David Cobb and Karen Sommerlad knew they wanted to stay busy when they retired from their jobs at Harvard University; they just never knew how busy. “We gave up 35-hour-a-week jobs to work 70 hours a week,” says David, former curator of maps at the Harvard University Library. He and Karen, a senior campus planner, purchased a 15-acre lot in Sudbury, Vermont, five years ago with the hopes of starting a small organic farm upon their retirement. Today, they cultivate about a quarter-acre of wh…
Timber framing—using large posts and beams to form the structural support—has been used to build homes and other structures for centuries. Requiring no interior load-bearing walls, timbers are joined by connecting a mortise (hole) on the end of one timber with a corresponding tenon (tongue) for a precise fit. In modern timber frame construction, walls are often structural insulated panels (SIPs) erected on the outside while leaving the timber framing exposed on the interior. SIPs can then be finished us…
Southwestern Montana’s Big Sky region is home to some of the most spectacular, unspoiled mountain terrain in the country, showcasing the Rocky Mountains, access to Yellowstone National Park, blue ribbon rivers, and expansive blue skies. Recreational opportunities abound all year long, from summer golf outings to skiing in the winter. It’s no surprise many people choose Big Sky for their vacation retreat, and this home in particular was designed with family and fun in mind. Construction was completed in …
Michelle Hedges has known the land that she calls home for many years. Family ties make the picturesque scenery of the Cumberland Mountains in Middle Tennessee even more spectacular, and its history is a strong tie to earlier generations. “My home is on property that has been in the family for a long time,” explains Michelle. “Research indicates the property was originally part of a Revolutionary War land grant. The house sits on the exact spot of an original older home in which my great great grandfath…
For many people, becoming a log home owner takes years of planning and saving funds. Once you’ve built your dream log home, you want to do everything possible to protect your investment. Regular maintenance is certainly important, and carefully selecting high-performing stains and finishes will help preserve the beauty and integrity of your home for years to come. Stains and finishes protect the logs from the elements, including sun, wind, and rain—strong forces that can cause severe damage over t…
The eager homeowners already owned a 31/2-acre home site at The Yellowstone Club, an exclusive residential club, ski resort, and golf resort in eastern Madison County, Montana. Now all they wanted was a log home that looked as if it were built in 1870—but with all of the modern amenities that a neurosurgeon and his family would expect from a brand-new vacation home. “I’m 55 years old and I grew up in the Cowboys & Indians generation,” says the homeowner. “We took a few camping trips to the Rockies a…
Gregory and Kym Lagios had corporate careers in the Boston area, working long, hard hours. Their efforts paid off, earning them enough income to afford an early retirement. “Kym and I had been searching for property in the Lakes Region for several years,” says Greg, “and came across this lot through our friend and realtor Gerard Constantino. What we love about our site are the views of the water and mountains, along with our very own 106-foot private sand beach. Rural enough to afford them plenty of pea…
The story about how this pièce sur pièce log home came to be built is a true epic tale of timely decisions, good fortune and, most of all, perseverance. It all started back in the mid-1970s when Gaétan Ruel and his wife Nicole welcomed their third child. At the time, they were living in a beautiful modern mountainside home facing a ski hill in the Laurentian Mountains of Quebec. But they were quite a distance away from schools, grocery stores, and recreational centers for the kids, and with only weekend…
In 2004, Marine Staff Sergeant Vincent Gizzarelli’s life changed. During his second tour of duty in Iraq, Vince’s anti-armament platoon was called out to assist a rifle squadron that had been engaged in combat. While in transit, an IED went off about 20 feet away from his HumVee. “I saw an orange flash; then everything went black,” Vince recalls of the night that would eventually end his military career. Diagnosed with severe brain injuries and post traumatic stress disorder, Vi…
When Charles and Lana Sangmeister said goodbye to the hustle and bustle of central New Jersey seven years ago they had no idea that they’d be in for such a treat. After retiring from their jobs, the Sangmeisters returned to Lana’s Montana roots and purchased 277 acres of land in the small town of Nye. Nestled in the foothills of the Beartooth Mountains, the region proved to be the perfect backdrop for the couple’s new log cabin home. Before that dream came to fruition the Sangmeisters studied hundreds o…
Log home producers mill logs to uniform dimensions and then combine them with other structural components and building materials to make a log home package. The uniform look of a milled log home is often what is most appealing to log home buyers. When Sue and Mike McKenrick moved to Morgantown in the northeastern part of West Virginia, they wanted to settle down somewhere with space and privacy. With their four children grown, they didn’t need a huge home, but as avid motorcyclists they sought room for …
A ski trip to Deer Valley, Utah, more than a dozen years ago awakened a deep love for log homes in Donn and Candy Fuller. “We rented this beautiful handcrafted, full-log home with more than 10,000 square feet of space,” recalls Donn Fuller, an orthopedic surgeon in Fort Myers, Florida. “It was just gorgeous.” On another ski trip the Fullers discovered where they wanted to build their dream vacation home: Big Sky, Montana. “Another orthopedic doc friend invited us out and we just fell in love with Montan…
