They Turned 1/2-Acre Mill Into Home Sweet Home

They Turned 1/2-Acre Mill Into Home Sweet Home BUILDINGS Houses 22-3-37 Rural Missouri residents Larry and Gail Schmitz always wanted a big farm home to live in. They got their wish and a whole lot more when their local feed elevator went on the auction block. "There was a lot of local history connected with the structure, which is located on four city lots. We decided to go for it," says Gail of Barnett, Mo., population 250. "We put in a bid in April of 1996, FHA accepted it the following November, and we moved in last June." The half-acre structure, constructed in 1912 out of pine brought to the community via rail-road from Tennessee, sits on a lot that measures 2.9 acres. The Schmitz's have cleaned up around the outside of the building and so far have turned some of the office space into living quarters. They plan to renovate the rest of the building to turn it into a bed and breakfast and mini farm museum within the next two to three years. "I hope that at our age we don't run out of steam," says Gail who, with her husband, is retired. One thing's certain: They aren't likely to run out of room. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Larry and Gail Schmitz, P.O. Box 108, Barnett, Mo. 56011 (ph 573 392-5268).

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