When Don Prenger of Don Prenger Construction Co. built his own home in the Dakota Flats development near South Sioux City, it was important to him and his wife to build with Lite-Form concrete building products from Lite-Form Technologies.
As a builder, he saw the advantages of the Insulating Concrete Forms (ICFs) and installed them in six of the nine homes built in Dakota Flats. He started building with the ICFs soon after Pat Boeshart started the South Sioux City-based Lite-Form Technologies in 1986.
"I built a house for Dick Engle in Morningside. He was executive vice president of MidAmerican Energy at the time, and he wanted a Lite-Form home. I enjoyed working with the Lite-Form product and started doing quite a few homes with Lite-Form after that," Don Prenger said.
In the Prengers' 4,000-square-foot home, their exterior walls on the first floor and in the basement are concrete.
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He and his wife Sherry have built two homes of their own with Lite-Form ICFs because they make homes more energy efficient, and they reduce noise transmission.
"When it's windy, you don't hear the wind at all, even though our house is out in the open," Sherry said.
Homes built with Lite-Form products are strong as well. The ICFs serve as a barrier during violent weather, including tornadoes, when safety and secure areas become especially important. Many people use them to build safe rooms on the lower level of their home.
For Don, who has been busy building homes in Omaha, Sioux Falls, Sioux City and South Sioux City, Lite-Form ICFs are attractive because they are easy to install.
"I can purchase the products, which now include Lite-Form Fold Form, Lite-Deck, and Flexx-Form, and install them myself. They're very simple to use, and you don't need special tools," he said.
Sherry, who owns and operates Sew-phisticated Designs in South Sioux City, remarked that the utility bills are very low because of the Lite-Form ICFs.
"Our house is totally electric, and our utility bills average less than $195 a month, which is impressive when you consider that we have a two-story house with an open stairway," she said.
Sherry, whose business is decorating and custom drapery, drew up the plans for their two-story home. The Prengers wanted a laundry room and family room on the main floor and extra bedrooms upstairs so that their children and grandchildren would have their own area when they visit. Their last home had the family room in the lower level.
Their spacious kitchen, which features pickled oak cabinets, a tile backsplash and laminate countertops, incorporates a dining area with skylights overhead. The ceiling is tongue-in-groove cedar that was custom stained.
"I had in mind the color I wanted and Don experimented until he came up with it," she said.
Off the kitchen and dining area, a three-season sunroom provides a cozy getaway. A hallway from the kitchen leads to the family room, which has a Sienna accent wall, a wood-burning fireplace with brick surround, an oak bar with custom cabinets behind for storage, and a recreation area with a pool table.
The formal dining room is located directly across from the kitchen, and can be seen from the arched doorway. Sherry furnished the dining room with a wooden oak table that sits on the diagonal for interest. She adorned the room with black and brown draperies, and a coordinating rug.
Another room off the kitchen and the foyer is the living room, which serves as a place for entertaining and showcases a table that Don made. Another of Don's tables, along with a mirror, can be seen in the Prengers' foyer. The living room was originally supposed to be two stories high, but the Prengers brought the room down to size and the ceilings are now 14 feet tall, Sherry said.
In the master bedroom, two walk-in closets provide plenty of storage, and a tiered tray in the 9-foot ceiling brings the room down to size and adds dimension. Sherry painted the room a warm brown color to soften it.
"I like the paint color," she said. "Everything was white before, making it too bright and harsh in here."
The adjoining master bathroom has his and hers oak vanities on opposite sides of the room, a corner Jacuzzi tub designed with tile surround and carpeted steps and accented with oak pillars, and a separate room for the shower and toilet. Overhead, skylights let in natural light while protecting their privacy.
Don and Sherry said they particularly love the location of their home. Sherry grew up in the country near Whittemore, Iowa, and Don has lived in South Sioux City most of his life.
"We liked living in the country, and we built our first home in the country in 1980. We have lived in Dakota Flats since 1997. With our rural background, it's a perfect fit," she said.
