Y’All Come Eat
Y’All Come Eat

Return to Red Lodge

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 …

Designing and Developing Your Site

You’ve dreamed of owning a log home, and now you’re ready to start putting plans on paper. The first step in making your dream come true is to find the right piece of land. Are you looking for a cozy retreat in the mountains or a getaway at the lake? Do you want a remote location, or quick access to grocery stores, restaurants, and medical care? Whatever your needs, there are a few factors to consider as you begin to design and develop a “green” building site.  Site Selecti…

An Open & Shut Case

Surprisingly, the look and quality of interior and exterior doors often come as afterthoughts in the construction of log and timber homes. However, a missed opportunity to brighten an entryway, welcome guests, and increase the “wow factor” can be corrected. It’s never too late to spruce up doors, keeping an eye on cost and environmentally friendly factors. Getting in touch with the ins and outs of interior and exterior doors is easier than you think. Craftsme…

Thermal Mass of Log Walls

When talking about green building, energy efficiency, and passive solar design, you may hear the term “thermal mass.” The term refers to the ability of a material to stabilize the temperature of your home by storing heat from the sun (called solar gain) during the day, then slowly releasing it at night. Some people add a thermal mass feature to help store solar heat, but luckily for log home owners, logs themselves have considerable thermal mass naturally. Therma…

Second Thoughts

The dream of owning a second home is far from dead. Signs of the housing market’s resuscitation are visible around the country, with certain areas emerging as the hottest spots (and best real estate investments) you can make. With interest rates still incredibly low (5.25 percent for a 30-year fixed, as reported by Wells Fargo [www.wellsfargo.com] at the time of publication) and excellent builders still available and eager to work, these could be your best conditions for getting that…

Living the Fairy Tale

When Dallas couple Jennifer and Robert Quinn began taking their family on annual camping excursions two decades ago, they explored various areas throughout the Southwest—particularly Colorado. On one occasion, they happened to drive through Lake City, Colorado, a small town nestled in the San Juan Mountains. “It was just like driving through a fairy tale,” Jennifer says. “We fell in love with it.” The couple began dreaming about and planning to build a log home in  Lake City as they continued makin…

Mountain’s Majesty

Just a few minutes from the Bozeman, Montana, airport, the Rocky Mountains rise toward the heavens. A drive along the Gallatin River leads to a captivating log home that fulfills a lifelong desire for its owner, blending the beauty of the Mountain West with modern convenience and sweet serenity. “I wanted to create a home where our large family and other families with us could all be in one room,” relates the homeowner. “The house is centered around a great room on the main floor with dining room, kitch…

Scandinavian Fusion

The essence of the hybrid home lies in cooperative construction methods, perhaps both log and timberframe, incorporating varied elements both in materials utilized and the home’s comprehensive theme. Creativity comes to the forefront in hybrid construction, allowing the homeowner to blend such elements as wood, stone, and concrete while achieving a captivating fusion of décor elements. In short, a hybrid home provides the palette for the ultimate in inventive and original vision. On a sprawling 147-acre…

Big Stix

Bill and Mary Elder’s desire to build a log home percolated over a number of years. “When our children were young,” says Mary, “we owned a small log cabin about a half hour away from our Fredericktown home. It was perfect for weekend getaways and gave Bill some necessary down time from his busy medical practice.” As the Elder children grew up and became more involved in school activities, cabin time was less frequent. “We were reluctant to sell it,” says Bill, “so we rented it out for a while, then even…

Online Exclusive

The log home lifestyle is within reach of homeowners everywhere, whether their current homes are of conventional or log construction.  More popular than ever, log additions to existing residential structures are gaining momentum with creativity and affordability. A log addition to a home of any style may be accomplished with planning, consultation, and vision. “The sky is the limit on what you can do with a full-scribe handcrafted log home,” comments Brad Neu, president of Montana Log Homes, “and w…

Good Things Take Time

“Initially, we were looking for bare lake frontage to build a log cabin on,” begin Wisconsin homeowners Jamie and Karen Geschke. “However, finding a great lakefront lot without an existing home proved to be impossible.” Then a realtor friend, Erik Johnson, showed the couple a property on Lake Kaubashine that was coming on the market, and it was love at first sight: sand beach, pristine water, not much boat traffic, and bordered on one side by state-owned land. There was a modest house on the property, b…

Legacy Begets Legacy

“Our client chose full logs for their family house,” says Dennis Davis, project manager for RJ Dailey Construction, “believing the aesthetics would make the proper statement about family and farm values: strong, stable and, most of all, enduring.” RJ Dailey builds only custom residences and estates, says Davis, “but up until now only in California, where our company is based.” It was an honor and a pleasure for the company to be selected as the general contractor for a log home on a family farm in Illin…