Lake Elmo's housing is young: half its homes were built in 2004 or later, yet it also has 574 manufactured homes, most of them in Cimarron. Repair King serves Lake Elmo for roof, siding and storm inspections, and we've documented hail on a Cimarron home here. Next door in Oakdale we worked on the siding and roof at Oak Meadows Senior Living. We pull the city's flat-fee roofing permit, photograph every slope and wall, and hand you a dated report.
They cleaned up every night after work and finished the roof job in three days. I would certainly recommend that you give Mike Holmes a call and give Repair King the opportunity to look at your job.
My name is Gary Frantz, and we just recently had a major roof repair done by Repair King and Mike Holmes, the manager and owner of Repair King. And I will say that working with Mike has been a very significant pleasure. We found ourselves having to get a complete re-roof of our home because of hail storm damage, and Mike and his crew came in. They did a very good job. They did what they committed to. And for us personally, it was a significant thing because we have a dog that runs our property, and we were a little concerned about scrap and nails and what have you that might be dangerous. They cleaned up every night after work and finished the roof job in three days. And we were very mindful of the fact that we were still living here, taking care of our property and our lives, and they were trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. And Mike was able to work with us in terms of some special needs that we had and some interests that we had in getting a unique style of shingle, and was very supportive. So I highly recommend Repair King and Mike Holmes if you need roofing or siding at your home. When we were informed and recognized that we had damage to our roof from a hail storm back in June of 2015, we realized that we needed to talk to various contractors. There were some that knocked on our door right away, so we were very open to hear what various people had to say. Mike was in the neighborhood and had left a flyer on our door regarding his willingness to discuss our storm damage with us. And when we were at that point of having to make a decision, we were very concerned about working with somebody that was local, and Mike was able to provide some references for us to follow up with as to other work that he'd done in the area. Local for us wasn't necessarily in the neighborhood or in the same town, but it was to understand and be a part of the Minnesota economy and to know what the general building codes and requirements are for doing work in Minnesota. So when Mike identified himself as being from the Roseville area and knowledgeable on construction projects all over the area, we felt very comfortable doing business with Mike after we had conversations with him. So in conclusion, I would say that if you have any need for siding and/or roof repair or roof replacement, I would certainly recommend that you give Mike Holmes a call and give Repair King the opportunity to look at your job.
On a manufactured home, hail often shows up on the walls before anyone climbs a roof. Thin vinyl siding takes small dents and cracks, window screens tear, and low-slope or metal roofs need a different inspection than a shingled subdivision roof. Lake Elmo has 574 manufactured homes, so we check both kinds of house here.
Cimarron was one of Lake Elmo's big projects of the 1960s: a planned community of manufactured homes next to a golf course south of the old village, according to the Washington County Historical Society. It's still here, and it's a big reason Lake Elmo's housing count includes 574 manufactured homes, roughly one in eight homes in the city.
When we inspected a Cimarron home in July 2023, most of the story was on the walls. Close-up photos showed small hail dents and a cracked lap in the vinyl siding, split screen mesh on the windows, and weathered trim at the porch posts. On homes like this we walk every side at eye level, photograph each dent next to the siding profile, and note whether matching siding is still made. Then we look at the roof.
The rest of Lake Elmo is the opposite: big new subdivisions. 1,578 homes went up here from 2010 to 2019, and 486 more since 2020. Those roofs are young, but many use long valleys, tall gables and several roof planes that meet at one point. After a hailstorm we chalk-mark hits on each plane separately, because storms hit a west-facing slope very differently than the slope behind it.
Oak Meadows Senior Living sits just across Lake Elmo's western border in Oakdale. It's a three-story building with brick on the lower floor, vinyl siding above and a shingled roof, and Repair King did siding and roofing work there. The drone frame and photo below are from that job, in Oakdale, not Lake Elmo.
A drone view of the whole campus: the long three-story residence wing, the entry drive and the garden courtyard with its gazebo. Repair King's siding and roofing work covered this building.
Our September 2025 photos walked every elevation: vinyl siding, soffits, gutters and downspouts, the brick base and the shingled roof above the screened porch.
Lake Elmo is mostly new, owner-occupied housing. The median home was built in 2004, 94% of households own their home, and about a third of all homes went up after 2010. The exceptions are the 574 manufactured homes, 148 homes from before 1940, and about 1,080 built from the 1950s through the 1970s.
| Local factor | What we see in Lake Elmo | Why it matters for repairs |
|---|---|---|
| Housing age | Median year built 2004. 1,578 homes built 2010-2019 and 486 since 2020, but also 536 from the 1970s and 148 before 1940 (Census ACS 2020-2024) | New roofs mean manufacturer and workmanship warranties still matter, so we photograph and record the installed product before any repair |
| Manufactured homes | 574 manufactured homes, most in Cimarron, a planned 1960s community next to a golf course | Thin vinyl siding and screens show hail first, and roof systems differ from site-built homes, so we inspect walls and roof separately |
| Ownership | 4,409 of 4,714 occupied homes are owner-occupied (94%) | Owners make the call directly, so the photo report goes straight to the person deciding on repairs |
| Roof shapes | New subdivisions with multiple gables, long valleys and roof planes facing every direction | Hail damage varies slope by slope; we chalk and photograph each plane instead of sampling one |
| Open land | Lake Elmo Park Reserve covers 2,165 acres, and much of the city is still farmland or open space | Homes on open lots take wind with fewer trees to break it, so we check ridge caps, rakes and siding corners after strong wind |
| Permit | $250 flat fee for a residential roofing or siding permit (2026 fee schedule) | Roof and siding are separate $250 permits, so we list exactly which ones your job needs. We handle both |
A real Lake Elmo job from our CompanyCam records. We describe only what the photos show. No claim results or dollar amounts.
NOAA storm reports put 1.25-inch hail about a mile northeast of Woodbury, near Lake Elmo's southern edge, on September 21, 2025. The largest hail reported near our Lake Elmo records since 2015 was 2 inches, on September 20, 2022, a few months after 1.75-inch hail on May 19, 2022. Hail of 1 inch was also reported on August 5, 2021. Storms are nothing new here: the Washington County Historical Society says a tornado hit the county fairgrounds at Lake Elmo in 1877, and the fair moved to Stillwater afterward.
| Date | Type | What was reported | What to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 21, 2025 | Hail | 1.25" hail reported | Shingles, roof vents, gutters, siding, window screens |
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center storm reports within 3 miles of the Cimarron-area Lake Elmo property in our storm records, 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.
Yes. Lake Elmo's 2026 fee schedule lists residential roofing as a $250 flat-fee permit, and the city asks for the project valuation with the application. Residential siding is a separate $250 flat-fee permit, and commercial roofing is $250 minimum or 1.5% of the value of the work, whichever is greater.
The Lake Elmo Building Department handles plan review and inspections for building, plumbing and mechanical work, and its permit page collects the applications and handouts. If your roof and siding are both being replaced after a storm, that's two permits, so we list both in the estimate up front.
Minnesota's residential code requires an ice barrier from the eave edge to at least 24 inches inside the exterior wall on heated buildings. We photograph the ice barrier, the deck and the flashing before the shingles go on, so the inspector and you have the same record. Repair King pulls every permit under our state license, BC695228.
Lake Elmo is a Washington County city of about 13,100 people between Oakdale and Stillwater, with Highway 36 on its north edge and I-94 on its south. It started as a village in 1925, merged with East Oakdale Township in 1972, and much of it is still farmland, parks and open space.
Virginians Bernard and Maria Cyphers settled here in 1848 and ran the Lake House, a hotel and stage stop south of Sunfish Lake. The lake itself was called Bass Lake until 1879, when railroad promoter A. B. Stickney renamed lake and village Lake Elmo and built a 58-room resort hotel by the tracks. Today the Old Village sits near the lake, Lake Elmo Park Reserve covers 2,165 acres on its western shore, and new neighborhoods fill in around them. Our Lake Elmo work so far is a Cimarron home; our nearest large job is the Oak Meadows building in Oakdale.
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.
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Yes. The 2026 city fee schedule lists a residential roofing permit at a $250 flat fee, with the project valuation submitted on the application. Repair King pulls it for you.
Yes. Residential siding is its own $250 flat-fee permit on the 2026 schedule, so a roof-and-siding job needs both. We list both permits in the estimate.
Yes. We've inspected and documented a Cimarron home in Lake Elmo, including hail dents in the vinyl siding and torn window screens. We inspect the walls and the roof separately, because they show damage differently.
NOAA reports show 1.25-inch hail about a mile northeast of Woodbury, near Lake Elmo's southern edge, on September 21, 2025. The largest near our Lake Elmo records since 2015 was 2 inches, on September 20, 2022. Run a free Roof & Storm Report for your exact address.
Yes. New shingles can still bruise and crack in large hail, and gutters, vents and siding dent regardless of age. If your roof is still under a manufacturer or builder warranty, we photograph the product and any damage so you can take it to them.
We document what we find; coverage questions go to your insurer. Repair King is a licensed contractor, not a public adjuster, and we don't negotiate claims.
Yes. Next door in Oakdale we did siding and roofing work at Oak Meadows Senior Living, a three-story senior residence. It's in Oakdale, not Lake Elmo, but it's the kind of multi-story job our crews handle.
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"On our way, 20 min out"You see what we see: a photo report of every finding, yours to keep.
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