Publisher: Wisconsin State Journal

Dream Home Is Couple's Labor Of Love

Building Material Delivered By Homestead Homes

By PAMELA COTANT For the State Journal

PORTAGE - For some, the road to a dream home is a long journey.

Doretta Hansen, who raised seven children and is now bringing up two teenage grandchildren, finally realized her dream four months ago. Hansen's desires were simple and her home is exactly how she envisioned it.

She wanted a split-level home with windows that weren't drafty, two bathrooms and bigger rooms. In previous rentals, the master bedroom was so small that the king-sized bed had to be up against a wall, forcing Hansen to crawl over the bed to get out of it.

Most of all, she wanted an open concept because she always seemed to be stuck in a closed-off kitchen -- first cooking and then cleaning up afterward.

"I could never visit with company," said Hansen, a retired teacher who still subs.

Three weeks ago, she had nearly 20 people over for a family birthday party at her new house at 2420 Hamilton St. She was pleased at how well it worked to have no walls separating the kitchen, dining area and living room, creating one large, open space. She said the larger spaces and new vinyl flooring also make it easier to clean the home.

Today, another get-together is planned for Mother's Day.

Doretta Hansen and her husband, Fred, built their home through Homestead Homes of America, based in Wayne, Neb.

"Homestead Homes is a building system where the owner is the contractor," said Amy Wilson, spokeswoman for the company. "You save thousands of dollars hiring your own subcontractors, taking control of the project, getting your own bids and choosing what projects you feel you can handle."

The company is available to answer questions, and a construction site consultant visits during the building process.

Homestead builds the trusses and the walls in sections and then delivers them along with the siding. Later comes a container with the rest of the materials, including counters, flooring, carpet, faucets, sinks, lighting and cabinets.

"It's all in a package deal," Fred Hansen said.

This helps reduce costs because the company can buy the materials in volume and it makes the building process easier for the homeowner who still has choices among the various products.

The Hansens, who are both semi-retired, have rented for most of their life except from 1971 to 1977 when they owned a home in Beaver Dam.

When they married in 1967, Fred Hansen had two children, Doretta Hansen had three and then together they had two more. The couple's oldest child suffered from an inoperable brain tumor most of her life and died when she was 34. They have 25 grandchildren -- raising two of them since they were age 2 and 2 months -- and five great-grandchildren.

Fred Hansen had an apprenticeship and learned carpentry from his father, who did a wide variety of jobs from building bars in taverns to remodeling parts of the east wing of the Capitol. Fred Hansen has held a number of carpentry and maintenance jobs but also has been off work at times because of back surgeries and a knee replacement.

While he still does some work, he didn't feel physically able to build the home himself.

The Hansen home cost $155,000, which included the lot, and is 2,160 square feet including the basement. The price does not include finishing the basement, but some materials were left over from building the rest of the house.

Buyers typically need less than $1,000 to get started. They need $200 down for the application process, an earnest deposit of $300 to $600 for land if they don't secure a lot themselves and an appraisal fee ranging from $300 to $350. They will be qualified for a construction loan, which is interest-free for six months, to pay for subcontractors and building materials.

When the home is finished, Homestead Homes will arrange a long-term mortgage loan.

Fred Hansen figures he saved $20,000 right away by not having to pay a general contractor. While Homestead Homes will help home buyers secure subcontractors, Fred Hansen also used some he knew. They included Wolfgram Excavating of Portage, Moderate Temperature of Beaver Dam and Schepp Plumbing and Rite-Way Electric, both of Pardeeville.

Fred Hansen took great pride in being able to do some of the work himself and saved even more money. To install the flooring, he got help from friend Joe Duesler.

Homestead Homes offers more than 40 home designs in ranch, two-story, split level and tri-level styles. Most designs eliminate interior load bearing walls, making modifications easier. For another $1,200, buyers can submit their own plans and half of that amount is refunded if they're workable.

"This is what separates us from our competitors," said Kent Granberg, regional sales manager who has a Madison office.

The Hansens chose a ranch model, converted it to a split level and lengthened it. They enlarged the master bedroom and reconfigured the upstairs bathroom. They also took out the wall separating the living room from the kitchen and dining area and opened up the stairway.

Fred Hansen also built a deck off the kitchen.

He is now finishing off the basement. He built a full bathroom and has partially finished a bedroom so the home has three. A family room and a closed off laundry room should be completed by fall.

The Hansens moved to Portage in 2001 and the year before their home was built they lived in a duplex, which had electric heat. The electrical bills ran $400 to $500 a month in the winter. Monthly rent was $800.

That's when a friend mentioned an ad for a seminar that Homestead Homes had scheduled in Madison.

"What impressed me so much was the quality of the materials and the way it was constructed," Fred Hansen said. "We cut our (winter) utility bills in half."

The Hansens moved into their home Jan. 14 and are still choosing to leave the Homestead Homes sign up in their front yard.

Fred Hansen said he wouldn't have a home if it weren't for the company, which he said is like family.

"We never thought we'd have a home like this," he said. "They made the process easier and they made the financing easier."