Blog - Page 102 of 123 - Handmade Houses with Noah Bradley

Hidden logs

Notice the still remaining painted corner-board. This greyed and weathered cabin was covered in siding as so many old cabins were at the time. When nearly everyone lived in a log home having a wood sided home was highly desirable.
Many of the old farmhouses that we see today have logs hidden within.

Originally posted 2016-02-12 17:33:45.

Hidden logsNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:06:58+00:00

A fine stone farmhouse

Originally posted 2016-02-12 17:22:34.

A fine stone farmhouseNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:06:57+00:00

Patios

Ah yes, patios.

The nearly forgotten older sister to decks.

Located at yard height they don’t require view-blocking railings.

And since they are made of masonry, they need no maintenance, and, they last… forever.

Originally posted 2016-02-12 17:15:55.

PatiosNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:06:56+00:00

Don’t make excuses, make plans

What’s the secret sauce?

Why is it that some people get their dream home while so few do?

I’ve built many handmade houses during my career and almost none of these clients came into a pile of money and then contemplated “maybe we should build our dream home?”.

Nope, it worked the other way around… these folks decided to go for it, they developed a clear vision of what they wanted, and then took it one step at a time.

Rather than making excuses, they made plans. They all discovered that the resources somehow fell into place as they moved forward.

Originally posted 2016-02-10 15:21:14.

Don’t make excuses, make plansNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:06:55+00:00

Living the dream

When we build a handmade home for ourselves we are not only “leaving a legacy” behind. We are also “living a legacy”… now. Be that person.

Originally posted 2016-02-10 15:06:53.

Living the dreamNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:06:54+00:00

We do have a choice

We either struggle for a year or two while building our dream home.

Or we struggle for a lifetime with the regret of never having done it.

Originally posted 2016-02-10 14:31:20.

We do have a choiceNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:06:53+00:00

Porches vs Decks on a log cabin

Which do you think looks better on a log cabin… a deck, or a porch?

Please say “porch”.

If you respond “deck”… continue looking at these photos until it becomes obvious that a deck does not look appropriate on the front of an old log cabin.

Decks are modern inventions. I enjoy a deck as much as anyone else does, but there are appropriate considerations in building and designing one…. and on what kind of structures that they are attached to.

I have seen one or two decks work off of the end of a cabin… but for the most part if you want a flat exterior space outside of a log cabin… with no roof over your head.. think “patio”.

Originally posted 2016-02-10 14:14:50.

Porches vs Decks on a log cabinNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:06:52+00:00

Heart pine logs

Here we have the corner of an old hewn heart-pine log cabin.

Notice how it’s not “perfect”.

Rather, it has character.

It’s… handmade.

Each log is unique.

And, the spacing between each log varies from one course to the next.

The dovetail notches in the corners are also unique… made by hand, one-at-a-time.

Isn’t it something that handmade creation becomes a treasured antique as the years pass by.

While a manufactured item, on the other hand, just gets old.

Originally posted 2016-02-09 17:48:34.

Heart pine logsNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:06:51+00:00

Why do we ignore the aesthetics of our roofs today?

Just for a moment, imagine how the character of this home would change if it had an asphalt shingle roof on it.

Now certainly this is not everyone’s dream roof… it’s on the very end of extreme handmade roof spectrum. It’s presented here as a great example though of the impact a roof can present to all who view the home. We’ve grown accustomed to the blandness of a manufactured roof and forgotten the visual appeal of a roof that is wrought from nature… whether wood, or metal, or stone.

Originally posted 2016-02-09 14:00:47.

Why do we ignore the aesthetics of our roofs today?Noah Bradley2019-06-29T10:06:50+00:00

A stone chimney with a log cabin

It’s a simple basic cabin. Low to the ground and with a big porch on the front. But for many this cabin is all about that huge stone chimney. The chimney is massive, yet the stones that make her up are small in scale. Each I’m sure gathered locally and laid flat, one upon the other, one at at time. Most impressive, don’t you think?

Originally posted 2016-02-09 13:47:02.

A stone chimney with a log cabinNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:06:49+00:00