There’s an old saying that goes, “It takes hands to build a house, but only hearts can build a home.” The truth is, it takes both hands and heart to build a home that reflects your family’s lifestyle and values. By putting their trust in skilled craftsmen who truly listened, Casey and Rita Trumble have built a home that’s as much sanctuary as it is shelter.
Nestled among the trees on the banks of the Wisconsin River in Wisconsin Dells, the Trumbles have been planning their home for a long time. Both Rita and Casey grew up in the area, and though they’ve lived all over the country and now reside primarily in North Carolina, when they think of home they think of Wisconsin. Both have family living in the Wisconsin Dells area. Eventually, they will retire here, but for now they are happy spending summers and holidays watching the river flow by.
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Known for stunning scenery and the river’s rock formations, carved long ago by glaciers, Wisconsin Dells is an outdoor recreation paradise. The Trumble family, including their grown daughter and two beloved dogs, enjoys spending their days kayaking, canoeing, or hiking. Casey is a fisherman, even in winter, when Rita says she prefers to watch from indoors by the fire. “We’ve always loved to be outside,” says Casey. “There are almost endless possibilities.”
The property has a spectacular view of the river and the wetlands on the other side of the river. “Every day we’ll see bald eagles, ducks, and geese flying by,” says Casey. “So we situated the house to take advantage of the views.”
Building a home wasn’t new to the Trumbles, who have built several homes in the past. But this was their first experience planning and building a hybrid log home. “We have moved around the country a fair amount in the course of my career, but this is the first time we’ve built a log home,” says Casey. “We knew we wanted something that would fit in along the Wisconsin River and the hybrid style really appealed to us.”
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Choosing a builder turned out to be easy. “When we came up to Green Bay to visit Wisconsin Log Homes, we felt really comfortable with their design process,” says Casey. “We toured some of the homes they had built and were impressed with their work.” Adds Rita, “Being able to work with someone in Wisconsin was nice. This was the easiest of any builder we’ve worked with.”
To make things even simpler, while Casey and Rita already had some design ideas in mind, they were open to suggestions Wisconsin Log Homes offered to make improvements. “They were very open to ideas on how the house should lay out,” says Nate Janczak, general manager of Wisconsin Log Homes. “We showed them several plans based on budget and size to get started, and then at that point we designed it as efficiently as possible, while keeping it somewhat traditional and incorporating their list of wants and needs.”
Making sure the home would be comfortable year round was a priority for the Trumbles, and they wanted a home that would be energy efficient in summer and winter. To that end, the hybrid construction worked in their favor. “Ultimately, a hybrid is an insulated log home,” says Janczak, who often recommends a blown-in bib insulated wall for the best value. “The windows are an important factor too, so we used low-e argon-insulated windows. All these little things add up.”
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Other energy-saving features include the covered decks and the way the home was sited to preserve existing mature trees, which provide welcome shade on hot summer days. “We ended up flipping the house from the original design so we could leave some of the beautiful spruce trees on the lot,” says Casey.
At just over 3,000 square feet, the home is just the right size for the Trumble family and their visitors. The hybrid building allowed them to mix and match the interiors. “A hybrid style doesn’t always affect layouts the way a full log or timber frame would,” says Janczak.
Family considerations informed many of the design choices, including adding access to a bonus room above the garage, in case they wanted to convert it into a bedroom for grandchildren or another guest room at some point in the future. Another decision involved placement of the fireplace. “Most people want the open concept floorplan with the fireplace on the great room wall opposite the dining room,” says Janczak. “The Trumbles moved the fireplace into the dining room to make it feel cozier, more cabin-like.”
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The home’s design style could be described as a marriage of rustic and refined. The logs used in the home are all hand-peeled pine, for a rustic look, but the square ties, rails, and newel posts add a touch of refinement. Soaring windows in the great room bring the outside in, for year-round enjoyment of the scenery. “When you sit in the great room it feels like you’re alone with nature, even though there are neighbors on both sides,” says Janczak. A screened-in porch is designed as its own space, to extend the outdoor seasons on those days when it’s not comfortable to spend time on the exposed cedar deck.
Aesthetics were taken into consideration every step of the way, including choosing a darker stain for the logs to allow the home to blend in with its surroundings. “We wanted to make it feel like it has been there, like it belongs there, and not stand out as new,” says Casey.
In the end, the goal was to create a house that truly felt like home, not only to Casey and Rita Trumble, but to their guests as well. “We wanted it to be very comfortable for friends and family,” says Rita. “We want people to feel like they are walking into their own home.” Mission accomplished! “You feel at home every time you walk in,” says Rita. “You feel at peace. It brings a smile to my face every time I walk through the door.”
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Log Producer: Wisconsin Log Homes, Inc., Green Bay, Wisconsin
Log Builder: Wisconsin Log Homes, Inc., Green Bay, Wisconsin
Architectural Firm: Wisconsin Log Homes, Inc., Green Bay, Wisconsin
Number of stories: 2
Square footage: 3,027 Bedrooms: 3 + office Baths: 3.5