Morning Shadow

Twin Cities renovations. Kitchens, baths, additions, and accessory buildings.

07/03/2026

Whoever is packing pallets over at OUTERclé—it’s not their first day. Sneak peek at some tile for an upcoming condo renovation!

07/01/2026

Check out this lovely light-filled office!

Design: 𝘬 𝘦 𝘦 𝘱
Architectural photos: Wing
Detail and moment photos: roy son

06/26/2026

Dan claims he would've eventually made time to put the drill back together. We're not totally sure. What do you think?

06/23/2026

Swipe to see this beautiful built-in bookshelf and stair wall come to life!

Design: 𝘬 𝘦 𝘦 𝘱
Architectural photos: Wing
Detail and moment photos: roy son

06/16/2026

Deck Build (Pt. 6) – Railing

Follow along with our deck renovation series!

We're in the home stretch! We used the laser level to establish our railing height, then marked and cut the posts to match — same principle as the decking: run each one long, then cut them all back to the same height at the same time.

For deck skirting, we went with Hardie siding painted to match the house. Clean and low-maintenance.

A pre-drilled pattern clamped to each post helped us keep our cable rail spacing consistent. Rule of thumb: if you have to do something more than twice, it's worth building a jig. A few cable length adjustments, some sanding and touch-ups, and this deck is complete!

06/11/2026

Deck Build (Pt. 5) – Decking, Continued

Follow along with our deck renovation series!

Time for the picture-frame border. We brought out the DeWalt track saw for this part. We measured back from the edge one full board width minus our desired overhang, then set the blade depth to exactly the thickness of the deck boards to avoid scoring the joist tape underneath. (As extra insurance against cutting too deep, we slipped temporary cardboard spacers under the decking when we first laid it.) We used an oscillating tool to carefully finish off the cuts where the track saw couldn't reach, and then installed the final border board. Look at that miter!

A track saw isn't required to build a deck — but a tool that makes you more precise and more efficient at the same time is pretty easy to justify.

Almost there, just the railing system left. Stay tuned!

06/09/2026

Deck Build (Pt. 4) – Framing Wrapped, Decking Begins

Follow along with our deck renovation series!

Sunny and dry again! To complete the framing, we fastened our post bases with concrete anchors, and installed 6x6 support columns. Before laying any decking, we applied tape to the top of every joist — an extra step that helps prevent standing water from working its way into the wood over the years. Worth it every time, even with treated lumber.

Then the cedar decking went down. We ran the boards intentionally long — stay tuned for the next video to see how we put in a picture-frame border!

06/04/2026

Deck Build (Pt. 3) – Framing

Follow along with our deck renovation series!

Framing is underway. The house foundation needed some prep before the ledgers could be fastened in place. (Pro tip: always tuck ledger flashing up under the siding BEFORE mounting the ledger boards!) With the ledgers set, the joists went in one by one, each tacked in place and secured with joist hangers. We used a laser level to get everything right where we wanted it.

Work wrapped a little early today thanks to the rainy weather. Think the tool bags will dry out before tomorrow?

Coming up: finishing the framing and starting on decking.

06/02/2026

Deck Build (Pt. 2) – Footings

Follow along with our deck renovation series!

A good deck needs proper footings if it's going to last. On this project, we have two sonotube footings for the deck columns and a pad to support the stairs — each reinforced with rebar before the pour. The finish doesn't need to be pretty, but it does need to be flat.

Next up: framing. Stay tuned!

05/28/2026

Deck Build (Pt. 1)

Follow along with our deck renovation series!

We started by removing the existing deck. The cable rail system was still in great shape so we saved it, which put some money back in the homeowner's pocket.

The support posts had rotted out from sitting directly in the ground, and the original footings weren't deep enough to meet code. So we dug everything out and started fresh — 42 inches down, per the requirements in our region.

Part 2 coming soon — new concrete footings!

Address

Saint Paul, MN

Website

http://morningshadowbuilders.com/

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