2007 - Volume #31, Issue #5, Page #23
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Dairy Barn Remodeled Into Bed & Breakfast
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Gerrie admits it had been her dream to live in the barn when the couple first moved from Colorado to the farm in 1970. After 20 years of milking, she used her interior designer skills to transform the 38- by 64-ft. barn. Having worked on hotels and other commercial buildings she understood the importance of sound infrastructure: plumbing, heating, venting, etc.
The Etters installed a geothermal heating system and put in a new concrete floor, but left the barn's gutter open underneath to use as a cold air vent. They hired an Amish crew to add dormers and shingle the roof.
They installed a constant pressure well pump to meet the needs of kitchen facilities and 11 bathrooms. "I never thought we'd get all the plumbing done," Gerrie says.
The couple did much of the remodeling themselves, from powerwashing the barn twice, to tearing out stalls and walls, to sheetrocking, painting and decorating.
"We recycled everywhere we could," Gerrie says, including used fixtures from restaurants, used furniture she reupholstered, and the Etters' own personal belongings. The Etter bought new mattresses and bedding, however.
Wherever possible, Gerrie left barn wood, such as the beams exposed. She covered the cement walls with vintage wood. Rooms are named after some of the Etters' cows: Rosie, Flossie and Hyacinth, for example.
Besides offering eight rooms for guests on the main and second floors that can sleep 19 people, Gerrie's dining room seats 32 people, and there's room for overflow on the second floor. In addition to breakfast, she serves guests supper with vegetables from her garden and good country meals like meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Guests appreciate not having to go into town for their evening meal, Gerrie says, and they get a kick out of dining under the same numbers that once marked cow stalls.
She also feeds bus tours and caters reunions and people on retreats.
"We're in the middle of everything," Gerrie says. "We're 150 miles from Des Moines and 150 miles from Minneapolis. We're a good stopping place." Located near the Little Brown Church, The Etters also book many newlyweds and tourists.
Don enjoys the B&B business. "It's like traveling without going anywhere." Guests have come from as far as England, Italy and Australia."
The couple does most of the work themselves, with occasional help from a daughter and granddaughter.
"I knew it would be a lot of work, but I'm a farm wife," Gerrie says. "To me this is less work than farming."
Like Don she enjoys meeting people - many come back regularly. She also likes living in a barn and the view from her third floor bedroom.
"We're not getting rich," she says. "You just have to enjoy what you do."
They are expanding the kitchen, and Don, 70, and Gerrie, 65, plan to run the B&B as long as they enjoy it. During the slower time in winter, they take a short vacation.
The Etters have a website, which is the best marketing tool, Gerri says. They are also members of Iowa's B&B guild and they're involved with the state's tourism office.
People considering remodeling a farm building into a B&B, should first talk with local zoning boards, Gerrie suggests. Regulations vary on septic systems, fire exits (at least two per floor in her case) and kitchen licensing requirements.
Cost for remodeling varies greatly. The Etters saved money by doing most of the work themselves and purchasing used items. They paid less than it costs to build a home that size, plus they have a way to bring in income.
Another benefit of living in a barn is just outside the front door.
"We have the most lush lawn you ever saw," Gerrie laughs, "because it was once a barn yard."
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Don and Gerrie Etter, 1436 210th, Ionia, Iowa 50645 (ph 641 394-6302; info @thedairybarn.com; www. the dairy barn.com).
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