The Madison House… part 7

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It was time to lay stone.

I love stone. I can’t get enough of it. Every time I build, I try to incorporate it. And every time, it blows my budget. But, it’s worth it.

For the Madison House I bought salvage rights to an old bank-barn’s foundation. The barn that had sat upon that foundation had been removed years before by someone else. The farmers were glad to get the remaining unsightly danger removed. And I was excited to get such fine stone for my home. West Virginia sandstone, oh yeah!

It took twelve dump truck loads to deliver it to the site… that’s 240 tons of stone… and I used every stone to build the foundation, chimney, and two massive retaining walls.

Folks are always asking me how would it cost for you to build that house for me? This is just one of many, many reasons I can never answer the question. If I had to buy this rock at the local retail rock center it would likely cost $70,000. On the other hand, I might be able to find an old foundation that a farmer might sell to me at a price much less… but how much will he want for it? and how much will it cost to get it delivered?

Originally posted 2015-03-25 16:14:23.

The Madison House… part 72019-06-29T10:12:33+00:00

The Madison House… part 6

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One of the many benefits of adding on that little log cabin was how it “aged” the entire home.

I found that even as I was building the home that visitors would often tell me how great of a job I was doing in “restoring that old home”. People who lived in the area would come up the driveway and would comment about how they “never knew there was an old house up here”. And delivery drivers would often ask “How old of a house is it?”

This photo was taken a year or so after completion. I would find that ten years later, after the plantings were matured that there were some people that I could not convince that the home was nearly new.

For me, those were all the greatest compliments I could get.

Mission accomplished.

Originally posted 2015-03-25 15:47:46.

The Madison House… part 62019-06-29T10:12:32+00:00

The Madison House… part 5

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The plans for the Madison House were now drawn… it would be a T-shaped farmhouse.

The new year had arrived and I now had the wonderful opportunity to put my tool belt on and to build my own home. Yes! hands-on construction! I had done this twice before in the past, but I had learned a lot in the years that had gone by. This home was the best I could do in 1992, on a very limited budget.

The site was cleared. It was now time to pour the concrete foundation which would carry the weight of most of the house and serve as a guide for us to lay the stone foundation.

While laying out the foundation I realized that there was room on the end of the home for that little three-sided cabin that I had back home. It would be a tight fit, for sure. I would have to build a tall stone retaining wall to make it happen.

But after all … I was “the log cabin man”. I couldn’t live in a home that didn’t have log cabin incorporated into it. Could I? I had a reputation to keep. lol

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My wife was most understanding, she has tolerated me these many years. I got a kick out of it when she visited the site and walked the newly poured foundation visualizing each room… and then pausing trying to figure out which room this new addition was.

She knew me well. And she knew that it would be best if the man of the house had his cave to retreat to.

This cabin, with it’s wonderful stone fireplace would serve us very briefly as a den… but would quickly be converted into my home office, and then, once we bought this new device called a computer, and hooked it up to this thing called the internet, the room became a draw to all family members.

Here’s a few photos showing just how little room I had on this steeply slopped piece of land to place this cabin, and how I solved it with a stone retaining wall.

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Originally posted 2015-03-25 15:26:51.

The Madison House… part 52019-06-29T10:12:31+00:00

The Madison House… part 4

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Now, as fate would have it, a few months before I began building the Madison House an unusual log cabin came into my life.

I received an unexpected knock on my door one evening. It was one of my salvage material suppliers. He had on the back of his huge truck an old log cabin that he wanted to sell me… one that he needed to sell… right then. The logs were beautiful, the price was right, but there were problems with cabin.

In my line of work it seems that there are always problems, and that if I think long enough on a problem, I find there is a solution.

This little cabin originally stood in the Scottsville area and rumor had it that at one time it was home to a couple who had twelve children. I have no idea how 14 people could have fit into this little place. I’m thankful that I wasn’t one of them.

As I said the logs were beautiful… very wide, nicely hewn… all oak. Some of the logs had rotted away so replacements logs would be needed, but these logs were much thinner than any I have ever seen… four inches thick, rather than the normal six to eight that is the norm. I knew that I would never be able to find replacements.

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The fellow that took the cabin down didn’t bother to photograph it, nor number the logs, as “the notches were all bad and the cabin was a mess, completely covered in vines”. What a shame.

I bought that little cabin that night. It had quickly grabbed my heart.

I put her up on my lot as a three sided cabin… it was the only option I could think of. I thought it would make a great addition to someone’s home one day.

I didn’t know that someone would soon be me.

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Originally posted 2015-03-24 19:20:59.

The Madison House… part 42019-06-29T10:12:30+00:00

The Madison House… part 3

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With the land purchased, the driveway installed, and the site cleared, I could finally start the design process. To have started planning any earlier would have been a wasted effort.

I took measurements of the house site, which was very small due to the steep grade. I knew that a walk-out basement would be needed, as well as the construction of two massive stone retaining walls.

I spent days on the site, observing the sun rising and setting. I paid attention to wind direction patterns. I took into consideration the direction of the views that I would want to enjoy in the future (and the views I might want to avoid).

I learned which side of the house I would approach daily in the coming years… I wanted to make sure I had a view of this future home upon my daily arrival that I would cherish each of those days.

I thought through vehicle parking issues and the potential locations of future outbuildings. I researched utility lines and how they would approach the house. I also located the septic tank and drain fields.

I spent time reflecting on all the old homesteads that I had visited over the years and how they had handled site challenges similar to what I was facing.

I drove up and down the county roads close by and paid attention to all the homes that had been part of the landscape for many years. I wanted my home to blend in with them… I not only wanted my home to compliment the land it would set upon, I wanted this house to be appreciated by it’s neighbors.

My wife and I decided to build a T-shaped farmhouse which is common in our area. They have beautiful, but simple, lines. There is a proud, but gentle, spirit about them.

Everyone should live in a farmhouse at some point in their lives. Make sure and put it on your bucket list of things to do before you leave.

Now my wife, bless her heart, was not particularly keen on having me build us a log home so no log cabin section was drawn into the plans… I had put her through some pretty rustic years in our past and she was ready for a little refinement in her next home. If I was going to have a log section on this house I would have to sneak that feature in once construction was underway.

Originally posted 2015-03-24 17:44:37.

The Madison House… part 32019-06-29T10:12:29+00:00

The Madison House… part 2

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I bought ten acres of hillside property in Madison County in 1991. It was a long narrow property starting at a paved road, then crossing a small creek and quickly climbing up a hill, all the way to the top.

I found that the grade of the land steepened the further I entered to the point that I realized that building a driveway to it’s peak was out of the question.

But, I did find a small potential building spot about two thirds of the way up that was just perfect for a house site. It was a bit tight… I would have to build some retaining walls to give me the minimal amount of level land needed for a small family.

There are few things better in this life than walking a parcel of land and seeking out the best building site. It is like searching for buried treasure! There are so many wonderful moments in building a house and this is one of them.

That winter I had a driveway put in and a building site was cleared.

Originally posted 2015-03-24 16:22:36.

The Madison House… part 22019-06-29T10:12:28+00:00

The Madison House… part 1

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I thank each and every one of you for “tuning in” as I reminisce about my experiences building and restoring unique homes. It means a lot to me that there are so many others who share my passion for handmade houses.

My deepest hope is that my photos and comments might inspire others to build their dream home.

I plan to build my next home in the coming year or two and will give updates about that as it progresses. I can’t wait for it to get underway… it’s been over twenty years since I designed and built a home for myself. I think that I’ve learned a few things since, so there is good chance that it will be a special place.

Next up… this coming week… let me share with you the building of my last “from scratch house”… The Madison House.

(let me clarify myself a bit… I am currently living in a very special home… one that I took down and rebuilt… with many changes made along the way… it’s a great place… and there is quite a story to tell about it too… but I didn’t “start from scratch”… that is, with a piece of paper in hand… envisioning a home… rather, I started a with house that someone else built)

This photo is of the completed “Madison House”… built by me, for my wife and children, in 1992. My home for fifteen great years. Let me tell you all about it…

Originally posted 2015-03-23 17:11:15.

The Madison House… part 12019-06-29T10:12:27+00:00

West Virginia sandstone

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I was always amazed at the stone foundations that I would see over in West Virginia.

Either the folks over there were blessed with naturally occurring perfect cubes of stone, or the men over there were some of the most gifted stone masons on God’s green Earth.

I finally encountered an old country gentlemen who showed me the secret. He grabbed an axe and placed it in the back of his pickup truck and invited me to go for a ride. We later stopped up in a holler where an ancient rock formation was exposed.

It turns out that the sandstone over there that has remained wet in the ground shapes with an axe easier than any piece of wood does. And, once that same stone is left in the sun for a couple of weeks, it hardens right up into… well… solid stone.

Mystery solved.

What an incredible resource they have over there.

Originally posted 2015-03-22 22:03:53.

West Virginia sandstone2019-06-29T10:12:26+00:00

Three structures that were lost

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I am proud of the fact that so far I have been able to save over a hundred old structures from being lost. Some of these were restored, some were moved and rebuilt, and some were salvaged for the usable materials that still remained after fire, rot, and theft struck.

But for every one that I saved there were ten that I could do nothing but walk away. I am certain that by now most of these historic structures only remain in memory. There simply isn’t enough people that want to build a salvaged home.

If I may, let me share three of these lost treasures with you today.

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Originally posted 2015-03-22 11:09:27.

Three structures that were lost2019-06-29T10:12:25+00:00

A log and stone cabin… part 11

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One last photo of the log and stone cabin to share. This is of the finished chimney… made out of solid stone. Pretty nice isn’t it?

Our small city offers a tour of new homes each year and I normally go out to see what is being built by the other area builders. This last time I don’t recall seeing a single house that had a real masonry chimney. A few of them had wood sided chimneys, and one had a chimney that was brick veneered to look like a real chimney. Geez.

I never thought I’d see the day that ANY home came without a real chimney. And now NONE of them do. The transition was quick… over the course of a decade… and now no one questions how we have lost a central feature of all homes going back centuries in time.

I guess it’s all about priorities.

I did see some pretty floors… even though they were a sixteenth of an inch thick veneer. And there was some mighty fancy trim work… even though it was foam. And look! here’s a remote for the fireplace!

So sad.

Originally posted 2015-03-22 10:39:55.

A log and stone cabin… part 112019-06-29T10:12:24+00:00
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