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.

I once designed, and built, a combination log cabin and stone home. Over the next few days I’d like to share with you how it all came about.

I was contacted by a client who just loved the little log cabins that I most often build… you know… the ones featuring a family room downstairs with a fireplace, a bedroom above, and a small kitchen lean-to off of the back.

But these clients wanted more rooms… they wanted a dining room, a large screened porch, and a small office area. And, this is what I came up with.

The log cabin gives them their family area complete with a fireplace and a bedroom above. The stone area gives them a nice dining area with a little kitchen coming off of the back of that.

The screen porch is off of the back of the cabin… and a little office space can be found on the far side of the cabin.

Originally posted 2015-03-19 16:48:47.

I have one last photo of this barn to share with you.

This one was taken a few years after the barn was rebuilt. As you can see the barn has now “aged into the land”. People who visit her today can no longer clearly remember when she was not part of the landscape.

I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to save this barn. It was so enjoyable to participate in raising each and every log and to drive in all those pegs which hold her so tightly together.

This barn was on a fast path to becoming lost forever where she originally stood. Perhaps someone would have bought her and used the logs to build a log home with them. More likely, someone would have bought her and sawed all the logs up for lumber and made furniture out of the wood.

But, as fate would have it, there was someone in this world that wanted an old barn on their property, and now, they have one. This barn was saved, as a barn. Imagine that.

And I… well, I… had the time of my life. I, still to this day, have special feelings towards this barn. As you can likely tell.

I thank you for letting me share the tale of this double pen, chestnut, barn. If you have enjoyed hearing about it a tenth as much as I have enjoyed sharing then we are all pretty happy people. 🙂

Originally posted 2015-03-19 12:08:07.

Just about finished with rebuilding this barn… the extensions are all now up… and the roofer has come in and installed the standing seam metal roof. All that remains is for us is to clean up the remaining unused stones and take them to our next project.

The barn looks as if it has always been there doesn’t it?

She has a new roof, a new foundation, a new life, and a new owner… one that will take care of her.

All is well in the world.

Originally posted 2015-03-19 11:46:53.

Here’s a close up of one of the mortise and tenon joints that connects the barn’s extensions back to the barn. The joint is all ready for a peg to be inserted which will then lock this joint secure for another century or two.

Originally posted 2015-03-19 11:32:42.

So, now the focus of this double pen barn project is the re-assembly of the extensions, which quickly doubles the square footage of the barn.

If you will, observe how people now have started to congregate under the barn’s roof, even though it is far from being complete.

A barn is shelter for man and beast alike. We are all drawn to them.

Originally posted 2015-03-19 11:26:13.