April/May 2012 by The Hays Daily News

Haus Das

HOME & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

PIECE BY PIECE Schoenchen couple finds just the right parts to make a home

APRIL / MAY 2012

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Certain restrictions apply. Nex-Tech Wireless is eligible to receive support from the Federal Universal Service Fund in designated areas. As a result, Nex-Tech Wireless must meet reasonable requests for service in these areas. Questions or complaints concerning service issues may be directed to the Kansas Corporation Commission Office of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection by calling 1-800-662-0027.

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Haus Das

features

8 At home IN SCHOENCHEN

Piece by Piece

Couple remodels home with touches of history

Phone Smarts 101

Tips for preparing for the smartphone upgrade

Airing Out

Change of seasons brings along cleaning tasks

14 Seeing Clearly Options are endless for homeowners hoping to replace drafty windows

DAS HAUS • www.HDNews.net

APRIL / MAY 2012 • 3

Haus Das

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Published and distributed by The Hays Daily News 507 Main, Hays, KS 67601 HDNews.net (785) 628-1081

Publisher Patrick Lowry plowry@dailynews.net

Advertising Director Mary Karst maryk_ads@dailynews.net Designer Gayle Weber gweber@dailynews.net Contributors Diane Gasper-O’Brien • Writer Gayle Weber • Writer Erica Staab • Writer Raymond Hillegas • Photographer Steven Hausler • Photographer Juno Ogle • Creative Services Tiffany Reddig • Creative Services Dave William • Creative Services Account Executives Joleen Fisher Sandra Harder Eric Rathke

Online Edition at HDNews.net Created by Pixel Power Haus Web design division of The Hays Daily News pixelpowerhaus.net

An online show with new recipes showcased weekly. www.hdnews.net/cooking

Das Haus is published by The Hays Daily News. Copyright © 2012 Harris Enterprises. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Das Haus is a registered trademark of The Hays Daily News.

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rom to-do lists to driving directions, thousands of applications for smartphones exist that make day-to-day living just a little simpler. Many people upgrade from Phone SMARTS 101 a feature By GAYLE WEBER phone to a smartphone for business applications — syncing email and keeping track of accounts and contacts, said Stephanie Bunch, retail sales associate at Nex-Tech Wireless. However, even more applications are available for personal use. “If you search anything, something’s going to come up,” Bunch said. Bunch has been teaching Android 101, Apps 101 and other classes for Nex-Tech Wireless customers for the past few months, showing them how to use their smartphones more effectively. Bunch said more than 50 percent of phone sales at Nex-Tech Wireless are smartphones — customers upgrading to them or new customers coming in to purchase them. The technology behind smartphones has continued to evolve, with most phones boasting a user-friendly, highquality touchscreen. Staying connected via social media such as Facebook and Twitter is easy with a smartphone, Bunch said, and there’s an “unlimited amount of topics you can cover with applications.” “A lot of those are free, so they’re nice on the phones — easy to use, easy to download, easy to uninstall if you quit using them,” Bunch said. Applications for day-to-day use include to-do lists, calendars, notepads, calculators and even grocery lists.

“A lot of those (applications) are free, so they’re nice on the phones — easy to use, easy to download, easy to uninstall ... ” Stephanie Bunch, Nex-Tech Wireless

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We’ve got the quality • We’ve got the style • We’ve got the look We Are

The Look

Today’s furniture trends reflect fluid lifestyles and attitudes. There are no hard, fast rules ... if you love it, you can make it work. A well-planned room will include several textures, 3-5 different patterns, and a balance in terms of size and scale. Larger pieces like a sofa or sectional tend to be in subtle patterns or solid body cloths with accents in patterns and/or bold colors. Pillows may also be enhanced with fringe, rope or cord for added depth. Instead of a single wood tone, several wood types and finishes are often combined, adding warmth and a sense of history. Function and fashion are combined to reflect your lifestyle and ensure you’re comfortable in your own home. Often, an accent piece is repurposed, offering an unexpected (even quirky) “wow” in successful design. Overall, home trends embrace a variety of styles (traditional, Old World, Victorian, casual, coastal, transitional, industrial, modern, contemporary, etc.) to create a personal “eclectic” combination. Again, the only hard and fast rule is that you love whatever you bring into your home.

There is a greater emphasis on pulling the total design together with intentional accessory choices. Like jewelry, accessories complete the “look” with a figurative exclamation point. The function of a room should determine its lighting levels. Lamps no longer have to be perfectly matched, but should complement each other and the overall personality of the room. Every room should include accents that tell visitors something about those who live there. Finally, good design combines science and art, and can be challenging. If you are embarking on a project and would like some professional guidance, stop by The Furniture Look and work with one of our designers. We offer free room planning and furniture as unique as you are. We look forward to serving you!

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Q&A Q:

Realtor’s corner

With Doug Williams & Jennifer Johnson

I see real estate values are down all over the country. Should I wait to sell when the market is better? A: Ask any Realtor when the best time to sell your home is and 9 times out of 10 the answer will be “right now.” While that answer may seem self serving, and sometimes is, it is exactly the right answer today. The Hays real estate market is truly in the middle of a “Perfect Storm” making now the ideal time to sell a home. There are a number of factors that are contributing to the storm but the main ones are: 1) Interest Rates: We continue to enjoy historically low interest rates making the cost of home ownership far more affordable to many more people. Given the level of federal deficits and the state of the global economy, these low rates cannot continue indefinitely and we will certainly see higher interest rates in the not too distant future. 2) Robust Local Economy: While many parts of the country continue to suffer with poor economies and high unemployment, our local economy has never been better. The strong economic impact we receive from energy, agriculture, education and health care are all contributing to a very strong local economy. This means there are buyers that are ready, willing and most important, able to purchase homes. 3) Home Inventories. Once again Hays is not like many parts of the country that have a rash of foreclosure properties

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on the market and declining real estate values. Instead we have a genuine shortage of homes in certain price ranges and there are very few foreclosure properties on the market. A recent search of the Hays Multiple Listing Service revealed less than 70 single family homes available within the Hays city limits. This number is well below past levels and has created a true sellers market in some price ranges. All storms eventually pass and this one will too. If you have been sitting on the fence trying to decide whether now is the time to sell, let this storm knock you off that fence and get you moving towards taking advantage of this opportunity. Advanced Real Estate has many experienced professionals who can help you find your way in the storm!!!

We will be in the market for a house this spring and are aware that there will be many other buyers also starting to look at this time. Any tips for us to have an advantage? A: It’s true the real estate market is typically the busiest during the spring and summer months. We expect to see more homes come on the market and more competitive buyers. There are some steps you can take that could be advantageous. 1. Getting started early in working with a Realtor is key. Let the agent know exactly what you are looking for.

2. Get your loan-preapproval. It will feel good to have this done; you’ll know what price range you can look in, and it shows a seller you are serious and ready to buy when you submit an offer. 3. Be ready to look at new listings as they come up. Your Realtor will be reviewing them and may find a match you don’t want to miss. When looking at a house look at the potential (envision what it would look like with the change of paint color or flooring you may want to make) and major factors you can’t change (neighborhood, floor plan). 4. Listen carefully to your Realtor about making an offer. If there is competition or several offers in, you’ll want to make yours the best and avoid asking for allowances or a long closing date.

Is there grant money available for first time homebuyers? A: Yes, there are Rural Development Grants up to $4000 to use for closing costs, down payment, or to remodel your home. The requirements to qualify for a grant are: income base requirements at 80% median income ($51,440 for 1-2 person household or $59,156 for 3+ person household), must be a first time homebuyer (not owned home in the past 3 years), and must attend or complete the First Time Homebuyer Education Class (now offered by mail). These limited grants became available March 1, so contact your local lender now.

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Piece by piece Schoenchen couple constructs home of unique historical items

here’s a home near the Ellis-Rush county line near Schoenchen that looks like it’s part of the landscape. Like it’s been there a hundred years or so. That’s because Jason and Beryl Dinges have been working for the past 20 years to make it look that way. With the help of family and friends and several remodeling projects, the couple has turned a modest, 900-square-foot home into a 3,700-square-foot work of art. They said it’s their love of history and nostalgia that was the driving force in their decision to remodel the home one last time about four years ago. During years of peering through magazines, figuring out home designs and floor plans, the couple had fun gathering just the right parts to make their home complete. An addition to the west part of the house features a great room that leads to a covered patio with an authentic marble floor.

The east wall of the patio, which is an outside wall of the house, is covered in native limestone the couple collected from pastures in western Kansas. Handmade marble railings and balusters surrounding the patio were shipped in from Syria. An angel in a large stained glass window that came from a 200-yearold church in Wisconsin overlooking the great room is one of the couple’s favorites and makes them feel — well, great. DAS HAUS • www.HDNews.net

At home IN SCHOENCHEN story by Diane Gasper-O’Brien

photography by Raymond Hillegas

They used the trip to Wisconsin as a vacation and later canceled a vacation to use the money on a stone archway for the front of the house

that showcases their entrance porch. The flat tile clay roofing, which dates to 1916, came from Holy Cross Catholic Church in Pfeifer. Trim tile on the house, along with ridge rows around the home, are from the Union Pacific Depot in Hays. Trim bricks around the driveway are products of old brick streets in Hays and Beloit, while Ludawici tile on the garage came from a 130-year-old Catholic hospital in Kearney, Neb. APRIL / MAY 2012 • 9

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Wall hangings include oil paintings, some dating back 300 years. “Beryl has the knack of finding one large painting and designing the entire room around it,” Jason said. Jason moved the house from Hays to its current location in 1976 and eventually sold it, only to stay in the neighborhood after building an A-frame house up the road. After selling the A-frame home as well, Jason and Beryl moved to a small house just to the east of his original home. They eventually bought back that home, which had been added on to on the east side. And their first home now is a two-car garage, with an attached studio Jason hopes to use for stonework when he retires from his oil business. An open carport separates the house and garage and doubles as a gazebo for outdoor gatherings for friends and family. DAS HAUS • www.HDNews.net

APRIL / MAY 2012 • 11

“It shows what you can do with an old home, if you’re just patient.” Beryl Dinges Once the shell of the great room was up, and light was peering in all around from huge glass panes, Beryl said she thought something was missing. “The ceiling was so high, and I thought, ‘What a waste of space,’ ” she said. So was born a loft over the top half of the north side of the room, complete with a spiral staircase to preserve living space in the room. “It shows what you can do with an old home, if you’re just patient,” Beryl said, standing in the middle of the great room and peering through large windows on either side that allows her to overlook the countryside to both the north and south. A lot of their floor coverings are either travertine or marble, and all of the labor in remodeling the home was done with local talent from the couple’s circle of family and friends. “The home has been a culmination of a lot of blood, sweat and tears,” Jason said, “but it’s been a labor of love.” Glancing out the windows to the north, one can see a large marble fountain in a circle drive. To the south, the couple can see building tops of nearby Schoenchen and the church steeple in Liebenthal, about 5 miles away. The location originally was chosen because of the view of the Smoky Hill River Valley and because Jason’s great-grandfather, Paul Dinges, settled the ground around 1900. “It’s been a work in progress,” Beryl said. “But we’re done.”

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Airing out T

he spring season is approaching quickly, and with it, brings a time of newfound motivation to clean out the old. During the spring, many take the opportunity to deep-clean parts of their houses that don’t get that sort of loving attention throughout the rest of the year. “Many people bring in their drapes during the spring time,” said Linda Riedel from Master Cleaners. “They bring in window shades and shears and get them cleaned well.” Getting these items Airing OUT By ERICA STAAB cleaned and dust-free can help air out your whole house, Riedel said. Other than drapes, many people are putting away their winter wear in exchange for lighter spring and summer clothing. “We get a lot of winter coats and sweaters this time of year,” she said. “People like to bring in clothing that they are putting in storage so that it will be cleaned and ready for next winter.” Riedel said many people bring in their comforters, winter flannel and wool blankets. With this season, the idea of out with the old, in with the new means people also bring out spring wear and bedding. “People tend to bring in their summer items to have them all cleaned and ready for the spring time,” she said. “Customers are bringing clothing and bedding that has been in storage all winter.”

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SEEING Clearly T

he chill of winter might be gone, but that doesn’t mean the curtains still aren’t blowing in some homes with older, single-pane windows. Tim Kingsley, owner of Home Steel Siding and Windows LLC, said when air comes in around the sashes of the window and the glass rattles, it’s a good sign the home’s windows need replaced. Options are nearly endless for window replacements. Double-hung windows offer an ease of opera-

14 • APRIL / MAY 2012

Seeing CLEARLY By GAYLE WEBER tion and cleaning, Kingsley said. Single-hung windows also are available, as are casement windows — ones that roll in and out, though the Kansas wind could make an impact on those. DAS HAUS • www.HDNews.net

Home Steel Siding recently completed work on Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Church in Antonino.

“You can raise a double-hung, and when the wind comes up, they’re still pretty protected,” Kingsley said. “With a casement window, if the wind gets a hold of that, it can damage it.” New vinyl windows are maintenance free, other than track and glass cleaning, Kingsley said. And it usually takes crews just a few days to replace the windows. Having pro-

fessional installation makes a difference in window replacement. “You can put the best window in, but if it’s not installed properly — sealed and insulated and caulked around the outside — you haven’t solved your problem,” Kingsley said. Energy efficiency is a main reason homeowners choose to replace windows. Kingsley said there are different grades of windows that are chosen based on the purpose of the house — rental or primary home. The more low emittance film contained in a window, the more efficiency a homeowner will see. The film reduces the amount of ultraviolet rays coming in and cuts down on air transfer, Kingsley said. Home Steel Siding and Windows offers fully customizable windows, which allows the company to fit any window to any opening in the home.

A variety of finishes are available inside and out, and specialty windows such as stained glass or ones with etchings can be installed. Kingsley said his company also has specialty windows for screenedin porches and ones made especially for second-story windows, an H-window that is fully reversible.

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P.O. Box 294 • Hays, KS Office: 785-625-7401 • Fax: 785-628-0850 Cell: 785-635-7533 bulletteb@aol.com

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