Home is where the harvest is! Inside the GRAIN BIN a Kansas family converted into their little house on the prairie

  • Louise and Vance Ehmke saw a cozy opportunity within the 31-foot galvanized steel structure on their Dighton wheat farm

By Josh Gardner for MailOnline

Published: | Updated:

A Kansas family of wheat growers felt so at home among the 30-foot bins that hold their harvested crops, they moved into one.

Louise and Vance Ehmke saw more than just vessels for their grain in the galvanized steel cylinders that dotted their Dighton farm, they saw a cozy opportunity.

So, in 2001, the couple renovated one of their bins--which measure just 42-feet in diameter--to become a two-bedroom, two-story home complete with all the amenities a prairie home might need. 

Little grain bin on the prairie: A Kansas family turned this 42-foot in diameter grain bin into a unique and cozy home

Little grain bin on the prairie: A Kansas family turned this 42-foot in diameter grain bin into a unique and cozy home

Unique problems: The 31-foot tall grain bin was converted into a home in 2001 by wheat farmers Vance and Louise Ehmke. Here is a view from their dining room which shows the double-doored foyer, built that way to kep the prairie dust out of their home

Unique problems: The 31-foot tall grain bin was converted into a home in 2001 by wheat farmers Vance and Louise Ehmke. Here is a view from their dining room which shows the double-doored foyer, built that way to kep the prairie dust out of their home

Galvanizing: Mr. and Mrs. Ehmke are pictured on their porch swing. The couple say upkeep on the outdoor walls and roof of their home takes zero effort thanks to their galvanized steel covering

Galvanizing: Mr. and Mrs. Ehmke are pictured on their porch swing. The couple say upkeep on the outdoor walls and roof of their home takes zero effort thanks to their galvanized steel covering

One of them, as pointed out in a segment on the unique home that aired on HGTV, is unique to the prairie and visitors encounter it just as soon as they arrive: a double-door foyer designed to keep out the dust of the plains out of the home.

Also downstairs are a surprisingly modern kitchenette, two conference rooms where the Ehmkes conduct farm business, a bathroom and a utility room.

Up a contemporary set of steel stairs is the home's second floor, where both its bedrooms and a second bath are located.

The look of the decor is both modern and folksy: sleek kitchen cabinets are finished with animal antler handles; a ceiling fan sports clear plastic blades where it hangs from the wooden-slatted ceiling; animal furs are slung over the steel staircase.

High concept: Being a grain bin, the roof is tall--31 feet to be precise. This gives the interior a unique and vaulted look

High concept: Being a grain bin, the roof is tall--31 feet to be precise. This gives the interior a unique and vaulted look

View from above: Looking down, the circular home looks almost like a lighthouse...one without a light that was built to hold 25,000 bushels of grain

View from above: Looking down, the circular home looks almost like a lighthouse...one without a light that was built to hold 25,000 bushels of grain

Mixed metal: Instead of the cold, galvanized steel, the Ehmkes covered the ceilings in wooden slats with copper trim

Mixed metal: Instead of the cold, galvanized steel, the Ehmkes covered the ceilings in wooden slats with copper trim

Though there was only room for a galley style kitchen, the Kansas home was built with round rooms that give a feeling of roominess

Though there was only room for a galley style kitchen, the Kansas home was built with round rooms that give a feeling of roominess

For more videos, please go to HGTV 

And to complement the home's circular structure, how else to construct each cozy room but round?

'We wanted round rooms in a round house, so this is what we came up with,' Louise Ehmke told HGTV's You Live in What?

While odd, the structure's non-tradition materials come with perks. For instance, with galvanized steel adorning the entire facade and roof, they require zero upkeep.

There were challenges, though. Specifically, they had to think outside the box to put a rectangular porch and balcony on the totally circular home.

Despite the head-scratching moments, all the typical amenities are in the home, which has central heat, central air, wall-to-wall carpet and running water.

'We wanted round rooms in a round house, so this is what we came up with,' Louise Ehmke told HGTV's You Live in What?

'We wanted round rooms in a round house, so this is what we came up with,' Louise Ehmke told HGTV's You Live in What?

Cozy: The upstairs of the home has two bedrooms and a bathroom

Cozy: The upstairs of the home has two bedrooms and a bathroom

Farm bills: The downstairs features two conference areas where the Ehmkes can conduct farm business

Farm bills: The downstairs features two conference areas where the Ehmkes can conduct farm business



  

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