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WINTER SERVICES
Winter services for Ham Lake and the north metro
When the spigots shut off, the work changes rather than stops: roofline lighting and steam-only ice dam removal continue through the cold.
Exterior cleaning runs March 1 through November 15. After that, outside spigots are winterized and washing stops, because water on a cold surface turns to ice. Two services continue through the cold: roofline holiday lighting, the one service that needs no water, and steam-only ice dam removal, available on call.
North metro winters bring ice at the eaves and long, dark evenings. This page explains which service fits what you are seeing, what each one does and does not do, and why a fall gutter cleaning before the hard freeze matters once winter arrives.
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LIGHTING INSTALLS START NOVEMBER 1
Cleaning runs through November 15, so the first two weeks of November cover both, and either can be booked.
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Insured to $2M
Owner-operated
Based in Ham Lake
ROOFLINE HOLIDAY LIGHTING
The one service that needs no water
Every other service we offer runs on water. Lighting does not, which is why it is our winter work once the spigots are off, and it is full service from start to finish.
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Rooflines, and only rooflines
Glass House lights rooflines. We do not light trees, bushes or decor beyond the roofline. Keeping to one kind of install is how every home receives the same standard, and it is why we do not make exceptions. If you ask about more, we will quote your roofline.
Warm white C9s, cut to fit
Deluxe C9 bulbs in warm white, with every run custom cut to your roofline's measurements so the finished line looks clean instead of draped. One color is a deliberate choice: it keeps quality high, rates competitive and warranty parts in stock.
Looked after all season
On a three-year contract, if a bulb goes out, an exterior outlet trips or a timer is reset, we come out and fix it free within 48 hours. Extra bulbs and timers are kept in stock, so the promise is a real one rather than a scheduling problem.
One year or three
A one-year contract is a lease at full price, with no warranty. A three-year contract saves 15%, locks that rate for all three seasons, and adds the Season-Long Warranty and off-season storage. Same lights, same work.
The Season-Long Warranty applies to three-year contracts and backs your display all season, including bulb replacement. It does not cover customer-caused damage, faulty outlets, GFCIs or electrical-supply issues.
HOW LIGHTING WORKS
From consultation to storage
Lighting is booked from early fall, and installs start November 1. This is what happens after you reach out.
01
Consultation
Carson walks the roofline with you, measures it and talks through what you would like. That measurement is what your quote is built on, so nothing is priced from a guess, and the exact price is confirmed for your home.
WHY THERE IS A DEPOSIT
Holiday lighting takes a 50% deposit each season, because your lights are custom cut and ordered for your roofline before they are installed. The deposit is applied to your final invoice.
02
A mockup before anything is cut
You see a mockup of the lights on your home first. Any changes happen at this stage, before a single run is cut, so everyone agrees on the finished look before the lights are ordered.
03
Pick your install week
You choose the week that suits you, from November 1 on. Your lights are cut to your roofline's measurements ahead of time, so they are ready to hang on install day.
04
Install and set the timer
Every run is hung and the timer is set before we leave. From then on, the lights come on and go off by themselves, and no one in your household needs to climb a ladder.
05
Takedown and storage
Takedown in spring is included. On a three-year contract we store your lights through the off season and hang them again the next year, at the same locked rate.
WHEN THE SEASON TURNS
Four numbers that shape a north metro winter
A few dates decide what Glass House can do for your home once the weather turns cold.
Oct 19
is the median date of the first 28°F night in the Twin Cities, measured at MSP. Gutters should be clear before wet leaves freeze into a solid plug.
Nov 1
Holiday lighting installs begin. Lighting is booked from early fall, and you choose your install week.
Nov 15
is the last day of exterior cleaning. Spigots are winterized, and washing waits until March 1.
15%
saved on a three-year holiday lighting contract, with that rate locked for all three seasons.
Sources: Minnesota DNR State Climatology Office, Twin Cities median frost dates; Glass House service calendar and holiday lighting terms.
START HERE
Match what you see to the right service
Start with what you see on the roofline. This is how winter problems usually sort out, and which service fits each one.
WHAT YOU SEE
WHAT IT USUALLY MEANS
WHERE TO START
A dark roofline you would like lit
You want the lights without the ladder, the tangles or the storage
Roofline Holiday Lighting
A thick ridge of ice along the eaves
An ice dam holding meltwater on the roof
Steam-Only Ice Dam Removal
Water spots on a ceiling near an outside wall
Can be meltwater backing up behind an ice dam
Ice dam removal for the ice. The cause, often insulation or ventilation, needs its own fix
Gutters packed with leaves in late fall
A plug waiting to freeze
Fall gutter cleaning, before the first hard freeze
Gutters frozen solid in midwinter
Debris and ice locked together at the eave
Winter gutter clearing, included with ice dam removal
Trees, bushes or other decor to light
Lighting beyond the roofline
Not a service we offer. We light rooflines only
Dirty windows after the season ends
Exterior washing stops once it freezes
Ask about interior window cleaning in the off season
Heat cables, loose gutters or roof damage
Repair or electrical work
Outside our work. Glass House is not a repair, roofing or electrical service
STEAM-ONLY ICE DAM REMOVAL
Ice off the eaves, with steam only
Snow melts higher on the roof, runs down to the colder edge and freezes again. Over repeated cycles, that builds a ridge of ice that holds meltwater behind it, where it can work its way under the shingles.
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Steam only, never chopping
We remove active roof-edge ice, and the meltwater backed up behind it, with steam only. The ice is melted off rather than broken off, at a pressure that cannot harm the roof. Chopping, chiseling and pressure are how roofs and gutters are damaged in winter.
Winter gutter clearing included
Frozen gutters give meltwater nowhere to go, so clearing them is part of the process. Winter gutter clearing is included with ice dam removal rather than added on, so the water has a path off the roof once the ice is gone.
Quoted after a look
Roof conditions, access and the amount of ice vary too much to price without seeing them, so ice dam removal is always quoted for your home. It is an on-call winter service, and if a roof is not safe to work that day, we will tell you plainly.
What removal will not do
It clears the ice and backed-up water you have now. It does not prevent future ice dams unless a written prevention agreement is included, and it does not correct the roof, insulation or ventilation conditions that often cause them.
BEFORE THE FREEZE
Fall gutter cleaning, before the hard freeze
A gutter cleared in the fall goes into winter able to drain, instead of frozen around a load of wet leaves.
After the leaves, before the freeze
The right window for fall gutter cleaning is after the leaves are down and before the first hard freeze. That window closes earlier in some years than others, so it pays to get on the calendar early rather than wait for the last leaves to fall.
How a plug becomes a dam
A gutter full of wet debris freezes into a solid plug. Meltwater then backs up under the shingles at the eave and refreezes, and a gutter problem becomes a roof and ceiling problem. Fall cleaning removes that plug, although it does not stop ice dams on its own.
Oak country fills gutters
Blaine calls oaks its most plentiful neighborhood shade tree, and bur oak and northern pin oak are the most common oaks across the Anoka Sand Plain. That means a heavy load of leaves heads for north metro gutters every fall.
Book before November 15
Our exterior season ends November 15. Tell us when your trees usually finish dropping, and we will plan your date around them so your gutters go into winter clear, with the debris bagged and hauled away.
Sources: City of Blaine, Oak Wilt; Minnesota DNR, Anoka Sand Plain ecological subsection.
THE GLASS HOUSE YEAR
What we do, season by season
SPRING
The season opens March 1
Exterior cleaning starts again. Winter's salt spray, sand and road film come off, and pollen follows soon after, which makes spring the natural start of the year.
SUMMER
The full range
Windows, house and roof washing, decks, concrete and stain work. Every exterior service is available, and in the heat, surfaces are pre-wet and cleaned in sections.
FALL
Gutters, then lights
Gutters are cleared after the leaves drop and before the hard freeze. Cleaning runs through November 15, and lighting installs begin November 1.
WINTER
Lights and ice
Spigots are winterized, so washing stops. Holiday lighting and steam ice dam removal carry on, and interior window cleaning is well suited to the off season.
Weather reschedules are always free and never count as a cancellation, in winter or in summer.
HOW PRICING WORKS
Lighting has a range. The rest is quoted.
YOUR WINTER SERVICES, AT A GLANCE
QUOTE FIRST
Roofline Holiday Lighting
$510–$1,200
Three-year contract: 15% off, rate locked, warranty and storage included
Steam-only ice dam removal
Quoted
Winter gutter clearing included, priced after Carson sees the roof and access
Fall gutter cleaning
From $225
Before the first hard freeze, with debris bagged and hauled away
Weather reschedules
Always free
When it is too icy, windy or wet to work safely, we move the date
Deluxe Holiday Lighting, three-year contract
$510–$1,200
Deluxe Holiday Lighting typically runs $510–$1,200 for our full service on a three-year contract, warranty and storage included. Every home is different, so Carson confirms the exact price for yours.
Service Plan members take 25% off instead of the three-year 15%.
Ice dam removal is quoted for the roof, the ice and the access, after Carson sees them.
WAYS TO SAVE
Three-year lighting contract
15% off, rate locked for three seasons
Service Plan members
25% off any other work, holiday lighting included
Preferred day
Another 5% off on top of any other saving, up to 25% in all
Veterans
10% off any service
Seniors 65 and older
$50 off
Same-day neighbors
15% off for both households
Three projects together
10% off
Discounts don't combine — you receive whichever single saving is largest. Then a Preferred day can take another 5% off, up to 25% in all (Service Plan members aren't capped).
This season’s flash sale is shown at the foot of every page.
GUARANTEES
What backs the work, word for word
These are printed word for word on your quote, your work order and your invoice.
ON: HOLIDAY LIGHTING
Season-Long Warranty
On our three-year contracts, your display is backed all season — including seasonal bulb replacement if bulbs go out. (Excludes customer-caused damage, faulty outlets, GFCIs, or electrical-supply issues.)
ON: HOLIDAY LIGHTING, ICE DAM REMOVAL AND EVERY QUOTE
Workmanship Standard
If we miss an area or leave normal cleanable residue, tell us and we'll re-clean or touch it up. Our guarantees cover the cleaning result — not repairs, replacements, permanent stains, or conditions that can't be safely corrected through cleaning.
WHAT IS INCLUDED
What our winter services include and exclude
Two services continue through the cold. This is where each one starts and stops.
INCLUDED
Holiday lighting and ice dam removal
• Lighting: consultation, mockup and custom-cut warm white C9s
• Lighting: install, timer, takedown and storage
• Ice dams: steam removal of the dam and backed-up ice
• Ice dams: winter gutter clearing, included
• Photos of any damage we notice
NOT INCLUDED
Outside our winter services
• Chopping, chiseling or pressure on ice, at any time
• Roof, insulation or ventilation fixes behind ice dams
• Outlet, GFCI or wiring repair
• Trees, bushes or decor beyond the roofline
• Colors other than warm white
EQUIPMENT AND METHODS
Steam for ice, C9s for the roofline
Ice dams are removed with a dedicated ice dam steamer, which melts the ice at a pressure that cannot harm shingles or gutters. Lighting uses deluxe warm white C9 bulbs cut to your roofline's measured runs, with the timer set at install and spare bulbs and timers kept on hand.
SAFETY AND CARE
Winter work, done safely
Winter adds ice, cold and electricity to the job, so both winter services follow their own rules.
THE ROOF EDGE
Damage we see is documented
While working at the roof edge, Carson documents any damage he notices on the roof, gutters or fascia and shows it to you. Most homeowners never see their own roof edge in winter, so every visit also serves as a second set of eyes.
LADDERS
Standoffs and steady footing
Every ladder carries padded standoffs, so a gutter never takes the ladder's weight, and levelers for uneven or frozen ground. Ladders are set at a 4 to 1 angle, and winter footing is checked before anyone climbs.
ON THE ROOF
Traction and a harness
On the roof, Carson wears roofing-specific traction footwear and uses a harness when conditions call for it, and no one walks on wet or icy shingles. A roof too steep or too wet to stand on is work we stop for, and the date is moved.
LIGHTING
Clear limits on electrical
Lights are custom cut to your roofline and set on a timer. We do not inspect or repair outlets or wiring; Glass House is not an electrical service, and anything electrical belongs with a licensed electrician.
THE OWNER
Why Carson keeps working through the cold
Glass House is owned and run by Carson Brenny. He grew up in Ham Lake, went to Blaine High School and has worked full-time in exterior cleaning since 2020. He installs every roofline and steams every ice dam himself, with no crews and no subcontractors.
Minnesota winters are long, and a home is where a family spends most of them. An ice dam leaking into a ceiling in January is the last thing a household needs, and a dark roofline makes a long season feel longer. When the spigots shut off, Carson turns to steam and roofline lighting.
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
✓
Steam-only ice dam removal
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Custom-cut warm white C9 rooflines
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Takedown and storage included with lighting
WHERE WE WORK
Winter services across the north metro
Glass House is based in Ham Lake and hangs lights, clears ice dams and cleans gutters throughout Anoka County and the Twin Cities north metro.
Each city page lists every service we offer there. The surrounding north metro is served as well, and we travel farther for a small trip fee.
WINTER QUESTIONS
Winter services FAQ
Do you work through the winter?
Yes. Exterior cleaning runs March 1 through November 15, and once outside spigots are winterized, washing stops. Roofline holiday lighting installs start November 1 and continue through the cold, since lighting is the one service that needs no water, and steam-only ice dam removal is available on call whenever ice builds at the eaves.
Why do you stop washing in winter?
Water on a surface in freezing weather turns to ice, and nothing comes clean. We also plumb into your outside spigot for every wash, and by then most spigots are winterized and shut off at a valve inside the house. Washing resumes March 1, and interior window cleaning remains available in the off season.
Can I choose a color, or have you light my trees?
No. Glass House lights rooflines only, with deluxe warm white C9 bulbs custom cut to fit, and does not light trees, bushes or decor beyond the roofline. One color and one kind of install is how we keep quality high, rates competitive and warranty parts in stock, and we are glad to quote your roofline.
What is the difference between the one-year and three-year contracts?
Same lights, same work. One year is a lease at full price with no warranty, and the lights come back to us after the season. Three years saves 15%, locks the rate for all three seasons, and includes the Season-Long Warranty and off-season storage, so your lights go back up the next year.
Will ice dam removal keep ice dams from coming back?
No. Steam removal clears the ice and the backed-up meltwater you have now. It does not prevent future ice dams unless a written prevention agreement is included, and it does not correct the roof, insulation or ventilation conditions that often cause them. Those conditions are a conversation for an insulation contractor or a roofer.
Why steam instead of chopping the ice?
Chopping, chiseling and pressure can crack shingles and damage gutters, which turns an ice problem into a roof repair. Steam melts the ice off rather than breaking it off, at a pressure that cannot harm the roof, and winter gutter clearing is included so the meltwater has somewhere to drain.
When should my gutters be cleaned before winter?
After the leaves are down and before the first hard freeze. A gutter full of wet debris freezes into a solid plug, and meltwater can then back up under the shingles at the eave and refreeze. Our exterior season ends November 15, so it is best to book early and plan the date around when your trees finish dropping.
Do you check my outdoor outlets?
No. Glass House is not an electrical service, and we do not inspect or certify outlets or wiring. The lighting warranty does not cover faulty outlets, GFCIs or electrical-supply issues, so have a licensed electrician check any exterior outlet you are unsure of before the lights go up.
Fully insured to $2M
Owner-operated
Locally owned in Ham Lake
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