Welcome to my second annual Log Home Tour Series, in honor of National Log Cabin Day! National Log Cabin Day falls on the last Sunday of June, and last year I thought it would be fun to make a special week of it. So get ready to tour an amazing log cabin or home each day this week. National Log Cabin Day is meant to help folks remember the rich history of log cabins and also enjoy what they have become.
Today we are touring Kelsey's Cabin. While Kelsey and I were coordinating her home tour, we discovered our homes were built by the same builder, Hearthstone Homes of Tennessee. We recognized each other's logs!
I will let Kelsey take over telling her story from here and share her home with you:
My
husband and I both grew up out in the country. He in Pennsylvania, and I in
Minnesota. As children, we spent our childhood days exploring fields, woods,
and enjoying the peaceful and simple life of living outside the city limits. As
adults, and with a family of our own now, we knew we wanted the same thing for
our 3 young boys. The
story of our home and how we came to live here, is nothing short of a
miraculous and divine act of God. From coming on the market at just the right
time, to coming out of a bidding war with the highest bid, this home was the
answer to our prayers and we give Him all the glory.
Our home
is located in Dandridge, TN, a historic little town named after George
Washington's wife, Martha (Dandridge) Washington. The cabin was built in 1998,
and sits high up on a hill overlooking the Smoky Mountains and Douglas Lake.
Had this not been a foreclosure, it wouldn't have been attainable for our
modest budget.
Our boys
now have acreage to roam and explore, and my husband and I have the seclusion
and privacy that we had been dreaming of. Next month will mark one year since
we moved in, and we look forward to watching our boys grow up here and all the
memories that will come.
My favorite features of our home would have to be the soaring ceilings, the open floor plan, and all the sunlight that comes through the big windows. All those features really help disguise the fact that we're a family of 5 living in 1300+ sq ft! It doesn't "feel" as small as it is, and I'm thankful for that! The interior is pretty much as done as it's going to get for now. However, our future plans include updating the ceiling fans and changing all the flooring once the budget allows.
One challenge I have found so far, is trying to figure out how to blend my "style" (which I would consider coastal cottage) with all the wood and rustic elements of the log cabin. Things are ever changing and evolving around here, but such is the case with any house we've owned.
We've
made several changes so far, the most noticeable being the kitchen. We kept the
same layout and cabinetry, but gave everything a facelift. We painted the
cabinets and installed new countertops, sink, faucet, lighting, hardware, and
bead board.
The
bathrooms got similar treatment.
Due to
our master bedroom being such a small space, it is the one and only room where
I've whitewashed all the wood (minus the ceiling) to lighten it up, and make it
feel just a bit more spacious. I secretly want to do this in other rooms too,
but don't tell my husband...he's not ready for it yet!
The
upstairs consists of one loft style bedroom, walk in closet, and bathroom. This
is our boys' space, and one of my favorite parts of the house.
Much of
our time is spent on the covered porch that wraps around 3 sides of the house.
The square footage inside is about half of what we had at our last house, so
the porch adds a lot of extra "living space".
We plan open up one side of the porch with stairs and railing
leading down from the front doors. That will give us access to the front yard
instead of having to first walk around either side of the house. We hope to do
this within the next year.
A relatable challenge for all my fellow log cabin owners would be dealing with the relentless carpenter bees!
My favorite feature outdoors would definitely be the views. The mountains and
lake seem to change their appearances daily depending on the
skies/weather.
I'm
honored to have Dara include our cabin in her log home tours! It's been a
pleasure sharing our home with you! -Kelsey
So I say we sure did get this week started off with a bang! Kelsey has turned this cabin into a beautiful, cozy home for her family. If you'd like to see more of Kelsey's cabin, you can find her on Instagram @_southernmagnolia_ I'd like to thank her for being part of the tour this year!
Now make sure you come back for the next cabin on the tour tomorrow because we are going to get back to the roots of the original log cabins with one you won't want to miss! And if you would like to see the cabins of last year's tour, click on the Log Home Tour Series tab at the top of the page.
