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.

Let me share a few tips on how to make a small porch special.

Now, it doesn’t hurt to have a great view from the porch… I’ll share that view in my next posting… but the view isn’t everything. A porch is a place where one can simply enjoy the outside world.

Make sure when you build a porch to use quality materials. The siding here is wood, no vinyl can be be found, other than the bird-feeder hanging on the other end of the porch. The floor is painted wood. The ceiling is also painted wood… I’m always amazed that some builders will use interior drywall for a porch ceiling.

One final note is that this view, looking down at this end of the porch had nothing to look at… so I built my chicken coop down there. Then I could enjoy viewing one of my weekend projects as well as keep an eye on my hens.

Originally posted 2015-03-29 16:58:49.

The budget was tight on the Madison House, this was after-all a builder’s home. The kitchen was a bit small in size, with no high end appliances… no subzero fridge, no vulcan stove.

But there were some nice features that made the kitchen very special…

The ceilings were tall… ten feet to be exact with two hundred year old heart pine beams that added that “country charm feel”.

And there was the large twelve-foot-long bow window, that was salvaged from an old country store. It really brought the outside in and always drew great attention from all who visited our home.

We installed two very tall windows at the dining end of the kitchen that looked out onto the porch and beyond to the pastoral views.

Originally posted 2015-03-29 16:34:43.

I like this photograph. There is just something very pleasing about multiple roof angles.

And then, there is that nice stone chimney poking through them all.

Sweet.

On every chimney that I have ever built I have made sure and that it has had a crown put on top. Yes, it takes more time and labor to add this little feature… which means yes, it cost a bit more money to build. But, I think a chimney with a crown signals to the world that this home was worth the extra effort… that no detail was overlooked in building this home.

Originally posted 2015-03-29 16:09:59.

Most of the clients that I have had over the years who have wanted me to build them a log cabin have wanted their cabin’s to be built rustic… woodsy… even primitive.

These clients wanted natural wood and they wanted plenty of stonework. They did not want any painted wood. They would often wince when I mentioned the option of painted wood.

Somehow, the idea of painted wood, seemed offensive to these log cabin enthusiasts.

Many builders go too far with these rustic requests by clients who want “a cabin in the woods” by providing sloppy workmanship or board-and-batten siding, believing that that is the path to achieving “rustic-ness”.

Now don’t get me wrong… I’m a big fan of rustic cabins. Some of my greatest joys in this life has been in building this type of retreat home. Look through my postings here on my blog and you will see that I’ve built plenty of rustic homes.

But, I would like everyone to consider this more formal, dressed-up version of a log cabin as a worthy alternative. There is special place in my heart for this style of finish as well.

Originally posted 2015-03-28 18:46:00.

You know, I am proud of what I did for this little cabin. Without my efforts (and my drained wallet) she likely would have been lost, or at best, turned into a few pieces of furniture .

Maybe you recall the story of this cabin that I posted here over the past week… originally the home to twelve children (plus their parents), nearly lost due to neglect many years later, unexpectedly arriving at my door one evening, with barely enough logs to build back just three sides, rejected by several clients who came into my life wanting a cabin, and then finally attached to this home at the last minute.

But, this cabin did so much more for me than I ever did for her. Who would have thought how much a little log cabin could do for a home… and for the family that lived within her… and, I’m sure, for the families yet to come.

If this was the only cabin that I had ever saved… I would feel content.

She is a treasure.

She once was lost, but now is found.

Originally posted 2015-03-28 15:06:53.

I added an old wooden door to the back of that little log cabin.

And, I painted it red.

A man should always have a back door to his log cabin. He just never knows when a quick escape will be necessary to flee from a wife with a list of “a few weekend chores”. lol

I added a simple roof above the stone landing of that doorway. During the winter I would stack my firewood here. If there was a big snow storm coming I would stack the wood clear up to that roof. I took great pride in my stacking abilities… each “firewood tower” was a work of art.

Here my firewood supply was only three steps from the cabin’s fireplace. It proved to be a mighty handy feature to have in a new home… not one that you will find in any Ryan Homes catalog… for sure.

The only downside to this feature was that I spent more time doing chores during the winter… with my escape door blocked with all that firewood.

Originally posted 2015-03-28 14:14:16.

This antique log cabin added character and beauty to our home, much more so than any newly-manufactured timbered-structure ever could have dreamed of doing.

Don’t you agree?

This little fifteen foot by fifteen foot log cabin addition raised the aesthetics of this house to a whole new level. Here we would enjoy all the pleasures of having a log home and yet still have all the benefits of more modern home living.

I wonder why it is that manufacturers and dealers of log cabin kits never offer log additions? hmmmm

Originally posted 2015-03-28 13:39:36.

I had the roof of the Madison House painted barn red.

I stood back and looked at the house.

I didn’t like the red roof.

So, I had the color changed. It took two more coats of paint to complete the transition to what I felt was a much more pleasing shade of forest green.

Yes, the change cost me more money.

Yes, the painter moaned, and rolled his eyes at me.

Yes, it demonstrated to the world that I too make mistakes. lol If you were to ever talk to any of the members of my crew you would find out that I frequently make changes. They would often say “put it up, take it down”… and I would respond… “let’s get it right”.

If only I lived in a world where every one would step back and look at what they are building, as it was being built, and make improvements as they are needed.

Originally posted 2015-03-27 16:57:14.

I’ll wrap it up here today with this final photo of the retaining wall at the Madison House. I think this photo brings out the true texture and beauty of West Virginia sandstone.

Originally posted 2015-03-27 15:33:11.