He turned a $15k grain elevator into a $325k playground

An old grain elevator near Fargo, ND, just went to market for $325,000—and once you step inside, the steep price (at least by grain-elevator standards) makes sense: Architect Scott Dahms transformed this dilapidated structure into an indoor amusement park with a spiral slide and climbing wall that has become an Airbnb hit. Here’s how he put it together.

Q: What inspired you to buy a grain elevator? “I went through a divorce, and when you get divorced, you do crazy things. I also needed a place with space for my two boys. So in 2017, I bought a grain elevator off Craigslist for $15,000 and started renovating. I absolutely did not pay attention to how much time or money I spent because I just didn’t want to know. You don’t buy an RV for the gas mileage. How many people’s dreams have been squandered because they didn’t make sense on paper?”

Q: What was the biggest renovation challenge? “Energy efficiency and heating costs. January is when the propane company loves me, and it’ll cost around $1,600.”

Q: And it’s an Airbnb? “I wasn’t spending much time there, so I tried renting it out when I wasn’t there. Even with me living there half the time, it brings in $50k–$60k per year. And it has huge potential where an investor could add more units.”

Q: What advice would you have for the next owner? “I’m no banker, but I doubt it will qualify for a conventional loan since there are no comparables, but there are ways around that. And now that I’ve done the heavy lifting, it has become a sustainable investment. My biggest advice to whoever buys this is to stay in touch with me. I’m not going to dump this on someone and walk away, because I care about it.”

Q: Will you miss having this place as your own? “I’ve had some great parties there. My first party there was a Footloose-themed party because that movie’s finale features a grain elevator. People came up to me and were like, ‘We thought you went out to the deep end.’ And now those same people are just blown away.”