Commissioner's building flaws leave Cambridge couple stranded with $100K in repairs
Homebuilding controversy for elected official
A Cambridge couple is left with thousands of dollars of issues in their newly built home. The home was built by a Sherburne County commissioner, and has not addressed the issues.
CAMBRIDGE, Minn. (FOX 9) - A Cambridge couple is watching their new home fall apart and become potentially dangerous, and they can’t get repairs done by the builder, who is a Sherburne County commissioner.
Dream turned nightmare
Cambridge couple stuck with deteriorating house, builder unlicensed
A newly built home in Cambridge is plagued with problems that include its roof, siding, foundation and electrical system. The couple who owned the home and lived in it for a little more than a year says the unlicensed builder is not honoring the warranties. FOX 9's Corin Hoggard has the details.
First new home:
The thought of buying a brand-new home together sent Lexie Alexander and John Danner to their happy place.
"It was a dream come true," Alexander said.
They moved out of an apartment and into their next stage of life in Cambridge in July 2024.
But then the dream came to abrupt end.
"It started on day one," she said.
Right away, they spotted water damage in the basement.
And in the coming months, they noticed little problems piling up: A drywall crack in the living room, a lack of caulking in the bathroom and a stairway rail that came unattached.
The builder addressed some of their concerns, but construction flaws emerged from top to bottom: New cracks formed in the basement, and the ceiling started to stain.
"The water's coming in," Alexander showed us.
Inspection reveals danger
Major problems uncovered:
The couple didn’t pay for an inspection before buying the home because it was new, which is fairly common practice.
They got two before living in it for a year. Inspectors noted a low quality of craftsmanship generally, and some nightmare scenarios.
They recommended a full excavation to waterproof the leaky basement.
Circuit breaks led them to 15-amp electrical circuits likely on 20-amp outlets, which is a fire hazard. They noted poor drip edge installation and a lack of underlayment on parts of the roof, which they say should be replaced.
And the side of the house appears to be coming apart.
"You can see that the siding bevels and bows," Alexander said before moving to another area. "This piece of siding was failing, so they came back and they put some caulking on it and now it's still flapping and failing again."
The cost of the repairs they need really starts to add up. They got a quote on this siding at $29,000. The roof repairs, almost $20,000 more. And then everything they need on the inside of the house takes you up to about $100,000.
"When you buy a house, you don't really think that within a year that you're going to have to get all new roof, all new siding, all new complete excavation around your property to waterproof it," Alexander said. "You just don't think that that's going to happen to you."
State law protects
Unless it doesn't:
Minnesota law is supposed to protect people who buy newly-built homes with a 1-2-10 warranty.
That’s one year for defects and materials; two years for plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling; and 10 years for major structural defects.
"We were specifically looking for new for the one, two, and 10-year warranty," said Alexander. "We just wanted to make sure we had coverage just in case something major went wrong."
But when something major did go wrong, the coverage they thought they had didn’t come through.
The realtor who listed the home and sold it is the same person who built it: Brad Schumacher, owner of Cantlin Lake Properties, former mayor of Princeton, and current Sherburne County commissioner.
"He might be for the people of Sherburne County but he sure wasn't here for us," Alexander said. "He sure left us hanging."
State records show Schumacher was a licensed builder when he pulled a permit to start the home, but the license expired in November 2023, six months before he finished.
He told the Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) he intended to live in the home, which allows him to build while unlicensed. But he said he didn’t move so he could stay in Sherburne County and run for commissioner.
According to the DLI, it’s up to a judge to decide if the 1-2-10 warranty still applies when the builder is unlicensed. But in an email to the couple’s realtor, Schumacher confirmed they had the warranty.
He did address a few of their early issues, but hasn’t communicated with them since they shared inspection reports on June 23.
Contractor confronted
Unlicensed answers:
A FOX 9 reporter asked Schumacher about five major concerns and while he didn’t address them directly, he did send a response.
He said the home passed all inspections, and FOX 9 got the city’s report confirming the building passed even though the builder was unlicensed during most of the inspections.
He said he or his subcontractors addressed issues brought to his attention.
State records show both he and subcontractor Brinwall Exteriors had expired licenses before the work was completed.
But "none of these visits were due to substandard work," Schumacher said. "After the home sustained wind damage (June of 2025) that caused a tree to fall on the roof of the home, numerous attempts at outreach and to speak to Mr. Danner directly to further address his concerns have been refused or ignored."
John Danner is a Marine veteran who bought the home with a VA loan and since they’re not married, Lexie couldn’t be included as co-owner.
But John told us Lexie speaks on his behalf, and he says he told Schumacher as much.
Email and text chains show Schumacher’s last contact with either of them was June 15, after they had complained to the attorney general’s office about him not honoring the warranty.
They were still trying to contact him eight days later.
The attorney general’s office made several attempts to get answers from Schumacher and his attorneys, but have not gotten any. And regarding the claim of damage from a tree, the couple shared photos from before the home was sold showing the tree already touching the roof.
Any recourse?
Advice for homeowners:
Spokespeople from the AG’s office and the DLI tell us they don’t have enforcement power when contractors refuse to honor warranties, except to suspend or revoke licenses.
"It's always no, it's always, nope, can't help you," Alexander said. "Nope, can't help you."
Both agencies recommended the couple hire a private attorney, but the cost is imposing.
And even the state’s Contractor Recovery Fund doesn’t apply for unlicensed contractors, so Lexie and John feel stuck.
"At some point somebody's got to stop and say, ‘This isn't okay. You can't do this to people,’" she said.
Turning their dream of homeownership into a nightmare that won’t end.