Repair King serves Annandale and the lake country around it. We've inspected roofs on Irvine Avenue NW and Acacia Drive, and our biggest nearby job is The Marketplace grocery store in Cokato, part of the same family business that began as Marv's Red Owl in Annandale in 1967. Every roof gets a slope-by-slope walk and a dated photo report, and we pull the city permit for you.
By the time the Thayer Hotel was listed on the National Register in 1978, its roof leaked so badly that water was standing on all three floors and the porches were sagging. The building was a week from demolition before preservationists saved it and a $550,000 restoration finished in 1985. Small leaks left alone become structural repairs.
Gus and Caroline Thayer opened the hotel in 1895 on land and money offered by the Soo Line Railroad, which had reached Annandale in 1886. It was the first building in town with gas lights and electricity, and a boardwalk once ran from its veranda to the depot. After decades of decline the city bought it in 1976, and the roof problems got worse while it sat.
Most Annandale homes will never face a story like that, but the pattern is the same on a smaller scale. Water that gets past a lifted shingle or a worn vent boot soaks the deck first, then the insulation and framing. Ceiling stains show up last. In lake country, add the moss, needles and leaves that collect in valleys under all these trees, and water has more places to back up.
That's why our Annandale inspections go slope by slope. On our 2023 jobs here we found creased and lifted shingle tabs, the kind of wind damage that lets water in months before anyone sees a stain. We photograph every one so you can fix a small problem while it's still small.
Annandale families know The Marketplace name well: the Marohn family opened Marv's Red Owl, a 5,000-square-foot store, in Annandale in 1967, and today runs The Marketplace on Elm Street here. We didn't roof the Annandale store. We re-roofed their Cokato store, the biggest grocery store for miles around, and worked on the Dairy Queen down the street.
We first walked The Marketplace roof in Cokato in July 2023, documenting the membrane, rooftop units and penetrations. Our crews replaced the large low-slope roof in 2024 while the store stayed open. This job is in Cokato, not Annandale.
On Highway 12 in Cokato, we photographed the Dairy Queen's parapet roof, coping and rooftop units in October 2023 and came back in 2024 for flashing and coping work.
Annandale mixes lake cabins, an older downtown and a lot of 1990s and 2000s housing. Census estimates put the median home at 1989, with about 29% of homes built in 2000 or later. Roughly 84% of households own their home, one of the highest shares in the area.
| Local factor | What we see in Annandale | Why it matters for repairs |
|---|---|---|
| Housing age | Median year built 1989; 605 of 1,395 units built in the 1990s and 2000s; 140 built 1939 or earlier (ACS 2020–2024) | Roofs from the 1990s–2000s building wave are at or past typical asphalt life |
| Owners | About 84% owner-occupied | Most roofs here are owner decisions, so a clear photo report matters more than a sales pitch |
| Manufactured homes | About 180 mobile or manufactured homes, roughly 13% of housing | Low-slope and metal roofs on manufactured homes need different repair methods than shingle roofs |
| Lakes and trees | Pleasant Lake, Lake John and Clearwater Lake all lie within a few miles of town; heavy tree cover on many lots | Wind off the water lifts tabs; needles and leaves hold moisture in valleys and gutters |
| Walk-out lake homes | Tall rear elevations and decks facing the water, like our Irvine Ave NW job | Steep, tall roof faces need safe access planning and close checks of flashing at decks |
| Downtown | 1890s commercial buildings along Elm Street and Oak Avenue near the old Soo Line depot | Older wood-frame and brick buildings need parapet and flashing checks, not just shingles |
Real Annandale jobs from our CompanyCam records. No homeowner names or house numbers.
Wind has been the bigger story in Annandale lately. NOAA storm reports put a 60 mph gust near our Annandale job sites on July 13, 2024, and trees were reported down in town on July 28, 2025. The last hail of 1 inch or more reported near those properties fell on July 5, 2016, along with a 64 mph gust the same day. With this many trees and this much open water, a strong gust can lift shingle tabs or drop a limb even when no hail falls.
| Date | Type | What was reported | What to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 28, 2025 | Wind | Damaging wind reported (trees/limbs down) | Missing or creased shingles, ridge caps, flashing, siding |
| Jul 13, 2024 | Wind | 60 mph wind gust measured | Missing or creased shingles, ridge caps, flashing, siding |
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center storm reports within 3 miles of Annandale properties Repair King has worked on, through September 2026. Reports are from trained spotters and the public; hail can hit a street without a report.
Our free Roof & Storm Report looks up hail and wind history for your exact address, not just the city.
Photos taken by Repair King crews at Annandale properties. Dates are the capture dates from our job camera.
Yes. The City of Annandale lists re-roofing, along with re-siding and window replacement, among the projects that need a building permit. Questions go to City Hall at 320-274-3055 or [email protected].
Annandale's building inspectors review applications and inspect work under the Minnesota State Building Code, and the city reminds owners that all City Codes still apply even to smaller projects. Repair King applies for Annandale permits under our Minnesota license (BC695228) and schedules the inspections.
Many lake properties around Annandale sit outside city limits in Corinna or Southside Township, the two townships that border the city. Southside Township permits go through Wright County Planning & Zoning, but Corinna Township is one of the few Wright County townships that issues its own building permits. We confirm the right office from your parcel address.
Annandale grew up as a railroad and resort town after the Soo Line arrived in 1886, serving farmers and summer visitors from the Twin Cities. Minnesota Pioneer Park, started in 1972 around the town's old Soo Line depot, is one of the largest open-air living history museums in the country.
The park came about when the Soo Line offered its unused depot to any civic group that could use it, and local attorney Nobel Shadduck led the effort to save it on a 55-acre site along Highway 55. The Thayer Hotel at 60 Elm Street West reopened as a restaurant in 2018 and as a full-service hotel later that year. And the town's grocery history runs through the Marohn family, from the 1967 Red Owl to today's Marketplace on Elm Street.
Start with an inspection, not a decision. A damaged shingle does not automatically mean a roof needs to be replaced. What matters is what the inspection actually finds on the roof, siding, gutters and windows.
Repair King is a licensed Minnesota contractor (BC695228). We are not a public adjuster and do not negotiate insurance claims. Questions about your policy belong with your insurance company.
Official links worth bookmarking, whether or not you ever hire us.
Yes. Re-roofing is on the City of Annandale's list of projects that need a building permit. Repair King applies for it under our Minnesota license (BC695228).
Usually Wright County Planning & Zoning, which permits most townships. Corinna Township issues its own building permits. We check your parcel address and confirm.
NOAA storm reports show a 60 mph gust near Annandale on July 13, 2024, and trees down on July 28, 2025. The last 1-inch hail near our job sites was July 5, 2016. Run a free Roof & Storm Report for your exact address.
Wind off open water lifts shingle tabs, and trees drop needles and leaves that hold moisture in valleys and gutters. We check those spots first on every Annandale inspection.
Yes. About 13% of Annandale's homes are manufactured or mobile homes. Their roofs are often low-slope or metal, so we inspect them and explain the repair options that fit.
No. We re-roofed The Marketplace grocery store in Cokato in 2024, which is run by the same Annandale-rooted family. The Annandale store on Elm Street was not our job.
That's a question for your insurer. We document what we find with a dated photo report of the roof, flashing, gutters, siding and windows; coverage questions go to your insurance company.
No cost, no pressure. You get photos of everything we find.
The #1 complaint about contractors is "they stopped calling me back." Our system texts and emails you at every step, from the moment you book to the final walkthrough.
Text and email confirmation the moment you book, plus a reminder before we arrive.
"You're booked for Tue 10 AM ✓"A heads-up text when your inspector or crew is headed to your home. No waiting around.
"On our way, 20 min out"You see what we see: a photo report of every finding, yours to keep.
"Your photo report is ready"Materials ordered, crew scheduled, install day, final walkthrough. You hear about each step as it happens.
"Materials delivered for Thursday"Questions? Call or text and talk to our team, not a phone tree.
"Got it, we'll check and text you back"Informed at every step. That's the Repair King standard.
Free inspection, photo report, straight answer.
