A Log Home Story: From Dream to Reality

Every log home starts with a dream…

My love affair with cabins began when I was a little girl. I remember reading Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House in the Big Woods and thinking how warm and cozy cabin life must have been. There was something about the evenings by the fireplace, Pa’s fiddle playing, a rocking chair, and living the woods that just spoke to me.

By the time I was old enough to attend summer camps, the adventure was more about the cabin life than the camp activities. Then in high school, I travelled with one of my friends and her family to vacation in a log cabin on a lake in Canada. I still remember the smell of the wood and the peaceful, quiet ambiance of the cabin on the lake and knew that one day, I would have that log cabin in the mountains.

So how do you make a dream come true? I think it varies, but for me it started with subscriptions to every log cabin magazine that was being published: The Country’s Best Cabins, Cabin Life, Log Home Living, and others. And with each issue my vision of what I wanted became more defined. I cut out pictures of rooms I loved and of designs that caught my eye and from these photos I began creating my log home dream binder. Then I started visiting model log homes. Wherever I traveled, I looked for a model to visit. I started collecting literature, spoke to company representatives, examined each company’s particular approach to log structures, and poured over log home designs and floor plans.

Making plans

The next step was to decide where to build and now the hubby got involved. We made a list of what constituted the perfect location: we both needed mountains and a view, a location within a day’s drive of most of our extended family members, near a major university (we are both retired professors), a moderate climate, and a few others. The southwestern region of Virginia seemed like a good fit and here is where it gets a bit serendipitous: one night in 2008 we decided to start looking for land. I did a quick Google search for “Virginia Land for Sale” and the first hit was in a trout fishing development near Blacksburg called Black Diamond that was having a land sale the next week. So, we made the trip to Virginia to take a look at some lots and fell in love. Not only did the location meet all of our criteria but my dad, John, was an avid trout fisherman and the trout stream is John’s Creek (hubby’s name too). Then there is the fact that we are within 10 miles of Craig Springs, the place where John’s grandfather used to “take the waters” back in the 1920s. Our property also is in close proximity to an eagle’s nest — our university’s mascot is an eagle! We wanted a lot with meadow and woods and that is exactly the property we were taken to. When the realtor said “what do you think?” we looked at each other and said, SOLD! Now that we had the land, we could begin the process of finding the perfect house plan. We knew it had to have a window wall and a wrap-around porch. By now the stack of log home magazines was supplemented by the many log home company internet sites. We spent hours looking at plans and visiting more model homes. But when you know, you know and there was one plan that just felt like home with one ‘small’ problem — it was too big and building it would exceed our budget. Still, I called the company and fortunately connected with a representative who was committed to making our dream home a reality. He tweaked the plan until its size would not only meet the HOA requirements for square footage, but it also now fit into our established budget. It was time to find a builder.

The Dream comes to Life

John and I interviewed several builders and looked at the homes they had built, but then we met neighbors in the development who had recently built their log home. One visit to their beautiful home and we knew we wanted to have their builder build our home. On a lovely summer afternoon, I met Paul Walls and talked to him about my log home dream. We stood on our land as I described my vision of our project. Paul had been building log homes for almost 40 years and I think we were kindred spirits when it came to the love of logs. We shook hands and sealed the deal.

From that point on, the log cabin I had dreamed of began to become a reality. It may have been the easiest build in history. Paul and the excavator, David Boinnotte (a genius with heavy equipment), stood on the property and decided what orientation offered the best views and now we literally have a gorgeous view framed from every window in the home. Paul and his stepson, Doug Goad, basically did all of the construction. Doug even built all our cabinetry. Paul and I talked frequently, and I made as many trips to Virginia as possible to see the progress. It was such an exciting time and to tell the truth, I could do it all again.

Wisdom gained along the way

I was prepared for the building process, but learned so much more throughout the build. What did I learn from the experience?

Do your homework. Learn everything you can about log home construction.
Find great friends who have been through the process and take their advice.
Trust your instincts — there are so many fine log home companies out there. Find the one that feels right to you, but do read the reviews, visit model homes, and yes, read the small print.
Know what you can afford and resist temptation to exceed your financial limits.
Do use local sub-contractors whenever possible, especially if you are building in a new area. Establish those relationships.
If you do not plan to do all the maintenance yourself, make sure there is an established, qualified log home restoration specialist in your area (shameless plug for TPC Restoration).
Never be afraid to ask questions and find a mentor to talk to during your build.
Expect surprises, but know that you can handle them.
Plan to enjoy the adventure. Dreams do come true!