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Save up to in coupons Inside this weekend’s inserts Elie Wiesel, the Nazi concentration camp survivor, Nobel Peace Prize winner and author whose seminal work “Night” is regarded as one of the most powerful achievements in Holocaust literature, has died, Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust Memori- al said. He was 87. Based on his experiences and those of other Holocaust survivors, Wiesel wrote dozens of semi-autobiographical books, memoirs and plays. His message “of peace, atonement and human dignity” earned him the Nobel in 1986. For a decade, he had remained silent about the horrors he witnessed after being transported by train to Auschwitz with his parents and three sisters when he was 15. After a year, he was liberated at the end of World War II with other prison- ers from the German camp Buchenwald — and soon learned that his mother and younger sister had been murdered in the Author, Nobel laureate brought Holocaust to light By Mary Rourke and Valerie J. Nelson Los Angeles Times See WIESEL, 23A ELIE WIESEL 1928-2016 In memory The editor of the South Florida Jewish Journal reflects on Wiesel’s legacy and a personal meeting. 23A YOUR NATION, YOUR WORLD Bangladesh hostage crisis ends with 20 dead An American from Miami is among the victims. 2A FBI questions Clinton in email investigation Candidate under scrutiny for use of private server. 3A Ferry service launches new, upgraded catamaran. 1D Luxury ride to Bahamas MONEY Free agent forwards Deng and Johnson depart. 1C Changing look for Heat SPORTS Eye-gazing gets to the heart of things. 1E The EYES have it TRAVEL & LIFE High: 91 Low: 81 WEATHER Forecast, 8D Opinion ..... 24A Lottery ......... 2B Obituaries...8B Money............ 1D INDEX Jerris Evans brings poetry FLO’pacalypse on stage. 2E The word is out Go! In addition to the 3Rs, Florida students may soon be taught the people skills that local businesses de- mand. CareerSource Florida, the statewide workforce agency, is asking that public schools include in their cur- riculums such skills as inter- viewing, communication, teamwork, time manage- ment, listening and net- working skills. “These are skills that peo- ple would need to succeed in any employment situa- tion,” but typically students are not taught these in school, said Tom Veenstra, director of support services at CareerSource Palm Beach, which helps connect businesses with job seekers. And they are essential for Schools urged to teach students ‘people skills’ By Briana Erickson Staff writer See SKILLS, 23A Employers want more than diploma The ground floor of Chris Ellis’ house in West Delray is a showpiece, with big windows that look out on the sun-splashed vista of a golf course. The second floor is a horror — with exposed beams that look like shred- ded wheat, floors gone and walls ripped out, a testament to the de- structive force of the Formosan ter- mite. “I have no upstairs at all,” Ellis said. “Two bedrooms are gone. The floors are gone. I’ve never seen anything so destructive. My husband took it hard because this house is his pride and joy. I think it was horrible, just hor- rible. I didn’t realize this little bug could be so destructive.” This little bug, and its cousin the Asian termite, will pay visits to an increasing number of South Florida houses. A new study by scientists at the University of Florida says the Asian and Formosan termites, non- natives that arrived in the past few decades, have spread “exponentially” from the Keys through Palm Beach County, multiplying by many times the number of structures within their range. The number of South Florida At an alarming rate, two non-native termite species are making a home in South Florida. Maybe your home. By David Fleshler Staff writer Appetite for DESTRUCTION See TERMITES, 22A Formosan termites have badly damaged the home of Chris Ellis, who lives west of Delray Beach. AMY BETH BENNETT/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER “I have no upstairs at all. Two bed- rooms are gone. The floors are gone. ... My husband took it hard because this house is his pride and joy.” Chris Ellis, whose West Delray home was invaded by Formosan termites ATLANTA — It wasn’t that the work day began be- fore dawn at Fort Bragg, N.C. It was the relent- less physical pace in striving for excel- lence that height- ened the apprecia- tion Mike Dunn al- ready felt for the mil- itary personnel who toil tirelessly at the world’s largest military base. The Miami Marlins relief pitcher got a close-up look at their spirit and dedica- tion during four days of joining in training and inter- acting with soldiers as part of a group of major league players who participated in Fox Sports’ “Spring Train- ing to the Troops” tour in February 2014. Dunn recalls the experi- ence as life-changing, and he is excited about the opportunity he and his teammates have to provide a few hours of entertain- ment for the troops at Fort Bragg when the Marlins face the At- lanta Braves there Sunday in what is believed to be the first regular-season game staged by a professional sports league on a U.S. mil- itary base. It will be televised na- MARLINS ON A MISSION By Craig Davis Staff writer See MARLINS, 22A Sunday night’s game at Fort Bragg, N.C., will be the first on a U.S. military base $597 Vol. 57, No. 69 » Copyright 2016 All rights reserved For home delivery, call 1-800-548-NEWS SUNDAY, JULY 3, 2016 FINAL EDITION » $3 We reach nearly 1.5 million adults every week with the combined resources of: SunSentinel.com 7 28337 11300 1 SENIOR CITIZENS AND MILITARY SENIOR CITIZENS AND MILITARY SAVE AN ADDITIONAL SAVE AN ADDITIONAL 10% 10% “We Will Beat “We Will Beat All Competitors Prices” PET FRIENDLY PET FRIENDLY Broward Palm Beach Palm Beach 954-861-8055 561-287-1460 561-287-1460 PROFESSIONAL • AFFORDABLE ON TIME EXPERT SERVICE PROFESSIONAL • AFFORDABLE ON TIME EXPERT SERVICE “SIMPLY THE BEST” Licensed and insured Licensed and insured CARPET CLEANING CARPET CLEANING VACUUM • PRETREAT •DEODORIZE DEEP CLEAN $ $ 29 29 00 00 per room 2 rm min. MUST SEE! 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Page 1: Appetite forsteelbridge.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/SunSentinel-7.3.16.pdf · Tile &Grout NO GIMMICKS! ACTUAL PRICES! CERAMIC TILE & GROUT CLEANING $3900 per room 2rmmin. Up to 200

Saveup to

in couponsInside thisweekend’s

inserts

ElieWiesel, theNazi concentrationcampsurvivor,Nobel PeacePrizewinner and authorwhose seminalwork “Night” is regarded as oneofthemost powerful achievements inHolocaust literature, has died,

Israel’s YadVashemHolocaustMemori-al said.Hewas 87.

Basedonhis experiences and those ofotherHolocaust survivors,Wieselwrotedozens of semi-autobiographical books,memoirs andplays.Hismessage “ofpeace, atonement andhumandignity”earnedhim theNobel in1986.

For a decade, hehad remained silentabout thehorrors hewitnessed after

being transportedby train toAuschwitzwithhis parents and three sisterswhenhewas15.

After a year, hewas liberated at theendofWorldWar IIwith other prison-ers from theGermancampBuchenwald—and soon learned that hismother andyounger sister hadbeenmurdered in the

Author, Nobel laureate brought Holocaust to lightByMary Rourkeand Valerie J. NelsonLos Angeles Times

See WIESEL, 23A

ELIE WIESEL ♦ 1928-2016

In memoryThe editorof the SouthFlorida JewishJournal reflectson Wiesel’s legacyand a personalmeeting. 23A

YOUR NATION, YOUR WORLD

Bangladesh hostage crisis ends with 20 deadAnAmerican fromMiami is among the victims. 2A

FBI questions Clinton in email investigationCandidate under scrutiny for use of private server. 3A

Ferry service launches new,upgraded catamaran. 1D

Luxury ride to Bahamas

MONEY

Free agent forwards Dengand Johnson depart. 1C

Changing look for Heat

SPORTS

Eye-gazing getsto the heart of

things. 1E

TheEYEShave it

TRAVEL & LIFE

High: 91Low: 81

WEATHER

Forecast, 8D

Opinion .....24ALottery .........2BObituaries...8BMoney............1D

INDEXJerris Evans

brings poetryFLO’pacalypse

on stage. 2E

The wordis out

Go!

In addition to the 3Rs,Florida students may soonbe taught the people skillsthat local businesses de-mand.

CareerSource Florida,the statewide workforceagency, is asking that publicschools include in their cur-riculumssuchskills as inter-

viewing, communication,teamwork, time manage-ment, listening and net-working skills.

“Theseareskills thatpeo-ple would need to succeedin any employment situa-tion,” but typically studentsare not taught these inschool, said Tom Veenstra,director of support servicesat CareerSource PalmBeach, which helps connectbusinesseswith job seekers.

And they are essential for

Schools urged to teachstudents ‘people skills’

By Briana EricksonStaff writer

See SKILLS, 23A

Employers wantmore than diploma

The ground floor of Chris Ellis’house inWest Delray is a showpiece,withbigwindowsthat lookoutonthesun-splashed vista of a golf course.

Thesecond floor is ahorror—withexposed beams that look like shred-ded wheat, floors gone and wallsripped out, a testament to the de-structive force of the Formosan ter-mite.

“Ihavenoupstairs at all,”Ellis said.“Two bedrooms are gone. The floorsare gone. I’ve never seen anything sodestructive. My husband took it hardbecause this house is his pride and

joy. I think it was horrible, just hor-rible. I didn’t realize this little bugcould be so destructive.”

This little bug, and its cousin theAsian termite, will pay visits to anincreasing number of South Floridahouses. A new study by scientists atthe University of Florida says theAsian and Formosan termites, non-natives that arrived in the past fewdecades, have spread “exponentially”from the Keys through Palm BeachCounty, multiplying by many timesthenumber of structureswithin theirrange.

The number of South Florida

At an alarming rate, two non-native termite species aremaking a home in South Florida. Maybe your home.

By David FleshlerStaff writer

Appetite forDESTRUCTION

See TERMITES, 22A

Formosan termites have badly damaged the home of Chris Ellis, who lives west of Delray Beach.AMY BETH BENNETT/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

“I have no upstairsat all. Two bed-rooms are gone.

The floors are gone.... My husband tookit hard because thishouse is his pride

and joy.”Chris Ellis, whose West

Delray home was invaded byFormosan termites

ATLANTA — It wasn’tthat thework day began be-fore dawn at Fort Bragg,N.C. It was the relent-less physical pace instriving for excel-lence that height-ened the apprecia-tion Mike Dunn al-ready felt for themil-itary personnel whotoil tirelessly at the world’slargestmilitary base.

TheMiamiMarlins reliefpitcher got a close-up lookat their spirit and dedica-tion during four days ofjoining intrainingandinter-acting with soldiers as partof a group of major league

players who participated inFox Sports’ “Spring Train-ing to the Troops” tour inFebruary 2014.

Dunn recalls the experi-ence as life-changing, and

he is excited about theopportunity he andhis teammates haveto provide a fewhours of entertain-ment for the troopsat Fort Bragg when

theMarlins face theAt-lanta Braves there Sundayinwhat is believed to be thefirst regular-season gamestaged by a professionalsports league on a U.S. mil-itary base.

It will be televised na-

MARLINS ONAMISSION

By Craig DavisStaff writer

See MARLINS, 22A

Sunday night’s game at Fort Bragg, N.C.,will be the first on a U.S. military base

$597

Vol. 57, No. 69 » Copyright 2016All rights reserved

For home delivery, call 1-800-548-NEWS

SUNDAY, JULY 3, 2016 FINAL EDITION » $3

We reach nearly 1.5 million adults every week with the combined resources of:

SunSentinel.com

7 28337 11300 1

SENIOR CITIZENS AND MILITARYSENIOR CITIZENS AND MILITARYSAVE AN ADDITIONALSAVE AN ADDITIONAL 10%10%

“We Will Beat“We Will BeatAll Competitors Prices”

PET FRIENDLYPET FRIENDLYBrowardPalm BeachPalm Beach

954-861-8055561-287-1460561-287-1460

PROFESSIONAL • AFFORDABLE ON TIME EXPERT SERVICEPROFESSIONAL • AFFORDABLE ON TIME EXPERT SERVICE“SIMPLY THE BEST”Licensed and insuredLicensed and insured

CARPET CLEANINGCARPET CLEANING

VACUUM • PRETREAT • DEODORIZEDEEP CLEAN

$$29290000per room2 rm min.

MUST SEE!FREE DEMOFREE DEMO

CARPET - TILE & GROUT - FURNITURE -CARPET - TILE & GROUT - FURNITURE - GREEN CLEANING SPECIALSGREEN CLEANING SPECIALSGREENGREEN CLEANING SPECIALSCLEANING SPECIALS

CleanTile & Grout NO GIMMICKS! ACTUAL PRICES!

CERAMIC TILE &CERAMIC TILE &GROUT CLEANINGGROUT CLEANING

$$39390000per room2 rm min.Up to 200 Sq Ft

NO HARSH CHEMICALSFREEDEMO

The ButlerThe ButlerCarpet, Tile &Carpet, Tile &

Grout CleaningGrout Cleaningwww.thebutler.uswww.thebutler.us

MOST POWERFUL TRUCKMOST POWERFUL TRUCKMOUNTED EQUIPMENTED EQUIPMENTED EQUIPMENT

24-HOUR FLOOD SERVICE24-HOUR FLOOD SERVICEORIENTAL RUGS • DRAPERYORIENTAL RUGS • DRAPERY

MATTRESS CLEANINGMATTRESS CLEANINGUPHOLSTERY CLEANINGUPHOLSTERY CLEANING

YACHT AND RV’SYACHT AND RV’SCONSTRUCTION CLEANINGCONSTRUCTION CLEANING

35%35%OFFOFF

Page 2: Appetite forsteelbridge.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/SunSentinel-7.3.16.pdf · Tile &Grout NO GIMMICKS! ACTUAL PRICES! CERAMIC TILE & GROUT CLEANING $3900 per room 2rmmin. Up to 200

SB Sunday, July 3, 2016 SunSentinel.com Sun Sentinel | 3D

SteelbridgeCapital has acquiredSunTrust Center, a270,000-square-foot office complex indowntownFort Lauderdale, for $86.5million, property records show.

Steelbridge bought the two-buildingproperty at 501and 515E. LasOlasBlvd. fromSunTrust Banks Inc., thelead tenantwho also agreed to long-term retail and office leases in bothbuildings as part of the deal.

The property includes a17-storyoffice tower and three-story annex.The newowner said it plans amajorrenovation,whichwill include up-grading technology and adding retailspace to the annex.

SunTrust Center is 77 percent occu-pied, according to Steelbridge,which isbased inMiamiwith another office inChicago.

This is the secondFort Lauderdaleinvestment for Steelbridge,which alsoownsCypress Financial Center. Itbought the 200,000-square-foot officebuilding at 500N.AndrewsAve. for$32.55million in 2014, records show.

Industrial park fullyoccupied, officials say

The108,000-square-foot East PortCenter, a Fort Lauderdale industrialpark, has reached full occupancy, offi-cials said.

CayogaAmerica Inc. filled the lastvacancy by signing a lease for 7,000square feet. BergerCommercial Realtysaid it represented the building owner,East Port Center Joint Venture.

The park is at the northeast quad-rant of Interstate 95 andMarinaMileRoad.

In a separate transaction, Bergerrepresented the seller,WorkersRealtyLLC, in the $200,000 sale of a1,167-square-foot office building at 361E. Commercial Blvd. in Fort Lauder-dale. The buyerwasMustafa Saleh,who intends to operate a pet groomingcenter.

Law firm to offer freecondo rules seminars

TheKatzmanGarfinkel law firmwillpresent three free seminars for com-munity associations in July.

A course covering previous topicsand lessons learned is scheduled fornoon to 2 p.m. TuesdayJuly 5 at theE.Pat LarkinsCommunityCenter, 520NWThird St., PompanoBeach.

Bill and SusanRaphan, state educa-tion facilitators for the law firm,willteach all three courses. To register, call954-486-7774.

Operator buys shoppingcenter for $13.5million

EDENS, an owner and operator ofshopping centers, paid $13.5million forLakesideCentre inBocaRaton, recordsshow.

OceanProperties Ltd. sold the22.8-acre site at 8144GladesRoad.

Marshalls,HomeGoods andOffBroadway ShoeWarehouse anchor the161,000-square-foot center. Itwas builtin1991.

EDENS, based inColumbia, S.C., hasa regional office in Miami.

Brokerage seeks tenantsfor shopping plaza

TheKatz&Associates real estatebrokerage is handling leases forTheShops atMissionLakes nearWelling-ton.

The 27,000-square-foot plaza is at5500-5516 S. StateRoad 7. Existingtenants include Sal’s ItalianRistorante,GNC, Supercuts andHeartlandDental.

Katz is seeking tenants for two1,300-square-foot spaces.

Staff researcher BarbaraHijekcontributed to this report.

[email protected], 561-243-6529or Twitter@paulowers

REAL ESTATE

Paul Owers

Officecomplexsells for$86.5M

SunTrust Center

InMay, the average 30-year loan ratewas 3.6 percent, the lowest it had beenin 36months. But there is a downside.

When rates slip, points out JonathanSmoke, chief economist at Realtor.com,the availability of credit declines. Lend-ers pull in their horns because it be-comesmore difficult tomake a profit.“With littlemargin, lenders becomemore risk-averse,” Smoke says.

While Smoke says he believesmort-gage rates are likely to remain under 4percent through the summer and intothe early fall, they could spring up tomore than 4percent by the holidays.His advice: Stay on top of rates,workcloselywith your lender and becomefamiliarwith options like interest ratelocks and float-downs (a type of ratereduction).

“Given howvolatile rates have beenthis year,” he says, “borrowers are likelyto see both lower andhigher rates fromtime of application to time of closing,which iswhatmakes these optionspotentially attractive.However, they docome at a price, so youneed toweighthe potential gains against the costswith your lender.”

Above and beyond:There is garden-variety customer service, as practicedbymany real estate professionals.There is great customer service, prac-ticed by some. And then there’s JeffMiller.

Miller, a loan officerwith Prime-Lending inTucson, Ariz., outshonethemall inApril, whenhe officiatedthewedding of clientsDonovanRileyandRebeccaNoreen.

Whenworking to secure the en-gaged couple’smortgage in January,Miller half-jokingly told them that hewas ordained, and that if they neededan officiant for theirwedding, hewould be happy to step in.He said henever expected to actually receive acall, but inMarchhe did.

The pairwasmarried, by theirmort-gage officer, onApril 9.

Amortgage is definitely a long-termcommitment, but this one camewithan “until death do us part” rider. Nowthat’s customer service.

A jet with every condo:PresidentHerbertHoover promised “a chicken inevery pot.”Now, South Florida realestate developerTimLobanov is prom-ising a jetwith every condo.

To boost sales at theAurora devel-opment in Sunny Isles Beach, , Loba-nov,managing director of theVerzascaGroup, is offering complimentaryone-yearmembershipswith JetSmart-er, a service that allowsmembers tocharter private jets.

Surprisingly, prices at the 61-unitboutique condominiumon the famedCollinsAvenue seem fairly reasonable,at least for SouthFlorida: $840,000 fora two-bedroomapartment, $920,000for two bedrooms and a den and $1.4million for a three-bedroomunit.

Program finds ideal house:There’sno doubt that the internet has allowedwould-be homebuyers to domuch oftheir searching online. There are about123million unique visitors permonthto the top three real estateweb portals,most ofwhomare seeingwhat’s avail-able and reading the latest “how-to”articles.

Now,QValue, aDenver technologycompany, has developed a formula thatallows the computer to find specifichouses based onwhat buyers say theywant. In a test inApril, a buyer told thecomputer and an agentwhat he liked,and themachine and the real estateprofessionalwent about the task offinding just the right house.

The experimentwent on for threeconsecutive days,with the buyer enter-ing different requirements each day.And each day, the computer turned inthe buyer’s favorite.

The difference: TheQValue algo-rithm runs on “emotionally triggering”qualitative criteria, as opposed to quan-titativemeasures such as price andnumber of bedrooms.

More Chinese buyers:Chinese in-vestment in theU.S. real estatemarkethas surpassed $300billion and is stillgrowing despiteChina’s economicweakness and increased currencycontrols, according to new research.

Between 2010 and 2015, Chinesebuyers bought $93 billionworth ofresidential real estate, nearly $208billion ofmortgage-backed securitiesand roughly $17 billion of commercialreal estate, including office towers andhotels. The data come froma report bytheRosenConsultingGroup and theAsia Society.

Despite those numbers, direct in-vestment fromChinamakes up only10percent of all foreign investment intoU.S. real estate.

Goodmortgagerate hasdownsideBy Lew SichelmanUnited Feature Syndicate

Money

You love the idea ofplants on the porch or perk-ing up thewindowsill.

But past experiencesfeatured a thumbmoreblack than green.

So how should you shopfor plants thatmight be—howdoweput this—hardto kill?

RobinVice,whoworks inthe nursery department atLowe’s, is used to first-timeplant owners coming inwith fear. She’s found thattelling customers storiesabout their newgreenneighbors helps.

“This is a living thing,like your child or like yourpet,” she said. “Youhave tokind of create a story ofitself: It’s going to need thisand it’s going to need that. Itcan’t be completely forsak-en once you put it in theground.”

Just as youwouldwith apet, think throughwhat itwill need: light,water,space, attention.

“Themicroclimates ofwhere these plants aregoing to be is probably themost important thing todiscuss,” said JohnDi-versey, amanager at Chi-cago’sGethsemaneGardenCenter.

Here’swhat experts tell“terrified” (in thewords ofVice) newplant owners.

Start with the light;read the label. “The veryfirst thing that they need tothink about iswhat kind ofsun they have,” Vice said.“Do they have sun all day?Is it completely in shade?(And)whichway theirhouse faces.”

Wherever youwant toput a plant, take a Saturdayandwatch the light for afewhours,monitoring howmuch youhave andwhere it

falls.“Pay attention for a cou-

ple of days before you de-cide to shop, and then you’llbe able to knowmore accu-ratelywhatwillwork andwhat youmight aswell notbother looking at,” she said.

Also, look at that label.Most plant labelswill havezone information; theU.S.Department of Agriculture’sPlantHardiness ZoneMapis based on things like light,temperature anddurationof exposure to cold.

Cacti are popularfor a reason. Yes, desertdwellers can be a goodoption.

“They don’t need a lot,”Vice said.

But don’t think that theirdesert naturemeans youcan just ignore them.

“Rememberwhat it’s likewhere this little guy camefrom,”Vice said. “It is hotfor days on end, incrediblyhot and no rain, and thenthere’s a downpour, andthen it’s incredibly hotagain.”

Hop on the herb trend.Consider herbs to add intomealsmade from farmersmarket veggies.

“Rosemary, thyme, orega-no, tarragon,”Diverseysuggested. “All those dry,

woodyherbs that give usthatwonderful cooking.”

The dry herbs are theeasiest, he suggested, be-cause “they don’t require asmuchwater, pruning andlight.”

“Herbs are pretty forgiv-ing,” he said. “Everybodysays, ‘Ohmy gosh, howcould I grow these herbs?’They have this great repu-tation of being so hard.”

But, in fact, theymightdowell in awindowsillcontainer,where they canget indirect light.

Collect plants with con-fidence. Don’t be likemostfirst-time plant ownerswhounderestimate theirabilities. Consider gettingmore than one.

Vice suggests goingwithannuals.Maybe petunias,calibrachoa ormarigolds.And if you’re considering aplanter— think 2 feet byabout 6 inches—mix it up.

“Look for plants thatwilldo three things: Somethingthatwill be tall in the pot,something thatwill bemedium-sized and thensomething thatwill drape.”

Finally, don’t be nervousabout asking someone in astore for help.

“Don’t be intimidated,”Diversey said. “Ask people.That’swhy they’re there.”

SOLUTIONS

How to shop for a plantthat will be hard to killBy Alison BowenTribune Newspapers

Most herbs are easy to grow in garden pots or on a window-sill with indirect light.

LOWE’S

As the owner and opera-tor of Port City BrewingCo.,Bill Butcher is certainlyfamiliarwith silos, since heuses one at his business inAlexandria, Va.

Butwhenhis designerpitched the concept of a siloas amajor component of avacation homehewas de-signing for Butcher andhiswife, Karen, the couple saidnot so fast.

“Wehad an ongoingdialoguewith (the de-signer) on design deci-sions,” Bill Butcher said.“And for themost part, theycomeupwith great ideas.Butwhenhe suggested thesilowe said, ‘Hmm, notsure.’ ”

Their designer,MarkTurner ofGreen Spur, adesign-build firmbased inFalls Church, Va., said theinitial skepticismdidn’tdeter him.

“We’ve always beenintrigued by silos,” Turnersaid. “Sowhen youhave aclientwho runs a beerfactorywith a silo on theside of the building, it’s apretty easy sell.”

On the 89 acres theButchers own along theRappahannockRiver inMarshall, Va., sits Turner’svision: a simple, rectangularhomewith a front porch.It’s sheltered by ametal roofand cladwith board andbatten sheathing paintedgreen.

Themain section of thehome’s downstairs has aliving room, dining roomand kitchen combination.Upstairs includes a kidsroomwith bunk beds, aguest room, themasterbath, guest bath, kids bathand a kids sleeping loft.

The silo that houses themaster bedroomupstairsand a den downstairs sits onone end and is connected tothemain section of thehouse via a stepped-downentranceway. The transi-tional spaceworks as a

mudroom that includes apowder roomand laundryroom.

The silo came fromBrockGrain Systems,whichworks out of several loca-tions in theMidwest. Acrewof silo erectors as-sembled it on site in aboutsix hours. “They do the rooffirst, jack up the roof usingwhat looks kind of like carjacks, add a 4-foot section,then jack that up and addanother section till it’sdone,” saidTurner.

The den on the groundlevel of the silo is illuminat-edwith natural light fromthewindows. On the sec-ond level, thewindows arecombinedwith an overheadcustom fixture lit by LEDs.Walking through the spaceelicits a peaceful feeling,like strolling into a ca-thedral butwith an addedquirkiness factor raised bythoughts of grain storage.

“Itmay not look like it,but there’s actually quite abit of storage space in thehouse,” saidKarenButcher,a lawyerwithMorganLew-is, an international law firmwith an office inWashing-ton.

TheButchers bought the89 acres at the end of adead-end road nearMar-shallwhen the real estatemarketwas booming in thepast decade. The deal in-cluded an interimhousethat they planned to use andthen resell once they fin-

ished building their dreamvacation house. But theirplans soon changed.

“Sometimes life gets intheway,” saidBill Butcher.“Wewent ahead, hired anarchitect, had plansmade in2008 just before themarketcrashed.Wehad two littlekids at the time anddecidedto put thewhole thing onhold for awhile.”

In 2013, theButchers sawanewspaper article about ahouse built byTurner. Thedesigner grewupon aranch inWyoming andhasa taste for rustic buildingsinspired by barns and farm-houses.

TheButchers pushedaside the house plans theyalready had, and, accordingtoTurner, they told him to“do something cool.”

Andwhat could be coolerthan sleeping in a silo?

Opposite the silo, theopen-plan living area is litby south-facingwindowsflanking the fireplace,which also provide a sourceof natural light for themost-lywhite kitchen.

Beyond the kitchen liesan outdoor fire pit, andbeyond that is a uniqueoutbuilding the family hasdubbed “TheOverlook.”“It’s a place to hang out.There’s a great feeling ofseclusion out there,” saidBill Butcher.

Scott Sowers is a freelancer.

Converted silo providescozy vacation home spaceBy Scott SowersTheWashington Post

Bill and Karen Butcher’s Virginia vacation home silo housesthe master bedroom and a den.

JOHN MCDONNELL/WASHINGTON POST