The budget was tight on the Madison House, this was after-all a builder’s home. The kitchen was a bit small in size, with no high end appliances… no subzero fridge, no vulcan stove.

But there were some nice features that made the kitchen very special…

The ceilings were tall… ten feet to be exact with two hundred year old heart pine beams that added that “country charm feel”.

And there was the large twelve-foot-long bow window, that was salvaged from an old country store. It really brought the outside in and always drew great attention from all who visited our home.

We installed two very tall windows at the dining end of the kitchen that looked out onto the porch and beyond to the pastoral views.

Originally posted 2015-03-29 16:34:43.

I like this photograph. There is just something very pleasing about multiple roof angles.

And then, there is that nice stone chimney poking through them all.

Sweet.

On every chimney that I have ever built I have made sure and that it has had a crown put on top. Yes, it takes more time and labor to add this little feature… which means yes, it cost a bit more money to build. But, I think a chimney with a crown signals to the world that this home was worth the extra effort… that no detail was overlooked in building this home.

Originally posted 2015-03-29 16:09:59.

Most of the clients that I have had over the years who have wanted me to build them a log cabin have wanted their cabin’s to be built rustic… woodsy… even primitive.

These clients wanted natural wood and they wanted plenty of stonework. They did not want any painted wood. They would often wince when I mentioned the option of painted wood.

Somehow, the idea of painted wood, seemed offensive to these log cabin enthusiasts.

Many builders go too far with these rustic requests by clients who want “a cabin in the woods” by providing sloppy workmanship or board-and-batten siding, believing that that is the path to achieving “rustic-ness”.

Now don’t get me wrong… I’m a big fan of rustic cabins. Some of my greatest joys in this life has been in building this type of retreat home. Look through my postings here on my blog and you will see that I’ve built plenty of rustic homes.

But, I would like everyone to consider this more formal, dressed-up version of a log cabin as a worthy alternative. There is special place in my heart for this style of finish as well.

Originally posted 2015-03-28 18:46:00.

You know, I am proud of what I did for this little cabin. Without my efforts (and my drained wallet) she likely would have been lost, or at best, turned into a few pieces of furniture .

Maybe you recall the story of this cabin that I posted here over the past week… originally the home to twelve children (plus their parents), nearly lost due to neglect many years later, unexpectedly arriving at my door one evening, with barely enough logs to build back just three sides, rejected by several clients who came into my life wanting a cabin, and then finally attached to this home at the last minute.

But, this cabin did so much more for me than I ever did for her. Who would have thought how much a little log cabin could do for a home… and for the family that lived within her… and, I’m sure, for the families yet to come.

If this was the only cabin that I had ever saved… I would feel content.

She is a treasure.

She once was lost, but now is found.

Originally posted 2015-03-28 15:06:53.

I added an old wooden door to the back of that little log cabin.

And, I painted it red.

A man should always have a back door to his log cabin. He just never knows when a quick escape will be necessary to flee from a wife with a list of “a few weekend chores”. lol

I added a simple roof above the stone landing of that doorway. During the winter I would stack my firewood here. If there was a big snow storm coming I would stack the wood clear up to that roof. I took great pride in my stacking abilities… each “firewood tower” was a work of art.

Here my firewood supply was only three steps from the cabin’s fireplace. It proved to be a mighty handy feature to have in a new home… not one that you will find in any Ryan Homes catalog… for sure.

The only downside to this feature was that I spent more time doing chores during the winter… with my escape door blocked with all that firewood.

Originally posted 2015-03-28 14:14:16.

This antique log cabin added character and beauty to our home, much more so than any newly-manufactured timbered-structure ever could have dreamed of doing.

Don’t you agree?

This little fifteen foot by fifteen foot log cabin addition raised the aesthetics of this house to a whole new level. Here we would enjoy all the pleasures of having a log home and yet still have all the benefits of more modern home living.

I wonder why it is that manufacturers and dealers of log cabin kits never offer log additions? hmmmm

Originally posted 2015-03-28 13:39:36.

I had the roof of the Madison House painted barn red.

I stood back and looked at the house.

I didn’t like the red roof.

So, I had the color changed. It took two more coats of paint to complete the transition to what I felt was a much more pleasing shade of forest green.

Yes, the change cost me more money.

Yes, the painter moaned, and rolled his eyes at me.

Yes, it demonstrated to the world that I too make mistakes. lol If you were to ever talk to any of the members of my crew you would find out that I frequently make changes. They would often say “put it up, take it down”… and I would respond… “let’s get it right”.

If only I lived in a world where every one would step back and look at what they are building, as it was being built, and make improvements as they are needed.

Originally posted 2015-03-27 16:57:14.

I’ll wrap it up here today with this final photo of the retaining wall at the Madison House. I think this photo brings out the true texture and beauty of West Virginia sandstone.

Originally posted 2015-03-27 15:33:11.

Have you ever noticed how some people do not feel as if they have fully parked until they dock to something? It’s as if everyone is under some delusion that they are driving a boat and not a car. Most peculiar.

I swear I can’t go anywhere in town it seems without witnessing someone scrape the front of their car and bounce off one those concrete stops found in parking lots. It must give them a sense of completion… “I have arrived!”

It’s really odd.

Well, I had a similar problem here at the Madison House. Visitors to our home, or delivery drivers dropping off a package, would drive up past the end of the gravel driveway, nearly all the way up to the porch, as if it we were some kind of drive-through place of business.

What is wrong with people? Is this the result of excess fast food consumption? or perhaps excess pharmaceutical usage?

So, I planted shrubs and trees and they would try to dock to them! … sometimes running them over! The poor things.

Then, I put up a little picket fence and prayed that folks would stop short of hitting it. I put pointy little spikes on top of each picket to signal danger ahead.

It worked!

Maybe… they should put picket fences in parking lots?

Originally posted 2015-03-27 15:21:18.

One of the many attributes of a stone wall is that they will create a whole new active environment. The addition of a dry laid stone wall to the landscape creates many new places where small creatures can “hide and reside”.

It can bring a yard to life.

That can be a good thing if you get cute little furry chipmunks. Or a bad thing, if you get mice and snakes. It’s a good idea if you live in the country, with a stone wall, to have good cat to keep things “in balance”.

Originally posted 2015-03-27 14:38:41.