Couple loving the log home life at their Great Escape Lodge on a Maryland lake.
Growing up in Maine, John Bobrowiecki was used to summers spent on a lake, fishing, boating and swimming. When his career with the military took him to Virginia, John and his wife Laura went in search of lake life closer to home.
They focused on Maryland’s Deep Creek Lake and discovered a ¾-acre lot overlooking the water. The property came with access to a quiet cove on the lake and was close to a ski resort and many other outdoor activities.
John had a vision of their home away from home. “I probably pushed the agenda for a log home,” he says. “I liked the classic log home style.” Before they bought the lot, the couple had stayed in the Deep Creek area in a log cabin with some friends. It was wintertime and the cozy look and feel of logs worked their magic on his wife. “Laura started drinking the juice,” John laughs.
Designing the Dream
With the perfect spot picked out, the couple began searching for a log home provider and builder. Unfortunately, the pandemic was delaying many of the local companies, so they cast a wider net with an online search. “We came across the Hochstetler website and it had some really good photos of layouts and real-world examples of homes they had built,” John recalls.
They reached out to Hochstetler’s sales and design consultant Brett Martin, who helped them refine their ideas with inspiration from a stock plan, The Clearfork, which features a prow front with a wide expanse of windows. “They had a setting that made it nice to overlook the lake view,” Brett says.
Although most buyers customize their floor plans, having stock plans available creates a good jumping-off point. “Oftentimes when people come in and see something that’s an inspiration, we can then begin showing them pictures of a home like theirs that we’ve already built,” Brett says. “It helps to solidify their ideas.”
Room to Spare and Share
Because they have a large extended family, the Bobrowieckis wanted plenty of space in their log home. The finished design includes six bedrooms and four baths with 5,000 square feet of living space on three levels.
Included on their “must have” list were a kitchen that would be open for entertaining, a large fireplace in the main room and a spot for one of John’s prized possessions: a Maine moose trophy from a successful hunt when he was just 13 years old.
To make life easier for John, a Marine veteran who uses a wheelchair, all the essentials for comfortable living are located on the main level. An elevator also connects the main level to the lower level, where a bar area is outfitted with a handcrafted live-edge bar that Laura and John purchased from a “mom and pop” shop in West Virginia. An accessible ramp leads from the deck to the driveway.
Designing a home that’s accessible to all makes a lot of sense, Brett says, especially when buyers plan to retire in their homes. “The obvious thing is to keep the master suite on the first floor, the laundry on the first floor, so that whether you build a two-story or three-story home, aging in place can happen on that first floor,” he says. “We’re also designing 3-foot-wide doorways, so access and mobility is easy in the home.”
The universal design of the Bobrowieckis’ home has been a blessing in other ways as well: Laura and John always planned to rent the home out as a vacation getaway to help offset their costs. “We’ve had several renters who were older or had mobility issues,” John says. “It was a big thing, to have that ability to get from level to level without going up or down stairs.”
When Hochstetler works with buyers who foresee renting their homes to others, Brett recommends adding as many bedrooms as possible.“The more bodies they can sleep, the more advantageous,” he says. The bedrooms typically share bathrooms, since adding too many baths to a design can raise costs and eat up space.
The Bobrowieckis included three different locked storage areas in their home because having secure storage for the owners’ personal belongings is important when renting. “It’s nice to have locked closet space on all three floors,” Brett says. Basement storage space is typically easy to carve out. On the main floor and second story that space can be a closet that’s accessible to a hallway.
Favorite Times and Places
Now that they have had time to enjoy their new home, Laura and John have discovered some favorite spots. “I really like having a wood-burning fireplace, the smell of it, the feel of it, but we knew we’d have to have renters,” John says. “So the compromise we made was having a gas fireplace in the interior of the house, and a wood-burning fireplace out on the deck.”
Enjoying that fireplace and watching the stars overhead brings the couple a sense of peace. “We’ve sat out on the deck with the outdoor fireplace. You have a great view of the stars. It looks almost like a movie because there’s not a lot of light pollution in the area.” The deck is a great place to start the day, too. “Our favorite thing to do is first thing in the morning having a cup of coffee sitting out on the deck,” John says. “It’s relaxing and puts you at ease. Seeing some of the wildlife that walks by, it’s a really cool experience.”
And they’ve shared these experiences with others, too, hosting reunions and holiday get-togethers at the house they’ve named Great Escape Lodge. While the interior glows with light from the great room’s antler chandelier, they’ve enjoyed having family gather around the outdoor fire pit. “We were able to fit everyone out there, roasting marshmallows and telling the same stories that we always tell when we’re together,” John says. “It was a really cool moment.”
- Designer: Brett Martin
- Log Home Manufacturer and Builder: Hochstetler Log Homes
- Square Footage: 5,000 square feet of living space on three levels
- Bedrooms: 6
- Baths: 4