Log and Timber Home Living June/July 2024

For more than 20 years, I’ve gotten a sneak peek at the most beautiful log and timber frame homes in North America. This issue is no exception — the three homes we feature showcase the craftsmanship and design flexibility you can achieve when heavy wood timbers are your building medium of choice. However, the Hochstetler Log Homes residence, featured on page 56, particularly resonates with me, because I had the privilege of walking through its halls shortly after it was built. It was during the company’s annual Log Cabin Days. The team had just finished it and they were eager to show it off. After touring it, I could see why. No detail was overlooked. It was a showstopper. Fast forward to putting this issue together, something struck me as…

WANT TO TAKE curb appeal to the next level? At loghome.com/exterior-lighting, find out how the right lighting plan can showcase your home’s beauty and boost safety. ENERGY EFFICIENCY STARTS with your home’s design. Learn how passive-solar strategies can help you optimize your home’s energy use at timberhomeliving.com/passive-solar. VISIT cabinlife.com/sturgeon-river-cabin to peek inside an eclectic A-frame escape on Michigan’s Sturgeon River that offers all the nostalgia and fun of a summer weekend spent on the water. @LogAndTimberHomeLiving TOUR A COZY STONE & TIMBER COTTAGE at youtube.com/@logandtimberhomeliving, where we post an array of one-of-a-kind homes, expert advice, must-watch L&T videos and more. Connect with us on social media and sign up for our newsletters! Find all your favorite annual Special Interest Publications and digital editions, and subscribe to Log & Timber Home…

When Dave Shaw and his family set out to design their dream cabin, they had years of experience as guests in vacation rental cabins to draw from. Now, their dream-cabin-come-true proves you don’t need a big house to live large. Here’s their story. Dave: We’ve owned this little slice of heaven in the gorgeous Hocking Hills region of southeast Ohio since 2015. We purchased the land with the dream of someday building a cozy little log cabin on it to use as a family getaway until retirement, when it could become a fulltime home. When we bought the property back then, it was pure luck. I mean, nobody had any idea this area was going to take off like it did. But the area is really, really special. When you…

Although an artfully landscaped, expansive garden can be breathtaking, let’s face it: That type of space is also a lot of effort. And while some people find groundskeeping to be a Zen-like experience, for others it’s simply a chore. Fortunately, you can capture that blissful feeling on a much smaller scale — that’s where garden rooms come in. Just like the name implies, this space is often either within a dwelling (for example, a room with large windows within your home), under a covered space (like a four-season porch) or a defined space within your lawn, itself. Filled with a profusion of different plants, flowers and herbs, garden rooms often serve as a bridge between your larger landscape and your log or timber home’s interior. To create your own garden…

When you’re building a custom home, whether it’s built from logs, timbers, bricks or concrete, it’s common knowledge that you’ll have to manage costs. Yet this can be a big stumbling block for people. You know you have to do it, but how do you do it? Imagine your budget as a bucket of money (it’s not an uncommon visualization, but it’s an effective one). Whether it’s a large bucket containing a million dollars or a smaller one with a few hundred thousand, there’s still a finite amount of money in it, and at various milestones in the project, your contractor will hand you sizable bills that you’ll have to pay from it. It’s essential to manage costs so that by the time you reach the end of the build,…

1. Flow is the name of the game, and the kitchen is a study in streamlined efficiency, placing the refrigerator, sink and stove in a shallow scalene triangle. 2. In a deliberate move to achieve continuity, the materials the owners chose here and throughout the home are close in tonal value and color. 3. A “Luna Drift” granite slab tops the expansive alder-wood island with steel inlays, creating a focal point that’s natural and sophisticated, with a hint of industrial flair. 4. A rugged alcove, encased in the home’s signature element, Chief Cliff deep-creek stone, is host to the professional-grade Thermador range. A vein-cut travertine backsplash lightens the heaviness of the space. 5. A pair of delicate iron pendants balance the room’s rougher design elements. 6. The hardwood floor blends…