Innholdsfortegnelse for January/February 2025 i Log and Timber Home Living

As a person who does a fair amount of yoga and meditation, the concept of “setting an intention” is at the forefront of my practice. Having a desired purpose in mind keeps you focused and prevents you from drifting down an unplanned path. It may sound all New Age-y, but really, it’s just simple, good advice. Setting an intention forces you to understand the “why,” not just the “how” behind all decisions, great and small. As we were putting our annual small-homes issue together, I was struck by how this line of wisdom found its way into our articles again and again; how recognizing your motivation behind the desire to build on a smaller scale makes a huge difference in the outcome — and your satisfaction with it. Dan Mitchell spells…

As modern homeowners reconsider consider the role their homes play, today, into retirement and beyond, many find inspiration in classic styles from the past, like charming cottages and cozy A-frames. But don’t let their nostalgic aura fool you — these homes are modern marvels in their own right. Matt Franklin, lead architect at M.T.N Design, regards the A-frame as both a mid-century icon and a tribute to the steep-roofed Scandinavian cabins built to shed heavy snow. “The A-frame combines an older style with modern materials for a sleek, sophisticated look,” he says. Their long-term cost-effectiveness doesn’t hurt either. “A-frames play into the desire to drive down cost, since most of the structure is the roof, which requires less maintenance and offers more durability than siding materials,” Matt says. And because…

NESTLED ON 60 ACRES IN WESTERN MARYLAND, this cozy cabin shares something in common with New York’s iconic Great Camps: design directed by the land. Inspired by the upstate getaways of the early 20th century, the owners chose to outfit the cabin with Adirondack flair, a look that’s at home on any wooded property, regardless of zip code. To capture the same woodsy ambiance in your own abode, shop these finds for a similar look. Scan here to shop these products and more on loghome.com…

Most of the year, Paul and Patricia Busto live an enviable distance from both the scenic windswept dunes of Long Island’s southern shoreline and the rocky bluffs and pebbled beaches of the northern coast. Yet it’s not the 15-minute jaunt to the water that beckons most often. Instead, it’s a four-hour trek to the mountains of Vermont that calls to them. “We try to get up there every other weekend,” says Paul. Their willingness to frequently leave such a prime location highlights exactly how special their final destination truly is. The spot that has captured their hearts is their cozy log home, nestled into 160 acres near the state’s popular snow-white ski slopes. As getaway homes go, the Bustos’ place veers far from ostentation, but the modestly sized house is…

As lovely as it might be to have a large swath of land that can be tilled for edibles and ornamentals, not every piece of property is appropriate for widespread gardening. That can be particularly true with log or timber homes, since many are built on terrain that isn’t suited to expansive gardens. You might be on a mountainside or tucked into a forest with plenty of grand views, but flat space and ample sunshine are at a premium. Happily, there’s no need to ditch your gardening dreams, if you think up instead of out. The concept of vertical gardening allows you to use smaller slices of land, while still putting plenty of plants in place. With some savvy strategies, you can grow a full garden’s worth of vegetables on…

IN LOG AND TIMBER HOMES, when it comes to material selections, it may seem like sacrilege to spring for anything but the real deal. After all, you opted for a construction method that puts craftsmanship and nature front and center. But today’s alternative materials are not the phony impersonators of yesteryear. Innovations in materials and manufacturing have delivered a selection of sustainable, stylish and, importantly, budget-minded solutions that are taking over showrooms. And when it comes to healthy choices, durability and savvy spending, that’s something we all can get behind. Here are five products that are (almost) better than bona fide. A Substitute for Stone According to the 2024 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study, engineered quartz has risen notably in popularity and was the most requested material for upgraded countertops…

THE POWER OF THE PURSE STRINGS IS PERVASIVE. Financial considerations touch virtually every aspect of life, and the process of completing the log or timber home journey – from mere idea to move-in – is no exception. Getting a handle on what you can afford is among the earliest requirements for managing costs and minimizing the possibility of overruns or unnecessary expenses. We break it down for you in three key steps to guide you on that journey. STEP 1 Assessing the Situation Michael Grant of Modern Rustic Homes sees cost considerations arise regularly as clients begin the construction process in earnest. “The cost of any home is based on what I call the five ‘L’s,’” he explains.“Lumber (in this case, logs and timbers); labor; lots (to include development expenses…

When Robyn and Rick Athmann set out to build their dream home on Minnesota’s Lake Vermilion, they kept coming back to one picture as their muse — a cover of Log Home Living magazine (the predecessor to Log & Timber Home Living). Here’s their story. ROBYN: We used to live on a lake in the Twin Cities, and we decided that we wanted to move out of the city. We wanted to move somewhere in the woods, and we actually thought it would be Colorado. So we went to Colorado and loved the mountains but realized we’re really water people. We have a 24-foot Cobalt cuddy boat, and we would take it and our snowmobiles out to explore different lakes in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Eventually, we came up to visit…

So you think you want to downsize into a smaller log or timber home. Before you head down that route, ask yourself one very important question: Why? Investigating your motivation behind this move is essential before you make the leap from a house with thousands of square feet to one that’s significantly less. There are three primary reasons people cite for wanting to scale back on their living space: • They believe that a smaller home will be less to maintain — a factor of great importance for empty nesters building a forever home. • They believe that a smaller home will cost less to operate, thereby saving them money on heating/cooling, electricity, water, etc., over the long term. Being able to predict and manage costs is especially important to…

Elissa Watson and Erik Schumacher weren’t planning on buying a property in the Rocky Mountains. “We’re building a house here in Hawaii. We have busy jobs, two little kids and so many things going on that we don’t need one more complication,” Erik explains. However, in 2020, when Elissa’s sister showed them a getaway in the rural community of Hahns Peak Village, located just north of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, it was love at first sight. “We didn’t know anything about timber frame homes,” Erik says. “But we just looked at the structure of that place and thought, ‘Wow, this is not just a home; this is art you can live in.’” The three-story, three-bedroom hybrid home was lovingly crafted in 2007 using a variety of locally sourced, natural materials. One…

As a little girl, Mindi Pedersen’s after-school routine was to hop on her Huffy bike or pony and head out from her family’s Wisconsin home for an afternoon of adventure. Usually, a stop at her great-grandmother’s house for milk and cookies was in order, but the real destination was always her grandparents’ dairy farm at the end of the road. “Grandma and Grandpa were always home, milking cows and working on the farm,” Mindi shares. While there was plenty to explore across the 80-acre property, Mindi’s first instinct was to make a beeline for the barn. “The hunt was on to find the kittens who were always tucked behind a haymow or in the calf pen,” she says. Fast-forward more than 50 years, and much has changed. Her grandparents have…