The House the Hartmans Built

Throughout their adult lives, Tom and Becky Hartman primarily have lived in what most would consider traditionally designed homes. That is until a most unusual property caught their eye. It was vacant, run-down, and full of machines. It wasn’t even for sale when Tom initially spotted it.

That place was the vacant Kenway Industries factory on Oak Grove Road, just over the Warrick County line in Newburgh, Indiana.

“The first time we saw it was 2014 or so. We thought it was for sale because there was an auction sign by the road, and we assumed it was for the entire property,” Becky says.

The Hartmans were particularly interested in a building situated behind a house along the road. When Tom contacted the auction company, he discovered that only the house was up for sale.

More years of vacancy went by. The couple had talked about buying land and building, but everything they saw was too far away from the city, more than they wanted to spend, or — in Tom’s words — “just didn’t feel right.”

Then one day in 2020, Tom noticed online that the property they had kept their eye on was for sale. They quickly made an offer, and it was theirs.

Becky said when they walked inside, “It was like a time capsule. It was almost like they had walked off the job yesterday.”

The plastics injection molding company closed its factory, leaving everything inside including two huge pieces of machinery weighing 40,000 pounds each in what now is the Hartmans’ living space. What looked like an abandoned business to most people seemed like a dream to Becky and Tom. Their goal was to create a space under one roof that met all their needs — a residence, a big garage for Tom’s automotive “toys,” and a studio for Becky.

Tom previously owned Big 4 Cycle in Evansville and co-owned Newburgh Power Sports, selling everything from motorcycles to ATVs to boats. He has an affection for these “toys,” and the Hartmans needed room for the vehicles he still owns, including a very large camper. Becky loves making artwork and jewelry, and therefore needed her own studio space. Also big on her wish list — a fabulous closet.

Couldn’t they have more easily just built something new?

“Easier, yes,” Tom says. “Cheaper or same price, no.”

The home offers 5,400 square feet of space that easily would have cost $200 per square foot to build new. With his own sweat equity and hired help, Tom demolished the whole thing and built exactly what he and his wife wanted for much less. They now have four acres in a location they love and were able to sell a house on the property to help defray costs in addition to hauling 90 tons of scrap steel to Fligeltaub Recycling on Evansville’s West Side.

After purchasing the property in late June 2020, it took six months of hard, hot work for Tom and his crew to dismantle the machinery, demolish what needed to be removed (including a dilapidated two-story chicken coop), and haul away the debris.

Tom’s recent cancer treatment made the process even more challenging. He sold some items, gave others away, discarded what he couldn’t use, and kept a few unique pieces for the couple’s renovation project.

Among the things they saved were a large Toledo scale that currently sits in Becky’s studio, a wooden overhead door repurposed into shutters near Tom’s office, and a bag full of plastic crucifixes originally manufactured by Kenway Industries for rosaries. In fact, the Hartmans still find crucifixes on the property more than a year and a half after moving in, assuming they were one of the last product lines Kenway produced. Becky recently had a bit of fun by posting on her Facebook page, “If you find crucifixes on your property, does that mean you’re on holy ground?” She got some interesting responses.

Although the vision was uniquely theirs, the Hartmans had help bringing it to reality. Tom relied on his own years of experience in flipping properties and modifying commercial spaces to pull together a team, all “people we had worked with and we trust. All local, small businesses.”

The Hartmans’ friend Troy Wells, who has renovated numerous Newburgh-area properties, lent his expertise.

“Troy can immediately see how things need to be configured,” Becky says, “He just walks into a space and sees it.” In Tom’s words, Troy helped them “dial it in.”

Becky’s colleagues at Stella’s in Newburgh provided invaluable feedback on decorating the living space, and Lamar Architecture and Design (LA+D) came on board as demolition was winding down. Head’s Construction helped with general construction and roofing, and Evansville Garage Doors installed three doors for Tom’s automotive “toys.”

Tom says he usually doesn’t draft a formal plan for projects, but this was something bigger. “It became important that we had something down on paper in terms of measurements,” he explains. The Hartmans also needed expertise to ensure electricity and plumbing were done properly.

As far as they’ve come, both Tom and Becky consider their home a work in progress. Still ahead — additional grounds work with Steckler Landscaping, an overhang to protect their front entrance without blocking natural light, and an outdoor kitchen. They’re also planning to wrap a shipping container with the same material as the current building to create a potting shed and storage for yard equipment.

Becky acknowledges she felt a little overwhelmed at times during the process. “One minute I thought it was so cool. The next minute I thought, ‘We’ve lost our minds!’” she laughs. Now that it’s all done? “Wow, it’s hard to believe. It’s simple, but so pretty,” she says.

Tom loves a project and a challenge, saying he appreciates having everything under one roof, just as they envisioned. “It’s a good space for me. I felt that ‘wow’ every day.”

That “wow” is a testament to the power of vision, perseverance, and collaboration in transforming a long-neglected property into a now-cherished home.