Sands finds great location for new home near Fairfield’s MIU

FAIRFIELD — A couple of years ago, Fairfield resident David Sands suffered a catastrophic flood at his home resulting from a broken pipe, leaving him without a permanent place to stay.

Luckily, Sands was able to land on his feet when he found a piece of property where he could build a new home, on North B Street just east of the campus of Maharishi International University. Sands hired his son-in-law Judd Connor as the general contractor. They broke ground on the home in the fall of 2021, and it was ready for Sands to move in by June.

The home is set back quite a way from the road, nestled in the tall prairie grass between B Street and the university. Looking out his windows to the west, Sands can get a glimpse of who is playing tennis on the Punj Tennis Courts. Sands said one of the things he loves about the location is that he has a great views.

“When I first saw this property, it was under 8 inches of snow,” Sands said. “But I knew this was a great location. I have beautiful views in all directions of green grass and trees.”

Sands lives in the home by himself, but one of his frequent guests is his 2-year-old granddaughter, who visits every weekday afternoon. They like to spend time in the basement, where the youngster has her own play kitchen, and in a room big enough for Sands to put in a pingpong table.

The home is conveniently located near Waterworks Park, where Sands and his granddaughter walk to play on the swings or go swimming in the lake.

“There’s a lot of nature here,” Sands said. “The deer are sometimes right outside our door, and we hear a lot of owls at night.”

Sands said it was a no-brainer to hire his son-in-law to build the house because he does “really good work,” and Sands has been impressed with the homes he’s built. He said Connor did a lot of the design work. Sands said one of his top priorities was an open floor plan to make the house feel spacious.

Connor and Sands modeled the kitchen after Connor’s own kitchen. One of the neat features there is the induction stove, which cooks by transferring an electric current to metal cookware. If you accidentally turn on the stove with no pot on it, the stove won’t heat up because there is nothing to conduct the electricity.

Next to the stove is a large single-basin sink with a detachable faucet head, which Sands loves. He really likes the quartz countertop in the kitchen, too.

Sands said it might sound surprising, but he spent a fair amount of time getting the right toilet for the bathroom. He wanted it to dual flushing controls to regulate the amount of water used, and to have a slow-closing lid. The toilet bowl and tank are all one unit.

“It’s both stylish and functional,” Sands said.

Sands said the tile work in both bathrooms, which was done by Connor, is magnificent. For the rest of the house, Connor suggested vinyl flooring that snaps together, but which resembles a hardwood floor. Sands said it even feels like a hardwood floor when he walks on it.

“The pieces just lock together. They’re not glued down,” Sands said. ”Judd and his crew did a nice job. It’s very practical and serviceable.”

The house is done, but there is still work to do around it. Sands said he wants to put down topsoil and level the weeds in his yard.

“We’ll do some landscaping, and next summer it will look nice,” he said.

Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com