I nominate this ktichen for the title of…

“The Worst Kitchen Ever”…

What went wrong?

It was built by wealthy individual, with an unlimited budget, who hired a world renown architect, and was built by a quality builder.

The kitchen was located in the physical center of the home and it’s cabinetry was made out of expensive, rare, wood. There was a Viking gas stove and a Sub Zero refrigerator.

How could this have gone so wrong? Given these ingredients I could have produced a kitchen that would have been featured on the covers of multiple home magazines.

So, what happened?… they broke Rule Number One… “Never, ever, build a modern kitchen inside of an old log cabin”. The two, are polar opposites.

A log cabin is place of security, warmth, calmness… a place of retreat from the hectic the world we live in. Log cabin’s make great dens, bedrooms, dining rooms, even a home office. A kitchen on the other hand is a place of energy, of activity, of noise, and creation.

And, a log cabin is a naturally dark place. I have to employ techniques when I build to brighten them as much as possible… such as painting the ceiling boards between the floor joists. Here we see the addition of natural finish cabinetry has turned this place into a cave.

A kitchen should be bright… full of natural light, with tall ceilings and plenty of windows. If you have to turn a light on every time you enter the kitchen something is terribly wrong.

One final thought… if you want a log cabin as part of your home, why would you want to cover those logs up with cabinetry?

So, when I rebuilt Moriah I reused those heart pine kitchen cabinets in the garage. Yes, this house has one mighty fine storage area for tools.

I chose to convert this log room into a dining area… now the center of this home is the place the family gathers to feast. And the kitchen… well, I created a new one in an adjoining room… one that is full of light.

Originally posted 2015-04-03 15:59:22.

Here’s a “before and after” set of photos taken of one corner of Moriah’s log cabin. Let me point out the improvements that I made… at least I think they are improvements… lol…

… Of course there are the changes that I pointed out in a previous post with the addition of the mantle piece on the fireplace, and the replacement of the brick floor with hemlock flooring…

But, also notice that the previous build of this home had this half of the log cabin feature a cathedral ceiling all the way up to roof of the second story. (oh so 1970’s) I closed this area in with old hewn floor joists to create a more intimate space, that was also now once again historically accurate, and in doing so I created the added bonus of a whole new room on the second floor.

I did power wash all the old logs which removed the flaking “white wash”… I felt that, in this home, that the old paint finish created a “dirty look”… I was after refinement here. The white wash might have been old, but the earliest finish these logs had was nothing at all.

What do you think? Which look do you prefer?

Originally posted 2015-04-03 15:03:53.

Moriah… part 6

Here’s a “before and after” photo of the log cabin fireplace. I felt that a more formal fireplace mantle would be more attractive than the crude stone work that was originally found here. I also changed the flooring from the original brick that was used and instead installed hemlock flooring from another room.

Since the large fireplace opening was already made I realized the chance of me finding a perfect size antique mantle would be nearly impossible so I designed and built this one from scratch using antique heart pine.

Originally posted 2015-04-02 22:24:42.

Originally posted 2015-04-02 22:09:42.

So, I took Mariah down and put her into storage for a year while I looked for a place to put her back up. I found a great spot, about 10 miles from her original location, with frontage on the north fork of the Rivanna River and a view of the waterfall as it comes over the local mill’s dam.

Here’s a photo of her “back-side” as she was being re-erected.

It was about this time that someone left a note on the construction gate telling me that I was putting up the biggest eyesore that they had ever seen. That was a bit discouraging to me at the time. (I wonder what they thought of the finished home…)

Originally posted 2015-04-02 18:04:07.

I found Mariah’s exterior profiles to be beautiful… and I felt that this design would likely always be viewed that way… timeless. To throw this house in a hole and burn it would have been a crime.

Inside she was a treasure trove of materials… an early 1800’s hewn oak cabin, wide plank heart pine floors, huge ceiling beams salvaged from a Shenandoah cotton mill, beaded hemlock paneling, and custom made doors, windows, and other hand crafted mill-work.

But the interior layout and design was just awful and severely outdated. Picture if you will, a 1970’s version of a rustic National Park rental cabin, complete with sunken rooms and wood paneled bathrooms.

This was going to be a major challenge.

But luckily, I like challenges. 🙂

Originally posted 2015-04-02 17:42:30.

Mariah was a legend among area builders and others that lived in Albemarle County.

She was the first of her kind, built with no expense spared, and on a windy panoramic hilltop. That wind, is how she got her name… from one of those musical Westerns about the wind being called Mariah.

Back in 1976 when she was built, there were no McMansions. There were mansions, and there were the homes the rest of us lived in.

Originally posted 2015-04-02 17:12:38.

“Mariah”

This photo was taken the day that I learned that she was scheduled for demolition.

I had received a phone call asking me if I was interested in salvaging any materials out of “a house in Western Albemarle County”. When I learned that the house was Mariah I sat up an appointment to see her right away.

Originally posted 2015-04-02 16:42:24.

One last photo of the Madison House to share.

As anyone knows that has followed along with my ramblings, I often will judge a home’s design with how the back of a house looks. All too often designers today focus entirely on the front view of a home and give little attention to the other faces of a home.

It is extremely difficult to make all four sides of a home visually pleasing and generally the back is the worst of the lot. When you are looking for a home design, or an architect, or a builder, don’t stop at looking at their best work… make sure and “look around back”.

So here’s the back of the Madison House, for all to see.

Originally posted 2015-03-29 18:03:37.

Here’s a section of the view that is seen from the front porch of the Madison House.

There was no view available from the house-site when I purchased the property. This parcel of land was an overgrown thicket of tangled woods. It was a strenuous hike, through briars and vines, to reach the house-site. Upon arrival I could see that there would be a nice view if some of the property below were to be cleared. It just took a little imagination on my part to see it’s potential.

This ten acre parcel had been for sale for a long time with no offers because it was so overgrown. When it came time to put in the new driveway into the property one of my neighbors came by to say hello and to tell me that I was a fool to have paid what I did for the land. I just blinked and smiled.

After I had cleared this field, and before I had started building the house, the offers to “double my money” if I would consider selling the land started flowing in.

There is nothing better than finding a diamond in the rough. Is there?

Notice the little cabin in the view?… now there is another story I’ll have to share… sometime in the coming days.

Originally posted 2015-03-29 17:42:55.