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

We're BACK - Join us for the first DSMRC meeting of the year!

Where: 1730 7th Street (River Bend)
When: March 6, 2010
Time: 9:30-11:00 am

This meeting will be a great follow-up to the February 13 workshop on how to look up your home's history. The owner of this historic home researched its history as part of her thesis.

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Advance registration for the free workshop is recommended
Reserve seats by contacting Steve
Wilke-Shapiro, swilkeshapiro@gmail.com, 710-3484.
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The Drake Neighborhood Association will present a free
workshop on how to research your home’s history. The public workshop
will run from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, February 13, at the historic
First Christian Church, 2500 University Avenue.

Local historian Jennifer Irsfeld James and Des Moines Rehabbers Club

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

Due to the 4th of July holiday, the July 2009 DSMRC meeting is canceled.

Despite their better judgment, Jennifer and Larry James fell in love with a pile of sticks shaped like a historic Victorian house. Not only did it have great "bones", but it also contained a treasure trove of historical documents relating to the prior owners. They moved the house, restored it, and have now agreed to open it up and talk about the whole process with the Des Moines Rehabbers Club!

Where: 1056 26th Street
When: June 6, 2009
Time: 9:30-10:30 am

Join the Des Moines Rehabbers Club at the May meeting at learn how to repair a cracked plaster wall. Zack Bunkers of Z Painting Studio will discuss materials, preparation, and procedure for dealing with the unsightly cracks that can appear in plaster walls over time. This meeting will be a live demonstration, but if time permits, there may be some "hands-on" practice!

Time: 9:30-11:00
Date: Saturday, May 2, 2009

The April Des Moines Rehabbers Club meeting will celebrate the "saving" of a historic building in the East Village. The former Don's Service Station dates back to 1931 when it was erected by The Continental Oil Company (now ConocoPhillips) as a training station for gas dealers. Constructed of terra cotta in the Spanish Mission Revival style of architecture, the building served the east side of downtown Des Moines as a gas and service station nearly 80 years.

Des Moines Rehabbers Club meetings are back after a brief (one month ) hiatus!

This month, we will be touring the fabulous renovation of a Victorian in Cheatom Park. The owner has put an extraordinary amount of work into this project - the exterior has been restored, there are several carved mantle fireplaces, refinished hardwood floors and trim, the list goes on and on....

Where: 1156 9th street
Date: Saturday, March 7, 2009
Time: 9:30-11:00 am

As we find ourselves in the middle of bitter winter weather, energy consumption moves to the front of many people's minds. Brian Douglas and Dan Royer took the initiative to start making their home more energy efficient by installing a new furnace, heat pump, and water heater in their 4,000 square foot River Bend Queen Anne.

Join us at the January Des Moines Rehabbers Club meeting to discuss energy efficiency and hear about the process of converting a house to all electric.

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

The September meeting is canceled due to scheduling difficulties. Please mark your calendars for the October meeting.

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.

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.

Please join us in July for the next Des Moines Rehabbers Club meeting.

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.

Does your house have wood windows? Despite what the salespeople tell you, replacement is NOT necessarily the best option... Before you replace them with white vinyl windows, consider the historic, economic, ecological, and technical benefits of repairing the ones you already have. The original wood windows in your house may have been there for 100 years already - with proper repair and maintenance, they can serve you for 100 more!

Have you ever thought about renovating a building to sell (hopefully for profit)?

NOTE THE NEW DATE!

Join the Des Moines Rehabbers Club for another "work in progress" tour on December 8, 2007, from 9:30 to 11:00 am!

The owners of a historic River Bend home overlooking the Des Moines River have graciously volunteered to lead a tour of their renovation in progress. They are taking on a variety of projects and doing most of the work themselves. No doubt they will have some valuable insights into the project planning and budgeting process (and how both can go by the wayside as work proceeds).

Where: 1961 Arlington, Des Moines

Did you miss the Sherman Hill House Tour? Never fear - the Des Moines Rehabbers Club is looking out for you!

A Sherman Hill resident has graciously agreed to open up his restored Victorian home to the Des Moines Rehabbers Club for our February 2008 meeting. The owners took care to maintain existing historic features of their while incorporating a contemporary aesthetic. The owners have performed much of the restoration work themselves and will talk about the ins and outs of a large restoration project.

Don't miss the first Des Moines Rehabbers Club meeting of 2008!

Jennifer James is a historian, writer, and Drake neighborhood resident. She will be walking you through the process of researching your home's history using a variety of resources available to the public.

This month's meeting information:

Date: Saturday, January 5, 2008
Time: 9:30 to 11:00 - Please be on time so you don't miss any important information
Location: Mickle Center at 1620 Pleasant Street in Des Moines' Sherman Hill neighborhood (see map below)

The Des Moines Rehabbers Club will host it's kickoff meeting on November 3 from 9:30 to 11:00 at 1622 York.

This will be a "Work in Progress" meeting at a 1918 bungalow under renovation. We will get to tour the project and hear about the work that is going on as well as plans for the finished home. You can see some pictures and read part of the story on the owner's blog at http://ournewoldhouse.wordpress.com/.

DSMRC monthly meetings are free and open to the public! We welcome people of all skill levels whether you are a professional general contractor or simply exploring options for redoing your bathroom.