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.

Here’s a photo of the first floor deck of the Madison House. I had finished installing the floor joists and am now putting down the plywood decking. My young family would often bring dad lunch and to see how their new home was coming along. It just doesn’t get any better than that.

I’ve said it before… I love this stage of construction. What was envisioned in the mind, and then put on paper, is now appearing as masonry and wood. A dream becomes realty.

There on the deck you may notice my Makita saw. When it comes to saws, without a doubt, Makita is my favorite. They are a pure pleasure to hold and to work with.

When it came time for me to buy a saw I made the mistake of looking at the price tags. I bought another brand of saw, because it was a few dollars cheaper. I was so thankful a couple years later when that saw died, so that I could at last buy the saw I originally wanted.

I think of that lesson every time I look at my blue saw… what a pleasure it is to have what you want. It is always worth paying more to get what you want, rather than living in misery with something inferior, longing for the day of acquiring your dream.

Originally posted 2015-03-26 14:55:29.

Originally posted 2015-03-25 16:46:41.

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.

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 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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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).

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

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.

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

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.

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