American Renovations

American Renovations LLC
Mike LeClere
1431 Franklin St.
Center Point, IA 52213
319-551-0078
amrenovations@hotmail.com

• Master Mechanical-HVAC
• Solar
• Remodeling

American Renovations specializes in HVAC- we can keep you warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Contact us for products and pricing.

More Pics of the Barn

We have the barn sealed up for the winter. Next year we will focus on the windows, floor, painting the outside, and installing the solar panels.

The Annual Tea Party At Stanley's Tea Room Held 10 4 09

I started hosting Tea Parties about four years ago. Each one is a different theme. This year I had help from my great friend Ann (aka Sparkle). We decided to add "crafting" to the party. It was a huge success! Ann made a special ghost box for each guest. Inside was precut contents to make Halloween treat holders. We also made a couple of cards. I must say this was the best Tea Party yet. Everyone enjoyed themselves so much that we are planning on doing another one in November to make Christmas items!

Gazette Article

Old barn rebuilt and reborn in Center Point
Posted on Oct 09, 2009 by Dave Rasdal.
Like a set of Lincoln Logs, the barn came apart near Manchester and went up again in Center Point.
OK, it wasn’t as easy as assembling a toy.
But diagrams drawn by the Amish, who tore the 36-by-48-foot barn down in June, helped Dusty Sylver and her husband, Mike LeClere, rebuild it on the 19 acres they own at the northwest edge of Center Point. Dusty’s nephew, Mike Silver (Yes, they have the same last name but, as an artist, Dusty changed hers.) and his Silver Brothers Construction company were also a big part.
“I’ve loved barns ever since I was a kid,” says Dusty, 47, who grew up on a Central City acreage. “I always knew I wanted to put a barn back here.”
At first, Dusty and Mike considered purchasing a “kit” barn. It just didn’t seem the same.

Members of the Amish community take down a 36-by-48-foot barn and addition east of Manchester on June 22. The century old barn has been reassembled at the Center Point home of Mike LeClere and Dusty Sylver. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
Then they heard about a century old Manchester barn to be torn down.
“We rode motorcycles to see it,” Dusty says. “It was love at first sight. When they told us the price, it was even better.”
For $5,000, the barn was theirs. That included cataloging and delivery. They would have to reconstruct it themselves.
The days dragged by until the barn boards arrived in late June. After all, as Harley-Davidson motorcycle riders, Dusty and Mike couldn’t wait to build “The Hog Barn” for their machines.
They couldn’t wait to add it to their gardens (flower, vegetable and butterfly), landscaping and private trails in woods adjacent to the public Cedar Valley Nature Trail.
They couldn’t wait to raise it next to their 1934 farmhouse.
As work began on a foundation, Dusty started her blog, The Bike Barn (http://thebikebarniniowa.blogspot.com), where she’s posted pictures and a narrative.
“That’s why I did the blog,” Dusty says, “so I could keep track of this because I’m not going to remember. I’m not going to ever do this again.”
The barn took shape through September, even though some broken old boards couldn’t be used.
“It’s everything and more,” says Mike LeClere, 45. “We were looking for the mortise and tenon construction and the big beams. When we walked in at first and saw up through a hole in the floor to the sky … it was part of history.”
After using some new wood, making 100 new pegs and investing another $10,000, the old barn is being reborn as Dusty’s loft studio for stained glass and The Hog Barn.
“I hope this makes people think about tearing down an old barn if the structure is good,” Mike says. “They don’t build them like this any more.”
United States University of Iowa

We Continue To Get The Hog Barn Ready For Winter

Today Mike stopped at Menards and bought an overhead door, 2 windows, and the rest of the siding. He poured the pad for the door today and will install the overhead tomorrow.

We went out to Chris' today (a guy who just stopped one day and asked us if we would like some timbers from a barn he had torn down) and sorted through wood from the barn that he had torn down. We found enough timbers for the rest of the loft railing! I snapped a few photos- it looks great!


Halloween Time and the loft is perfect for decorating.


I had took a couple of vacation days (October 1st and 2nd) hoping that I would get a lot done on Charlotte's Web. It was cold and rainy both days. I had to bring the pieces that we ready to wrap with copper foil into the house because the tape didn't want to stick due to the cold. I wrapped what I had cut and ground. On Saturday I began cutting pieces again and I now have all but 4 pieces of Charlotte's Web cut now. Hopefully next week end stays warm and I can get those ready to wrap.

The Gazette Pays Us A Visit And I Started Moving In!

I had contacted The Gazette in June and asked them if they were interested in a barn story. They said they were and since that time they have sent several photographers out to document the demolition and reconstruction of my barn. Dave from the Gazette came out on Friday to gather details of project last Friday! I hope this sparks a public interest and awareness of our barn history here in Iowa. I know Dave will write an awesome article!

I began moving into my loft studio on Saturday! Mike strung some lights for me and also brought down some portable lights on a stand. We strung a cord to the house and I had power! The solar panels won't get put on this year so I will have to improvise! I brought down the radio and I was set!

I wanted to start working on my window design and since the window is huge (54" x 42") I decided that I should create it as close to where it will be placed as I could. Mike helped me set up a make shift table with saw horses and plywood- hey it works!

This past week Mike had contacted a gentleman who repairs windows and asked him to start saving glass for me. We were both surprised when Mike got a call from him that he had glass for me and that Mike could pick it up! To my surprise there was about 8 large pieces of glass!

After I finished gathering my glass work tools and setting up shop I began drawing out the web design. I then cut the paper pieces. I then used the paper patterns to trace out the design on the glass and then started cutting my pieces. I had company Saturday evening. Mike and Nephew Mike sat up in the loft having a few brews while I worked. I enjoyed the company.

When Nephew Mike left Mike and I were just hanging out looking at my work when something swooped out of no where! A bat!!! He quickly realized that he was not going to be leaving with us in the way! The bat quickly retreated back up to the perlins and there he stayed. We soon decided to call it a night and when I went back down today I did not see the bat. But there are alot of places to hide and he may have been with me today as I continued working on "Charlotte's Web".

I'm pretty sure this big opening is how the bat got in!

Me working in my studio!

My web design for the West window.

I started to wrap the pieces in copper foil.

My barn owl!

This Weeks Progress

On Thursday the "Dylans" from Silver Brother's Construction came out and finished the roof. Saturday more of the siding got put on and the Hay Trolley got hung.

On Sunday Big Dylan showed up around 7:30 and he and Mike hung more siding. This morning it rained for about 5 minutes and then stopped. When I walked down to the barn there was a rainbow!

I got to drive the big fork lift again today. My son Dakota snapped some photos of me raising and lowering Mike as he hung siding.

We wrapped it up around 3:00 pm. The Dylans are supposed to come back out tomorrow and finish the siding, facia, and soffits.

Shortly after I went in to the house to get cleaned up I heard what sounded like cars crashing. I had just stepped out of the shower so I yelled at Dakota to go and see if everything was okay at the barn. I quickly got dressed and went down to the barn to see what had happened....the trolley had fallen!

As Mike, Dakota, and I surveyed the trolley Mike saw right away what had happened. When the Amish fixed it they had only brazed the outside so basically it was an accident waiting to happen. I just thank God that no one was any where near the trolley when it fell because that would have been a tradgedy I am sure. When the trolley fell it broke in 3 places this time. Mike is going to fix it but we will never hang it again. Instead it will sit in a corner of the loft for memories sake only.

I returned to the house and Mike continued to work on cleaning up in the barn. I later went back down and he was hooking up the light that he had hung on the front of the barn today. He was trying to surprise me! He said he felt really bad that the trolley had broken because he knew how much I really loved that trolley. It was a very nice surprise! And the light is absolutely stunning all lite up!

9 21 09- The Dylans came over today. They got the front and north side soffit and facia done. It rained a little today and it was very foggy this morning. The first day of fall is tomorrow!

9 25 09 - Mike finished the deck for the stairs going up to the loft! It looks great! Things are getting wrapped up. The big fork lift is parked in the driveway ready to be picked up. The scaffolding is down and Mike will return that tomorrow.

We decided that the big vent that I bought to go on top of the barn was too rusted to put up. I will use it as a decoration for the flower bed that I am going to put in front of the barn.

I am going to focus on getting my window design done for the West side so that we have some light coming in because it's pretty dark in the barn now! I'm going to cut the glass in a web design and call it Charlotte's Web!

Week-end Progress 9 12 and 13 09

On Saturday the main accomplishment was to get the the peak got supports put on. The guys started on the perlins too. Sunday the rest of the perlins got put on and the lower South side tin got put on. As I watched the guys build the perlins I realized that I was very glad to be the "ground crew"! I have always had a great respect for the construction industry but as I watch my barn come together I am simply amazed at the craftsmanship that Silver Brother's Construction (with the help of me and Mike) have accomplished in breathing life back into this barn. I am equally amazed when I look at the way the barn was originally made using mortisse and tenon technique.

Mike L and Dylan putting on the perlins.

The second piece of steel going on the roof.

My nephew Mike and hubby sitting in my Rhino after the roofing ordeal today. Next week they promise me the roof and my cupalo-vent will be done!

Another Change Of Plans

I got to operate the big fork lift yesterday! Since it was just Mike and I working today I had to lift Mike up to the top of the barn while he put on siding. I was pretty nervous the first couple of times I had to lift him up and down!
As we put the siding on the West side we realized that the siding needed a lot of repair to be able to seal it up tight. I had already decided that the front (East side) was going to be done in new siding. After some talking we decided that as much as we hated to not be able to save the old siding that in the long run it would be the best option. We won't pull of the siding we already put up, we will just install over the top of it.

We planned on taking a short motorcycle ride today after we worked on the steps for the loft but when Mike tried to start his bike it wouldn't start- the battery was dead! So we didn't get to go for a ride today.

Here are some photos of the steps:

Here are some photos from yesterday:

Mike carried Asia up to the loft so she could look around.

This is a view of my Garden Shed from the loft.

Mike relaxing in the loft!

Starting To Put The Siding On

We started putting siding on the South side of the barn today and then moved to the North side. It's hard to believe that it's Labor Day week-end! And so far the weather looks great for the entire three day week-end. Here's some photos from today-

The Supporting Beams and Rafters Are Done!

Silver Brother's Construction Crew arrived before I left for work this morning and by the time I got home the supporting beams and rafters were done.

Liz from the Gazette came out to take some photos today also.

Mike will be ordering the roofing and maybe the solar panel for the barn tomorrow. This week-end he and I will begin hanging the siding.

Here are photos from today's progress.

The Barn Frame

Today the guys made more progress on the framing. They ran out of pegs so we decided to that they would make their own. I ran into town and got some dowels and they made pegs. The weather was great for working on the barn. The sun was shinning but the feel of fall is definately in the air.

The Last Big Bent Is In Place

Everyone was here by 7:00 am this morning to begin working. The last big bent was in place by about 8:00 am. Things were going pretty good this morning until Mike realized that the floor wasn't in any of the piles of wood. I tried to call Orva but got voicemail. I even called Mike L to see if anything had gotten left behind and he said no. So now we can only assume that the floor was destroyed. If this is the case I'm very upset that Orva didn't let me know what had happened. We decided that we would order new flooring from Menard's and hope that Orva will give me a refund on some of the barn.

We had to replace some of the posts, but we had some that we had gotten earlier in the summer from a barn near Anamosa that was being torn down and Nephew M was able to make a new Mortise and Tenon post.

We also realized that the perlins are missing too!

We wrapped it up today by 1:00 pm. Below are photos of the progress today.

Three Bents Are UP!

Nephew Mike, two of his crew, and Mike begin raising the bents today. Work started around 8:30 am. The sun was shinning but the temps were very cool- it feels like fall already.

It took about 3 hours to get the first bent in place. It was a trial and error game as the guys figured out where to put the straps so they could maneuver the big frame work. At one point the machine we rented to help lift the beams in place almost got stuck. With some creative thinking they got in "unstuck" and moved to a dryer section of the yard to work.

After taking a quick break for lunch they were back at it. The pictures below show the progress. By quitting time three of the bents were in place. Tomorrow work continues to put the last bent in place and I think they will start working on the flooring for the loft.

The Bents

Mike and his crew arrived a little after 7:00 am this morning to begin working on the barn. There was a chance of rain but it held off while they were working. When Mike and I got home from work the crew had put together the 4 main bents! We were very impressed- that was alot of work. Nephew had called us earlier in the day and asked us what we wanted to do with the repair on some of the beams. We decided to "band-aide" the beams to keep them original. Considering the barn is probably 100 years old we know that it's not going to be perfect. That's what is so beautiful about the barn!

As I write this entry (it's about 7:00 pm) it definately feels and looks like rain. I can hear the thunder. I think the crew made the right choice by deciding to hold off on working on the barn until Thursday.

Mike called around today and rented a high reach a 6k High Reach Fork Lift to be delivered on Thursday so that the crew can begin putting the bents in place.

The pile of wood is getting smaller!