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This is a wonderful home, in even better surroundings. The house sits on a bluff and looks out over river bottom and wetlands, which get more beautiful every year, attracting a huge variety of wildlife. Home: Built in approximately 1900 1434 square feet, wood, with metal siding Three bedrooms Full bath, plus shower and toilet in basement Full, dry walk-out basement Forced air propane furnace Large Jotul wood stove Four closets upstairs, including one walk-in Central air New roof in fall of 2005 Fenced yard Excellent well, plus hookup to rural water available Water softener system in basement R/O at kitchen sink Septic tank Appliances which will stay with the house are refrigerator and gas range. Neither are new, but they both work well The house is in great condition, and many improvements have been made to it over the years. Land: 22.23 total acres. 8.9 acres are tillable, and in hay at present (grass mix). 2+ acres of this are below the house (south), and the rest is behind the house and pasture, at the top of the bluff. No chemicals have been used for over nine years. Remainder of land is pasture, which is hilly and partly wooded. Small year-round pond is accessible from the pasture. Two mature peach trees and one mature cherry, plus a couple of wild peach trees. Gravel road divides the property, between the house and the barn buildings and lower hay field. Because the bordering land to the south is in a wetlands program, no one may build there in the future. Outbuildings: Detached 2+ car berm garage Large barn —opening onto uphill/street side, to load hay into middle section, plus loft, and east and west alleys opening onto downhill/barnyard side, and a tack or milking room beneath the loft. New metal roof. Loafing shed —built in 70's, lots of room for livestock, equipment, hay, etc. New metal roof. Someone long ago put homes for mason bees in the rafters of this building, and they thrive there (and in the garden), every summer. Corn crib —in pretty good shape, but we've only used it for storage. Always thought it would be perfect to turn into a shop/studio/guest house. New metal roof. Silo —not used in many years, but there's not a brick out of place. Henhouse —fiberglass panels have been added to part of the south-facing roof of this building, and it can be used as a greenhouse in spring, although it's unheated. Needs a little repair. Old blacksmith building/shed —connected to two other small rooms, one of which was used as a cold room, and the other, possibly as a potting shed. This building has a nice cedar shingle roof on most of it, but part of it needs to be shingled yet. The shingles are stored and ready to use. Pump house —needs a little TLC before winter, just to weatherproof it better. Barnyard: Much of the barnyard is concrete, and surrounded by very, very stout fencing, made up of railroad tie uprights and 3x12 planks. Two working hydrants. There are a few pieces of horse-drawn equipment on the place now, which aren't included in the sale price but may be available for sale. Immediate Surroundings: Wetlands Conventional farming (corn and soybeans) Lovely old cemetery New B&B/Lodge Two hog confinement buildings (about 1/4 mile away) Location: 1794 315th Street, Brighton, Iowa Approximately two miles north of Brighton, and about 1/4 mile east of Highway 1, on a well-maintained gravel road. Brighton is small, with two gas stations and a cafe, and a beautiful state park, Lake Darling. Washington is 8 miles north. It's a lovely community, with a nice mix of people, and it's the most convenient place for banking and basic shopping (24-hour grocery/pharmacy). They have a farmers' market throughout the summer. Washington has been rated as one of The 100 Best Small Towns in America three times by author Norman Crampton. 25 miles north is Kalona, which includes a large Amish community. This is a great resource (and inspiration) for those interested in farming with horses, or just sustainable living (or quilting, or antiquing). There's a big draft horse and equipment sale held in Kalona twice a year. 45 miles north is Iowa City, home of the University of Iowa, and the Iowa Writers' Workshop , and much more. It's a nice city, with a great library, good restaurants and shopping, and all the amenities a small city offers. Iowa City was named #10 in Kiplinger's magazine's list of the 50 best places to live in America, in the June 2006 issue. Fairfield is 22 miles south and is home of Maharishi University of Management. This has attracted a varied group of residents over the years, and makes it an interesting community. There are lots of entrepreneurial businesses in Fairfield, and there's a growing community of sustainable farmers as well. They also have a farmers' market twice a week in summer. Mount Pleasant, about 30 miles southeast, is the home of the annual Old Threshers Reunion. Wildlife: Deer, of course, lots of them. So many that they're a bit of a danger on the roads around here. Geese, wild turkeys, pheasant, fox, coyotes, raccoons, opossum, beaver, rabbits, squirrels and all the rest that you'd expect in rural Iowa. Birds, birds, birds. There are more and more different songbirds here every year, maybe because of the development of the wetlands, or the absence of chemicals. For whatever reason, it's wonderful. In addition to these, there's a great variety of water birds that nest in or migrate through the area. Bald eagles are becoming commonplace in the winter, and we've seen as many as 25 at a time fishing on the ice on the pond below us (see photo below). Canada geese are in abundance, and many families are raised here in the spring. Pelicans come through for a day or two twice a year and make a beautiful show. We've also seen snow geese spend a morning on the pond as they pass through in their migration. Then there are blue heron, egret, many kinds of ducks, and much more. Taxes: $1,139 per year Utilities: propane $828; electric $966; firewood $210 (We didn't use the woodstove as much this winter, so propane costs were higher than they might have been.) Insurance: $1002 High speed internet is available To Contact us: Feel free to call 319-694-2279, or email us at holly@sandyhookstudio.com if we can answer any questions. To see the property: The house and property will be shown by appointment only. Please call or email if you'd like to set up an appointment. Thanks for your interest and good luck home-hunting!   —Ted and Holly Bowen Pictures! There are an awful lot of pictures here, so apologies to those with slow internet connections, for the long download time. The lay of the land (pictures that include surrounding area) House and yard Barnyard, pasture, hay fields Interior of house Garden Miscellaneous views from the house