When Chantell Rust heard about the plans to burn down a barn in Elmwood, Nebraska, she immediately rushed to its rescue. She eventually bought the six-acre property from its 87-year-old owner, which included the barn and a farm house, and began renovation work immediately.
“That morning, I was going to just burn some brush,” Rust said. “But by the end of the day, I owned six acres with an old farmhouse.
“I brought over my dad, who was a residential home builder for over 50 years, and we went through the house and it was really rough. It was beyond a disaster,” Rust said of the home, which she purchased three years ago. “There was all kinds of stuff in the house—there was tape on the ceilings where he was trying to keep the plaster from falling in…there was one bathroom that just wasn’t usable,” she recalled.
While the house definitely needed work, Rust saw the positive aspects of what was left. Enlisting the help of her father and nephews, she began to recreate the residence in her vision.
She discovered the original flooring on the main level had been covered with carpet and linoleum for most of its life and therefore still in good condition, along with the “guts” of the house—things like the exterior walls and inner framing. There was, however, a problem with the foundation.
“I always felt like the house should be turned anyway,” Rust said. “I didn’t like that the front door was facing the road and there was no sidewalk or natural entrance to the door.” To remedy this, Rust decided to build a nine-foot basement slightly behind where the house stood, then had a company lift the house and move it onto the new foundation.
“It’s the coolest thing,” Rust said of the relocation. “They literally just lift the house off the ground and move it.”
Rust plans to sell the property when it is ready. “I thought about fixing up the barn and turning it into some kind of venue,” she said, “but I decided to fix up the house first and see how I felt. At this point, I think it’s just screaming for a family.”
Family does seem the appropriate theme for the property; before Rust and her family took it over, the land was home to a family who cherished it. The granddaughter of the man with whom she negotiated for the house got in touch with Rust. “She had heard that her grandpa signed his initials on a beam in the barn before he went off to the service,” said Rust. They found that the initials were on a board that was attached to the beam, so she was able to detach it to have as a keepsake. “It was a very sweet and tender moment,” said Rust. “She was kind of tearing up, and it meant a lot to her.”
The house with plenty of family history has now seen plenty of family work. Rust hopes another family will soon be able to make more memories in the newly renovated home.
This article originally appeared in the September 2024 issue of Omaha Home Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
