When Jenelle and Myron Stine opted to move to rural Dallas Center from Bloomington, Illinois, there were two prime considerations:
Make their home a central gathering spot for family and friends, one that would always be open and welcoming.

Looking ahead, make sure the home is easily accessible. Jenelle lives with rheumatoid arthritis. If and when it becomes more debilitating, she wants to make sure her home is as user-friendly as possible.
On both counts, it seems they have scored home runs.

For Myron, building this home was a move home to his family’s business, Stine Seeds, based in Adel. He is vice president of sales and marketing and moved back to help his father, Harry, in the corn and soybean seed operation.

For Jenelle, however, who is an Illinois native, this is new turf. The couple has two young daughters, Keira and Addilyn.

“We didn’t know who would be good to build our new home, so our friends from Illinois, Terry and Alice Ellis, who are remodelers, came over to help us find a builder,” Jenelle explains. “They settled on Charlie Nichols of TNT Construction Company. We clicked beautifully after meeting him. We knew we had to work with someone we could trust because we would be five hours away while the building process was underway.”

This was the Stines’ first home to build, so between daily phone calls, e-mail communication, and coming to Iowa every couple weeks to check on progress and pick out materials, the year-long process worked smoothly. “Between Beisser Design Services and Charlie, everything came together,” she says, “even, yes, after I totally changed house plans on them.”

The family’s new home is on five acres in an area called Woodland Hills, which sits between Highway 44 west of Grimes and Highway 141. Making choices on the home’s details also helped Jenelle learn her way around the central Iowa area. The two-story home has about 7,400 square feet with a finished lower level, Nichols says.

Novel Detail
“This home has one detail I have never built into a home—a dumbwaiter,” the builder says. “It makes perfect sense. This one is placed in the laundry room, so Jenelle can put several large and medium laundry baskets on it to go to the second story. It goes up to the hallway by the bedrooms, so she doesn’t have to carry laundry up and down stairs. It holds 500 pounds.”    

While dumbwaiters show up occasionally in historic homes, they aren’t routinely added to contemporary ones. Terrace Hill, the Iowa governor’s residence, has one that carries food from the ground-floor kitchen to the main-floor dining room, for example.

Jenelle and Myron wanted a wide-open main floor, with rooms having an open feel. Columns and a change in floor coverings define the rooms. A large two-story entryway features a grand curved open stairway upstairs and another to the lower level. Myron’s office, a bathroom, and the master bedroom suite open off the entry. A custom stained- glass window in gold, gray, and purple tones is inset into the wall above the stairway.

The dining room, living room with its 20-foot height, a large open kitchen and a family room beyond, and an enclosed porch showcase large open spaces, perfect for entertaining or for family gatherings.

Accessibility Amenities
Nichols says that for accessibility, a variety of easy details makes a world of difference. “Besides the dumbwaiter, having the master bedroom suite on the main floor makes sense, as do the
wide-open rooms. There are extra-wide doorways, no steps at the doors, and walk-in or slide-in showers.” Those amenities work for everyone, whether there’s a special need or not.

The master bedroom suite is a soothing sanctuary in soft turquoise and brown. A sitting area with fireplace offers the Stines a lovely spot for relaxing. The bath, with shower and body sprays, along with a tub and two vanities, offers a spa-like getaway. 

While the home has a decided transitional flair, it’s fully loaded with heavy-duty technology throughout. Nichols says it’s very close to the Smart Home concept, in which there are advanced automatic systems for lighting, temperature control, multimedia, security, and window and door operations, among other functions. There’s geothermal heating and cooling.

Hardwood birch flooring on the main floor gives a warm feel underfoot, with area rugs adding definition and color. Tones of brown and deep taupe in the dining room contrast with white woodwork and columns for a fresh look. Throughout the home transitional arches give a pleasing open detail. And there’s lots of crown molding for a finished detail.

The living room, a study in black and white, features huge architectural windows overlooking the backyard. The windows appear to wrap around a focal fireplace. Automatic window shades are operated by remote control. A black leather sofa and big chairs are trimmed in white cording. A huge white ottoman with delicate crewel-style stitching sits on a fluffy white shag area rug. Jenelle’s photography, framed in black, makes a personal statement on one wall. Jenelle and her mother had fun working on the home’s interior design details.

Open Kitchen
The open kitchen with glazed maple cabinetry and quartz countertops has a work island plus a huge curved area offering seating and counterspace worthy of a big buffet meal. Stainless-steel
appliances and a Viking gas range give Jenelle ample space for cooking. A cabinet with a pop-up setup for a stand mixer lets Mom and two little girls make cookies often. Every inch has been utilized. Even the area above pantry doors hides a big-screen TV. “It’s an area I would never be able to reach or use anyway,” Jenelle says, “so it’s the perfect place to hide a TV.”

Beyond the kitchen is the main-floor family room, painted with bright red walls. With fresh white woodwork, the room pops. Its openness allows Jenelle to watch the girls from the kitchen. Off this room is a covered porch that includes a fireplace and a TV above it. A wood-slat ceiling and stone walls give it a cozy feel.

The second floor rooms include a guest room, a colorful playroom, and the girls’ bedrooms, which include whimsical touches such as festive colors, toys, and princess details.

The lower level of the home is for pure family and individual fun. There’s a second family room, a good spot for the little girls to watch DVDs or play Wii games. Eleven-foot ceilings downstairs mean it doesn’t have a “lower-level feel.”

A comfortable theater room calls for family movie nights. The room has cherry woodwork, a bar/kitchenette perfect for snacks, and the interesting detail of vertical slate slats around the large screen area.

Another room offers a full exercise area for Myron, complete with a custom punching bag. Nichols says the bag is attached to a special beam for reinforcement. Jenelle has a craft area for working on scrapbooking projects she enjoys. For safety and storm security, there’s a panic room on this level.
As the Stines acclimate to life in central Iowa, they should be just fine if they follow the words on the playroom wall: All you need is faith, trust, and pixie dust.

Resources

BUILDER TNT Construction Company, Inc.
PLANS/DESIGN Beisser Design Services
WINDORS, DOORS, TRIM & FRAME MATERIAL Beisser Lumber
APPLIANCES Nebraska Furniture Mart
CABINETS, VANITIES Minnesota Cabinets
CARPET Louie’s Floor Covering
CERAMIC TILE Steve Burns & Sons
CONCRETE Mike Larson Concrete
COUNTERTOPS Iowa Countertops
DRYWALL Stevens Drywall
DUMBWAITER O’Keefe Elevators
ELECTRICAL Webster Electric
FIREPLACE Fireplace Superstore
FOOTINGS & FOUNDATION Monarch Foundations
FRAME LABOR The Vohsman Company
GARAGE DOORS Adams Doors
HEATING & COOLING Metro Heating & Cooling
HOME AUTOMATION, SECURITY ATech—Easy Living
INSULATION Leachman Lumber
LIGHTING MTI Electric
PAINTING Lancaster Painting
PLUMBING Northwest Plumbing
ROOF LABOR Brad Van Weelden
ROOF MATERIAL Allied Building Supply
STONE MATERIAL & LABOR Stone Source
TRIM LABOR McCartney Trim Company