About

About The

MSP Home Tour

The MSP Home Tour is a free self guided tour of remodeled homes in the Twin Cities Metro area that brings together thousands of home enthusiasts for a weekend of exploring and sharing home remodeling ideas from homes of all vintages.

Celebrating Remodeled Homes

The MSP Home Tour celebrates remodeled homes that have been lovingly remodeled by their owners, often with the help of a professional. The tour invites you inside the homes of real people to not only be inspired, but also to get to know the neighborhoods and communities that make up our vibrant metro area.

Special emphasis is made to highlight those homes that have sustainability improvements impacting energy consumption, water use, thermal comfort, energy production, and occupant health. We also highlight historical projects, accessibility projects, and so much more! Projects range from small to large, from budget conscious to luxury.

Homeowners play a pivotal role in the MSP Home Tour, and are typically present for the tour and available to talk about their experience, inspiration, and motivation.

Education-Focused

Education is another distinguishing feature of the MSP Home Tour. Powered by the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI), Topic Talks (seminars and workshops) take place at a variety of locations over the two day tour, where professionals share their knowledge of remodeling, design, and architecture with the community.

The 2024 Home Tour will take place from 04/27/2024 - 04/28/2024

Saturday, April 27, 2024 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 28, 2024 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Home Tour FAQs

The MSP Home Tour is a tour of remodeled homes in the Twin Cities Metro area within the I-494/694 loop. This tour brings together thousands of home enthusiasts for a weekend of exploring and sharing home remodeling ideas from homes of all vintages.
The MSP Home Tour celebrates remodeled homes that have been lovingly remodeled by their owners, often with the help of a professional. The tour invites you inside the homes of real people to not only be inspired, but also to get to know the neighborhoods and communities that make up our vibrant metro area.

Special emphasis is made to highlight those homes that have sustainability improvements impacting energy consumption, water use, thermal comfort, energy production, and occupant health. We also highlight historical projects, accessibility projects, and so much more! Projects range from small to large, from budget conscious to luxury. 

Homeowners play a pivotal role in the MSP Home Tour, and are typically present for the tour and available to talk about their experience, inspiration, and motivation.

Education is another distinguishing feature of the MSP Home Tour. The National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) of Minnesota will provide topic talks that take place at a variety of locations over the two day tour, where professionals share their knowledge of remodeling, design, and architecture with the community.

The Home Tour will take place Saturday, April 27 & Sunday, April 28, 2024. 

The home tour takes place regardless of weather conditions.

The home tour is a free, self-guided event.

There are a few ways to get started. Explore the homes on our website by location or project type. You can create a list of the homes you wish to tour and save it to your device of choice. You can also download the entire guidebook which also contains articles and additional resources. The Guide will be mailed to homes across the metro area, distributed at many of the libraries in both Hennepin and Ramsey County, and available at some NARI member showrooms. Each home on the tour will have copies of the Guide during the tour. Contact the office if you would like a copy sent to you. 

Look for Home Tour signs at major intersections directing you to the homes, and enjoy!

Some homes will be designated Education Locations where topic talks from our remodeler and design professionals will be held.

Remember, you are in someone’s home, so please be on your best behavior and remember not everyone shares the same tastes or aesthetic.

The tour features a variety of homes in neighborhoods in Minneapolis, Saint Paul, and cities within the I-494/694 loop. Homes on the tour are chosen to reflect quality, variety and history of housing and living styles of primarily the 19th and 20th centuries. By popular demand, the focus is on remodeling and expansion of existing, occupied homes…from a single room such as a kitchen or bath, to a multi-story addition or entire home renovation.

Homes on the MSP Home Tour are not for sale. If you’re exploring a move, the tour is a great way to get a sense of the neighborhoods.

The Tour encourages real estate professionals with listings nearby tour locations to have their listings open during the tour. 

Printed Guides are available at most metro area libraries and at many showrooms of NARI of MN members. Or get one at the first home you visit, based on what you find on this website.

The home tour is presented in partnership with the National Association of the Remodeling Industry of Minnesota. The Tour’s many sponsors include contractors, designers, architects, manufacturers, material showrooms, neighborhood associations, and the cities themselves. If you’re interested in becoming a sponsor, click here.

The tour started in the late 1980s as a program of the City of Minneapolis, joined by the City of St. Paul a year later. The Minneapolis Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP), created in 1990 to revitalize the neighborhoods of Minneapolis and make them better places to live, work, learn and play became a major sponsor of the Home Tour in 1992 and provided funding and staff support.

Neighborhood organizations used their NRP monies for various programs to help renovate homes and complete other community improvement projects, and the MSP Home Tour served as a showcase for these projects and the neighborhoods. It was natural for NRP to take over leading the tour from 2003 to 2011, evolving it from being supported mostly by governments and non-profit agencies, to a Minneapolis and Saint Paul public/private partnership focused on showcasing homeowners and neighborhoods.

As NRP ended its operations as a multi-jurisdictional partnership and neighborhood revitalization program, it looked for an organization that could continue the Home Tour in the spirit and traditions of the previous 24 years. It selected Pro Media Inc. to perform the coordination function because of the experience, commitment, knowledge and enthusiasm of its owners and staff. In 2021 Pro Media transferred care and custody of the tour to the National Association of the Remodeling Industry of MN (NARI MN). 

Home Submission FAQs

We're curating a collection of stories. Among the types of projects we are looking for:

Life stage adaptations or construction. Example: Enlarging to accommodate growing families, or making handicapped-accessible. Most homes, even if one room is featured, have at least the main level open to view.

Live/work spaces — home office configurations and artist spaces. Second-story additions and basement or attic finishing have had much interest on recent tours, whether for live/work or just more livable space.

Universal Design, landscaping, and tiny houses, categories less common, but requested.

Homes within easy walking or driving distance of each other. Visitors and homeowners benefit when homes are clustered.

“Cool factor,” or the draw of the unusual. Examples might include architect-designed in an unusual setting, using non-traditional materials, using traditional materials in an untraditional way, hidden doors, portals to other dimensions, etc.

Budget driven Remodeling and Design: Ultra-Creative solutions that won’t break the bank. Repurposing found objects, artistic and creative solutions done well.

Preservation, Historic, and Blending in: Restoration and preservation true to the era of the home, as well as remodeling that honors the scale and rhythm of the surrounding neighborhood.

Garages and accessory dwelling units.  Garages with special purposes - living, hobby or work, ADUs in the main structure or free-standing.

LEED, GreenStar, Living Building Challenge, Pretty Good House, GreenPath and other approaches that spark discussion of environmentally-friendly remodeling.

Homeowners have found the tour to be a very rewarding and enjoyable experience. Many have met neighbors or other home enthusiasts and gained useful ideas as a result of having visited homes on the tour and have a desire to “give back.” Individuals who have remodeled their homes and have learned valuable lessons from the professionals who have guided them are eager to “pay it forward.” By promoting their neighborhoods and cities, owners help strengthen their neighborhoods and attract residents who help build and maintain healthy, vibrant communities. Homeowners who have experienced the process of remodeling appreciate the positive comments offered by visitors and love sharing the knowledge they have gained. 

No and no. This tour embraces the spirit of Real Homes, Real People, Real Ideas. It’s just as “real” to have concentrated on just one room at a time, as it is to have done the whole house. Typically one entire floor of the home is held open, even if one room such as the kitchen is the focus.

Pricing by Entry Type starting at;

  • $0 - Individual Homeowner Listing
  • $700 - Non-Profit/Community Listing
  • $1,800 - NARI MN Member Listing
  • $2,400 - General Admission Listing

Individual Homeowner Listing;

There is no charge for homeowners on the Tour, and homeowners will not receive money for having a home on the tour, although many participants say it provides the incentive they’ve needed to get projects finished or the house cleaned!

The Minneapolis & Saint Paul Home Tour’s theme involves homeowners being present as much as possible. We do understand that a parent may need to focus on being with children elsewhere during the tour. Health or other circumstances are considered. Those homes not involving professionals (and some that do) often rely on family, friends, and neighborhood boosters to help staff the homes during the tour as needed for added support.

Go to the “Submit my Home” button to enter information about your home and upload before and after photos of the work. We will review the project and notify you if it is selected and send you a link to complete the submission process. There is no entry fee for homeowners submitting their own work unless you are in the Architecture, Design, or Remodeling industry. (If you are an industry professional, see below.)  If you have any questions along the way or are unsure of if your home is a good fit, contact us at  [email protected] 

Go to the “Submit my Home” button to enter information about your home and upload before and after photos of the work. We will review the project and notify you if it is selected and send you a link to complete the submission process. Entry fees are not due until you have completed the second half of the submission process. If you have any questions along the way or are unsure of if your home is a good fit, contact us at [email protected] 

No. We are a tour that embraces the entire industry, and encourages participation by members of all the adjacent organizations and industries to participate. Every year we have a great mix of AIA, ASID, NARI, and other professional organization’s members participate. We also have participants who are not a member of any organization, including community driven organizations/submissions.

The deadline for all nominations is 01/17/2024

Once approved the deadline for fee payments is 02/07/2024

While these are the deadlines, we encourage and welcome submissions at any time during the year. The earlier the better! Email [email protected]

Sponsor & Volunteer FAQs

The tour is professionally organized, managed and promoted; we use the resources we gather wisely. All professionals using the tour as a marketing opportunity pay a reasonable entry fee to have a company’s name mentioned in the promotional materials of this highly-regarded, accessible tour. 

Professionals help homeowners hold the homes open, have their promotional literature and signage at the homes, and gather leads in a no-pressure, informational setting. 

Financial institutions, real estate professionals, development initiatives and other housing-related concerns are also welcome and encouraged to use this forum as sponsors.

The early bird deadline is 12/15/2023

Generally, homeowners are supported by their families, friends, and professionals who worked on their homes. But occasionally, a greeter is needed. Email [email protected] if interested.

NARI is the acronym for National Association of the Remodeling Industry. NARI is a national organization dedicated to elevating the remodeling industry. NARI contractors agree to abide by a Code of Ethics and are remodelers you can trust. NARI's Minnesota Chapter is powering the MSP Home Tour. You can learn more about the organization here: narimn.org

Sign up for information about homes on the tour, homeowner tips and more.

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