Deep Creek Lake Log House

Granite Installed!

2009-05-20T22:21:00.000-04:00

From Granite Installed

Moving In

2009-05-20T22:17:00.002-04:00

From Furniture Del

Starting to move in

2009-05-20T22:07:00.005-04:00

From Moving In

Updated Pics

2009-05-03T11:50:00.001-04:00

Assorted images

2009-05-03T11:46:00.000-04:00

Pearl Green Leathered Granite

2009-05-03T11:03:00.003-04:00

Not an easy thing to photograph but this is our granite! I love how it looks like soapstone but has the great feel that only a leathered granite has. When we made the decision to go with the spalted maple and cherry cabinets, we immediately limited our choices in the countertop world! We considered soapstone, which would look amazing and feels fantastic but I didn't feel that I wanted to deal with maintaining it. Limestone was also briefly considered but I just didn't feel comfortable with it's properties as a kitchen surface. Granite is so easy to live with but most of it is highly polished and multicolored and I really felt that our log kitchen needed a dull, plain counter finish. Mont Granite in Pittsburgh finally located this granite and brought in 4 slabs for us to see. It's a definite match with it's green coloring blending perfectly with the green cast that the spalted maple has. Rocktops/Jones Stone came in last Saturday to template and we will have our kitchen counters in about two weeks!

April 10

2009-04-11T23:06:00.002-04:00

The Naytura lights installed. I'm pretty sure they're my favorite thing about the house!
The view from the front door. Soon, soon.

We are getting so close...

2009-04-11T23:00:00.003-04:00

Log Window Trim
The loft
Isabel's adorable bunny sconces from Iron Age Crafters
More of the loft

Two huge additions underway - the kitchen and the log stairs!

2009-03-26T08:04:00.004-04:00

This week the first of the gorgeous cabinets from Bob Newman were installed. We are thrilled with them! The cabinets are cherry boxes with curly cherry drawer fronts and lower doors and the upper doors are covered with spalted maple that Bob has had in his shop for ten years. Apparently no one ever had the desire to use worm rotted wood in their kitchen around the lake but something about it seemed so cool to us. I started researching things made from spalted maple and I realized that, in small amounts, it would be a great addition to the kitchen. It's really a pretty contrast to have the rich cherry wood with the light colored spalted maple.

The big log stairs are also now partially in.

Check out the trim work

2009-03-15T16:29:00.003-04:00

Master Bedroom

Lakeside wall of living room

Guest lav by front entry

Here's something you haven't seen...

2009-03-15T16:17:00.004-04:00

The house with all the windows in! This week there was lots of trim work done and the two front windows that have been waiting for the final stair elevations to be configured are in! This lets lot of northern light into the house. It's so bright and cheerful!

Lots of new woodwork!

2009-03-15T16:10:00.004-04:00

The tree in the center is now sanded and sealed.

The beginnings of real stairs up to the loft.

Ava looking for squirrels.

Coming along...

2009-03-07T20:44:00.002-05:00

This week's additions include sanding and sealing of logs, installation of interior doors and painting on the main floor. The paint color is a soothing honey color that really goes nicely with the logs. The slate for the front porch has also been delivered. One of these weeks we'll have stairs up to the loft...

Lighting Suppliers

2009-03-06T21:10:00.005-05:00

I honestly think that I have looked at several million different light fixtures for this house. Some of the manufacturers that we have had build lights for us are below. It was important to me to use American lighting manufacturers and we have found some of the best! The companies that I can recommend are:

www.marklandforge.com
www.naytura.com
www.hubbardtonforge.com
www.cherokeeironworks.com
www.hammerton.com
www.ironagecrafters.com

Interior Changes

2009-03-06T21:04:00.004-05:00

Lots of wood on the interior with the addition of the ceiling planking and the finish flooring. Now that it's March we are getting very excited about using the house this summer!

Exterior Trim

2009-03-06T20:59:00.003-05:00

On the outside of the house we have some window and door trim installed. The house is looking more and more like a finished product.

Colorado

2009-02-16T21:20:00.003-05:00

Sam and David are having a great time in Colorado this week. Snowboarding at Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and snowmobiling around Frisco. These were fast snow machines!

Cabinet Sample

2009-02-16T21:15:00.005-05:00

Here is my spalted maple and cherry kitchen cabinet sample door. Pretty cool, huh? When Bob Newman showed us the spalted maple in his shop I started looking into ways to use it to create an unusual cabinet design. When I saw the kitchen that Michael Seward created I knew that we had found our look. Only 9 doors are made this way...the rest of the kitchen is curly cherry.

What A Week!

2009-02-16T21:10:00.002-05:00

Wow, an exciting week of changes! Cedar shingles on the front dormer, the front door being installed, ceilings in the kitchen and master bath, drywall taped and finished downstairs, framing started on the main log staircase, framing of the Master bedroom closets, interior doors and flooring were delivered, etc, etc etc. Yippee!

New Sconces!

2009-02-11T11:46:00.002-05:00

These sconces are for the front door. After the Scottsdale Art Factory fiasco, I changed to another style completely.

Main Floor Video Walkthrough

2009-02-10T08:47:00.003-05:00

Walk through the main level of the house!

Drywall - A BIG Change

2009-02-10T08:37:00.002-05:00

The house now has most of the drywall up which really changes everything about the feel of the house. No more looking from one side to the other to see it...now you actually have to walk into other rooms!

Bob Newman started our kitchen cabinets last week. By Wednesday he had about six base cabinet boxes built. This kitchen is really going to be different and exciting to me. We did make a few changes (like ditching the white fireclay farm sink) because I feel like we are getting too many elements happening in the kitchen. We're now going with a stainless farm sink with customization by C & J Metals.

Blast from DCL Past featuring Brent Chaney & David!

2009-01-02T20:08:00.003-05:00

This picture is of David and his lake neighbor Brent Chaney taken about 1980. They are both barefooting behind Coy Chaney's big Invader on Deep Creek Lake. The Chaneys still have a boat on Deep Creek and we enjoy getting together with Brent and his family each summer.

Finished Fireplaces

2008-12-31T22:37:00.002-05:00

Both fireplaces are now finished and the sandstone hearths have been installed. They turned out really nicely. Next they will be installing the insulation.

The little cottage that started it all...

2008-12-31T22:10:00.003-05:00

I just came across these pictures of the old cottage so I thought I'd post them while we wait for some developments with the new place. The little cottage was cute but so little! I am so looking forward to staying at the new house and we are making plans for many long weekends throughout the year.

The winning light fixture!

2008-12-23T16:29:00.001-05:00

More Lighting

2008-12-05T21:39:00.004-05:00

I finally ordered the chandelier from Jim at Markland Forge. He made some pinecone prototypes with individual cone pieces instead of the solid cones in the picture and I think it is going to work out well. Jim is great to deal with and I can't wait to see how this fixture turns out.

I purchased two of these Hammerton sconces for inside the house.

Snowy November!

2008-11-22T22:37:00.000-05:00

It's freezing!!!

2008-11-22T22:23:00.004-05:00

Today we drove down to visit the house. It was 18 degrees in the afternoon at Deep Creek Lake! New things in the house include almost all of the wiring has been completed, the stone on the downstairs fireplace is up, and the new door for the laundry room has been delivered. My endless quest for the perfect chandelier is coming to a close as I have finally found the perfect fixture, a pinecone and branch chandelier made by Hammerton. This fixture is super expensive but I have found a blacksmith forge in Temecula, California that makes a really similar light. I'm going to order one of these soon...

Hammerton

Markland Forge

Foundation Finished!

2008-10-24T21:23:00.004-04:00

After a shaky few days when we discovered that the stone corners had been forgotten, the stone on the foundation is now finished and it looks fabulous! We used Eldorado Stone in Orchard Cypress Ridge and we are really pleased with it. The coloring worked out really well with the stain on the logs. As always, the guys at Yellowstone Log Homes were great and had the stone corners fixed properly and quickly.

We also met with the electrician and walked through the whole plan with him. We met with the cabinet maker and are trying to decide what wood to go with in the kitchen. What do you think of cherry frames with spalted maple panel uppers?:

Lighting

2008-10-10T17:07:00.001-04:00

These are the light fixtures for the lower exterior.

Railings and Rocks

2008-10-09T12:31:00.005-04:00

This week they put up the deck railings and started the stone on the foundation. I am really happy with the way the stone looks so far. They also buried the propane tank and are running the water lines into the house. The weekend looks gorgeous for Autumn Glory. Too bad we can't stay there yet!

Color instead of plain wood!

2008-10-02T13:49:00.011-04:00

This week the stain was started - Colonial Cherry Woodguard

A lot of activity has been going on at the house lately. Finish grading has been started and hopefully the area out in front of the house will be relatively level for a large parking area.

The ceilings, soffits and fascias have been finished on the porches. The board and batten siding has been installed in the gable ends. Mechanical work has started on the heating/AC and the steps are in to the basement. After the stain is finished it's time for stone. They are trying to wrap up the exterior work before it gets too cold.

I'm buying a ton of stuff for the house now which is totally fun. The Sub Zero was delivered to our office this week so it will have to patiently wait until it's ready to be installed.

2008-10-02T13:32:00.000-04:00

Sam in the Sunlight

2008-10-02T13:31:00.002-04:00

Time to take the boat home for the year. This is Sam meeting us at the State Park to load up the Master Craft.

Exterior Work

2008-09-16T08:43:00.003-04:00

This week the guys have been busy working on soffits and putting up the planking on the porch ceiling. They also started the board and batten siding on the gable ends. The beautiful redwood shingles have been delivered for the big dormer and they add a wonderful scent to the house! They have started pressure washing the logs to prepare them for stain. The basement stairs have been delivered and they are building retaining walls around the basement windows. Many activities are going on in an attempt to get the house finished enough on the outside to have the stain applied. Other work soon to happen is exterior grading and application of the foundation stone. Art is hoping to have the outside finished up by Thanksgiving.

David and I went out for a great after-season shoreline exploration boat trip. We drove around the entire perimeter of the lake, stopping at Uno's for an early dinner. After visiting with our neighbor to view their spectacular new house, it was quite late when we returned to the dock. Too dark for pictures but I'll be back this weekend to help out with the Savageman Triathlon and hopefully I will get some photos to update the blog with.

Framing, Fireplaces and Windows

2008-09-08T18:16:00.005-04:00

The game room downstairs with all of the bedroom framing completed

Windows installed on lake side

Great room with hearth framing, fireplace and chimneys

New windows from the inside

The mighty Mastercraft on a windy day

Finally, a week of big progress! All of the framing was completed in the basement, 8 windows and 2 doors were installed, and both fireplaces and some shower units are in place. Now that it is after Labor Day, we have made it through the summer without a house. Soon we will be pulling the boat and dock for the year. Hopefully construction continues to go smoothly and next summer will find us enjoying our new completed home!

Anything new???

2008-08-29T18:27:00.003-04:00

Yes, you will notice that I haven't updated this blog in quite some time. The truth is that the house doesn't look much different! They spent most of their work time this month laying out the tubing for the radiant heat and then pouring the concrete last week. The rest of the windows are in and are waiting to be installed. We'll go down one day this Labor Day weekend to see what else is new. Can't wait to see the framing done in the lower level.

I have been working with an interior designer to clarify my goals for the decor of the house. He really helped with the furniture layout and defining just what I'm looking for in the way of style, color and design. I have now ordered and purchased many different pieces and Hannah Fay is thrilled that I just keep bringing more pieces to store in her basement. I'm definitely not into the typical antler and bear decor that many DCL houses have. I want it to feel like it belonged to my grandparents. So far I've accumulated a cool mix of furniture and tomorrow I am going to VA to meet with the Hancock & Moore dealer that I ordered the sofa and loveseat from. I need two more chairs from him, then I think I'm done for a while. If you are in need of any leather or period furniture, I highly recommend Duane Collie of The Keeping Room. He's great to work with and his prices are worth the drive.

The frustrating thing about spending all of this time on the interior design is that when I visit the house I see that it is NO WHERE near needing all of the furniture that I'm buying! While I'm in PA I'm merrily picturing the house finished, then I show up and I don't even have windows and electricity!

Finished Front Facade

2008-07-25T10:17:00.000-04:00

Covered Porch Framing

2008-07-25T10:16:00.000-04:00

Deck and Covered Porch

2008-07-25T10:15:00.000-04:00

Eaton side with windows

2008-07-25T10:13:00.000-04:00

Windows, Shingles and Covered Porch

2008-07-25T09:53:00.002-04:00

Laurie and I had a beautiful drive to the lake yesterday where I was surprised to find so much progress on the house in the past 3 days! The excavators were there putting stone into the basement to prepare for concrete. The roofers were working on the shingles, several of the windows and doors have been installed, and the framing contractors were putting up the lakeside covered porch. I was excited to see the house with the front porch roof on so that we now have the entire frame of the house finished! Laurie and I had a great lunch at Uno's and we hung out on the dock all day. By the time we left the porch was ready for shingles. The rest of the windows will be here in a few weeks. The stain will be put on in the next week or two. It is so much fun to see all this progress!

Second Story...Going Up!

2008-07-20T21:45:00.006-04:00

The great room
The kitchen and entry The loft!
The lake facade

This was an absolutely gorgeous weekend at the lake. We were the guests of the Kaplan Family and they have been extremely kind to let us stay with them several times this year. The weather was perfect and we enjoyed hanging out on the dock. There was also a lot of skiing and surfing.

The roof is almost finished although my camera battery died before I got to take an exterior picture from the front. I will be back on Thursday so I will definitely be ready for an exterior shot. The loft is HUGE! It felt very exciting to stand up on the second floor and look out the framed window spaces.

The living room will be a challenge to arrange furniture in but the rest of the house all feels pretty easy to work with. Thursday I will meet with Mike and Art for a final window walk-through and to plan the electrical rough-in. My oldest friend Laurie will accompany me. The last time we were at the lake together was in 1985!

Big Big Steps!

2008-07-15T08:13:00.003-04:00

Oh my god you guys! While Isabel and I are in New York City enjoying Legally Blonde: The Musical, A Chorus Line, shopping, sightseeing and just generally loving The Big Apple, the house is actually turning into a real house! It’s really exciting to see something that we’ve only seen as line drawings come to life in 3-D. Isabel and I took the train from Pittsburgh into New York City. It was a great way to get to the city.
This week the construction took giant leaps forward with the roof framing on each wing and interior framing of the bathrooms, closets and the master bedroom. While Art was figuring the order for the trusses, he decided to configure the upstairs so that we have two giant storage areas. Shout out to Art!
You’ll notice that there is a giant tree in the middle of the house. This is the signature style of Yellowstone Log Homes and it’s a really cool look. In fact in the lower level of the house the bottom half of the same tree will help support the house.
This week’s pictures were taken with David’s cell phone since I have the camera here in NYC with me. I can’t wait to see it in person!

WTC Sphere

2008-07-14T22:08:00.000-04:00

This giant sphere stood between the two towers at the World Trade Center site. It is currently located in Battery Park.

Top of the Rock - Rockefeller Center

2008-07-14T22:07:00.000-04:00

Isabel's Favorite Show

2008-07-14T22:06:00.000-04:00

2008-07-14T22:04:00.000-04:00

2008-07-14T22:02:00.000-04:00

Manhattan from the top of the Empire State Building at night

NYC

2008-07-14T21:59:00.000-04:00

Lower Manhattan taken from the Staten Island Ferry

The start of the deck!

2008-07-05T22:15:00.003-04:00

I drove down on Saturday to take a look at what had been done this week. I wasn't expecting much since there has been so much rain but I was pleasantly surprised to find several new and exciting additions. The log work is almost done and the deck is framed in. There is a good amount of decking in place. Mike ordered the roof trusses this week and I am looking forward to getting the roof framed in so that I can really see what this house is going to look like!

At home we have been doing mock-ups of log walls for our stain selection. We have settled on Woodguard in a Colonial Cherry finish, which is a dark reddish brown. It should look great with the dark green windows and dark gray roof.

Not much new...

2008-06-23T13:46:00.004-04:00

This weeks update has no pictures because the house doesn't really look any different! They backfilled the foundation, dug out the basement windows, and cleaned up the site. We did receive two more stain samples so that we can finalize the stain selection.

2008-06-16T10:35:00.000-04:00

David on Sunday. Definitely his favorite activity.

2008-06-16T10:34:00.001-04:00

Izzy on Sunday

2008-06-16T10:34:00.000-04:00

Sam on Sunday

2008-06-16T10:33:00.000-04:00

Kitchen and dining area.

2008-06-16T10:32:00.000-04:00

The kitchen and laundry area.

2008-06-16T10:31:00.000-04:00

Taken from the master bath looking across the front porch to the laundry/mud room.

2008-06-16T10:30:00.000-04:00

Taller logs on the right side are the laundry/mud room. There is a door into this room from the front porch.

Up up and away!

2008-06-13T13:07:00.004-04:00

The weather has been gorgeous at the lake this week and my meeting with Mike and Art went great. We now have everything resolved, new and final prints drawn up, and the logs are being stacked and drilled into place.

The logs that we're using are 12" logs that have been standing dead in Canada for ten years. This makes their moisture relatively low so that they won't shrink much after they are placed. The logs are a swedish cope style where each log has a channel scooped from the bottom where it lies on the log below. They are then glued between each course. Finally a long drill bit drills a hole for the thru-bolts that hold the logs together. All corners are notched corners.

Logs on the deck

2008-06-11T20:58:00.005-04:00

The logs are one step closer to their final destination and tomorrow at 7:00 they actually start going up. As there are still a few floorplan issues, I am meeting with Mike and Art tomorrow so that we can finalize the placement of a few windows.

Regarding those windows: Yesterday the choice had to be made between red and green. We've gone back and forth a hundred times but I think we both came to the conclusion while paddling around Lake Placid (where literally 4 out of 5 houses are dark brown with red windows) that we do prefer the green windows. So green it is.

Thank you to Tom and Sharyn for letting Isabel and me stay at your place while we watch the logwork. It is beautiful here today!

Tomorrow: Logs!

2008-06-10T15:12:00.003-04:00

David talked with Mike today and the deck is completed on the house. The logs have been delivered to the site and tomorrow the log stacking begins! A few minor floorplan issues still affect the window placement so hopefully we will get everything finalized soon!

Still haven't found what I'm looking for

2008-06-10T15:08:00.003-04:00

Sorry, Rachel & Nigel...I spoke with the nice people at Chicken Coop Forge and they did not make that particular light fixture. So the search is still on for the manufacturer of the big pine cone light!

Next Up: Steel and Wood

2008-06-09T21:56:00.005-04:00

Special thanks to Sharyn for being my guest photographer this week. While we stayed home to work on many projects, Sharyn and Tom enjoyed the hot weather at Deep Creek. We were happy to hear their report that work has continued past the finishing of the block. Soon we'll be standing out on the deck of the house!

We are looking forward to Tom's big birthday bash next week. It will be great to see everyone at the lake! We can't wait!!!

We have a winner!

2008-06-04T17:41:00.006-04:00

Rachel and Nigel win the prize for identifying the light fixture...Chicken Coop Forge in the Adirondacks!

Rachel and her cute hunter Genieva

Do You Know This Light Fixture?

2008-06-02T17:31:00.002-04:00

I'm trying to find the manufacturer of this light fixture that was in our room at the Whiteface Lodge in Lake Placid. I can find similar lights but not this exact style. Any ideas?

Almost done with block work

2008-06-02T17:25:00.002-04:00

Difficult to photograph the entire foundation but we have 14 courses of block almost finished. The brickledge steps down the outside for the stone that will cover the block on the outside. Hopefully there will be framing the next time we visit!

Lake Placid, New York

2008-05-27T14:35:00.004-04:00

No update this week as we went to Lake Placid, NY for a weekend trip. I have always wanted to go to the Adirondacks and I was not disappointed! It was so beautiful there. We stayed at the Whiteface Lodge which was awesome. My favorite activities were kayaking on Lake Placid and the tourist-y and gossipy Lake Placid Boat Tour. We saw many fabulous houses and the boat houses were better than many lake homes! We also went to the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton (Thousand Islands) New York on our way to Lake Placid. It was a lot of fun although we were disappointed that the wooden boat rides weren't yet operating. A beautiful old Century Boat at the Antique Boat Museum
The view at Thousand Islands - Clayton, NY
No boat ride but a great sign
Lake Placid, NY

One of the great boat houses on the lake. There is a larger main house behind this one. Many of these boat houses had multiple antique wood boats in them.

2008-05-17T19:55:00.003-04:00

Quick trip to the lake today to see the progress on our foundation and to meet with our builders, Mike and Art. We discussed the kitchen and master bath layout so that we can finalize the plans and get ready for the log work! The kitchen is basically the same layout as our kitchen at home with a few changes.

The foundation has 6 courses of block in the rear corners. There will be a total of 14 courses of the 12" block. Every time we go now it feels more real and we are even more excited!

Foundation and Fireplace Stone

2008-05-11T15:05:00.006-04:00

Yesterday we stopped in Morgantown to return the sample of the stone for the foundation and fireplace/chimney. Here is the Eldorado Stone that we're going to use.

Moving along...

2008-05-11T15:02:00.003-04:00

Several things happened this week...footer is poured, gravel covers the bottom floor, and the block, sand and mortar have been delivered.
This picture shows the kids laying in their rooms.

Exteriors

2008-05-05T16:47:00.002-04:00

Floorplans

2008-05-05T16:43:00.003-04:00

OK, with my newly learned skill of turning PDFs into JPEGs I'll post the plans for the new house. Gretchen and Chris, we have your room all picked out so that you can stay with us. Chris, we are getting you excellent appliances!

Early season skiing

2008-05-03T22:32:00.002-04:00

David and Sam managed to squeeze in a few sets last weekend between the rain.

A big hole

2008-05-03T22:28:00.002-04:00

The foundation is now dug out and the ditch for the footer is ready for concrete. The lot feels very small with this big hole dug out of the center and dirt piled up all around. The driveway just keeps getting wider and easier to navigate which I know many of you will appreciate. The other picture is the view that we'll have from the gameroom.

And more...

2008-04-23T19:47:00.000-04:00

More pics

2008-04-23T19:22:00.004-04:00

Wide Open Spaces

2008-04-23T19:13:00.004-04:00

The site as it looks today. Right after this picture was taken they were about to start digging the hole. They took out 6 trees and made the driveway considerably easier to get up. There is still one tree to remove after the power wires are buried.

Moving the Hot Tub

2008-04-21T13:37:00.001-04:00

Sam operating the PosiTrack that we rented to move the stone patios and hot tub.

Logs for the new house

2008-04-21T13:26:00.004-04:00

The logs for the new house sitting at the Yellowstone yard.

Tomorrow is the big day

2008-04-20T20:55:00.001-04:00

After three years of planning and discussion, eight months of work on the plans and six months since the signing of the contract, we are on the eve of construction of our new log house at the lake. So exciting!

Today was a bittersweet day as we went to the old cottage to try to save a few of the old logs. The house was having none of being torn apart by hand, and not wanting the walls to collapse on us, we finally decided not to try any further. Our kind neighbors said that they might try to pull a few of the logs for us when the excavator comes to begin demolition.

Currently our lakefront lot has a circa 1940 log house that is 700 square feet built on stacks of rocks. Although the little house has been a much-loved friend, it is just too small for our family of four and does not allow us to invite guests to stay at the lake with us. There is no way to move, add on, build up or otherwise utilize the current structure into a new house, and so the decision was made to raze the house and put up a beautiful new log home with 5 bedrooms, game room, 3.5 baths, and modern kitchen.

I will definitely miss the little house and the inviting glow of its aged logs.