December/January Das Haus

Haus Das

HOME & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

WOODWORK MASTERPIECE

Ellis couple makes house a home with unique flair

DECEMBER 2012 / JANUARY 2013

Nex-Tech Wireless...

Your Gi ft H

! s er t eadquar

Switch And Receive: Select Phones ONLY $1 With New Activations!*

200 CASH Bonus With Select Phones When You Bring Us Your Number!* $

6-Months Free Add-A-Lines!*

877- 621-2600

w w w.nex- techwireless.com

*With qualified rate plan and 2-year service agreement. New activations only. While supplies last. $200 cash bonus available with select phone models only. Offers expire 12/31/12.

Customers are subject to taxes and must meet credit requirements. Certain restrictions apply.

Visit www.nex-techwireless.com for complete terms and conditions. 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.

Haus Das

features

8

At home IN ELLIS

Woodwork masterpiece Home always under construction suits Ellis couple just fine

5

Putting a Good Roof Over Your Head

Finding the right roof starts with right company, right materials DAS HAUS • www.HDNews.net

DECEMBER 2012 / JANUARY 2013 • 3

Stay cozy

AND WARM all winter long.

Haus Das

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

Santa Fe

Publisher Patrick Lowry plowry@dailynews.net

4300 Millenium Plus door choice.

Over 20 different fireplaces, stoves, and inserts in stock!

Advertising Director Mary Karst maryk_ads@dailynews.net

We stock gas, pellet, and wood burning units.

We stock all pellet, gas, and wood vent pipe needed to install these units.

We can order your hearth pad, stone veneer, and fireplace mantels.

Castille Pellet Stove

www.heartlandbuildingcenter.com Email: sales@heartlandbuildingcenter.com Stockton 918 South Cedar 785-425-6715

Hays 2510 Gen. Hays Rd. 785-625-6554

WANTED

For exceeding the building code Setting our standard higher than most licensed contractors and giving our clients warrantied quality work • On time service Same name, phone number & address since 1983 Chamber of commerce member since 1986

REWARDS Guaranteed roof systems for all types • longer warranty that we back up after the job is done • you can be one of our 1000’s of happy customers in the Hays area and surrounding communities • drywall repairs • Painting & floors • epoxy coating • masonry refinishing & siding • ask about our new metal shake roofs!

Western Maintenance & Supply Co. 30 Years in business!

Roger thyfault American Owned & operated Free estimates • references available

480-837-1148 or Cell 480-332-4742, Damar, KS.

Russell 86 South Fossil 785-483-2161

Designer Gayle Weber gweber@dailynews.net

Contributors Diane Gasper-O’Brien • Writer Abby Belden • Writer Chelsy Lueth • Photographer Steven Hausler • Photographer Elisha Jones • Creative Services Juno Ogle • Creative Services Tiffany Reddig • 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 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.

Printed by Northwestern Printers, 114 W. Ninth, Hays northwesternprinters.com

Putting

a good roof

over your head

W

estern Maintenance & Supply Co. has been in business for close to 30 years.

Each year, the company roofs approximately 150 buildings or homes, which equates to approximately 4,500 roofs since the business began in 1983 in Damar. It then moved to Fountain Hills, Ariz., in 1987 to pick up additional work.

Roger Thyfault, owner of Western Maintenance Supply & Co., said his company’s workload might be small compared to the amount of finished roofs by larger companies, but it is not the numbers that sets Western Maintenance apart.

It’s the quality.

“I’ve always believed if you don’t have a good roof on your house ... you don’t have much,” he said. “It’s all in jeopardy.”

A leaky roof can have severe consequences for homeowners.

Water can damage drywall. If the insulation gets wet, mold can develop, and wooden cabinets and other household interior objects can be damaged by water.

“A deal that might have cost you $50 to have that roof vent sealed could cost you thousands of dollars worth of damage in your house, for one little mistake on

DAS HAUS • www.HDNews.net

your roof,” he said.

To ensure good quality and no leaky roofs, Thyfault looks at two common problem areas.

“Ninety-eight percent of the time, if somebody calls you and they have a problem with their roof, it’s leaking either at the valley (where two roof pitches meet) or around one of those vents,” he said.

Oftentimes, these issues can be addressed with a little extra time and materials. To prevent any leaks from happening at valley areas, Thyfault weaves shingles over the valley flashings, so the metal is not exposed to the elements.

Selecting a roof

Thyfault said inquiring about warranties and filling out necessary information with manufacturers and a roofing company are key to selecting the right type of roof for the home.

“The most important warranty is from the guy doing it for you because companies come in and out of business,” he said. “They make these shingles for five or 10 years and the next thing you know, they are out of business and some company is stepping in to take their place.”

DECEMBER 2012 / JANUARY 2013 • 5

Thyfault said Western Maintenance & Supply Co. guarantees their labor for five years, saying “if it doesn’t leak within five years, chances are it’s not going to leak because, by then, it has been weather tested.”

He also said a good shingle roof can last homeowners up to 20 years, while a metal roof can last up to 50 years.

The metal roofs not only look like a regular shingle roof, but also can be put up at any time during the year, unlike traditional shingle roofs, which require warm temperatures so the shingles will seal.

Thyfault called metal roofs the “ultimate roof,” saying they do well against hail and wind.

He also stressed the importance of liner placed under the roof.

The company has used a plastic titanium liner for the last seven years because it is not affected by the sun or heat like asphalt products.

A roof constructed by Western Maintenance & Supply Co. Asphalt products can become brittle because the sun bakes the oil out of the products, making them brittle and cracked.

Thyfault said this can be useful in places such as Arizona, because the sun and heat are so intense.

He also said the company paints

house exteriors and also sides them, offering the best quality and materials.

“We get jobs from people because they heard that what we do is good quality,” Thyfault said. “And we always do what we say, and we do it when we say it.”

Woodwork masterpiece E

LLIS — There are a variety of things people are looking for in a house when they move from one location to another.

For Ken and Stephanie Martin, it was wood — from ceiling to floor — that drew them to the modestsized bungalow on Washington Street when they were moving to Ellis from Chase in the late 1970s.

“That’s why we bought the house. I restory by ally liked the Diane Gasper-O’Brien ceilings and photography by the woodwork,” Chelsy Lueth Stephanie said of the bead-board ceilings and woodwork with eggand-dart molding throughout the home.

Now, the things that make a house a home for the Martins are such things as the bowling balls in the yard used for “decorative purposes,” bricks — lots of bricks — on the front steps, patio and sidewalks, and enough drawer and closet space for Stephanie to store her collections.

“I have a lot of obsessions,” Stephanie said, opening a small closet door with more than 50 tablecloths neatly folded on several shelves. A new pantry area was designed with ample space for several sets of dinnerware in mind.

The Martins are only the second family to live in the house, built in the 1920s. The former owners, Joe and Rose Fuerch, raised seven children there, so the Martins thought it would suffice for their young family that included three daughters ages 10 months to 4 years when they moved in.

At the time, the house had only one bathroom, and that wasn’t even a problem during their girls’ teenage years.

At home IN ELLIS

DECEMBER 2012 / JANUARY 2013 • 9

“We just hung an extra mirror in the laundry room,” Stephanie said, “and we took turns in the bathroom and the rest of us would be clustered around that mirror in the laundry room.”

Stephanie acquired most of her furniture — many pieces would be considered antiques — over the years, and the only new furniture in the home is a headboard for their

bed and a living room sofa-chairsottoman-set.

Most of the antique pieces were given to Stephanie. Some she got at second-hand stores. Others she rescued after someone had thrown them away.

“People would say, ‘Oh, you collect antiques,’ and I’d think, ‘I guess I do have old stuff,’ ” Stephanie said.

See page 14

Improve Your Home’s Energy Efficiency With

10 • DECEMBER 2012 / JANUARY 2013

How$mart provides money for insulation, sealing and heating and cooling systems.

Customers repay funds through energy savings on their monthly utility bill. Call Midwest Energy, Inc. today to learn how How$mart can improve safety, efficiency, and lower your bills with 800-222-3121 www.mwenergy.com no out-of-pocket money up front!

Get Warmed Up for Winter Infinity Furnaces

The most high efficiency cost saving furnace Up to 96.6% AFUE

• Comfort Heat Technology® • Ideal Humidity Systems® • High efficiency air filtration cabinet • Lifetime heat exchange limited warranty • 10 yr. parts limited warranty when properly registered

• Sales • Installation • Residential • Commercial • 24/7 Emergency Service

Best in Customer Service with knowledgeable professionals

900 Commerce Parkway • Hays,KS • 625-2115 • www.glassmancorp.com

APAC-Kansas, Inc., Shears Division

State Approved Ready Mix

Located at: 503 E. 10th Hays, Kansas

Baconrind ApprAising services, inc.

Patty Baconrind, Phd

Dispatch: 785-625-3216 Office: 785-625-3459

Certified General Appraiser

RESIDENTIAL COMMERCIAL MANUFACTURED HOUSING APPRAISALS RELOCATIONS EVALUATIONS P.O. Box 294 • Hays, KS Office: 785-625-7401 • Fax: 785-628-0850 Cell: 785-635-7533 bulletteb@aol.com

CALL 785-625-3216

The Highest Quality and the Finest Service around

Safety First Always

Residential/Commercial • Total Home Cleaning • Residential/Commercial Cleaning • Spot Removal • Furniture Cleaning • Pet Odor Removal • Carpet Cleaning • Duct Work Cleaning • Janitorial Services • Room Deodorization • Carpet-Fabric Protection • Fire/Smoke/Water Damage Restoration 628-6712

Call for a Free Estimate 1-800-499-6712

808 Milner

Hays, KS

Web Page Creation Web Hosting Personalized Design Custom Programming Affordable Prices

Pixel. Power. Haus.

“Empowering your business” CONTACT US TODAY! info@pixelpowerhaus.net 785-628-1081 Ext 147 pixelpowerhaus.net

“I never got those pieces because I was interested in antiques; it was because it was something we could use at the time,” Stephanie said.

The Fuerches had added a new kitchen and bedroom to the back of the original four-room home, and the house got another addition in 1994 when the Martins built on a 100-square-foot room to care for their youngest daughter, 16-year-old Melissa, who suffered a traumatic brain injury in an automobile accident.

Melissa died four years ago after 14 years of being cared for at home, and the Martins started throwing around ideas of what to do with her room. They decided to add another bathroom with a walk-in shower “for our old-age days,” Stephanie said.

On the back side of the bathroom is a large built-in bookcase that faces an open area for a dual office for Ken and Stephanie.

The Martins still refer to the newly renovated area as “Melissa’s room.”

A large drawing of Melissa’s sophomore school photo hangs on the north wall, overlooking her parents’ partner desks featuring a two-sided sign reading “Grandma” on one side, “Grandpa” on the other.

Stephanie does most of the smaller remodeling projects herself, with the help of her husband.

The walls in the house are lathe and plaster, so she hung picture molding in nearly every room several inches down from the ceiling. A lot of the walls are decorated with stenciling, compliments of Stephanie, who tiled the kitchen backsplash and both bathrooms herself.

“I handed them to her,” said Ken, who also cut the tiles for her.

A master of improvising and making do with what she has, Stephanie has been known to put a door knob on the ceiling to cover a hole and hang antique sewing machine legs on the wall for decoration.

“Anything I’ve ever done I tried to stay true to the (age of the) house,” she said.

14 • DECEMBER 2012 / JANUARY 2013

DAS HAUS • www.HDNews.net

Wow! Wrap Yourself in the Warmth and Comfort of Our Great Windows!

Professional Installation for Over 35 Years!

Kitchen SuiteS

The same goes for the yard, where Stephanie has laid a lot of brick by herself.

If it’s not perfectly straight, that’s fine with her.

“If the brick sidewalk is crooked and uneven, then it looks like it’s always been here,” she said.

The Martins did add a bay window in the dining room that features a linoleum floor, estimated to be from the 1940s, adding to the ambiance of the home.

“I thought about tearing it up when we did the bay window,” Ken said. “But I got scolded.”

“I thought it was wonderful linoleum,” Stephanie said. “It was another thing unique and true to the house, and it was in perfectly good condition.”

The Martins said they have never seriously thought of getting a larger home. There are too many memories here, and a bigger home would just mean bigger construction projects.

“It’s pretty much been under construction since we moved here,” Stephanie said.

“Always will be,” Ken added.

DECEMBER 2012 / JANUARY 2013 • 15

785-625-3278 1-800-248-3270 1224 E. 27th Hays, KS

Express your style

Quality and affordable

independent living, assisted living and skilled nursing Spacious and secure senior living, with customized services and so much more

Call or stop by today Via Christi Village 2225 Canterbury, Hays 785.628.3241

For more information visit viachristivillages.org