An octagonal timber hybrid and little log cabin are the perfect canvas for an artist reliving her childhood memories. A bumpy snowmobile ride led to the fulfillment of an ambitious project for Jan Shackelford. Taking a day off for a rest while her husband, Paul, and...
A private walkout lower level of a beautiful log home near Whitefish, Montana, is the perfect getaway rental for relaxation or enjoying the great outdoors. My arrival is met with smiles. The front porch of this custom Montana Log Homes crafted VRBO is decked out in...
Festive decorations, a tree full of lights, and a roaring fire are very much at home in a cozy log & timber home.
“You will feel like you are on vacation all year long” is how the real estate listing described this property. And even if such a claim may sound dubious, it was no lie or exaggerated marketing slogan. Set in a quiet residential area of Ste-Julie and surrounded by tall mature trees, this pièce-sur-pièce log home does indeed look like a holiday retreat. Intrigued by the catchy slogan, Yves Leblond and Sylvie St-Pierre went for a visit and were immediately charmed by the look and setting of the house. Mor…
The large sprawling farm with fenced, hilly pastures appears to be a large ranch. In fact, it is home to Big Springs Resort, the idyllic site of five log homes built by partners Doug Spurber and Charles Rateliff in 2005. These retired Wal-Mart executives each owned a good bit of land near Gravette, Arkansas, and decided to join forces and create a low-impact cabin community. Rateliff had built a Satterwhite log home several years earlier and knew that this company could delive…
It can’t really be said anymore that Montana is a well kept secret. The state has boomed with tourism and a thriving vacation home industry for well over two decades. Montana’s ski resorts, national parks, and trout fishing industries allocate substantial funds for out-of-state advertising to attract year-round visitors and would-be residents alike. “We got really lucky,” says Jason, one such would-be resident, “when we ventured into Red Lodge for a day of sightseeing.” Jason’s mother had grown up in ne…
They say a man’s home is his castle. Such is the case for Mark Robbins, a Vermont native who after many career years as a pilot was happy to reset roots in northeastern Vermont, also known as “The Northeast Kingdom,” referred to by most Vermonters as simply “The Kingdom.” “My home sits on a prominent feature in the middle of my father’s farm,” says Mark. “It’s well back from the town road and, with its elevation, provides 360 degrees of incredible views and vistas of northeastern Vermont’s mountains and…
When Allen Morris’s father first purchased vacation property and built a cottage nestled in the hills of Black Mountain, North Carolina, in 1970, it was with the hope that his children and their children would gather there for years to come. Little did he know then that more than 40 years later, the family’s retreat would grow to encompass five homes, including Allen Morris’s log home and corporate retreat. “As our family grew we built a second cottage and a third cottage and a fourth cottage,” says Mor…
Every home is special, for the simple reason that the people who dwell in them are unique. In the case of homeowners Dan and Suzann Maughon, creating a one-of-a-kind home was a priority. “A long time ago,” begins Dan Maughon, “before Suzann and I were even married, we had a romantic dream of living in a log home in the woods, on a lake, of course.” The couple kept their eyes and ears open for that perfect 10-acre lakefront parcel of land, and then Suzann learned something that resulted in a manifestatio…
David and Melissa Hatter have always felt right at home in Big Sky, Montana, even though they are also quite used to the bustle of the big city of Atlanta, Georgia. Melissa works as a director of information technology, while David is an entrepreneur and owner of financial services companies with a “passion for leading people to financial security.” It seems the wide open spaces and breathtaking mountain vistas of Montana provide the couple with another sense of well-being—one that is priceless. They re…
A milled log home basks in the afternoon sun, tucked neatly into a hill for protection against the elements. The strategic placement of vertical siding and subtle timber frame accents adds interest to the horizontal logs. This log home blends perfectly into its setting in the Michigan woods. Deep green trim and cedar shingles enhance the unique roofline. The covered entryway welcomes its owners and their visitors. Yankee Bar…
When Judy and Richard Steed of Fort Worth, Texas, began planning their retirement home, they wanted a place where they could retreat from the busyness of their normal routine. While visiting their daughter’s home in Montana several years ago, the couple discovered The Stock Farm Club, a private, golf-based community nestled in the Bitterroot Valley. They loved it and decided to purchase a lot in the Mountain Home sites, tucked in the foothills of the Sapphire Mountains. “We wanted to be …
