No chinking
No chinking required on this old tobacco barn. The owner chose to fill in all the gaps between the logs with wood making the barn easier to maintain and to keep animals out.
Originally posted 2016-03-18 14:36:37.
Hobby time
Imagine, if there was an enjoyable hobby to be found, one that provided a person with a good bit of exercise and fresh air, one where a person could create something beautiful… something that would last for centuries. Wouldn’t it be great if there was something like that?
Originally posted 2016-03-16 21:48:06.
Cozy cabin
This is about as small as a cabin can built and still be useful for habitation.
Originally posted 2016-03-16 21:37:58.
The same height
One of the “rules” in architecture is that the tops of doors and windows should be at the same height. Obviously the builders of this cabin hadn’t read the rule book. lol
Sweet little place, don’t you think?
Originally posted 2016-03-16 21:33:02.
An epiphany
I received a great inquiry this morning from a member of this community who made a comment about how she had considered the merits of cob construction but now was leaning towards log construction. I thought I might share my response…
There are many alluring alternative methods of construction out there… including cob.
I’ve “experimented” with many of them. They all have their appeal, as well as their drawbacks. It seems that each form of construction has it’s hardcore advocates… individuals who become authorities of their chosen method, those who promote the positive features of that type of housing, but never mention the negative, and go on to dismiss all the other types.
After building homes for a decade, employing all manner of techniques I eventually came to an epiphany and that is that homes that were originally built locally, centuries ago, using minimal tools and locally sourced materials, were not only proven to endure but were also timeless in their visual appeal. I discovered that new homes built using these early designs and techniques, along with modern features and techniques, made tremendous homes, ones which were in strong demand, with promising resale values, and easy financing (if desired), and proven longevity.
In my area (and that of NC) those types of homes would be log cabins, timber frame, farmhouses, and stone. I also have found that by combining these styles of construction into one home that we can create a striking home that is warm and inviting.
I am currently on the “downhill side” of creating a free mini-course on 12 steps that anyone can take now, at nearly no cost, that will take them from the “dreaming about, but don’t know where to begin” stage to being well on the way towards living in that dream home. I’m also wrapping up the Handmade House Academy… eight hours of my sharing all that I’ve learned through decades of building handmade houses. You ought to think about signing up for that… this first offering of the course will be at a discount price with lots of added freebies. Make sure and sign up to the mailing list at handmadehouses.com for updates. Noah
Originally posted 2016-03-16 14:54:09.
Three is better than one
This home is a great example of…
1) how a home can be designed and built to become more attractive as it ages… and …
2) how a combination of aesthetically pleasing materials (stone, log, lumber) is more appealing than any one of those options by itself.
Originally posted 2016-03-12 14:21:17.
Three “warm weather cabins”
It sure appears as if Spring has arrived early this year. (Here in central Virginia the weather has been in the 70’s the past few days and it is forecasted to continue).
I’ve seen cherry trees in bloom and I even had a thrill yesterday when a pair of bold eagles stopped by for a while on their journey north.
So… I guess it’s time for me to change the “snowy cabin scene” from the top of this site to a more seasonally appropriate one. I’ll go ahead and post the top three contenders today… do you have a favorite?
Originally posted 2016-03-12 14:01:39.
Donald Trump’s log cabin
I led the team that built this cabin for a man who at the time was one of the richest men in the world. (it now belongs to Donald Trump)
The man who had us build the cabin once told me that if he had it his way that this cabin would be his only home.
Isn’t it interesting how even the very wealthy seek to have a modest handmade home?… a simple cabin in the woods?
A home that almost any of us can have if we put out the effort.
The materials for this cabin would likely cost close to that of a new super-duty pickup truck today.
Of course it would take a lot of labor and “learning” to build one like this.
That’s a lot of weekends and days off from the job… would it be worth it?
After all, it would be so much easier to pay someone else to build it.
But that, would be expensive.
So most people play the lottery and avoid the hammer.
And their dream cabin, remains a dream.
Originally posted 2016-03-08 19:29:58.
On becoming a stone mason
I gave out a little advice to a young man this morning on becoming a stone mason. I thought I’d share that advice with everyone… (This photo is of the foundation my firm built for a forty foot silo to set upon)
Stone masonry is tough on the back, so work carefully or you will have to give up this career far too soon.
In order to make a good living at it you will need to either get really good… or get big.
Either way you will need to not only learn the craft, but become a businessman, and a marketer.
Getting big often creates money, but often robs one of the joy in the work. So if you seek satisfaction… go for being the best.
Study the work of old, spend years copying the best of yesterday. Get a reputation in doing this.
After a decade or so, you can slowly start to add some of your own artistic flare to it.
The real challenge ahead of you is not the craft, you can learn it through practice and slowly become the best. Your challenge will be in finding people to pay you for it. You need to find an affluent area where people appreciate good stonework and are willing to pay for it. It’s a great idea to work in a small artistic stone company to learn the craft… make sure and pay close attention to how the business operates… work at a place that mirrors what you want your future business to be.
Beware of companies that do stone veneer on huge projects… you will become a machine.
Strive to become an artist.
Noah
Originally posted 2016-03-08 15:43:51.
What makes this cabin special?
For the record I didn’t build this cabin, nor did I design it. I wish I knew who did… I’d give them a tip of the old hat.
This cabin breaks a lot of the rules that I have placed on my own projects. The front porch is too small. The front of the cabin is not log, but rather switches over to paneling. The porch posts have structurally unnecessary angle braces. There is a door located in the gable end of the cabin, and there is vertical paneling above it rather than the traditional lap siding. And, there is a pretty unusual porch roof in the way it goes way up onto the cabin roof. With all these “rule-breakers” I shouldn’t like this cabin… but the fact is, I do. And, I do a lot.
So, what’s up with that?
First of all, there are no “rules” (I need to keep that in mind). There are proven things that work. And, on the other hand, there are features that often turn out to be mistakes or eyesores. But the fact is that sometimes proven things are boring, and unusual out-of-the-norm things turn out really well. Go figure.
So, why is this cabin so darn cute?
Yes, of course, small things are often cute… kittens, puppies, children… and tiny houses. Got that.
And, this cabin has some nice logs, along with other natural materials and tasteful decorative touches.
But, it turns out that the “rule-breakers” are what adds to the charm of the home.
I believe a porch that would have been built any larger than this would have been distracting… perhaps overwhelming. This porch works thanks to it being so low to the ground, it’s almost as if it is part of a much larger patio that is the woods with a small sheltered roof above the rocking chairs.
And, how about that porch roof that goes all the way up the cabin roof? It actually looks good, whereas a shorter, more typical one over that tiny porch would have looked stubby. Who likes “stubby”?… no one, that’s who.
The paneled siding on the front of the cabin eliminated the need for more logs (sometimes in short supply), and it provides more visual interest. It blends with the logs rather than contrasts… unlike say painted paneling or stone facade that wouldn’t.
By putting vertical siding on the gable end of the cabin the cottage now looks… well, taller… a nice enhancement. Tiny houses shouldn’t be squatty, tiny houses should be tall. (There I go with making rules again. lol… but I’m right on this one, probably)
I have found that the gable-end of a cabin, the one that has a chimney on it, is often the most attractive side of a cabin… but the end opposing the chimney is often plain and boring in comparison. By adding a door on this end the cabin has more visual interest. It’s as if the home now has two front profiles.
I learn so much from looking at the work of others. My work gets better… and it keeps me humble.
Artists often learn their trade by first studying the works of those that come before them and from their peers. Builders should too.
Originally posted 2016-03-05 15:36:36.