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.

Have you ever noticed how some people do not feel as if they have fully parked until they dock to something? It’s as if everyone is under some delusion that they are driving a boat and not a car. Most peculiar.

I swear I can’t go anywhere in town it seems without witnessing someone scrape the front of their car and bounce off one those concrete stops found in parking lots. It must give them a sense of completion… “I have arrived!”

It’s really odd.

Well, I had a similar problem here at the Madison House. Visitors to our home, or delivery drivers dropping off a package, would drive up past the end of the gravel driveway, nearly all the way up to the porch, as if it we were some kind of drive-through place of business.

What is wrong with people? Is this the result of excess fast food consumption? or perhaps excess pharmaceutical usage?

So, I planted shrubs and trees and they would try to dock to them! … sometimes running them over! The poor things.

Then, I put up a little picket fence and prayed that folks would stop short of hitting it. I put pointy little spikes on top of each picket to signal danger ahead.

It worked!

Maybe… they should put picket fences in parking lots?

Originally posted 2015-03-27 15:21:18.

One of the many attributes of a stone wall is that they will create a whole new active environment. The addition of a dry laid stone wall to the landscape creates many new places where small creatures can “hide and reside”.

It can bring a yard to life.

That can be a good thing if you get cute little furry chipmunks. Or a bad thing, if you get mice and snakes. It’s a good idea if you live in the country, with a stone wall, to have good cat to keep things “in balance”.

Originally posted 2015-03-27 14:38:41.

Do you want to know what the worst thing is about building your own home?

Well, it’s the fact that you don’t have a whipping boy. There is no one there to blame when things go wrong, no one to fuss at about how the budget has been blown, no one to whine too about how much something costs.

That’s part of the job of being a builder it seems, to be the whipping boy for the clients. It might as well be in the contract. Over time builders become thankful when it’s just a whine that they hear and not a scream. lol

Originally posted 2015-03-27 14:14:40.

I always enjoy seeing the creativity that goes into making a scaffolding for the masons to work off of.

Here they are making the final touches to the top of the chimney.

This chimney would provide flues for two fireplaces, one in the first floor cabin and one in the second story master bedroom… also there was flue for a woodstove in the main family room.

Originally posted 2015-03-26 21:29:10.

The Madison House looked huge from this perspective… at least to this old country boy, who had once lived in a tent for eight months, when he first got married… and in a travel trailer for five years, during his youth.

But 2,600 square feet for a family of five was just right… maybe even, a bit small.

There are a few things I’d like to point out here in this photo…

Originally posted 2015-03-26 15:40:11.

And then… BAM!!!

The peaceful tranquility of building the first floor deck by myself was gone.

The construction process goes fast during this period. New walls go up all the time. Windows are being installed.

I can’t help but notice the mess… the chaos… of all the equipment and materials that are everywhere. Level areas are at a premium when you build on a sloped site and so any unused spot is quickly filled.

Once the rough carpentry was finished and the tradesmen began their work (plumbers, electricians, and such) my focus drifted to the log cabin work.

Originally posted 2015-03-26 15:19:04.