building a log cabin Archives - Page 3 of 4 - Handmade Houses with Noah Bradley

29 06, 2019

Inquiries like this keep flowing in faster and faster

Noah Bradley2019-06-29T09:45:18+00:00

Here’s a cabin that I built years ago.

And below, is one of two messages that I received just this morning, both of which asked similar questions. (I’ve edited it a bit for privacy sake, but I thought everyone might benefit from my response)…

Dear sir, I am in Central xxxxxxx. After doing some research I have not been able to find any builders of the style cabins you are recommending. Most, if not all of the ones I have found here are building kit homes. I am seriously interested in the style cabin that you advocate. Are there any source materials you would recommend to help me in that direction? Do you know of any builders in my area you would recommend? Lastly, I would be interested in possibly purchasing one of your floor-plans. If I have missed obvious answers to these questions on the website, then forgive me. I thank you in advance for any of your time and correspondence back that I receive.

Handmade Houses with Noah Bradley

Dec 17th, 2:37pm

Thank you for getting in touch. Congratulations on making the decision to move forward on building an authentic log cabin. You are going to love your new/old log home!

I’m afraid that I don’t know of any builders in your area that I can recommend… in fact I’m sorry to say that I don’t know of any other builders anywhere that I can recommend… It’s not that there aren’t any… I’ve seen cabins built by others that I felt were done well and that were attractive… but, I have no names to go with the finished homes. I’ve searched online for handcraft builders… in fact my main focus a year ago when I started posting online was to put together a community of builders who created handmade houses, but is seems that they are either all gone, or are keeping themselves well hidden.

Be aware that you are not alone in your situation. I get several similar emails per week from all over the country. The membership list is steadily growing on my website and here on Facebook the community has grown to 50,000 in only a year’s time. Clearly there is hunger by many to have special handcrafted place of their own.

So, here are my recommendations for you that I feel will help you achieve the cabin of your dreams… Continue following along here on Facebook and consider visiting my website handmadehouses and go through as many postings that I’ve made there as you can (over a 1,000 to sort through)

On that site you will learn a little something with each photo commentary while you begin the process of narrowing down exactly what you want in your own cabin. Make sure and sign up at handmadehouses.com in order to get any updates that I might send out. I’m not a spammy kind of guy, so no worries about getting a bunch of junk in your email box.

I am in the process of scanning my favorite dozen or so sets of plans that I have drawn and built over my career, and will be offering them for sale at a very reasonable price in the near future. All were hand drawn by me, were approved for permitting, and have been built, lived-in and cherished. Your particular building department might like more details on these plans, and if so, that should be easy and inexpensive for you or a local architect to amend.

I would also encourage you to consider being your own builder. It’s easier than you think, you will save a good bit of money (how much depends upon the amount of hands-on work that you do), and to top it off, you’ll have a great time doing it. I built my first two houses in my early 20’s with no experience and I did a great job. After completing those projects I decided to make building handmade homes my career. I’ve now spent several decades perfecting the craft and have kept what I learned as a trade secret. But I’ve now reached that point that it’s time to share what I know and I’ve been doing a lot of just that here on Facebook and on my website.

I’m also finishing up an online course that will encourage and guide attendees step-by-step through the process of building a truly handcrafted home. The course is called the Handmade House Academy and it will start sometime in January… you really ought to sign on when it becomes available (more details to be released soon)

And finally, once you get your land, you figure out exactly what you want to build, you’ve taken the Handmade House Academy course, and have taken care of starting the process of building (permitting, foundation work, a floor system in place) I’d be happy to help you find a great old cabin and a crew to set the logs in place… from there it’s just one step at a time… carpentry, roofing, plumbing… etc

If you’d like to know more don’t hesitate to shoot me an email at noah@handmadehouses.com

Originally posted 2015-12-17 19:52:38.

Inquiries like this keep flowing in faster and fasterNoah Bradley2019-06-29T09:45:18+00:00

29 06, 2019

Siting a home on a property

Noah Bradley2019-06-29T09:45:05+00:00

I believe that more than half of the parcels of land that I have built on over the years have been half wooded and half cleared… these are easy properties to pick the house site as a cabin looks best when it is nestled close to the tree line where field and woods meet, much like you see here in this image.

Here we have “His” and “Hers” cabins.

But, which is which? 🙂

Originally posted 2015-12-12 15:17:06.

Siting a home on a propertyNoah Bradley2019-06-29T09:45:05+00:00

29 06, 2019

The length of a porch

Noah Bradley2019-06-29T09:44:50+00:00

What a nice log cabin… (even though I didn’t build it)… lol

If I had to guess I would say this cabin is likely about 20 years old and was built using antique logs. The growth of the shrubs, the mix of early 1800’s strap hinges on the door with 20th century z-bracing on the window shutters, and a chimney without any crowning at the top, are all clues.

I’ve spent my career building cabins… I admire anyone that does the same… and I especially admire anyone that can build a cabin and leave no clues as to it’s age (almost impossible to do).

But here the one clue that cries the most to it’s age is the front porch roof… see how it extends beyond the log cabin where the two come together? I’ve never seen one like that on an old cabin… it draws the eye and once spotted distracts the viewer from fully appreciating what would have been a nearly perfect project. The builder/designer of this cabin was focusing on the porch floor, not the larger porch roof that would be built above it.

The solution to this problem would have been to build the porch floor system shorter than the length of the cabin, much like you see in how the back addition to this cabin was built. I generally build the front porch two feet shorter than the cabin (a foot or so shy of the each end).

Originally posted 2015-12-08 17:12:18.

The length of a porchNoah Bradley2019-06-29T09:44:50+00:00

29 06, 2019

Rebuilding an old log cabin

Noah Bradley2019-06-29T09:44:29+00:00

There are four clues that indicate this cabin has been re-built in a different location… 1) the jar lids that are still nailed to the ends of some of the logs (a common method of numbering the logs)… 2) the front door and wide trim around it (although old, they don’t quite match do they?) …. 3) the bottom sill log on the front is in perfect condition (likely from another salvaged cabin)… 4) and some of the logs on one side of the cabin don’t match those on the other side.
Overall, a fine job rebuilding an old cabin… (but, I’d have been tempted to add some windows and a front porch… and a chimney).

Originally posted 2015-12-01 14:00:43.

Rebuilding an old log cabinNoah Bradley2019-06-29T09:44:29+00:00

29 06, 2019

Why?

Noah Bradley2019-06-29T09:44:26+00:00

I wonder how many people walk by this cabin and fail to pause a moment to look her over?

I doubt many.

This small home certainly has it’s problems and shortcomings. For one thing, it’s likely a bit dark and damp inside having been built so close to the ground and with so few windows.

And yet, we are drawn to this structure, issues and all.

Why is that?

Originally posted 2015-11-30 14:32:55.

Why?Noah Bradley2019-06-29T09:44:26+00:00

29 06, 2019

A great design for a hillside home

Noah Bradley2019-06-29T09:44:22+00:00

A “whitewashed” mountainside cabin.

Notice how well she fit’s the site. And how well a walk out basement works on a slope.

Originally posted 2015-11-28 14:29:17.

A great design for a hillside homeNoah Bradley2019-06-29T09:44:22+00:00

29 06, 2019

Poplar logs

Noah Bradley2019-06-29T09:44:20+00:00

These are poplar logs… one of my favorites.

Poplar logs are often among the widest logs found on old cabins.

Poplar is an abundant species of wood, it grows straight and relatively knot-free, and it is a joy to hew and notch. These massive logs tend to “soften” in appearance as they age and are quite tempting to caress with the hand as they will not splinter. They are also among the best logs for insulation R-values.

I have no idea why log cabin kit homes do not offer poplar logs… it’s baffling to me.

If you look closely you can see that wire lathing has been applied between the logs and it is now ready for an application of mortar.

Originally posted 2015-11-28 13:51:46.

Poplar logsNoah Bradley2019-06-29T09:44:20+00:00

29 06, 2019

Building a dream

Noah Bradley2019-06-29T09:44:18+00:00

One day you will have the home of your dreams (if you don’t already).
Perhaps next Thanksgiving having a home like this will be on your list of “things to be thankful for”.

Don’t be concerned if you don’t know where to begin… if you have found your way to this site… if you find yourself looking through the images here and have been reading my short commentaries on them… congratulations, you’ve already begun!

Originally posted 2015-11-26 16:25:01.

Building a dreamNoah Bradley2019-06-29T09:44:18+00:00

29 06, 2019

A two story porch

Noah Bradley2019-06-29T09:44:16+00:00

A two-story porch has benefits beyond just achieving a slightly better view… for one thing… the upper level tends to be more of private space than the porch below as it is located off of the bedrooms on the second floor and well out of the reach of anyone just “dropping by”.

The air also seems fresher up here. And flying insects, particularly those that bite, are less common.

Originally posted 2015-11-26 14:34:35.

A two story porchNoah Bradley2019-06-29T09:44:16+00:00

29 06, 2019

A house cannot be too tall

Noah Bradley2019-06-29T09:44:11+00:00

She is tall and trim, and pleasing to the eye.

This cabin is a full two-stories tall with a steep pitched roof and a towering chimney.

The porch roof on the front is also unusually steep pitched. This roof pitch sacrifices any windows that could have been installed on the second floor of this side of the cabin.

The “cat slide” roof on the back of the house aesthetically allows for a larger kitchen addition than what would be possible with a more typical roof design.

The second floor rooms are likely somewhat dark with little natural light coming in.

The extra wide wood shakes create quite a different look on the outside don’t they?

Bought from a sawmill, this form of siding would be an inexpensive, easy to install, alternative to board-and-batten.

Originally posted 2015-11-24 14:10:20.

A house cannot be too tallNoah Bradley2019-06-29T09:44:11+00:00