I was once challenged to design and build a log cabin, of the highest quality, and as small as possible… without being ridiculous.
And this… is what I built.
(I’m giving away the blueprints for this cabin to everyone who enrolls in the Handmade House Guild and Academy)
Go HERE to learn more!
Originally posted 2016-03-26 17:29:00.
Quite often when we look for land to purchase, a view is top priority. We want to enjoy scenic mountains or a rolling countryside when we kick back on our front porch.
It’s important to remember that when we build, our new home becomes part of that view.
Sometimes, if we build well, our homes can become “the view”… like this wonderful cabin.
Originally posted 2016-03-25 15:12:26.
Originally posted 2016-03-25 15:00:30.
No worries of this stone home being broken into… unless the burglar has a very long ladder. 😉
Originally posted 2016-03-25 14:53:55.
Originally posted 2016-03-25 14:46:40.
A wide chimney announces that a cooking fireplace can be found inside.
Originally posted 2016-03-25 14:36:10.
Here is an example of primitive chinking.
In the early days of this country chinking, or “daubing”, would have had to be frequently repaired or replaced.
When lime became available chinking would become more durable and pleasing to the eye.
Later, cement would prove to be the best material… low cost, attractive, effective, and long lasting.
And then, man invented an expensive, synthetic, toxic, petroleum-derived product that was designed to look like cement as much as possible. This manufactured goo is messy to install and clean up after, and it’s durability is unproven (plastic products don’t have the best record of holding up under direct sunlight)Â But people buy it… why? 1) there are salesmen and businesses that promote it (for profit) 2) there are brochures touting the benefits of it (whose going to produce a brochure or sales team for cement chinking?) and 3) it’s human nature to assume that the latest product… the most expensive choice… is the best choice.
Originally posted 2016-03-20 15:23:18.
I built my first handmade house nearly 40 years ago, and have been building unique handmade homes ever since. (BTW… I did start young… I’m not quite a fossil yet… lol)
I’ve learned a lot in all those years… trade secrets and simple ways of looking at things. I’ve had some great teachers along the way… talented craftsmen… and combined with lots of hands-on experience… and in addition… the pleasure of studying so many homes that have survived for a century or more.
I did very little advertising throughout my career, it seems that folks who wanted a special home found me through word of mouth. I guided these precious clients of mine through the design and building process with the goal of giving them their dream home. I have found that the only thing more pleasurable than having a handmade home is playing a major role in its design and construction.
If you haven’t experienced it, I hope that one day you will.
In looking online it seems there is no shortage of information out there on “how to notch a cabin” or “how to lay a stone”, but nowhere do I find any source that teaches a person the basic concepts and steps on how to design and build an attractive handmade home.
To me, that is the most important lesson of all… one that needs to be a priority… from the first dreamed vision, to the final stroke of a paintbrush.
Rather than taking a lifetime of handmade house insights to the grave I thought about how great it would be to just sit down and share a full day (eight hours) of focused time and share what I have learned through all these years of designing and building one-of-a-kind homes…Â to help move anyone interested “30 or 40 years down the learning curve”.
Just think about how much money could be saved, and how much better a home could be built by making such a leap!
(and what I would have given to have had such an opportunity when I began my journey.
For many, the Handmade House Academy likely will be life-changing in that something that was once viewed as impossible to have, suddenly becomes achievable.
Building a home does require a lot of work, but it can be an extremely enjoyable experience.
I’ve always said… “It’s much easier to design and build one’s own home, than it is to live with the regret of never having done so.”
And so this idea of “sharing it all” spawned the creation of the Handmade House Academy.
The Handmade House Academy is only available to those who are Members of the Handmade House Guild… I hope that you will consider joining us!
Noah
Originally posted 2016-03-19 15:28:27.
Such a wonderful cabin isn’t it?
One unique feature of this cabin is the combination of a metal roof on the main cabin… and a wood shake roof over the porch. I’ve seen plenty of cabins with metal roofing installed all over, and just as many with nothing but wood shingles. I’ve also seen (and built) quite a few homes with a shake roof on the cabin and a metal one over the porch. But I don’t ever recall seeing this reversed combination.
Both forms of roofing (metal or wood shingle) work well, and look great, on the steep pitch roof of a cabin like this. But on the shallower pitch roof of a porch, wood shakes can be prone to leaking. In many areas of the country a roof pitched as shallow as this, covered in wood shingles, would be forbidden by the building code for that very reason.
So, one has to ask… other than code considerations… and aesthetics… and roof leakage issues… is there any other reason to consider having, or not having, a wood shake roof over a porch?
Yes.. there is one…Â metal roofs are loud… really loud, when you are outside under them during a heavy rain. The rain is all you will hear, unlike a wood roof which will be pleasantly quiet.
But, on the flip side of that coin, a lot of people like to hear the rain striking a metal roof and are often disappointed to find that by putting a metal roof on their well-insulated home that they don’t hear the rain at all. Whereas if they put a metal roof over the non-insulated porch, well, it might be loud outside under it… but inside the home the homeowners would experience the perfect volume level to hear that summer rainfall coming in from the porch area.
What’s my recommendation? Metal, for sure. But then again…
Originally posted 2016-03-18 16:54:58.
Originally posted 2016-03-18 15:21:03.
