The American Canopy
I just finished reading this book and I highly recommend it. I have gained a whole new level of respect and awe at impact the forests of this nation has had on our history.
Originally posted 2016-04-26 11:22:59.
Choose to take those first steps now
Some want it to happen,
Some wish it to happen,
Some make it happen.
(pick the last option… your future self will love you for it!)
Here’s wishing you all a great week! and, may you one day find yourself sitting on that front porch!
Noah
Originally posted 2016-04-25 13:37:51.
A copper roof… from shiny to green
A copper roof only stays “new penny shiny” for about a week, maybe two, before it quickly turns a milk chocolate brown. And then, give it 20 or 30 more years before it starts to develop a green cast.
Originally posted 2016-04-23 14:56:41.
The sky
One of the greatest joys in building a home is having a sky over my head as I work.
I love this “ever changing ceiling” so much that it influences my home designs by adding elements which encourage the future inhabitants to come outside and experience all the wonders to be found there.
Porches, patios, paths, retaining walls, outbuildings, fire pits, gardens, and water features.
And yes, the sky.
Oh my.
Originally posted 2016-04-23 14:46:07.
This is where you want to be
The first log is sitting on the stone foundation.
How much did it cost to get to this point?
Not much.
Will it cost a good bit more to finish?
You bet.
But the point is that if you can get yourself to this stage of construction, you will find a way to finish your cabin.
Many of suffer from “Analysis Paralysis” … we over think things.
We feel we must know all the answers, and have all of our ducks in a row.
Have you ever seen a mother duck with all her ducklings?
She doesn’t wait for all of them to get in line before beginning.
She just boldly steps forward and then the orderly procession begins.
And that, is the way it works when building a home.
Every single time.
(BTW… this cabin’s construction is covered in detail in the upcoming Handmade House Academy. If you are signed up here at this site look for more information to be emailed out soon on it’ s first release!)
Originally posted 2016-04-21 17:15:33.
Go for your dreams!
Don’t be on your deathbed someday, having spent your life dealing with all of it’s distractions, instead of pursuing your big dreams.
I promise you, it’s worth the effort.
Originally posted 2016-04-21 15:54:57.
A blended home
I have found that homes that are all one thing (log, stone, timber frame, etc) tend to be a bit boring especially as time goes by. I prefer building a blended home, one where several forms of construction are employed… it makes for a better home, and saves money as well.
Log cabins make great dens, dining rooms, and bedrooms.
Timber frame makes for a great family room, kitchen, and bedroom.
Modern stick-built construction, designed and finished properly can handle the above rooms… but really make sense in utility, closet, mudroom, laundry, staircase areas, etc. as it is quick to build and a bargain in price.
I know of no one else that promotes this idea. It seems each industry wants to promote it’s product, it’s form of construction, as “the one and only”.
Originally posted 2016-04-21 13:35:42.
“Someday” vs “Living the dream”
Over the course of many years in building handmade houses… cabins and farmhouse… I’ve heard so many people tell me “I sure would like to have one just like that”.
I have always listened and assured those folks that one day that they would have one.
It wasn’t just visitors to the construction site that told me this, either. Friends often started the same kind of conversation, about their dreams of having a cabin in the woods and the blessings that that lifestyle would bring.
For every hundred people I’ve heard talk about building a special place of their own, I’d estimate only one ended up doing anything about it. 99 out of 100 did nothing but dream.
I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about that, the people that I helped get their dream home were no different than these other folks… no richer, no more driven, nor talented.
Which made me wonder, what separates the “someday” people from the people who actually do something about their dreams of building that dream home?
Do the “someday people” know all along they’re not going to take action, or does life just get in the way?
The folks who I’ve built cabins for have often told me that their friends are often envious of their homes. These same clients tell me that they just don’t really know how it all came about or know what to tell their friends. They say… “it just sort of happened”.
I’ve had the good fortune of witnessing these miracles happen, over a hundred times, and have observed about a dozen steps that all these people have done which moved them from “someday people” to “living the dream” people.
Over the next week or so I’ll share these small, mostly zero cost, steps with you.
Originally posted 2016-04-19 15:14:49.
Wood and stone
The best two building materials… provided to us in abundance.
Unmatched in beauty, and durability.
Why choose anything else?
Originally posted 2016-04-13 08:04:22.
Bathing in style
Nothing finer than having a good bathtub… and a laundry shoot that leads to a basket next to the downstairs washing machine.
Originally posted 2016-04-13 07:59:25.