84 | Log Home Living | 2018 ANNUAL BUYER’S GUIDE

story by Emily O’Brienphotography by Great Island Photography

Like a cottage from a fairy tale, this enchanted log cabin is nes- tled deep within the forest, allowing its owners to find their happily ever after.

Into the Woods

story by Emily O’Brienphotography by Great Island Photography

W hen Julie and Dave first purchased 250 acres of land, thick with forestry,

high up in the mountains in central Vermont, their initial intent wasn’t to

build two homes. However, after constructing a large primary residence

with their builder, David Hill, from David Anderson Hill, Inc., they real-

ized they weren’t fully utilizing their surroundings due to the rugged terrain. “One day, the

kids wanted to make a trail — with machetes — and only made it about 30 feet,” laughs Julie.

The three-bedroom, one-bath cabin is situated at the end of a multi-use trail on 250 acres of land and acts as “a getaway from the get-away” — a destination for hiking and skiing. It’s off-the-grid, utilizing solar energy for power, and has an extremely tight envelope.

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86 | Log Home Living | 2018 ANNUAL BUYER’S GUIDE

The couple enlisted their mason, Knight Ide, for help. Knight happened to harbor a passion for trail building and designed six miles of multi-use trails for the property, ideal for skiing, mountain biking and hiking. At the farthest point of one of the trails, he noticed the perfect spot for a cabin — a getaway from the getaway. He mentioned it to Dave, and what started off as a vision for an off-the-grid stone hut with sleeping bags and battery-operated LED lanterns, quickly turned into something much more sophisticated, but it still beat with the same rustic heart.

It worked out that David Hill was already a rep for Real Log Homes, which immediately piqued the couple’s interest. “Real Log Homes’ houses are essentially Lincoln Logs for adults,” says Julie. David adds, “They liked the idea that it arrived pre-cut, so their kids could help stack the logs up.”

“The plan was designed around a central hearth that serves as the cabin’s main heat source. Low maintenance was a primary con-sideration, so the choice of a log building would accommodate that requirement,” says Jim Driesch, Real Log Homes’ director of design.

With an inaccessible and highly elevated location, a handful of issues came along with the project, but thanks to David’s ingenuity, these obstacles were quickly turned into as-sets. For instance, to counter its remoteness, the cabin uses solar energy and has propane and septic tanks. “Most of the time, the solar carries the load,” explains David. A back-up generator kicks in when the sun isn’t shining or when the power usage exceeds what’s in the batteries. LED lighting and energy-efficient appliances help keep power usage low.

“Being out in the boonies like that makes building challenging. It definitely slows you down,” David adds. “A hydraulic well-drilling truck, as well as other large equipment nor-

The great room, with a peak of 21 feet, shows off the 11-inch-high logs with dovetail corners. The pine log walls are left natural and have a pine trim sealed with a matte polyurethane.

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The railings boast scenes from Harry

Potter, Bambi, Snow White and others. “This

fairy tale cottage isn’t just for kids; it’s a blast

for us grown ups, too,” says Julie. {

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mally used in construction, couldn’t make it up the hill. We used ATVs in the winter to work.”

With logistic challenges solved and the nuts-and-bolts of construction completed, it was time to turn to the fun stuff: The cottage’s interior details. Features like the wrought-iron railings, wall sconces and even roots that jut out of the wall are a nod to the cabin’s playful, enchanted forest theme. “At first, we looked at cut outs of pine trees for the railings, but it felt too Arts & Crafts-y,” says Julie. Dave had the idea of incorporating his love of lit-erature into the design. “We have scenes from Shakespeare; The Hobbit; The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; Harry Potter; Bambi; Snow White and others. Somehow it just all works,” beams Julie.

The cabin took less than 12 months to build and was just finished last year. Even so, they’ve already had major groups up for overnight visits — one as big as 18 kids at a time. “This past winter we had fun. Three, sometimes four, couples would all snowshoe up with backpacks filled with bread, salami, wine and cheese, and we’d do a late lunch up at the cabin with the wood stove blaring,” says Julie. “This fairy tale cottage isn’t just for kids; it’s a real blast for us grown ups, too.”

1

2 3

RIGHT: The cabin has cedar shingles in the gables, eastern white pine logs, fir and cedar trim and a standing-seam metal roof.

1: In the tiny kitchenette, Vermont soapstone com-plements the custom fir cabinets.

2: To maximize space, storage stairs lead to a sleeping loft in one of the cabin’s three bunkrooms.

3: A fir vanity base coupled with a porcelain trough sink balances rustic under-tones with a modern edge.

MAIN LEVEL

LOFT

LOFT

OPEN TO BELOW

BEDROOM

BEDROOM

BEDROOM

SCREEN PORCH

STORAGE

GREAT ROOM

KIT

CH

ENFO

YE

R

UPPER LEVEL 1

23

Square Footage: 1,344

Bedrooms: 3 Bathrooms: 1

Log Provider: Real Log Homes

Square Footage: 1,344

Bedrooms: 3 Bathrooms: 1

Log Provider: Real Log Homes

1: In the tiny kitchenette, Vermont soapstone com-plements the custom fir cabinets.

2: To maximize space, storage stairs lead to a sleeping loft in one of the cabin’s three bunkrooms.

3: A fir vanity base coupled with a porcelain trough sink balances rustic under-tones with a modern edge.

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