Designed By:
Cottage Grove, MN
The Kutzke family’s new home had all of the modern amenities and finishes you would expect on the upper levels, but the lower level was unfinished. Having a new home with an unfinished basement isn’t just common in Minnesota. It’s the standard for most homes.
After living in their space for a few years, the homeowners wanted to make a few changes in other areas of the home as well. In addition to finishing their lower level, James Barton Design-Build made additional updates throughout the home to make the space feel more customized and suit the Kutzke family’s needs.
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Home Location
Cottage Grove (67th Bay S)
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Style
2023 contemporary modern home
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Project Type
Basement and main level
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Scope of Work
Basement finishing, flex room, and storage solutions
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Project Leads
Designer: Morgan Longhenry
Construction Management: Nolan Larson
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Timeline
11 weeks
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Featured Brands
Top Knobs, Heat & Glo, Shaw Flooring, Delta, The Tile Shop, and Richelieu Hardware
Planning a Cohesive & Intentional Design
With a newer home, renovation projects rarely need to account for awkward layouts or updating finishes. In a home with an unfinished basement and finishing touches, the challenge is creating a space that feels like part of the original design.
To make the Kutzke family vision a reality, the James Barton Design-Build team needed to:
- Build on the existing rough-in work and framing to finish the basement.
- Finish a flex space to make it a usable room.
- Coordinate smaller updates in the primary bathroom, main floor family room, and deck.
Bringing the Design Together
Because the basement was already framed with a layout that supported the design, JBDB didn’t need to remove walls or complete demolition work before beginning. Morgan Longhenry’s design included:
- Creating a warm and inviting focal point with a large electric fireplace surrounded by walnut paneling and floating shelves.
- Finishing the basement bathroom with stunning dark green tilework and gold finishes.
- Building a workout room with a rubberized floor and a full glass panel wall and door to keep the space feeling bright and open.
- Enhancing the main-floor fireplace with floating shelves that complement the original design.
- Making the primary bathroom water closet easier to access with a pocket door instead of an outswing door.
- Keeping outdoor items more organized with a dedicated storage closet off the deck.
By planning all these design details and ordering materials in advance, our team kept this 11-week project on track without any delays or unforeseen challenges.
The Finishing Details
In choosing materials, we balanced the home’s contemporary style with colors and textures that complemented the existing colors and finishes. This included:
- Gold bathroom hardware from Top Knobs
- Gold shower fixtures from Delta
- Dramatic, dark green subway tile in the shower from The Tile Shop
- A large electric fireplace from Heat & Glo
- Panels and moldings from Richelieu Hardware to serve as a focal point around the fireplace
- Durable and aesthetic wood-look floors from Shaw Flooring to tie the finished basement spaces together.
An Excellent Experience
“We had an EXCELLENT experience using James Barton to finish our basement. They were very open from start to finish on communication about the project and were professional and courteous every step of the way. We would absolutely use them again for future projects.” – M. Kutzke
James Barton Design Build is a professional but approachable group of people. The team and the sub-contractors are the best of the best when it comes to quality work and eye for design. The designers will get to know your thoughts, ideas, budget and style for your home project or remodel and help to make it a reality.
Erin and Eric, Apple Valley, MN
When James Madsen heard the Chamber was considering moving into new offices, he offered to build a new conference room and storage room at no cost to the Chamber. The following year, he built an addition to the community center. This year, he provided a daycare in a building he co-owns and helped them purchase and install a new playground. True philanthropy is when you just do what is right and needed without asking for notoriety.
Ed Kearney, President, Apple Valley Chamber of Commerce
When we met with JBDB it was clear they had the most realistic idea of what we were trying to do.
The Petersons, Burnsville, MN
“I hadn’t been able to see the vision. We’re so glad that JBDB could.”
Bryan Wilson, Chanhassen, MN
I can’t say enough about how impressed we are with James Barton Design-Build. I never had any doubt about the quality, but I didn’t expect to feel so comfortable with the amazing team you gave us.
Kevin & Jennifer Bollum, Apple Valley, MN
Outstanding from beginning to end, we were impressed with the quality of work, attention to detail, professionalism, communication, and responsiveness by everyone on the JBDB team.
The Lees, Apple Valley, MN
I could not have asked for a better experience. Craftsmanship was top notch, scheduling was excellent, response to customer’s concerns/questions-excellent!
Tom Smith, Lakeville, MN
Every step of the project was itemized and scheduled. The schedule was followed like clockwork. The finished product is beautiful and was completed on time.
Doug Andersen, Apple Valley, MN
Thank you so much for the extra efforts you and your team displayed in fixing someone else’s mistake. Your “Lead by Example” attitude is truly exceptional. Thanks to the JBDB team, we've received many many compliments!
Jay Micholic, Rosemount, MN
Teamwork is paramount at James Barton Design-Build. There’s no room for egos here, no finger pointing, no passing the buck. Just a total focus on working together to take care of our clients: resolving issues to deliver the products of their dreams with minimal problems.
James Madsen, Owner & President, James Barton Design-Build
Anyone that provides customer service on such a high level and pays attention to the smallest detail (even setting our clock) is someone who will go the extra mile and do exceptional work. It's awesome to be working with JBDB!
Susie Smith, Lakeville, MN
The truth is, awards are really more for our homeowners than they are for us. They’re the ones who made the award possible by bringing us their dreams and by placing their trust in our work.
James Madsen, Owner & President, James Barton Design-Build
This is the 4th project we’ve done with JBDB – they are an excellent company to work with and all their employees are great people as well as professional! Such a great team!
The Kauls, Burnsville, MN
Each year “Remodeling Magazine” recognizes 50 companies who have set the standard for professionalism and integrity through smart marketing, exemplary business practices, unique design, and extraordinary impact in their community or the industry at large. We are proud to include James Madsen, of James Barton Design-Build, as one of our Big50 inductees.
Sal Alfano, Editorial Director, Remodeling Magazine
We have followed your projects for at least 5 years & based on what we saw expected great work, but you EXCEEDED our expectations! Every detail met with our satisfaction. The entire team was fantastic!
John & Nancy Tauer, Apple Valley, MN
When our friends enter our new space, their reaction is wonderful. They gasp when they see how beautiful everything is and what a difference it makes. “You have a new home” is the constant refrain.
The Martins, Apple Valley, MN
Emily, Ryan and Troy were great to work with though our entire project! The project commenced and finished on the dates established by Troy, adjusting the schedule where necessary to accommodate all of the variables involved with an assignment like ours! We could not be happier with our end product and cannot wait to work with this team again on our next home improvement project!
Tarrah & Dan, Chanhassen, MN
View Project
It was a fantastic project! The job John did getting all the subcontractors lined up was awesome. The project flowed so nicely. There were no problems that the JBDB team could not resolve!
Dan Cuka, Farmington, MN
Very well done project! JBDB is a great group of people to have working in your home. They get it done and on time!
John and Keri, Apple Valley, MN
James was extremely knowledgeable and listened to our issues,” said the homeowners. “We liked the advantage of having a full design before building to maintain timelines and budget, and we didn’t want to project manage the construction or different components of the build. Throughout the design process, we learned more about how JBDB operates and felt confident the job would be completed exactly like we envisioned.
Elise and Brian, Edina, MN
Detailed, professional, reliable and a pleasure to work with. So often contractors are late or unresponsive, but not JBDB!
The Theisens, Rosemount, MN
Main Level Renovation
Main Level Renovation
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1980s Bathroom Update
1990s Kitchen Refresh
1990s Kitchen Refresh