It’s been about 10 years since Micky and Reneé Harrison read an article about The Rio Grande Club in South Fork, Colorado, where Renee had vacationed with one of her friends about 47 years earlier. After deciding that South Fork would be a fun place to visit, the married couple was pleased to see that the area hadn’t changed much, with the exception of The Rainbow Grocery’s relocation from the “fork” in the river to its current home. “South Fork was exactly what we were looking for: a cool climate to pl…

When Alice Royer and her husband John had the opportunity to buy back the 212-acre farm that had belonged to Alice’s family all but 10 years since the U.S. Civil War, the couple jumped at the chance. Alice has vivid memories of spending time on the farm during her childhood, when it was her grandparents’ home, so the land became a piece of family heritage she hoped to share and pass on to her two children, who are now adults. In 2008, the family built a log home on the property, giving them regular week…

Brian Hayes has fond memories of summer vacations with his family at Dale Hollow Lake in Kentucky. Three generations later, it remains a special retreat for him, his brothers, and all of their children. “We all fell in love with the place the first time we went,” says Hayes, of Noblesville, Indiana. “After my brothers and I grew up, we started taking our own kids down there. We’ve watched the place grow from being undeveloped to now being a resort area. Three generations of our family have loved this pl…

John and Andi Gladstein aren’t kidding when they say they can literally ski in and out of the door of their log cabin home in Big Sky, Montana. Nestled perfectly into a mountainside in Moonlight Basin, and flocked by several thousand acres of raw, beautiful land, the 850-square-foot cottage provides a regular respite for the Gladsteins, who reside in California.  “When we get up here, we either put on our skis or hiking boots—depending on the season—and get out into the wild,” s…

Ken Miller acquired property and built a Town & Country Cedar Home nearly 20 years ago. Later, when he married Julie Krenn, the couple stayed squarely put. “There was a fleeting moment,” says Ken, “when we considered starting over from scratch, but after all that had gone into developing this place, the horse stables, riding arena and guest house, it made a whole lot more sense to stay here and make some improvements.” Why look for greener pastures? The setting—170 acres of rolling countryside just …

“I don’t know quite how to put it,” reflects Joy Clayton, her southern voice smooth, mellow, rich … like molasses. “The simple truth is that wherever we are, when Ken and I are away, we just can’t wait to get back to our cabin. No place has ever felt so much like home, so right for us.” That single observation speaks volumes. Joy’s husband, Kenneth Clayton, is a Baptist minister; as such he and Joy have relocated and lived in many homes during their 48 years of marriage, including three years of ministr…

In 1977, Pierre Roy was a young man, full of energy, and like many of his generation, he dreamed of going back to the land or at least living in the country. So, after reading an article on log home building kits, he thought, “Why not build a log house?” After all, the article said it was easy. “It was an ideal solution for us because it was affordable and we could do it at our own pace,” he explains. The fact that he had no experience in home construction was not an obstacle in his eyes. Had he known a…

Although Tom and Mariann Nolan owned a vacation log home in Big Sky, Montana, the construction of a new log and timber home taking place nearby  several years ago captured their imaginations. With a style reminiscent of the architecture found in Yellowstone National Park, Bear Basin Ranch seemed the perfect retreat.  “We visited Bear Basin often during the building stage, and we were impressed with the quality and the architecture,” says Tom Nolan, whose primary home is in California…

When Niles and Ginger Hushka went in search of all they wanted in a timber frame home with an incomparable mountain setting, they got smart—in more ways than one. First, they surrounded themselves with a construction and design team that provided seamless coordination and a depth of experience seldom found in producing their 4,600-square-foot, four-bedroom, 41/2-bath timber frame home in the Aspen Springs development near Bozeman, Montana. Second, they decided that technology would be a watchword for th…

When you need to get away from the busy-ness and stress of everyday life, the warmth of a log home and its rustic surroundings can be inviting and comforting. Your ideal retreat could be nestled high in the mountains or settled peacefully along a lakeshore. Wherever your imagination takes you, building your own personal getaway doesn’t have to be a difficult and demanding process. “Vacation homes tend to be joyful projects,” says Jeremy Oury, president of Kibo Group Archite…