I had a pretty bad 4wheeler flip and had to stay immobile for a month or so to heal. I took that tie to get serious about a house build. I had built a log house from scratch back in my twenties, cutting my own trees and skinning logs. Did all my own build and the stonework was a big component. So, I had some experience with that kind of thing.
My job and our leisure time had taken us to all 50 states and a lot of the national parks. We had stayed in some pretty cool places for work over the years. I was always fascinated on how the old craftsmen built the structures of the parks. Big logs and beams. Lots of stone and natural materials. Rustic but warm and inviting. I would check out old barns and all the different techniques on timber joinery. I wanted to build something that was simple, efficient and had the feeling of those places with the conveniences of today. I wanted to keep all the good aspects of living cheap in that old cabin too.
We talked for hours about everywhere we had lived and what was good and necessary from each experience. The house we had sold was near perfect, but we even improved on that layout. Eventually I got a plan we could agree on and I sketched it out. Even built a scale model so the wife could envision it.
