America’s Best Shops – 4 Iowa Farm "Shouse" – DTN The Progressive Farmer

On the shop side are two service and storage bays for equipment, and a mezzanine for smaller storage. On the house side, it contains a kitchen, dining room, entertainment space, a corner office with big windows and a wrap-around porch. (DTN/Progressive Farmer photo by Jim Patrico)

Dave Geise's friends tease him: That shiny new farm shop he recently built is not really a shop, they say, it's a "shouse." Or, maybe it's a "barndominium." Whatever they call the structure, Geise is proud of it. "It's a dream come true," he said of the 127 feet-by-60 feet Morton building that seamlessly marries the utility of a shop with the comforts of a house.

On the shop side, Geise's "shouse" contains two service and storage bays for equipment, and a mezzanine for smaller storage. On the house side, it contains a kitchen, dining room, entertainment space, a corner office with big windows and -- maybe most importantly -- a wrap-around porch that offers awe-inspiring views of Iowa's rolling Loess Hills.

All of this sits about 100 yards from the Geise's four-bedroom house outside of Logan, Iowa.

Why build a "shouse" when you have a house so close? The 52-year-old Geise needed to accommodate the eventual remodeling of an old farmhouse, his farming operation and a growing off-farm business. He and wife, Ginger, decided to put three ventures under one roof while they contemplate a new or remodeled house.

The Geises own two companies: Concrete Leveling Solutions and CLS Foundation Repair and Waterproofing, which together have 22 part-time and full-time employees. They rent some cropland to others, and Geise tends 25 to 30 cow-calf pairs and 40 acres of pasture. He also hays about 30 acres. In addition, with help from son Bo, he does conservation work including terracing, brush clearing and ditch cleaning. All of which means Geise has equipment -- both for the farm and for the concrete business -- that requires service, maintenance and storage.

MULTIPURPOSE BUILDING

Six years ago, when the couple moved to the farm, they acquired a 100-year-old house and a shop/storage building that was a mess. They wanted to replace both with something more modern and organized.

The rest is here:
America's Best Shops - 4 Iowa Farm "Shouse" - DTN The Progressive Farmer