Up a narrow winding driveway surrounded by trees, Lyle and Becky Chicoine found a place to call home on a secluded hilltop. They’re not living off the grid. They discovered this serene setting within city limits.
Though they were quite content living in the same two-story home in Riverside for 38 years, a piece of real estate on Military Road caught their attention many years ago. That particular property needed too many renovations that put it out of their price range, but Becky didn’t forget about the scenic drive on Sioux City’s west side.
One day, out of the blue, they were traveling down that same stretch of road with a friend who happened to mention, beyond the trees, a property was for sale – with no house on it.
The Chicoines, who run Lyle’s Garage Door Service, had talked about building a home, someday, maybe.
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Then, their pipe dream became a possibility.
“It’s beautiful up here,” Becky said, standing in the white-washed family room which features five windows that nearly stretch from the floor to the ceiling. “It feels like a tree house.”
In a picturesque view, a couple of their neighbors’ red barns are nestled in the rolling hills, and Calvary Cemetery is off in the distance.
They’ve been living in the hilltop home for five years.
She knows it has been that long because friends gave them a housewarming gift with the date on it. The antique-style metal milk container serves as a makeshift end table by the sectional sofa in the walk-out basement.
The secondary entertainment space features a full kitchen and foosball table, plus a designated room for Lyle’s workout equipment and two bedrooms.
In one, three single beds give the grandkids a special place to stay when they want to come over.
A portable fireplace that once belonged to Becky’s grandmother serves as the focal point in the other guestroom, making it cozy and inviting, almost reminiscent of quaint B&B. The statement piece used to be in grandmother’s den. When she died, Becky wanted it to remember her by.
Plus, there was something about that den, that off-limits place, that seemed special. Becky found herself mimicking some of its characteristics in her own home from the fireplaces to the built-in bookcases upstairs.
“You want to get a certain idea of what you want,” she said. “I knew I wanted something more open.”
In their old house, the kitchen was a point of contention. Everyone crowded the space during family gatherings. She thought an open concept would help. It didn’t.
She laughs and says that’s where everyone wants to be.
Off the kitchen, a small hallway with more cabinetry leads to the formal dining room. A claw-foot table, 10 ornate chairs and Victorian-style chandelier set the tone.
Becky decorated the walls with framed menus from a family vacation in the 1970s.
The Chicoines were friends with a Sioux City priest. When he was transferred to the South, they went to visit him in Laurelville, La., a suburb of New Orleans.
They savored bowls of French onion soup for $2.85 from Houlihan’s Old Place and experienced fine-dining at Elmwood Plantation, where they ordered crabmeat au gratin – backfin lump with cream sauce and sharp cheddar cheese for $4.75. The latter restaurant burned to the ground in 1978.
Becky kept the souvenir menus in a safe place.
“I put them in the closet, kept in a bag,” she said. “When we talked about building a house, I said I wanted to put those menus in the dining room.”
Above all, the house on the hill holds a traditional style with sentimental flair and incredible comfort. The Chicoines couldn’t ask for more.
