Here I reveal one of my secret weapons in the quest for a perfect log notch. No it is not a machine. This is Scott, demonstrating his enthusiastic method of wrestling a log into submission.

I have been highly praised throughout my career for the homes that I have designed and built. But I deserve little, if any, of it.

I simply reproduce the beautiful structures from our past. I use the best materials that I are available. And, I hire the best craftsmen that I can find.

Over the years I’ve had the privilege of working with hundreds of talented young men and women (and yes, a few old ones too… lol)

I have found that if I hire the best, and I encourage them to do their best, that both I and my clients will be well pleased.

Originally posted 2015-03-21 13:52:14.

Originally posted 2015-03-21 13:31:21.

She was a small cabin… measuring eighteen feet by twenty feet.

The first floor of this cabin would soon serve as a family room, complete with a stone fireplace, and at the top of the stairs visitors will find a spacious rustic bedroom.

I was concerned about the cabin being visually lost in competition with the upcoming beauty of the stone addition and the large screened porch so I built the cabin tall, and I used massive oak logs.

Originally posted 2015-03-21 13:15:20.

Once I had the plans drawn for this home I spread the word out among the many salvagers that I know that I was looking for some sensational logs.

I always… always…buy the absolute best logs that I can find.

I was pleased to find a great selection of large logs that came out of an old barn.

I do like barn logs… a lot. They tend to be more massive in size. They are also longer because barns do not have all the window openings in them that a house does. The hewing on barn logs is also often more striking and pronounced (rougher)… after all, the man of the house did not need to impress the cows as much as he did the lady of the house with his workmanship.

Here in this photo you see my crew well underway in using these logs to build this fine little home. The first floor is now up, and the ceiling joists are being set.

Originally posted 2015-03-21 12:50:45.

Here’s a photo of the little kitchen taken from inside the stone dining room.

The floors are all vintage heart pine and we used that same material to make the cabinetry.

The countertop is soapstone.

We created an arched opening into the kitchen to mimic the arched windows found in the dining room.

Originally posted 2015-03-20 21:34:16.

Almost half of the square footage of this home is the screen porch.

How many homes can make that claim?

These clients… live… literally live… on their screen porch.

Originally posted 2015-03-20 16:21:53.

Stepping around the back of the house we catch a view of the entrance to the screen porch. The little red addition that is now front and center is the kitchen (I’ll show you some interior photos of it soon… you’ll be pleased… it’s bigger on the inside

Originally posted 2015-03-20 15:54:37.

This little house would serve as a vacation getaway home for a family that lived out of state. One day in the future they would retire and move full-time to this property and at that time they would add-on a bit more square footage.

If there is such a thing as “a typical client” for me, that would be the definition of them. It seems that there is no shortage of people living in colder, urban areas who dream of one day relocating to the rural Virginia countryside.

It is hard to top the beauty of a home that is part log, and part stone. It’s an unbeatable combination. Both speak to the soul that there is safety and warmth to be found within these walls.

I was so pleased with the drawings that I put together for this house that I used an ink profile of it for my company’s logo. One day I’d like to build this home again… with just a few adjustments made.

In this photo the first thing that I notice are the stone arched windows in the dining room addition. Off of the back of this cathedral ceiling room is a lean-to “kitchenette”… a fully functional, but very small, kitchen.

Let me point out that I never pick colors on any of my projects. I always leave that up to the homeowners. I feel it’s a matter of personal choice, and so I do my best to remain silent during the selection process (although I will express my opinion if pressed).

Now, for the record, I like the color red.

And, I like this shade of red… it would be wonderful on a piece of furniture.

But, I would not have used it here on this house. I find that the stonework and the logs are enough “fireworks” for any house and that the red in this situation is drawing far too much of my eye’s attention.

Of course, no one is a worse critic of a piece of art than the artist that made it. I guess that’s true of builders too.

Originally posted 2015-03-20 15:31:59.