Picture a bathroom with a barn-style door, timber-framed windows, or even a tree stump sink pedestal with all the conveniences that modern design offers. Thanks to continuing advances in interior design, you can enjoy the beauty of a rustic-style bathroom without roughing it. Yesterday’s image of a dark, fully log-walled bathroom is being replaced with a light, airy space that is comfortable as well as practical. Many of today’s log and timber home owners opt…
Something clicks when the right house comes along. One Midwest couple, weary from looking at dozens of homes, finally found their forever home 18 years ago when they purchased a stately two-story. “It sure had all the bells and whistles and then some,” says Ann, recalling how her love of family heirlooms and Old World furnishings would be a perfect fit. Her husband, Karl, reserved judgment until he went downstairs to the lower level. To differentiate the formality of the home’s more traditional style, o…
When Jim and Nancy Schueler of Hamilton, Montana, set out to build their fourth log home, they wanted a design that would take full advantage of the 250-acre property’s breathtaking views of the magnificent Bitterroot Mountain Range. The result was a sprawling home situated on a knob in the Bitterroot Valley, with expansive windows in every room to offer panoramic views of the surrounding mountains. “We wanted to design a house with a view from every room, and we accomplishe…
In 2009, when land prices were falling, Indianapolis residents Dale and Michele Wedel bought a parcel of ground in Brown County, Indiana, approximately 70 miles from their Indy home. It seemed like a good investment, and the pair had an inkling that it could make for a nice vacation place, or even a retirement home down the road. “A couple of years later,” says Dale, “Michele and I began a more earnest discussion about what we wanted to do with the site. We tentatively thought that a log home might be a…
Whether it’s for business or pleasure, one of the greatest delights a traveler can encounter is a better-than-expected lodging experience. Such was the case for my husband and me while we were making our way through the Southeast for work. Located just 15 miles, but seemingly eons, from Louisville, Kentucky, is Captain’s Cabin Bed & Breakfast. The 1800s Appalachian-style log cabin is situated a stone’s throw from welcoming proprietors Tammy and Jan Paul Donelson’s main house. The cabin was loc…
Lone Mountain Ranch in Big Sky, Montana, offers a smorgasbord of log home living, a bucket list of adventures, and cuisine to live for. At less than an hour from the Bozeman airport, 18 miles from the border of Yellowstone National Park (45 to its entrance), and 7 miles from Big Sky Resort, this historic guest ranch is close to paradise and feels like heaven. My friend and I came to stay for a week. Past the horse corral, across the meadow at the edge of the woods, our two lo…
It’s not often that you learn about prime real estate in the United States while working overseas, but that’s exactly how Wayne Hale learned of what would soon become the perfect setting for a two-story timber frame home. Neatly tucked into a bank on Georgetown Lake in Montana, Wayne and Susan Hale’s 5,400-square-foot masterpiece was crafted specifically to fit in with the topography and setting. With crisp green trees in the foreground and wonderful sloping mountains in the background, the Hales enjoy …
Log home design is often inspired by homes from more than a hundred years ago. With its weathered gray logs, tan chinking, and shingle roof, this home fits perfectly in its East Coast mountain setting. The covered porch shelters the front door and is a great place to sit and enjoy the fresh air. RMR Group/photo by Karl Neumann This log home is similar to the one above in terms of materials—square chinked logs and cedar shakes—but the overall effect is quite different. The s…
The trend these days is toward putting the master bedroom on the main floor of the home, but why not choose the loft if it is as spectacular as this one? The owners get a bird’s-eye view of their property and can enjoy looking at the intricate roof structure of their log home. Rocky Mountain Log Homes The sense of space and height in this bedroom is accentuated by the painted sheetrock and upper windows that mimic the roof line and highlight the roof struc…
As a bridge builder, Mark Van Meter knows the satisfaction that comes from a job well done. So when he decided to build a new home in the rolling hills just outside of Bowling Green in south central Kentucky, he knew he wanted the best. Located 60 miles north of Nashville and 110 miles south of Louisville off Interstate 65, Bowling Green is the third most populous city in the State of Kentucky after Louisville and Lexington. The property appealed to Van Meter for a couple of reasons: convenien…
Some of my favorite time at home is spent on a quiet spring afternoon, sitting on my deck listening to the rain hit the metal roof overhead. Whether it’s watching the sun set on a long, lazy summer evening, entertaining family around an outdoor fire pit, or playing a friendly game of flag football on the lawn, our time spent outdoors is the stuff memories are made of. Many of us choose our home’s location specifically for the abundant natural beau…
“I quite literally have it in my blood,” says Peter Spanos. “My mother and father bought their first hotel in 1952, before I came along. So I was born and raised in the hospitality business.” The historic hotel his folks had purchased was called the Winnecoette and was perched on a hill above the Weirs Beach area of Lake Winnipesaukee. They renamed it The Shangri-La and branded it as a luxury resort. “It really was something in its time,” recalls Peter. “People came from all over, and many returned year…
