Say Cheese

Wisconsin is all about the cheese. Ted Thuli designs cheese factories for a living so he was more than up to the task of converting an old cheese factory building in Darlington. At first, his wife Angie was skeptical but now says she wouldn't trade her unique home for anything. The home looks something like a drive-in theater from the front. The walls have no siding and consist of 6-inch-thick foam panels reinforced with aluminum.

No longer cold storage for cheese, the Thuli home features radiant heating in the floors to ward off the Wisconsin winter chills.

Structural support from the home is provided by heavy steel I-beams and support posts. Some of the posts are cleverly hidden within vintage columns and artificial trees.

The cheese warehouse was originally located in Madison, Wis. It was scheduled for demolition when Ted convinced the owner it would be cheaper to give it away. After disassembly it took nine semi loads to truck the parts to the new home site.

Interesting, vintage touches abound in Thuli's house. Behind the marquis from the town's former movie house is a spectacular home theater.

That's not really a train coming through the wall, it's an old broiler made to look like the front of a locomotive that conceals a neat wine rack.

You pass through the actual facade from an old gas station on your way to the garage.

Although the home’s interior walls still have dents and scuff marks from the forklifts during its warehouse days, they’re hardly noticeable with all of the other distractions. Ted's creative decorations include a gas station facade, a replica of the Mann’s Chinese theatre and even a train coming through the wall. There’s also a gas pump, a giant tree and courthouse columns.

Resources
host location—The Elm
Baltimore, MD
Phone: 410-889-3288
Website: www.the-elm.com
Guests
Chris Andrews Contractor, A&B Craftsman, LLC Phone: 608-776-3718

Remodeling

Say Cheese

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