Hello Rehabbers! We're pushing our meeting back one week to miss Labor Day and take advantage of another event on the same day!

We are very excited to tour the home owned by Doug Bown on Saturday, Sept. 10. Doug has been working hard to restore this classic River Bend home.

We will meet at 1720 Arlington Ave. from 9:30-11am.
Map: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=1720+Arlington+ave...

We're back in the Drake neighborhood in December to check out Victor Tonelli's house at 2945 Rutland Ave (corner of 31st & Rutland.)

This 1907 house has some floor plan problems and Victor is hoping to get some ideas on how to reconfigure the interior. He says the kitchen has 7 doorways!

We hope you can join us from 9:30-11am on Saturday, December 3.

Hello Rehabbers!
January's meeting will be pushed back a week to Jan. 8 since, in Steve's words, "hangovers and power tools don't mix."

Join us at Trinity United Methodist Church from 9:30am-11:00am on January 8 as we tour their ongoing restoration of this beautiful historic church.

Address: 1548 8th St., Des Moines IA 50311
Map: http://bit.ly/guUsP7

Read about the history of the church here:
http://www.trinityumcdm.org/index.php?option=com...

And see some pictures of the ongoing work here:

Renovation Boot Camp is a classroom seminar series designed to give participants a basic understanding of the renovation process from purchase to project completion. The classes will help demystify the process by providing practical advice, support and encouragement, and resources for a successful renovation project.

Topics covered in this session include:

• Energy Efficiency Myths and Realities

• The Low-Hanging Fruit: Simple renovation strategies to save money on utilities
• Living Sustainably
• Shoot for the Stars: Getting the Most from Your Home

Renovation Boot Camp is a classroom seminar series designed to give participants a basic understanding of the renovation process from purchase to project completion. The classes will help demystify the process by providing practical advice, support and encouragement, and resources for a successful renovation project.

Topics covered in this session include:

• Why renovate in a build-it-new world

• Renovation Timeline: What to expect and plan for in the process

The 14th Annual River Bend Historic Home Tour will take place September 11-12!

The Des Moines Rehabbers Club, in cooperation with the River Bend Neighborhood Association will be partering to offer several workshops and demonstrations at various times during the tour. Des Moines Rehabbers Club organizer Steve Wilke-Shapiro will be available to answer Historic Tax Credit and general renovation questions at the former Frank D. Jackson mansion.

Tickets may be purchased on the day of the tour or in advance at the Ingersoll Dahls or online at the neighborhood organization web site.

The September meeting is cancelled!

Please attend any of the upcoming renovation or preservation events instead.

Have you ever wondered what it looks like behind your drywall? Well, this house is currently "naked" - the plaster is down and you can see all the "guts"! Joe and Diana will talk about their process of acquiring a foreclosed home, demolition, framing, plumbing, and electric work. They were recently featured in a Des Moines Register article about DIYers.

This meeting is the first of a "before and after" series. We will revisit Joe and Diana's project when they are done to help celebrate!

When: August 7, 2010
Time: 9:30-11:00
Where: 109 E. Washington

It is time to start planning for the annual "Des Moines 7 Most Endangered Buildings" list!

The first steering committee meeting will be held on Wednesday, July 21 at 5:30, at Mars Cafe (2318 University, just east of Drake). Anyone interested in helping out is invited to join us. If you can't make it but would like to be involved, please send me a private email at steve@renovatedsm.com so I can include you on minutes and email discussions.

Take a short break from celebrating our nation's independence next weekend to join us at the next Des Moines Rehabbers Club meeting on Saturday, July 3!

Where: 940 37th Street (Google Map)
When: Saturday, July 3, 2010
Time: 9:30-11:00 am

Due to Labor Day weekend (when I know you all will be hard at work on your own house projects), the September meeting of the Des Moines Rehabbers Club will be held on September 12, 2009.

Join us to tour a fabulous renovation just nearing completion - the River Bend neighborhood organization took on a monster renovation project at the southern entrance to the neighborhood. Hear from the general contractor who brought this house back from the brink.

Where: 1224 9th Street
When: September 12, 2009
Time: 9:30-11:00am

Come see a restoration in progress. Old house lovers shouldn't miss this meeting! The August meeting will be held on August 1 (the first Saturday as always) in the Union Park neighborhood.

Where: 1363 Penn Avenue
When: August 1, 2009
Time: 9:30-11:00

Most rehab projects incorporate the modern "conveniences" like indoor plumbing, air conditioning, and dimmer switches. But what about modern design? Join us at the next Des Moines Rehabbers Club meeting to find out what happens when a contemporary interior is creatively fit into a historic shell.

Where: 905 18th Street, Des Moines, IA 50314
When: 9:30-11:00 am, Saturday, December 6, 2008

Architect Emily Donovan and her family found such a project in a vacant and dilapidated Sherman Hill house. They were attracted by the home's location, brick exterior, and by the challenge of bringing the building back to life (while staying within an affordable budget). When they purchased the home, not a moment too soon, it had been on the City's "Demo List" for almost 10 years.

Their year-long complete renovation included not just new building systems, roof, and insulation, but also some major structural changes. The home's historic exterior surrounds a contemporary interior with an open floor plan. The design merges rustic and modern materials in creative ways with woodburning stoves and exposed brick, rough-hewn ceiling beams and stainless steel bolts.

This meeting will be the one year anniversary of the Des Moines Rehabbers Club! In honor of this event, the people who hosted the very first meeting have volunteered to open their home once again for us to see the progress.

Where: 1622 York, Des Moines 50316
When: 9:30-11:00 am, Saturday, November 1, 2008

NOTE: This meeting is on the SECOND Saturday, due to the 4th of July holiday

Join us at 1631 9th Street to walk through a house that is just starting the rehabilitation process. The interior demolition is almost complete, so you can see what is behind the plaster in some locations. You will have to put on your thinking caps to visualize the end result!

As always, DSMRC monthly meetings are free and open to the public! They are typically held on the first Saturday of each month from 9:30 to 11:00 in the morning. Each meeting is at a different location and covers a different topic. We welcome people of all skill levels whether you are a professional general contractor, exploring options for redoing a bathroom, or simply want to talk about renovation with other interesting people.

BYOC (Bring Your Own Coffee) but donuts and juice will be provided.

Please contact Steve Wilke-Shapiro at swilkeshapiro@gmail.com or 515-710-3484 for more information.

Hope to see you there!

It's a BIG deal to move a 705-ton pile of bricks down the middle of the street, even if the final destination is only a few blocks away. Several months ago, Mike Kinter of Kinter Construction oversaw just such a project when the historic Murillo Apartments and Henshie-Briggs Row House were picked up off their foundations and moved to new locations in the Sherman Hill neighborhood.

May 3 is the first Saturday in the month, and therefore the monthly meeting for the Des Moines Rehabbers Club. It is also the annual Rebuilding Together work day. Rebuilding Together rehabilitates homes for low-income homeowners, particularly the elderly, disabled, and families with dependent children.

Doug Bown hosts at 1311 4th St. This 1910s era house has classic craftsman style details. Doug's house may or may not have as many kitchen doors as the last house we visited! Join us from 9:30 to 11:00.

Our November meeting will be at a bungalow in the Woodland Place Historic District. The address is 735 32nd St. It features a full renovation keeping the original trim details, floors and windows and replacement with materials in keeping with the bungalow style. The homeowner enclosed the front porch to make it look like it was always enclosed and added a 2-car garage built to match the house. Future projects include retaining walls and landscaping. Jeff bought the house last year and started renovation in January.

Join us as we check out this charming little home affectionately called "The Farmhouse." 1165 10th St. in Des Moines. According to the owner, this 1800s house has come miles.

As a bonus for this meeting we'll get to learn more about Loki's Garden, a landscaping and light construction business (www.lokisgarden.com.) This will be a great opportunity to ask questions about their services. They've done work for homes that have hosted past Rehabbers Club meetings!

Hi Rehabbers!
Sorry for the late notice, but I hope you can join us this Saturday, Aug. 6 from 9:30-11am at the home of Scott Stebbins.

3601 Franklin Ave.; Des Moines, IA

Our next meeting will be the second Saturday of July. Join us July 9th from
9:30-11am at the home of Mara and Adam Egherman in the Drake Neighborhood,
2925 Rutland Ave.

Map: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en...

Their Queen Anne Victorian was split into three apartments and the Eghermans
have converted it back to its original single family status. We'll be joined

For June's meeting we will visit the historic
Carpenter Mansion (aka the Oakwood Estate) on the northeast side of
Des Moines.

Join us from 9:30 to 11:00am on Saturday, June 4 at the Carpenter
Mansion, 3320 Kinsey Ave. (between E. 33rd and E. 34th St.)

Built in 1890, this colonial revival house, extensively renovated in
the 1920's, has a formal front staircase, a library, great room,
formal dining room, and six bedrooms upstairs.

Current owner, Marlon Mormonn is working on various projects around
the house, and much like at our last meeting, is seeking advice and

Join us for our monthly meeting Saturday, April 2 from 9:30 to 11am. We'll be hosted by Aaron and Michael who bought this gorgeous brick house in November 2009. Before that, it was a retreat house for monks and a funeral home.

Time: Saturday, April 2 · 9:30am - 11:00am
Location: 2100 University Ave., Des Moines, IA 50311

Mostly, they have been working on the third floor--turning the former ballroom, which had been set up as a two-bedroom apartment, into a man-loft of sorts.

Join us March 5 from 9:30-11:00am for our monthly meeting!

This month we'll be visiting a home that is connected with much of the housing history in Des Moines. The house at 2814 Forest Drive was the Gilcrest Lumber company's test home. Built in 1905 for the Gilcrest family, the house is currently on the market and we'll have an opportunity to tour it with Realtor, Timothy Shutte.