I once met a very kind man who greatly loved and admired the homes that I build, but he simply didn’t have the money needed to hire my firm and have us build him his ultimate dream cabin from start to finish, with custom woodwork throughout.
At the end of our first meeting it appeared likely that this man would end up living in some kind of manufactured kit cabin, styled to look like a brick rancher… or worse.
That bothered me.
I really liked this man. If there was some way I could help him, I was going to do it.
So I came up with an idea… and it worked out well.
I drew up some plans…. for a cabin that would be attractive, that would fit his site, and that would meet his needs. I found some antique hewn logs and my crew set them in place for him. And then I taught this man how to finish the cabin, step by step… where to find materials, how to hire the subs, etc. I would stop in every once in a while and check on progress and give him a few more tips.
The cabin’s owner had to work hard and put out a lot of effort to make this dream home happen… but in the end he got his cabin.
And he is, to this day, one happy camper.
Some friends of mine worried that I was being too careless in sharing my secrets, that I could have created a competitor. I wasn’t worried about that. I wanted to help a kindred spirit.
I’m not worried about my sharing here either. I don’t want to carry to the grave what I’ve learned over the decades of my career. I also like the idea that maybe a few homes will go up that will look better and last longer as the result of my ramblings.
I’ve thought about putting together a few sets of plans of various home designs that I’ve built, or dreamed of building, along with instructional videos on how to build them… do you think anyone would be interested in a product like that?
Originally posted 2015-06-25 13:34:57.
Oh I would be! I’m so thankful I stumbled upon this information. I’ve been propelling through each post in hopes of finding a few more hints and secrets than the last. I’ve grown up surrounded by very creative family members; painters and woodworkers. I used to beg my mother to buy me graph paper and some pencils over teen magazines so I could sketch floor plans of my dream home. My husband and I just purchased our river front land in Alaska. We’re quitting our boring jobs and building a log cabin to raise our family. Our family thinks we’re crazy, but our dreams are coming true! Thank you for all your valuable information! Keep it coming please!
Alright!
Thank you so much for the kind note.
Your family might call you crazy now… (mine did as well when I headed for the woods). But today. many years later, I get tons of emails from folks that tell me that they so wished they had done it… they had thought about it, but instead joined the crowds, fought the traffic, and the years ticked by. You are living the dream!
Noah