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ANOKA COUNTY, MINNESOTA
Exterior cleaning and care in Circle Pines, MN
Owner-operated from Ham Lake, with every service matched to Circle Pines water, mature shade and older homes.
Glass House cleans windows, washes siding, roofs, decks and concrete, clears gutters, and removes iron stains, hard water spots and oxidation, the chalky film on aging siding. In winter, the work turns to roofline holiday lighting and steam ice dam removal. Each service below has its own page for Circle Pines.
Local conditions shape every job. Circle Pines water is very hard, oaks and elms shade roofs and walls, and many homes date from the 1950s, with older paint and trim that call for a gentle, low-pressure wash. Every quote is confirmed with a quick walk-around before work begins.
OWNER-OPERATED
Carson Brenny quotes your home, does the work himself and walks the finished job with you before it is called done.
★ Rated 4.9 on Google · 44 reviews
Insured to $2M
Owner-operated
Based in Ham Lake
ABOUT CIRCLE PINES
Four local conditions that shape Circle Pines homes
WATER
About 310 PPM of hardness
Circle Pines water, supplied by Centennial Utilities from two wells, runs about 310 PPM (parts per million) of hardness, well past the 180 PPM mark the USGS calls very hard. When sprinkler or hose water evaporates, calcium and other minerals stay behind as white spots and film on glass and siding. Deposits left through a few summers bond to the glass and become much harder to remove, which is why our own rinse water is filtered to 0 PPM.
TREES
Oaks and elms across the city
Circle Pines describes oaks and elms scattered across its two square miles, and it contracted for emerald ash borer management in 2018. Mature shade keeps north walls and roofs damp long after rain and dew, which is where algae, mildew and moss take hold. Oak and elm leaves also settle in gutters and on roofs and hold moisture against them, so we clear gutters by hand and flush them to confirm they drain.
WATER NEARBY
Golden Lake and Rice Creek
Golden Lake Park has a public beach and fishing pier, and Rice Creek runs through the natural areas on the south and east sides of town. Air near the lake and the creek stays humid, so roofs, siding and decks dry slowly after rain and dew, and algae, mildew and moss take hold, usually on the shaded north side. A soft wash, which cleans with chemistry at 50 to 300 psi, kills that growth at the root.
HOMES
Many homes from the 1950s
The median Circle Pines home was built in 1981, and about 27.5% date from the 1950s. Older homes bring storm windows, painted trim and aging finishes. Decades of sun chalk and thin old paint, and high pressure can lift it or force water behind aging trim. These homes receive a gentle, low-pressure wash that starts with the lightest mix each surface will take, and where paint is already failing, we point it out first.
Sources: Centennial Utilities, Water; Circle Pines 2025 Drinking Water Report; USGS, Hardness of Water; City of Circle Pines, About; Quad Community Press (2018); Point2Homes, Circle Pines demographics (U.S. Census ACS 2019-2023).
CIRCLE PINES WATER
What Circle Pines water does to a house
Water this hard leaves minerals behind on anything it dries on, from glass to siding. Here is what each mark is, why the usual household fix makes one worse, and what prevents most of it.
Two stains from the same water
Iron and manganese oxidize into orange and brown streaks on siding, brick and concrete, while calcium and other dissolved minerals dry into white spots on glass. Each needs its own treatment: acid-based chemistry for the metal stains, and hard water stain removal on the glass once a normal cleaning shows how deep the spots go. Both bond to the surface over time, so the sooner either is treated, the better it comes out.
Why bleach makes rust worse
Bleach is the usual household fix, and on rust it backfires. Bleach is an oxidizer, and rust is iron that has already oxidized, so bleach oxidizes the iron further and sets the stain. Iron comes out with acid-based chemistry, applied in protective gear and worked gently with soft bristles. Acid and bleach must never meet, because together they make chlorine gas, which is why rust is not a job to attempt after washing your own siding.
What prevents most of it
Most of this staining starts at a sprinkler head, and the stain usually traces the arc of its spray. Aim every head at the grass, never the house, and keep hose spray off siding and glass. Water at about 310 PPM leaves minerals every time it dries, so a head that reaches the house leaves more behind with every cycle. If a head still reaches the wall after treatment, the marks return.
How we clean with your water
We connect to your outside spigot and run the water through reverse osmosis, carbon and deionization filters in our van until it reads 0 PPM. With nothing dissolved in it, the rinse water dries on glass without spotting. Hard water wears the filters out faster, so we check the meter during the job, and once a reading reaches 15 PPM, the resin is replaced before the next job. Please leave the spigot on and reachable.
THROUGH THE YEAR
A year of home care in Circle Pines
SPRING
Clear the winter
Winter film and pollen come off the glass, and spring gutter cleaning clears seeds and catkins. Branches trimmed back from the roof let it dry faster, which slows algae and moss.
SUMMER
Watch the sprinklers
Odd/even sprinkling runs June 1 through August 31, with none from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on city water. Aim the heads at the lawn, and treat new stains before they bond.
FALL
Gutters before the freeze
Gutters are cleaned once the leaves are down and before the first hard freeze, so wet debris does not freeze in place. Exterior cleaning wraps up November 15.
WINTER
Ice dams and lights
When storms create ice dams, they are removed with steam only, melting the ice rather than chipping it. Roofline holiday lighting installs begin November 1, with takedown and storage included.
CIRCLE PINES QUESTIONS
Questions from Circle Pines homeowners
Do you serve all of Circle Pines?
Yes, every neighborhood in Circle Pines, with no trip fee. Glass House is based in Ham Lake, and Circle Pines is part of its regular north metro service area. Carson Brenny, the owner, quotes every Circle Pines home himself, does the work and walks the finished job with you before he leaves.
Can you clean my windows with Circle Pines water?
Yes. We connect to your outside spigot and run the water through reverse osmosis, carbon and deionization filters in our van until it reads 0 PPM, meaning no dissolved minerals are left to spot the glass. Circle Pines water is very hard and wears the filters out faster, so we check the meter during the job. Please make sure the spigot is turned on and easy to reach.
Why are there orange stains under my windows?
Usually iron. It can come from lawn fertilizer, which often contains iron, from metal furniture, planters or grills left in one spot, or from sprinkler water drawn from a private well. White spots on glass are a separate problem: calcium and other minerals left by water at about 310 PPM of hardness. Orange staining takes an iron-specific, acid-based treatment, never bleach, which sets the stain. The sooner it is treated, the better it comes out.
How often should I have my Circle Pines house washed?
Every year or two for most homes. Homes near Golden Lake or Rice Creek, and homes on shaded lots, should be washed every year, because algae and mildew return faster where siding stays damp. Aiming sprinklers away from the house and trimming shrubs a foot or two back from the walls help the siding dry and slow the return.
How do quotes work?
Send a photo or book a walk-around. Every online quote is verified in person with a quick walk-around before the work starts, so Carson can confirm the surfaces and choose the right mix for each one. You will have the exact price before any work begins, and if anything needs attention, he explains it and works out a plan with you first.
When is your season?
Exterior cleaning runs March 1 through November 15. Roofline holiday lighting installs begin November 1, so both can be booked in the first half of November. Through the winter, ice dams are removed with steam only, whenever storms create them, and interior window cleaning remains available.
Who will do the work on my home?
Carson Brenny, the owner, does every job himself. Glass House is owner-operated, with no crews or subcontractors, and is insured to $2M. The person who quotes your Circle Pines home is the person who does the work and walks it with you at the end, so one standard applies from start to finish.
What if the weather turns?
Weather reschedules are always free and never count as a cancellation. We text you the day before with your arrival window, and again when Carson is on the way. For any other change to an appointment, please let us know at least 48 hours in advance, as the service policies explain.
THE OWNER
A careful hand for older Circle Pines homes
Carson Brenny owns Glass House and does the work himself. He has worked full-time in exterior cleaning for six years. Glass House is based in Ham Lake, and Circle Pines is a regular stop on his route. He quotes each home, does the cleaning and walks the result with the homeowner, with no crews or subcontractors in between.
About 27.5% of Circle Pines homes date from the 1950s, and older paint and trim do not tolerate force. Carson starts with the lightest mix each surface will take, washes at low pressure and explains what he sees before he begins, so an older home comes out clean and unharmed. For most families here, the house is their largest investment.
IN CARSON'S WORDS
“It's my neighbors' homes: their biggest investment, one of the places they spend the most time, and where the people they care about most live. It's something everyone should enjoy, and I believe that.”
Carson Brenny, owner
Fully insured to $2M
Owner-operated
Locally owned in Ham Lake
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