Log Home Update: Part 2One Step At A Time

We traveled out to Beaver Mountain Log Homes yesterday to meet with Joan and graphic designer John to draw up preliminary plans for our home. We spent a little over three hours sitting at the computer tweaking the design ideas Terry and I brought with us. We had selected the Killington model (unfortunately, it is not one of the on-line models on the BMLH web site) as our starting point. The original is a 28 x 42 foot rectangle with a 24 x 24 two-car garage connected to the house at right angles with a 8 x 24 foot breezeway. To this we added two feet to the length of the house (making it 28 x 44 feet) to increase the size of all the bedrooms. We widened and enclosed the breezeway to create a foyer for the primary entry and first floor laundry room. We tacked on a shed dormer to increase the size of the master bedroom and bathroom on the second floor. Then we widened and covered the porch on the west side of the house to give an eating area outdoors with a view to the sunset. It sounds like a lot of changes but in reality, the basic rectangular form of the house with its T-shaped garage ell were retained.

I had laid out the floor plans using graph paper and even built a model out of cardboard to better visualize what we wanted to do. We had pictures form on-line sources, magazines and stylebooks. It all helped in the design process (and impressed everyone at BMLH). The final product surprised us with its spaciousness. On my designs, the kitchen looked small but once John got done, it looked huge. The same is true for the master bath. I wanted a shower and a soaking tub (not a Jacuzzi tub—just a soaker for my old bones).

Things are progressing. Every little step and decision brings us closer to the end product. But they are also a little scary. Perhaps, it is just the commitment that has to be made or how some of the decisions are irrevocable. Between decisions, there are periods where things are out of our control or simply on hold. Even then, there is some gut wrenching going on. Did we do the right thing? Is this the house we want? Is that really the way it will look?

Like the man who fell off the Empire State Building said as he fell floor by floor, “Everything’s okay so far!” Just hope there is a cushion at the bottom for a soft landing.