Growing up in Iowa, Steven and Ashley Evans were familiar with their local fire department in Cedar Rapids. Because it was right near the high school we both attended.
“We’ve always dreamed of living here someday, and when it came up for sale, we thought we’d come take a look,” Stephen, 40, told CNBC Make It. “When we tell people we live in an old fire station, everyone in this area knows exactly where it is and which fire station it is.”
The station was first built in 1960 and converted into housing by its previous owners in the 1980s. When the Evanses first saw the car for sale in 2016 for $125,000, it had been abandoned for years and was covered in black mold.
“I didn’t have any intention of buying one because I couldn’t afford it at the time,” says Ashley, 33.
In 2016, she was working as a dermatology nurse, Stephen had a job working with adults with special needs, and they owned six rental properties. According to Ashley, they paid $65,000 to own the home, but “my parents actually had to co-sign it because we couldn’t afford it. … It was $550 a month, so we were just struggling.”
Ashley and Steven Evans purchased the fire station in 2016.
ashley and stephen evans
Still, they decided to take a look at the fire station. They weren’t deterred even when they had to sign a waiver to enter because the mold was deemed a safety hazard.
“I think what attracted me most to the fire station was the fact that everything was made of concrete and steel. The bones were solid and the house was level. Any other house would have easily fallen over by now,” says Stephen.
Without telling Ashley, Stephen made an offer of $90,000, which was accepted. The next day he came clean. He says he wanted to surprise Ashley with the fact that he bought the fire station that she always saw near her high school.
Enforce fire departments to enforce rules
The property was listed as a four-bedroom, two-bathroom, 3,100-square-foot home, but it turned out to be nearly twice that size because the listing included only finished square feet, not unfinished square feet, Stephen said.
To finance the purchase, Stephen applied for a $170,000 construction loan from his rental real estate business, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It. The couple said they did this because their original plan was to renovate the fire station and resell it.
Stephen said he didn’t think they would be able to live in the property because it needed a lot of work. When the couple closed on the property in June 2016, it had no walls, electricity or even a functioning toilet.
The fire station sat abandoned for many years before the couple purchased it.
ashley and stephen evans
With an estimated budget of $80,000, the Evanses embarked on the renovation, but to save money, Stephen did most of the work himself. They rented a house that their parents had jointly agreed to and moved into the fire station while renovating it. Ashley’s parents also moved in to help pay for renovation-related costs.
Here are some of the biggest expenses the couple incurred while renovating. All amounts are rounded.
Paint: $1,100 Drywall: $4,000 Flooring: $5,000 Kitchen addition: $10,000 Roof: $22,000
“Whatever we can find on clearance, whatever people want to offer us, that’s how we remodel it. We’re just trying to make it look the best we can on the cheapest budget,” Ashley says.
“If it doesn’t match, spray paint it to match,” Stephen adds.
Stephen said he liked the fire department because it had a solid foundation.
Fred Ebon of CNBC Make It
The couple essentially had to remodel everything, but kept some of the firehouse’s original details, including the old hose tower, garage door, and historic plaque outside. They also left in place the huge skylight that the previous owners had installed to cover the courtyard, which was originally part of the fire station.
In honor of the station’s history, the couple also purchased an old fire engine to put in the backyard for their children to play with.
The couple decided to convert part of the fire station into an indoor soccer field.
Fred Ebon of CNBC Make It
The couple made their space their own by adding a theater room and a children’s playroom that resembles a soccer field with artificial turf.
“I had a friend (from a young age) who had an indoor soccer field, and I always thought that was the coolest thing ever. I remembered that even as an adult, so I decided to build a soccer field here,” Stephen says.
Spread roots around the fire station
In 2019, Stephen and Ashley refinanced their original loan into a mortgage and officially purchased the home in their names. They secured a five-and-a-half-year balloon mortgage for $225,000 with an interest rate of 4.89% and an estimated monthly fee of $1,455, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It. When that period ends in 2024, the couple refinanced their home with a new mortgage. Currently, their monthly payment is approximately $3,190 with an interest rate of 7.59%.
The couple also recently renovated their kitchen, which they financed with a home equity line of credit.
The monthly expenses for the house are as follows:
Electricity: $17.49 Internet: $186.85 Kitchen renovation HELOC: $423.65 Utilities: $475.99 Gas: $426.93 Solar panels: $553.98 Mortgage: $3,190.05
Ever since the couple started sharing what life at the firehouse is like on social media years ago, viewers always ask if they will ever leave or sell their home, they say. But the couple says they have no intention of selling the fire station even if they move.
Instead, Stephen and Ashley bought the house next door in 2020 for $180,000, according to documents seen by CNBC Make It. Ashley’s parents took ownership of the property, she said.
The couple converted the room into a home theater.
Fred Ebon of CNBC Make It
Last year, Ashley and Steven also bought another home near the fire station for $175,000. They call it a “cozy cottage” and list it on Airbnb for $160 to $189 a night. Reservations are required until the end of March.
“We always talk about what it would be like to live in a house that’s already been built… but we can’t imagine living in a brand new house that hasn’t had all our blood, sweat, and tears put into it,” says Ashley.
“This is a dream home for our children, and it means so much that we are so proud to be able to raise them here,” she added.
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