How to build a log home… part 16

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Here’s three final photos that I have to post of this cabin.

Thank you for allowing me to share.

This home was a treasure for me to build. I’d go on to build many more wonderful homes, but none were like this one.

I still admire this cabin as much today as I did 30 years ago when she was built. And, I still consider the cabin’s owner a dear friend and really good man… a man of integrity.

There is a lot to be said for that.

I have a lot to be thankful for. (I also have plenty to complain about… but who wants to hear about that? lol)

This cabin was featured in many books, newspapers, and magazines. It made the cover of Country Living magazine, back when that was something to really brag about. To make the cover of that publication was a career crowning event and for me to have made that with my first completed cabin… well, I was right proud of that!

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In looking at an old copy of that magazine here, and the excellent photography contained within it, (that so, so, so, puts my old photos to shame) maybe I’ll go ahead and scan that article and pop it up here for all of you to see.

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My best to each and every one of you!

Noah

Originally posted 2015-05-12 14:35:39.

How to build a log home… part 162019-06-29T10:15:31+00:00

How to build a log home… part 15

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This cabin was featured in the book Hands-On Log Homes.

The handprints made the cover of the book!

You can read the full article here…

https://books.google.com/books?id=yT1GDhZ6nRIC&pg=PA124&lpg=PA124&dq=doubleview+log+cabin+in+Virginia&source=bl&ots=9Outkvt8Kn&sig=t6IOjXxm97hrGODuIQJtFdoZAuE&hl=en&sa=X&ei=2e5RVYicJYqKsQTXoIEw&ved=0CD8Q6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=doubleview%20log%20cabin%20in%20Virginia&f=false

Originally posted 2015-05-12 14:11:50.

How to build a log home… part 152019-06-29T10:15:30+00:00

A stone retaining wall… part 2

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A level spot of earth is rare and highly coveted when you build on a hillside. It is often created with the aid of a retaining wall.

I believe there are more square feet of “level” within the cabin than there is outside.

Originally posted 2015-05-11 14:14:25.

A stone retaining wall… part 22019-06-29T10:15:29+00:00

A stone retaining wall

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It seems that there is always left-over stone when a cabin is built.. and each of these orphan rocks was likely rejected by the mason several times… so, these leftovers tend to be pretty rough looking… which makes them perfect for a retaining wall.

Here is a photo of the retaining wall in process of being built…

Originally posted 2015-05-11 12:35:28.

A stone retaining wall2019-06-29T10:15:28+00:00

How to build a log home… part 14

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We had a great selection of large sandstone with which to build the two chimneys. Each stone was hand lifted from the ground.

Originally posted 2015-05-11 12:26:12.

How to build a log home… part 142019-06-29T10:15:27+00:00

How to build a log home… part 12

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The lintel stone above this kitchen fireplace weighs over a ton.

I know how we set this stone in place… but, I can only imagine how they did it centuries ago… here’s our method…

Before we built this chimney we used a backhoe to lift this stone and place it into the kitchen through the fireplace opening in the log wall. After we had built the two legs of the fireplace we then spent an entire day lifting this massive beast up into it’s resting place with the aid of two railroad jacks.

If this stone had fallen at any point in that process it likely would fallen through the floor joists and into the crawlspace below… now that would have been a mess. lol I can see future archaeologists wondering why we placed such a large rock in the crawlspace.

Originally posted 2015-05-10 14:47:44.

How to build a log home… part 122019-06-29T10:15:25+00:00

How to build a log home… part 11

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Is there anything finer than the morning sunshine streaming into a log bedroom?

This old log-builder’s eye is drawn to the two logs above the headboard of this bed… the ones with the joists notches carved into them… clearly they have no purpose on this end wall where no joists are found.

We placed these logs back into their original location within this early 1800’s cabin.. Careful examination of these two logs revealed embedded hand-forged nails which indicated that these logs were part of a much earlier cabin and had been re-purposed into this cabin.

It turns out that people have been building new homes with salvaged materials for a very long time.

There is nothing new under the sun.

Originally posted 2015-05-10 14:31:04.

How to build a log home… part 112019-06-29T10:15:24+00:00

How to build a log home… part 10

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A porch looks so much better without plastic chairs from Walmart, don’t you think?

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Originally posted 2015-05-09 13:48:13.

How to build a log home… part 102019-06-29T10:15:23+00:00

How to build a log home… part 9

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We built a double porch on this side of the cabin… and to support it, we built an arched stone wall.

Originally posted 2015-05-09 13:41:46.

How to build a log home… part 92019-06-29T10:15:22+00:00
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