Half-Mile Farm goes all the way in bringing the warmth and charm of yesteryear together with the finest amenities of today. Amid the splendor of the Appalachian Mountains in Highlands, North Carolina, Half-Mile Farm is the perfect retreat for couples, wedding parties, and travelers who treasure the fine blend of history, modern convenience, and glorious scenery. MossCreek Rustic American Home Design provided expertise to fulfill the vision that brought 19th-century cabins, more than 150 years old, to Hi…

At the age of 13, Sophie Rosenfeld moved with her parents from New York City to the White Mountains of New Hampshire. “My parents, who were natives of Poland, came to the United States in 1960,” explains Sophie, “and lived in a gritty part of New York for 16 years. They yearned to relocate to a tranquil place filled with natural beauty. After some investigating, they chose northern New Hampshire. With its lilac bushes, birch trees, and wondrous mountains, this rural area is very similar to the environme…

Nestled in the mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania lies a 23-acre tract of land where Marita Avante and Walter Zimmermann decided to create an oasis, a home that would provide serenity and rejuvenation from Walter’s workdays in the energy industry amid the bustle of Jersey City, New Jersey. The Harmonia Garden Home allows Marita and Walter to display personal tastes while designing residential space that is true to the tenets of Maharishi Sthapatya Veda (MSV) architectural and planning principles. Al…

In 2002, Allen and Terri Johnson purchased a circa 1937 log cabin on the banks of Wilson Creek, a wild and scenic riverway in the Collettsville, North Carolina, area. “We spent six years completely restoring and remodeling the place,” says Terri. “That’s what initially brought us to Collettsville.” The couple sold the little cabin in 2008 and began looking for some acreage in the general vicinity. “Allen and I had come to love the region, with its mountains, valleys, rivers, and waterfalls,” says Terri,…

When Aurora and John Oliveira decided that they were going to purchase a log home, they wanted more than just a room with a view. Immediately, there was an understanding that glorious mountain vistas should be enjoyed from virtually every vantage point in the home. When they began their search, the Oliveiras knew one thing. “We wanted to have a log home, and a must was to have spectacular views,” explains John. “We purchased our home in 2011 and must have looked at every single log home within a 60-mile…

It was an old Forest Service cabin, one that at some point had served its useful purpose and been abandoned, more or less. John Anderson picked it up for a song. His winning bid was $150, and that was 40 years ago. “To my surprise, it was the winning bid,” John remembers. “My brother and I disassembled the cabin and moved it onto the building site. I had a friend who helped me with the foundation, and then my brother and I restacked the logs. We built a barn-style roof to accommodate a little more headr…

The Great Smokey Mountains draw thousands of visitors on a regular basis—including Michael and Katherine Bender. They have enjoyed the beauty and awe of the area for many years and each time they visited they came home with a stronger desire to build a log home. They marveled at historical log homes that are 200 years old and still standing and were inspired by the history and character the log homes exude.   Ultimately, the Benders fell in love with the history and down-home feel of…

For Pete and Trish DeSocio, the second time’s a charm. Within two years of building their dream vacation log home in Henry, Tennessee, the DeSocios had sold it and moved into an expanded version of the same house in nearby Paris.  The DeSocios, whose primary home is in Newburgh, Indiana, weren’t looking to relocate their vacation spot. But when a realtor contacted the couple to see if they’d be interested in looking at the substantially larger Paris property, they decided to che…

They met and married in college, one pursuing a degree in interior design and the other in architecture. “Step by step, our life evolved,” says Josette. “Degrees were achieved, kids came along, and everything fell into place. We both applied for professorships at Knoxville, got accepted, and made our home there.”   As the saying goes, the rest is history. This couple’s is a rich one, laced with great memories of their teaching years, travels abroad with family and students, the arrival of grandchil…

For what feels like an eternity they’ll watch a storm roll in, approaching from the mountains to the southwest. Suddenly it begins to pick up force and speed, descending through the sweeping valley where they reside. “And when it hits,” says homeowner Bart Butzer, “Betsy and I relish every moment of it!” Designed and built to withstand Montana’s extreme weather systems, the Triple B Ranch house is equipped with numerous lightning rods, constructed with reclaimed materials that have already proven their …