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ANOKA COUNTY, MINNESOTA
Exterior cleaning and care in Ham Lake, MN
Our home base and the shortest drive on our route, with every service shaped by Ham Lake's wells, oaks and lakes.
Glass House cleans windows, washes siding, roofs, decks and concrete, clears gutters, removes iron, hard water and other stains, and installs roofline holiday lighting each winter. Each service page below is written for Ham Lake homes and explains the local conditions that change how the work is done.
Every Ham Lake home draws its water from a private well, and most sit under oaks or near Coon Lake, Lake Netta or Ham Lake itself. Well water stains siding and spots glass, while shade and humidity feed algae. Every quote is confirmed with a quick walk-around, so the method suits the home.
OWNER-OPERATED
Carson Brenny quotes your home, does the work himself and walks the finished job with you before it is called done.
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Insured to $2M
Owner-operated
Right here in Ham Lake
ABOUT HAM LAKE
What shapes exterior care in Ham Lake
WATER
Private wells at every home
Ham Lake has no city water system. Every property runs on its own well, on a lot of at least an acre, so sprinklers spray groundwater exactly as it comes out of the ground. Minnesota groundwater commonly carries dissolved iron and hardness minerals, and no plant removes them here. When the spray dries, the minerals stay: iron rusts into orange stains on siding and concrete, and calcium dries into white spots on glass.
TREES
Oak country, with a no-cut season
Ham Lake protects its oaks with a no-cut period from April 1 through July 15 to slow oak wilt. Oak shade keeps roofs and siding damp, feeding algae, moss and lichen, and leaves, catkins and acorns pack gutters. Wet debris left on a roof holds moisture against the shingles. A soft wash, matched to each surface and applied at low pressure, kills that growth; on roofs, the rain often does the rinsing.
LAKES
Coon Lake, Lake Netta, Ham Lake
Coon Lake reaches into Ham Lake, Lake Netta sits in the north end, and Ham Lake itself lies east of Highway 65. Air near water stays humid, so roofs, siding and decks dry slowly after rain and morning dew. Damp surfaces are where algae, mildew and moss take hold, usually on the shaded north side first. Lake homes are a large part of our work, and we recommend a house wash at least once a year.
HOMES
A median home built in 1994
The median Ham Lake home was built in 1994, and about 45% date from the 1990s and 2000s. After three decades of sun, the surface of vinyl siding, painted trim and gutters breaks down into a chalky film called oxidation. Rain running over it leaves streaks, and the rougher surface gives dirt and algae more to hold on to. A wash removes what sits on the siding, but oxidation is the siding itself, so it needs its own removal step.
Sources: City of Ham Lake, History of Ham Lake; Minnesota DNR, Blaine-Ham Lake well interference fact sheet (2023); City of Ham Lake, Oak Wilt (Parks and Forestry); Minnesota DNR lake pages (Coon Lake, Ham Lake); City of Ham Lake, History; Anoka County, Bunker Hills master plan (2017); Point2Homes, Ham Lake demographics (U.S. Census ACS 2019-2023).
LIVING ON WELL WATER
How well water stains a house, and what helps
Well water brings iron, manganese and calcium from the ground to your siding and glass. Here is how each one stains, why the usual household fix backfires, and how we clean with the same water.
Two stains from the same water
Iron and manganese oxidize into orange and brown streaks on siding, brick and concrete, and calcium dries into white spots on glass. The iron is invisible while it is dissolved and turns to rust once the water meets air on a porous surface, which is why a sprinkler stain traces the arc of the head. Same water, two problems, and two different treatments.
Why bleach makes rust worse
Bleach is the usual first instinct, and on rust it is the wrong one. Bleach is an oxidizer: on rust, it oxidizes the iron further and sets the stain. Iron comes out with acid-based chemistry that dissolves it or binds it into a form that rinses away. Acid and bleach must never meet, mixed or one after the other without a full rinse, because together they make chlorine gas.
What prevents most of it
Aim every sprinkler head at the grass, never the house, and keep hose spray off siding and glass. With no city watering schedule, sprinklers run whenever they are set to, so where they point matters more here than almost anywhere. A head that still reaches the house will bring the stain back. Where it matters most, filters on the outside spigots can remove the minerals before the water leaves the house.
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 (parts per million of dissolved minerals). Water with nothing in it cannot spot as it dries. Well water wears the filters out faster, so on well-water homes we check the meter partway through the job, and the filter resin is replaced before the next job once a reading reaches 15 PPM.
THROUGH THE YEAR
A year of home care in Ham Lake
SPRING
Clear the winter
Pollen and winter film come off the glass, and spring gutter cleaning clears seeds and catkins. Trim branches back so the roof dries faster, but leave oaks until the no-cut period ends.
SUMMER
Watch the sprinklers
Ham Lake has no city watering schedule, so sprinklers run whenever they are set to. Aim the heads at the lawn, and treat new stains early, 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, which melts the ice rather than chipping it. Roofline holiday lighting installs begin November 1, with takedown and storage included.
HAM LAKE QUESTIONS
Questions from Ham Lake homeowners
Do you serve all of Ham Lake?
Glass House serves every neighborhood in Ham Lake, with no trip fee. The business is based in Ham Lake, so it is the shortest drive on our route. Lake lots are a regular part of the work, and a home on Coon Lake, Lake Netta or Ham Lake itself costs the same as any other.
Can you clean my windows with well 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. Well water wears the filters out faster, so on well-water homes we check the meter partway through the job. Please make sure the spigot is turned on and easy to reach.
Why are there orange stains under my windows?
Orange stains under windows are usually iron, carried by sprinkler or hose water and left behind when the water dries. Ham Lake has no city treatment plant, so nothing removes the iron from well water before a sprinkler puts it on your siding. It comes off with an iron-specific, acid-based treatment, never bleach, which sets the stain. The sooner it is treated, the better it comes out, because iron left in place bonds to the surface.
How often should a house in Ham Lake be washed?
Most homes in Ham Lake should be washed every year or two. Homes near Coon Lake, Lake Netta or Ham Lake, and homes on shaded lots, should be washed every year, because growth returns 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?
To request a quote, 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 on call with steam only, and interior window cleaning remains available.
Who does the work?
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 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
Based in Ham Lake, where Carson grew up
Glass House is owned and run by Carson Brenny, who grew up in Ham Lake, where the business is based. He has worked full-time in exterior cleaning since 2020, with no crews, subcontractors or handoffs. On every Ham Lake job, he quotes the work, does it himself and walks the finished home with the customer.
Every Ham Lake home runs on its own well, sits on at least an acre and usually has oaks, a lake or a wetland close by. Those are the reasons siding stains, roofs streak and glass spots here. Carson uses the gentlest method that works and explains what is causing what, because 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
