A retired carpenter and his daughter from Iowa have pulled off an epic renovation, turning a scrap train caboose into a luxury Airbnb apartment single-handedly.
Jim Dotzenrod, 65, had already completed the restoration of a barn silo, his first Airbnb rental, named “Silo on the Ridge,” when a family friend saw a 1973 train caboose parked at a metal scrapyard in the spring of 2016. Jim drove the 30 miles to pick it up, keen for another passion project.
Jim had bought a single set of railroad tracks on which to park the caboose, Car No. SOO 124, which set him back $8,000, weighed 52,000 pounds, and measured 8.6 feet by 30 feet.
His daughter Danielle Dotzenrod, 42, told The Epoch Times, “It was in good condition, there being no rust, dents, or physical damage. It was just very, very dirty and it smelled strongly of oil. We hauled it to Dad’s property on a semitruck, and then unloaded it with a crane.”
Working nights and weekends around his day job, Jim began the six-month renovation with the help of his design-savvy daughter.
“The first and biggest challenge was cutting out and removing all of the old iron,” said Danielle, who owns a leather company, Behumane, selling leather to brands sourced from regenerative ranches.
“Once that was all out, it needed a good cleaning. Dad’s father was a plumber, so he was able to build the bathroom himself, as well as the kitchen. Then came the painting, and finally the flooring, which is my favorite part.
“Dad did most of the real work, and I helped with the design and some small projects,” Danielle said. “He says I give him lots of what he calls ‘brain strain,’ but in the end, we are both always happy with how our projects turn out!”
Danielle tiled the bathroom and designed the oak flooring inlaid with black tiles, while her father built a platform in the cupola for a raised queen-size bed with stairs, and bunk beds beneath, sleeping four.
To preserve the caboose’s authenticity, the pair decided to keep the original hand railing and conductor’s chairs, which can swivel on their bases to look out the window.
Jim and Danielle’s specific caboose is known as an “extended-vision” or “wide-vision” style, owing to the fact that its cupola projects beyond its body. It was likely used to carry the conductor and brakemen, said Danielle, some of whom would have used the cupola windows to monitor the train.
The father-daughter duo built a bathroom and fully-fitted kitchen with mini cocktail bar for guests. They included air-conditioning, WiFi, a TV, and a beautiful handcrafted deck overlooking the family’s horse pasture.
“[It’s] particularly nice at sunset,” said Danielle. “My dad also offers carriage rides through the country, or in our local town of Decorah.”
Danielle claims hers and Jim’s biggest reward is the enjoyment that their caboose has brought guests.
She said they both are “thrilled with the number of guests” who’ve enjoyed their stay in their caboose.
“I think when you grow up in the country, you can sometimes take for granted the natural beauty and the quiet, an appreciation which is never lost on our city guests and is nice to see,” she said.
Jim and Danielle keep a guest log in the caboose, and delight in reading notes from guests who have enjoyed barbecuing, a glass of wine on the deck, picking raspberries, or feeding a carrot or apple to their friendly horses.
Guests can also enjoy hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, tubing the Upper Iowa River, and visiting award-winning breweries in the area, said Danielle.
She shared one of her favorite guest anecdotes with The Epoch Times.
“We ask that guests do not play with the cats, because farm cats have a job and tame farm cats don’t want to work,” she said. “We had just had kittens, and one lady made a joke to my dad about playing with them. My dad responded that she can play, but then she has to take them home.
“The morning she left, she asked my dad if she could have one she had her heart set on,” she recalled. “He happily agreed. That little farm kitty won the lottery that day!”
After the huge success of their caboose renovation, Jim and Danielle are brainstorming their next joint venture. While there are no property projects on the horizon, Danielle did let on, “we are restoring a 1985 Dodge Prospector pickup and a 1987 horse trailer to match, for me to horseback ride and camp with.”
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