By the Closer Look Inspectors team · Facts checked October 2026 against the sources listed below · About our inspectors
A commercial property inspection helps a buyer, owner or lender in Deephaven judge how well a small building has held up, in a city that describes itself as essentially residential with small commercial areas, where the largest is Chowen's Corner, mostly specialty shops, service businesses and offices.
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Commercial buildings in and around Deephaven
Chowen's Corner, the small downtown of a residential city
The city describes itself as essentially residential, with small commercial areas that primarily serve the local community. Its largest is Chowen's Corner, which the 2040 comprehensive plan calls Deephaven's downtown: mostly specialty shops, service businesses and offices, and it describes the area as active, with most buildings occupied when the plan was written. The same plan says fragmented development has left little continuity among the existing buildings, and that the area has limited potential for expansion because of the surrounding homes and a church to the south.
When a commercial district cannot grow outward, what matters is how long each existing roof, wall and furnace can keep working. A small office or shop with no room to add square footage has to be kept in service, and the plan itself says the commercial real estate market does not warrant expansion of the area. A written condition assessment gives an owner, buyer or lender a realistic read on where each building stands.
County Road 101 and Vine Hill: a brick office and a masonry shop
Two smaller commercial pockets sit along Highway 7 at Vine Hill Road and along County Road 101. On 101, the plan describes a multi-tenant brick office building with extensive landscaping and a concrete masonry building housing an automotive service center. Nearby, a townhouse development called Deephaven Cove replaced a number of smaller commercial structures. The Vine Hill and Highway 7 area sits mostly in Shorewood, with uses ranging from storage garages to a gas station.
Brick offices and masonry shops are sturdy, but their weak points are specific: roof edges, flashing and drains on an office, and floor slabs, drains and door framing on a shop. Thermal imaging can point to roof moisture and electrical heat that do not show on the surface.
Lake Minnetonka's hotel era and the Cottagewood store
Deephaven's early commercial history centered on the lake. The city's history says the first of the great Lake Minnetonka hotels, the St. Louis Hotel, was built here in 1879, and the hotel was 217 feet long and three stories tall with verandas on each floor. It was torn down in 1907. The history also records that the Keewaydin Hotel burned down in 1924. Today the Cottagewood General Store, which the city says has been the heart of the community along the shore since 1895, is described on the city's website as a historic landmark.
Buildings near water deal with more moisture exposure at siding, trim, decks and foundations, and century-old commercial buildings have usually seen repairs from several different eras. Both are reasons to document what is there before a purchase or financing decision.
Commercial buildings we inspect
Quick answers
What commercial buildings are in Deephaven?
The city describes itself as essentially residential with small commercial areas. The plan names Chowen's Corner, a County Road 101 pocket with a brick office building and a masonry automotive service building, and a small area at Highway 7 and Vine Hill Road. Each is small, so each building's condition carries real weight.
Do lakeshore commercial buildings have special concerns?
Moisture is the usual one. Siding, trim, decks and foundations near water see more exposure, and older buildings have been repaired many times. Deephaven's history notes a hotel torn down in 1907 and another that burned in 1924, a reminder that commercial buildings on the lake have a long history of change.
Why does a small commercial area matter to a buyer?
In a district the city says cannot expand much, each existing building is hard to replace. The plan notes limited potential for expansion at Chowen's Corner, so keeping roofs, walls and systems in service matters. Knowing a building's condition turns that into a plan instead of a guess.
Sources
- City of Deephaven: History
- City of Deephaven: 2040 Comprehensive Plan
- City of Deephaven: Other Attractions (Cottagewood General Store)
Nearby towns
Commercial property inspection in Minnesota and Iowa · Home inspection in Deephaven
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