About Us

With 20 years of remodeling experience, Dave and Karisa Friske began Madison Building Repair, providing the very highest quality building repair, remodeling, restoration and maintenance services available.

Professional quality workmanship performed by technicians with experience...We want to be the company you call for all your building services needs…from home and business owner’s To-Do lists, to 24/7 investment property fixes, we strive to be the only company you trust!

About Dave Friske, Owner
 Dave was born in Madison in 1966, moving to Marshall in 1974, where his parents rescued an 1890’s Victorian and spent years restoring the property. Armed with a shop-vac, Dave learned early on the satisfaction that came with restoration.

When his mother opened an antique store in historic Watertown, Dave spent his high school weekends earning spending money by buying and restoring antique furniture. Returning to Madison in 1984, he attended UW, graduating with a BA in Communications in 1989. Dave worked as a television director at Channel 27 in Madison, until 1994. When not directing the live newscasts, he was busy remodeling the break-room at the station! In 1990, Dave spent his spare time reading every how-to book available (before the internet!) and spent five years restoring an 1899 Victorian in Lake Mills, WI.  In 1992, Dave spent two years traveling the state buying and selling architectural salvage, collecting many elements that would be utilized in later projects.

After seeing an ad for an historic house for sale in Mazomanie, WI, Dave and Karisa embarked upon the pinnacle of old house restoration: a 4000 sq. ft. 1865 brick Italianate, completely original, in need of a total restoration. Utilizing original glass-plate negatives of the house taken in 1873, Dave painstakingly replicated missing porch parts and molding and spent the next ten years creating the crown jewel of the area. Opening in 1999, Walking Iron Bed and Breakfast has entertained thousands of travelers from around the world and continues to be a fascinating trip back into time. Even as the main house was being finished, Dave set his sights on remodeling the original 1910, 3000 sq. ft. carriage house into his family’s private quarters. Finished in 2002, the carriage house, with its soaring cathedral ceilings, utilizes the original post and beam structure and is dotted throughout with remnants of rustic barn reminders.

In 2000, Dave began Walking Iron Restorations, as a result of the many requests by guests to consult with their home projects. After hundreds of projects in and around southern Wisconsin, he found himself working in historic Galena, IL and Dubuque, IA. There he bought and restored a historic duplex in the Cathedral Hill district, earning the 2009 Ken Kringle Historic Preservation award.

The expansion from historic restoration to general home improvement work came as a result of necessity…by request of clients! Dave’s goal was to fill the niche left by larger contractors and smaller jack-of-all-trades handymen…a mid-sized building services company with a particular focus on small to medium projects. After two years of planning, he began Madison Building Repair in January, 2010. Emphasizing service and detail and with a network of trusted professionals, Dave has the resources to tackle any home improvement project.  

Dave and Karisa have been married 19 years and have three children, Kaia 17, Zane 15, and Colt, 13. They reside in the carriage house, and spend their spare time playing on the nine acres and in the Black Earth Creek surrounding their home. Dave’s love of architecture, history and attention to detail made his efforts to begin Madison Building Repair a true passion. He looks forward to providing quality, professional building services to you!

“I created Madison Building Repair based on what I expect from a contractor…integrity, craftsmanship, detail and quality.

This is the basis of our business and reflects the standards to which I hold myself.”