Walks of Life

Room for improvement

Compiled from the Iowa Living magazines

10/1/2025

Live in a home for a while, and one is likely to start thinking, “If only….” If only the bathroom had a walk-in shower…. If only the kitchen had new cabinets.… If only the old flooring could be replaced.… If only the basement was finished…. If only a room could be added…. If only that longed-for home improvement project could be completed … then the house would be just right. Residents who have taken the leap from thinking about it to tackling their dream projects share their experiences.

Aaron Wies

Three means more space

Aaron Wies says his family needed the extra space offered by their unfinished basement.

“When we learned that we were expecting our third child in December, we decided we wanted to go ahead and get it done before the baby arrived.”

Wies and his wife began planning how they wanted the basement to look. The layout included a living room space, a bathroom, a bedroom and a dry bar space. The construction crew took care of the framing, drywall, carpet, plumbing and the priming of the walls. Though a teacher through the school year, Wies does house painting in the summer. Because he had the necessary skills, he took care of most of the painting himself. The crew was just wrapping up the project the day that Wies baby number three was born.

Wies enjoys having extra space for his family of five.

“We now have an extra area to hang out as a family,” he shares. “The baby can crawl around on the carpet, and the kids have an area to put some of their toys.”

Source: Adel Living, September 2025; by Rachel Harrington

Dave and Amy Curtis

Major overhaul

After 25 years in their home — and as empty nesters now — Dave and Amy Curtis were trying to decide if they should downsize and move or remodel and update.

“We love our neighborhood and the mature trees and chose to take on the remodel project,” Amy says.

“We wanted to open up the floor plan more and finish these spaces so we would be drawn to them, and they would become used space,” Dave says.

Their plan was total demolition, removing the wall between the kitchen and dining room, and redoing everything in those spaces, as well as the entry hallway, half bath and stairway.

Dave is retired, and he enjoys DIY projects, so they knew he would be doing most of the work. Though the project is mostly complete, they have a large family room with a vaulted ceiling that is connected to the kitchen that they would like to paint.

“We’re really happy with it now,” Dave says. “Everything feels much more open and modernized. The dining room and living room definitely feel inviting and usable.”

Source: Johnston Living, September 2025; by Ashley Rullestad

Paul and Emily Marshall

Clean lines and extra space

Paul and Emily Marshall bought an original 2003 home at the end of July this year. Unfortunately, the previous owners had not been able to keep up with maintenance, and it needed a major refresh.

“The kitchen had a small 2-foot by 3-foot island and a small kitchen home office workstation against one wall,” Emily shares. “We wanted to add more seating area, so, during our demolition, we got rid of the wall between the living room and kitchen where the workstation area had been so we can add a large island with more seating.”

Other features to be added include a trash cabinet and two dishwashers, side by side.

“We have this feature in our current house, and it is the best thing ever,” she shares. “It helps not to have a sink full of dishes because the dishwasher is full. Some may think I’m crazy, but I say perhaps they aren’t the ones that cook much or clean their own kitchen much.”

The couple hopes to have their house ready to move into by the beginning of October.

Source: Winterset Living, September 2025; by Rachel Harrington

Dan and Mary Buscher

A shower upgrade

Dan Buscher is tall. With a 6-foot, 4-inch frame, he only had a few inches of headroom in the shower. He tolerated a cramped shower for 27 years before finally having it replaced.

Dan and Mary Buscher moved into their West Des Moines home in 1998. With the house built in the 1980s, the couple says it was time to update it. They renovated the kitchen and another bathroom. Then, it was time to refresh their master bathroom.

The old bathroom included dark wood and tile. Since it was on the north side of the house, they installed a heated floor.

A two-sink vanity was replaced with a new vanity that included extra storage space, with a small linen closet next to it.

They took out the old tile shower and replaced it with a fiberglass option. The biggest improvement was the extended ceiling so Dan had more headroom.

“It was time. For me, now I finally have room in the shower,” he says.

“It’s a pretty bathroom. I know I’ll like the heated floors this winter,” Mary adds. ♦