the sauna all at once. - A sauna built the Esko way isn't a prefab box you bolt to a basement wall. It's a room that lives with cycles of intense heat and moisture, so the bones have to be right: a vapor barrier behind the cladding so steam never reaches the framing, ventilation sized to move air across the bather, the heater on its own circuit and clearances, and benches and a floor drain laid out for how it's really used. - Skip those and you get rot inside the wall and a heat room nobody wants to sit in. On an Esko addition or remodel we design the sauna as part of the structure from the start — and we build it the way a community that has used saunas for generations expects it to be built. - Yes, and it's a fitting request in Esko — a community with deep Finnish roots where the sauna has always been part of the house, not an afterthought. We build true saunas into bathrooms and additions: proper framing, vapor barrier, ventilation, and bench layout, wired and detailed for the heat instead of dropped in as a kit. - Yes. Esko sits in Thomson Township, and its lots run larger and more rural than a city parcel — which usually means well, septic, and a longer driveway and utility run to plan around. We site the home for the land you have instead of forcing a city-lot layout onto acreage. - Yes. Esko is in Carlton County, so building, septic, and zoning go through the county and Thomson Township rather than the City of Duluth. We've worked on this side of the county line and handle the permitting and inspections as part of the job. ### FAQ Q: Can you build a real sauna into a home or addition in Esko? A: Yes, and it's a fitting request in Esko — a community with deep Finnish roots where the sauna has always been part of the house, not an afterthought. We build true saunas into bathrooms and additions: proper framing, vapor barrier, ventilation, and bench layout, wired and detailed for the heat instead of dropped in as a kit. Q: Do you build on larger rural lots in Thomson Township? A: Yes. Esko sits in Thomson Township, and its lots run larger and more rural than a city parcel — which usually means well, septic, and a longer driveway and utility run to plan around. We site the home for the land you have instead of forcing a city-lot layout onto acreage. Q: Do you handle Carlton County permits and code? A: Yes. Esko is in Carlton County, so building, septic, and zoning go through the county and Thomson Township rather than the City of Duluth. We've worked on this side of the county line and handle the permitting and inspections as part of the job. Q: How far is Esko from your Duluth base? A: About 15 minutes southwest down the highway. Esko is one of the closest communities to our Duluth shop, so getting a crew to your project — and getting back for a punch-list item — is quick. Estimates are free and in writing. --- ## /areas/hibbing-mn — Garages, Additions & Remodeling in Hibbing, MN | ProCon LLC Garages, additions, and remodeling for Hibbing, MN's mining-era homes on the Iron Range — owner-led by Dan Bruckelmyer. Free estimate. H1: Built for theIron Range. - Garages, additions, and remodeling for Hibbing's boom-era homes — houses that have already stood a century of Range winters and deserve work that will stand the next one. - Hibbing is the town that literally moved for mining — starting in 1919, hundreds of buildings were hauled two miles south so the Hull-Rust-Mahoning pit could expand into what's now called the Grand Canyon of the North. The houses that line Howard Street and the residential blocks south of it mostly date to that relocation boom: sturdy, mining-company-era homes that were built fast but built to last. - A century on, those homes need what older Range houses always need — a real garage (many lots never got one), an addition that doesn't fight the original roofline, and interiors brought up to date without gutting their character. That's the work we do in Hibbing. It's a longer run from Duluth than our core radius, so we batch Range trips and plan the schedule tight — you get the same owner-led crew without paying for wasted windshield time. - Ask around Hibbing and you'll hear the same thing: the snow comes earlier, sits deeper, and leaves later than it does down by the lake. The Iron Range routinely out-snows Duluth's sheltered neighborhoods, and a winter's worth of scraping windshields at -20°F is what finally pushes most Hibbing homeowners to call about a garage. - We build detached garages sized for Range reality — room for two vehicles plus the snowblower, ice gear, and sleds — with frost footings set for Iron Range ground and trusses rated for the snow load this far north. A standard two-car goes up in 4–8 weeks, which means a fall start still beats the first real storm. - Yes. Hibbing is about an hour and a quarter from our Duluth base up Highway 37, and we serve it as part of our Iron Range coverage. We plan Range projects so crew time is spent building, not driving — and your estimate is still free. - That's exactly the housing stock Hibbing has — much of it dates to the 1920s relocation era, when North Hibbing moved south for the mine. We've spent nearly three decades on Northern Minnesota homes of that vintage: balloon framing, plaster walls, undersized openings. We know what's behind the walls before we open them. - It depends on your lot's setbacks and the city's zoning rules, which we confirm with Hibbing's building department before design. Most in-town lots take a 24×24 two-car comfortably; larger lots on the edges of town can carry a 26×28 or bigger with storage above. ### FAQ Q: Do you really come up to Hibbing from Duluth? A: Yes. Hibbing is about an hour and a quarter from our Duluth base up Highway 37, and we serve it as part of our Iron Range coverage. We plan Range projects so crew time is spent building, not driving — and your estimate is still free. Q: Can you work on one of Hibbing's older mining-era homes? A: That's exactly the housing stock Hibbing has — much of it dates to the 1920s relocation era, when North Hibbing moved south for the mine. We've spent nearly three decades on Northern Minnesota homes of that vintage: balloon framing, plaster walls, undersized openings. We know what's behind the walls before we open them. Q: How big a garage can I build on a Hibbing city lot? A: It depends on your lot's setbacks and the city's zoning rules, which we confirm with Hibbing's building department before design. Most in-town lots take a 24×24 two-car comfortably; larger lots on the edges of town can carry a 26×28 or bigger with storage above. Q: How long does a garage take in Hibbing? A: Typically 4–8 weeks from groundbreaking, weather allowing. On the Range we aim to pour footings well before freeze-up — if you call in late summer, you can realistically park inside before the heavy snow flies. --- ## /areas/grand-rapids-mn — Cabins, Garages & Remodeling in Grand Rapids, MN | ProCon LLC Vacation homes, garages, and remodeling in Grand Rapids, MN — Itasca County lake country. Owner-led by Dan Bruckelmyer. Free estimate. H1: Where lake countrybegins. - Cabins, vacation homes, garages, and remodels in Grand Rapids and the Itasca County lakes around it — built by a crew that understands seasonal places as well as year-round ones. - Grand Rapids grew up around the paper mill and the Mississippi, but what defines building here today is the water in every direction — Itasca County has more than a thousand lakes, and a huge share of the projects around Grand Rapids are cabins, lake places, and the garages and bunkhouses that go with them. Pokegama, Wabana, Trout, Deer — each lake has its own mix of old family cabins and new year-round builds. - That mix is the work we like. Converting a three-season cabin into a real year-round home means getting the foundation, insulation, and mechanicals right for a building that was never meant to see January. And a new lake home out here has to handle the freeze-thaw cycles of inland lake country, which behave differently than the big lake's shoreline we build on back home. We bring both playbooks. - The most common call we get from the Grand Rapids area isn't for a new build — it's for the old family cabin that the next generation wants to live in, or at least use through the winter. Three-season construction hides a list of problems: pier foundations that heave, walls with little or no insulation, plumbing that was always meant to be drained in October. - The honest answer is sometimes a renovation and sometimes a rebuild, and the difference comes down to the foundation and frame. We assess that before anyone falls in love with a plan. When the bones are good, we insulate past code, redo the envelope, and winterize the mechanicals — and the cabin keeps its soul while becoming a real house. - Yes — Grand Rapids is about 80 miles west on Highway 2, and we take on projects there as part of our wider Northern Minnesota coverage, especially lake-country builds where our vacation-home experience earns the drive. Estimates are free. - Often, yes. The decision usually hinges on the foundation and frame: pier-set cabins with sound structure can be lifted onto proper frost footings and rebuilt around; others are better candidates for a rebuild on the same site. We'll tell you which one yours is before you spend money on plans. - We build to Minnesota's shoreland standards — setbacks, impervious-surface limits, and septic requirements all apply on Itasca County lakes — and we coordinate the permit process with the county so your project doesn't stall at the paperwork stage. ### FAQ Q: Do you build in Grand Rapids if you're based in Duluth? A: Yes — Grand Rapids is about 80 miles west on Highway 2, and we take on projects there as part of our wider Northern Minnesota coverage, especially lake-country builds where our vacation-home experience earns the drive. Estimates are free. Q: Can you convert our three-season cabin near Grand Rapids into a year-round home? A: Often, yes. The decision usually hinges on the foundation and frame: pier-set cabins with sound structure can be lifted onto proper frost footings and rebuilt around; others are better candidates for a rebuild on the same site. We'll tell you which one yours is before you spend money on plans. Q: Do you handle lakeshore rules and permits in Itasca County? A: We build to Minnesota's shoreland standards — setbacks, impervious-surface limits, and septic requirements all apply on Itasca County lakes — and we coordinate the permit process with the county so your project doesn't stall at the paperwork stage. Q: How long does a vacation home near Grand Rapids take? A: Most run 8–12 months like our other custom builds, though seasonal access on some lake roads can shape the schedule — we plan excavation and concrete around spring road restrictions so the timeline holds. --- ## /areas/virginia-mn — Additions, Garages & Remodeling in Virginia, MN | ProCon LLC Additions, garages, and remodeling for Virginia, MN's early-1900s Iron Range homes — owner-led by Dan Bruckelmyer. Free estimate. H1: The Queen City,kept solid. - Additions, garages, and remodeling for Virginia's century-old Range homes — work that respects what the mining boom built and brings it up to how people live now. - Virginia earned its Queen City nickname in the early-1900s ore boom — and it had to earn it twice, because fire leveled the young city and it was rebuilt more solidly the second time. That history shows in the housing stock around Silver Lake and Bailey's Lake: tall, narrow, early-twentieth-century homes with full basements, steep roofs, and the kind of old-growth lumber you can't buy anymore. - Those houses are worth investing in, and most of our Virginia work is exactly that — a rear addition that adds a main-floor bedroom and bath, a garage on an alley lot that never had one, kitchens and baths reworked inside the original walls. We treat that old framing as an asset: it's straighter and denser than modern stock, and when the new work ties into it correctly, the house reads as one building again. - Virginia's early-1900s homes share a pattern: rock-solid structure, generous rooms, and an envelope that leaks heat like it's still 1910. Knob-and-tube remnants, empty wall cavities, original windows — charming until the first February gas bill. The mistake homeowners are warned about is the cheap fix: blowing insulation into walls with no air-sealing plan, or wrapping a house in vinyl and trapping moisture against hundred-year-old sheathing. - We sequence it properly — air-seal, insulate, then ventilate — and we replace windows in a way that keeps the proportions these houses were designed around. The result is a Queen City home that holds its heat through a Range winter without losing the face it's worn for a century. - Yes — Virginia is straight up Highway 53 from Duluth, and we cover it as part of our Iron Range service area. We schedule Range work efficiently so the distance never shows up in the quality or the price of your project. Estimates are free. - That's our specialty up here. Virginia's boom-era homes have strong, consistent proportions — we match the roof pitch, eave depth, siding reveal, and window rhythm so a rear or side addition reads as original. The old-growth framing in these houses also gives us excellent structure to tie into. - With the envelope, in the right order: air-sealing first, then insulation, then ventilation. Many early-1900s homes here have empty wall cavities and original windows, and the wrong shortcut traps moisture in old walls. Done correctly, the heating-bill difference in a Range winter is dramatic. ### FAQ Q: Do you take projects in Virginia, MN? A: Yes — Virginia is straight up Highway 53 from Duluth, and we cover it as part of our Iron Range service area. We schedule Range work efficiently so the distance never shows up in the quality or the price of your project. Estimates are free. Q: Can you add onto a century-old Virginia home without wrecking its look? A: That's our specialty up here. Virginia's boom-era homes have strong, consistent proportions — we match the roof pitch, eave depth, siding reveal, and window rhythm so a rear or side addition reads as original. The old-growth framing in these houses also gives us excellent structure to tie into. Q: My Virginia house is freezing in winter — where do you start? A: With the envelope, in the right order: air-sealing first, then insulation, then ventilation. Many early-1900s homes here have empty wall cavities and original windows, and the wrong shortcut traps moisture in old walls. Done correctly, the heating-bill difference in a Range winter is dramatic. Q: Can you fit a garage on one of Virginia's older alley lots? A: Usually, yes. Many of Virginia's residential blocks have alley access, which is ideal for a detached garage without sacrificing the front yard. We verify setbacks and permits with the city first, then build — a standard two-car typically takes 4–8 weeks. --- ## /about — About ProCon — Owner Dan Bruckelmyer, Duluth MN | ProCon LLC ProCon is owner-led by Dan Bruckelmyer, in construction since 1997. A family-operated custom home builder in Duluth, MN — licensed (#QB807406), insured, with a workmanship guarantee. H1: One builder,on the job since 1997. - ProCon is Dan Bruckelmyer — a family-operated custom home builder in Duluth who has spent nearly three decades building and remodeling across Northern Minnesota, and who is still on every site himself. - Dan Bruckelmyer started in construction in 1997. Nearly thirty years later, he's still doing the same thing he started with — building and renovating homes for people who live in Northern Minnesota, on the same ground he knows cold. - ProCon is built around that fact. It's family-operated, two generations deep, and the arrangement never changes: the owner who quotes your project is the one on site while it's built. No handoff to a crew you never met. No project manager standing between you and the person making the calls. - That's a deliberate choice, and it's the reason the work holds up. When the man who'll answer for the finished house is the one framing it, you get a different house — tighter, warmer, and finished the way it was promised. From a single-family custom build to a two-week deck, every ProCon project is run the same way and backed the same way: licensed, insured, and guaranteed. - Not for the first meeting and then gone — Dan is on site through the build, every project. It's why nothing gets lost between the handshake and the framing, and why you always have one person to ask. - Code is the floor, not the goal. Our wall and attic assemblies are insulated beyond the Minnesota minimum because we build for the people who'll heat the place every January — and that's almost never us. - Real schedules, real numbers, and an honest answer when something costs more or takes longer. A workmanship guarantee only means something if you're square with people from the first walkthrough on. - ProCon works a tight radius on purpose — Duluth, Hermantown, Cloquet, Two Harbors, Proctor, Esko, and out toward the Iron Range. It's home, and it shows up in the work: we know how a Lakeside roofline takes the wind off Superior, how the frost line dictates a footing, and which assemblies actually hold heat through a Northern Minnesota winter. --- ## /gallery — Project Gallery — Custom Homes & Remodels in Duluth, MN | ProCon LLC See the kind of work ProCon builds across Duluth and Northern Minnesota — custom homes, kitchens, baths, decks in thermally modified wood, garages, and additions. H1: The work speaksfor itself. - Custom homes, additions, kitchens, baths, decks, and garages across Duluth and Northern Minnesota — the kind of work we put our name and our workmanship guarantee behind. - These images represent the categories of work we take on. As current projects wrap up across the region, we photograph and add them here — check back, or ask to see work near you. - In nearly 30 years building across Northern Minnesota, the strongest proof has never been a photo — it's the homeowner who'll tell you what it was like to work with us. Ask, and we'll connect you with past customers whose projects match yours. - Every project here is backed by the same things: Dan on site, Minnesota license #QB807406, insurance, and a workmanship guarantee. --- ## /contact — Contact ProCon — Free Estimates in Duluth, MN | ProCon LLC Request a free estimate from ProCon LLC — custom home builder & remodeler in Duluth, MN. Call (218) 348-2076 or send your project details; we respond. H1: Tell us aboutyour project. - Send the details below or call Dan directly. Estimates are free and in writing, and every message goes straight to Dan — no call center, no sales rep. - Your information is secure and only used to respond to your inquiry. See our privacy policy. - Your message goes straight to Dan — he reviews every request personally. If it's urgent, call (218) 348-2076. - Every inquiry goes straight to Dan himself — no call center. He returns calls personally, usually from the job site, during open hours: Monday to Friday, 7:00am to 4:30pm. - Just the basics: what you'd like to build, the city it's in, and rough timing. Plans or photos help but aren't required to start. ### FAQ Q: Do you charge for estimates? A: No. ProCon gives free written estimates. Q: How fast will I hear back? A: Every inquiry goes straight to Dan himself — no call center. He returns calls personally, usually from the job site, during open hours: Monday to Friday, 7:00am to 4:30pm. Q: What should I have ready? A: Just the basics: what you'd like to build, the city it's in, and rough timing. Plans or photos help but aren't required to start. Q: Do you come out to the property? A: Yes. For most projects we look at the site in person before putting a number in writing. --- ## /privacy — Privacy Policy | ProCon LLC How ProCon LLC collects, uses, and protects the information you share through proconmn.com. H1: Privacy Policy - This policy explains how ProCon LLC ("ProCon," "we," "us") handles information you share through proconmn.com. We keep it simple: we only collect what we need to respond to you, and we don't sell it. - Only to respond to your inquiry, prepare an estimate, schedule and complete work, and follow up about your project. We do not sell or rent your information, and we share it only with service providers that help us operate (e.g., email, hosting), or when required by law. - Our site is served over HTTPS and form submissions are transmitted securely. We keep your information only as long as needed to serve you and meet our legal and business obligations. - You can ask us to access, correct, or delete the information you've shared, or to stop contacting you, at any time. Just reach out below.